Slowly dying the next three days

Tuesday morning my alarm was Kate's mommy calling me to say she was at the door. I have no memory of the sound of my alarm or my turning it off. So I got to literally start my day with wide-awake Kate. (I loved it!) 

Mom heard her fussing and took that to mean that Kate wanted to see her and so came up to please her. While Kate played with Mom and I was able to shower real quick. 

After breakfast Mom, Chloe, Ava, and Gabe went to Bubble Land and to run other errands. 

Mia took her sweet time doing each task as slowly as she could and stopped to smell all the flowers. Dad was ready to leave for a meeting before Mia was dressed, or had her hair done, or had a bag packed so she could accompany him. So Christian and I became "quick-change assistants" and had her ready to waltz out the door in record time. 

Long story short, only Christian, Kate, and I were home for a better part of the day. 

Christian did school. 

Kate decided that naps were over-rated and skipped them for a majority of the day. She is starting to "talk" a little and kept throwing her pacifier out of her bed, saying "uh oh," and then crying until I picked it up, and laid her down again with it in her mouth. 

When she is supposed to be asleep. 

During the 30 minutes she actually slept. 

Covering me in cracker crumbs.

The others arrived home later in the afternoon, and had rest time. 

Kate didn't want to be put down or held by anyone except me, so I got to make dinner with one hand. (It's a great workout! Also, it is possible to peel and chop a cucumber with one hand and to cut grape tomatoes in half.) 

After dinner was ready, I left with Kate to take her home. I bathed her (she is so cute soaking wet with bubbles in her hair AND she is the perfect bath-taker, no fuss what-so-ever) and had her all ready for bed by the time her mommy arrived. 

Wednesday Mom got me up at 8:00. (I had my alarm set for 6:00....) 

Most of us actually ended up having a sort of slow day, but we were still productive. 

In the afternoon Mom and the littles made cinnamon rolls to sell in the neighborhood via Facebook in order to raise money for Samaritan's Purse. The house smelled amazing!!! 

I went to Staples to get house plan copies for Dad and Christian ran some errands with Grandfather. (Pretty sure that involved a treat at Starbucks...) 

Thursday morning I changed the sound to my alarm and relocated it. I got up at 6:00. 

Dad and I have both been getting back into consistent exercise since the trip. It's hard! I much prefer to get up early and get it over with, though. 

After I showered, I had my Bible time as I do each morning. I love early mornings when it is completely quiet and I can fully focus and listen and read and pray and meditate. It's something I look forward to and long for each day. I just finished a study on the Holy Spirit and now I'm reading a psalm and a proverb each day as well as a chapter from "Let Me Be a Woman." 

His mercies are new every morning...

Not just January 1, not just Monday morning, not just anything. 

EVERY morning, His mercies are new.

Today is a new day, this is a fresh morning, 

live it as you are, forgiven and loved.

Coffee, half an avocado, two eggs, sausage, and a cinnamon roll

After breakfast and prayer time with the family, I left for coffee and study time with a friend at Zera's Coffee and Tea. The guy who made my coffee wanted to make sure it was clear that he'd made a perfect heart design on top of my mocha... My friend had a "baby frog?" 

We had a great study time and then I delivered her to the park where her family was. We didn't get lost and we were on time. 

Not too long after I got home, Grandfather left with Chloe, Christian, and I to go to Speech and Debate. 

There is a tournament this weekend out of town, so not as many people were at club. We didn't have to set up because of that, but we were still early. 

According to our coaches, Chloe and I are way ahead of schedule with our duo. Now we are to the point of refining it all, and adding in additional humor and fun blocking, etc. 

Chloe and Christian did part of a debate with another team and probably won. 

That moment when...

You do a workout and slowly die the next three days. 

Your brother brings you a rose and says it's from a boy whose name you don't need to know.

You meet the Chief of Ponder Police. 

The Herd: Quoted 

"Don’t you have to take an adult with you?" -Me about me going somewhere 

"You are an adult." -Mom

"Oh yeah..." -Me 

"I always have such great quotes." -Mom 

"Why do you guys always gather here?!" -Chloe in her room

"Dad said this was a good place to hang out." -Christian 

"Well I was planning to take a nice shower and read my book and have a quiet evening all to myself..." -Chloe  

"Hello Introvert, we are your two extroverted siblings here to crash your party." -Me laughing  

"My legs look better than your jeans." -Chloe 

"Underneath my jeans looks before than your legs." -Christian  

"My legs are smoother." -Chloe 

"Mine are hairier!" -Christian  

"Mine are more filled out." -Chloe  

"Mine have more bruises and blood on them!" -Christian 

"All you are doing is discrediting your legs." -Chloe

"I'm leaving to write this all down!" -Me laughing  

"You just missed the man who brought his gun to get the cinnamon rolls!" -Me
"Nice..." -Dad

"What?" -Christian 

"You missed what I said because you were fan-girling over your football." -Chloe 

"Hey, nobody's here! We could do cartwheels down the hall!" -Me 

"That's your first response to nobody being around? Be my guest." -Chloe