I Love My Life

Jason had to be in Bakersfield early yesterday, so I took the day off from setting the alarm to get myself to the gym before the kids are up. (Notice how I said "setting the alarm". I only actually make it about every other time. Mornings come so early!) Ashlyn woke up a few minutes after my alarm would have gone off for the gym. I shuffled into her room. She heard the door open and started smiling and kicking when she saw me. She is so wiggly when she gets excited. It is the cutest thing! I smiled through my yawn, changed her diaper and made a bottle. I figured since Jason was already gone, we would just snuggle back up in my bed. We called Jason on speaker phone, found all her ticklish spots, and just snuggled until it was time to wake up the kids.

I got everyone except Lauren, who has afternoon Kindergarten and was still asleep, in and out of the shower, hair blown dry, breakfast eaten and put away, lunch packed, shoes found, backpacks ready, permission slip filled out, clean dishes unloaded from the dishwasher, a new load of laundry put in and 3 of the 5 beds made. Then, it was time to go to school. I stepped into my flip flops, keys in one hand, baby in the other. Yes, I was still in my pajamas. I asked Lauren to grab my purse, buckled Ashlyn into her car seat and we were off.

As I made a left hand turn, my purse spilled over onto the front seat where Austin had climbed in. (I usually don't let him sit up front, but he thinks he is so big these days. The school is 2 blocks away and I was still too tired to worry about it. Besides, Austin just has a way about him that is really hard to say no too.) "Aw! Mom! Your purse dumped out!" He said with this teasing grin as he started to put everything back in it. "Thanks, Honey. Could you zip that up for me?" I asked. He did. I asked if he got everything. He looked at me and grinned and said, "Yeah... Well, maybe everything but a couple of bucks... Just kidding." I just started to laugh. I knew I didn't have any cash in my purse, but if I did, I would have given him "a couple of bucks" because he is just so cute! I love his sense of humor. He is so playful.

The kids jumped out of the car and yelled "I love you, Mom!" as the doors slammed shut and they ran off to find their friends. I looked in the back seat at Ashlyn, who can't help but smile when anyone looks at her, chewing on her butterfly and Lauren with her blond hair all a mess, in her pajamas with her blanket wrapped around her. My heart was full. I love my life. I love my kids.

As I looked for a break in traffic to head home, one of my friends drove by and waved. She was all done up and ready for the day- make- up, hair, the whole bit. I looked down at my pajamas, smiled and went home.