Something to Smile About

This is kind of long, but these are a few things that highlight our week, in no particular order:

1. Pretend Bandaids -- Sounds strange, huh? I mean, what would you do with paper & tape. Hmmm...let's see, maybe write a note to someone & tape it to the door?? Clearly, I'm not so original in my thinking. My children, on the other hand, can spend hours (and yes, I do mean hours) with paper and tape. Yes, I've often said that we should own stock in 3M. Today, Alyssa, who is going through a phase of high bandaid usage, appeared with numerous bandaids all over her. She announced that she had pretend bandaids, Shanan's idea and design apparently, but from more than a foot away, you wouldn't know they were pretend. They looked real -- a small square of paper secured with a piece of tape, one was complete with "blood" in the center. Voila' -- bandaids galore! Their ingenuity certainly made me smile
   
2. Oreos -- I never ate Oreos when I was a kid, I mean never ate them. But somehow, my kids have been exposed to Oreos, and Alyssa, in particular, has extreme fondness for them. Oreos are one of those things that I put into the category of doughnuts, things that you might enjoy, even like a lot, but you should never get used to as a part of your daily diet because there's really no redeeming nutritional value in them. With that said, I will occasionally honor a request for them, such as a couple weeks ago when Alyssa came along with me to the grocery store after Genna was born & was really quite charming. Shortly after aquiring the Oreos, we had a social get-together at our friends, the Hargus' house for the 4th of July. I asked Alyssa if she'd like to bring her Oreos over & share them. She was a bit hesitant, to be honest, but she did agree. I praised her for her willingness to share her prized possession, and off we went with the Oreos. Upon leaving our friends' house, Alyssa sweetly inquired about the Oreos, because they were very near & dear to her. When Leslie broke the news to Alyssa that she thought the Oreos had arrived with another friend (Alyssa's best friend Zaynah), and had therefore sent the remaining Oreos home with them instead, Alyssa was in disbelief. Steve assured her that it would be okay; after all, Zaynah is her best friend, and it's nice to share with friends. And then, Alyssa's face fell, she covered her face with her hands, and sobbed. An award-wining performance for the audience that remained...she was heartbroken. And one week later...Leslie delivered a brand new package of Oreos to our doorstep today. Now that's something for Alyssa to smile about!


3. Cuddles -- Last night, as my girls were giving me hugs & kisses before bed, Alyssa sweetly requested "cuddle time" with me today. Something so sweet about that, no demands, no yanking on me or incessantly asking for my attention while I'm obviously busy, just a simple request. Of course, her request spurred Shanan to do the same. The sweetness of the request made the honoring of it all the more pleasant!
   
4. Friends -- The kind that no matter how much time has passed since you last had a chance to catch up, you just pick up where you left off. Amy, you will be missed, but when I think of you, I have something to smile about, because you are one of those friends! :) Your move is our loss, but there's a whole lot of people waiting in Indiana who'll be so glad we let you and your family go.
5. Clean houses, or at least a clean upstairs -- I have to brag on my hubby today, because while I have done nothing except make breakfast and take care of Genna, he has decided to tackle the upstairs for the first time since Genna's birth. He may not clean often, but he's thorough when he does get around to it! Goodbye dustbunnies, for the day, at least. ;) Thank you, honey! Now, if we can just manage to mop the downstairs this weekend...