Before the kids get up

It's 6:01 so that means one or both of the kids will be up shortly so I'm typing as fast as my little hands (and little brain) will allow. Will and Laura both have developed a cough that results from months upon months of runny noses. (And  now enter Will enters--coughing--stage left. This may be really short.) Jamison has been in Milwaukee since Monday and he won't be home until after bedtime tonight so I've not had much of a chance to write anything so far this week.

The kids, though, have been eerily good during my co-pilotless week and I have to say that it's really not been bad. (This is also where I should say that I don't know how single parents do it. But I actually do know, kind of. They do it because they have to, because there's no other choice in lots of cases.) This may sound weird but the times when I am parenting solo are somehow reassuring to me. Things are much, much easier when Jamison is around but doing it alone gives me a distinct sense of....competence, I guess. I feel more accomplished at night when the kids have had a relatively good day, we ate dinner (leftovers, but still dinner) together, everyone is clean and smelling like Burt's Bees Baby Wash (one of my favorite smells in the world) and the kids are finally asleep. That's not to say, of course, that I haven't lost my patience or wished for a nanny to drop from the sky at moments. (As a side note, if you happen to live near family or friends who can watch your kids, even for half an hour, go give them a big hug today. That's a luxury we live without, so it's a good thing we like being around each other and our kids!)

I'm lacking a good segue here, so consider this my "graceful" transition sentence. I took some pictures of the kids this past weekend cavorting in the leaves. I'll show you two of them but leave one of them a secret that may or may not show up in your mailbox sometime after Thanksgiving. (And so the loooong holiday checklist has one paltry item checked off of it...)

That's really not a "leaf pile" per se, but more like what our entire yard looks like.

She doesn't really look like herself in this picture for some reason.

And now it's 6:23 and Will's losing patience with my "writing a story" as he says. He and his Angry Bird stuffed animal are really cutting into my personal couch space. (Speaking of Angry Birds, I finally broke down and got a new phone. I've finally entered the 21st century. I also recently got my first iPod. I know,  I'm about ten years behind everyone else, but I needed some tunes for the gym.)

Also, because I apparently have aspirations of becoming a personal shopper, if you're looking for a gift of pure comfort for someone special, get them these. I got myself a pair as a little early birthday gift and I would wear them everywhere if I could finagle it. (Also, I have a thing for pajamas. These are some of my favorites that I've ever gotten, also as an early happy birthday to myself. What can I say? I guess I'm feeling indulgent this year what with all the traveling and solo momming. The bonus is that the pants also come in petites so that means less hemming. Yes, I have to hem pjs. Are you telling me that you don't?)

The countdown to Mamaw Sally's chicken and dumplings and Mamaw Jeanetta's rolls is on...T-minus six days and counting...