So few hours, so many thoughts and feelings!

Olivia is showing off her preschool artwork and Sylvia's checking it out too. (picture taken last week)

Olivia: "Look, Joey's listening." I thought he was just practicing his Heisman Trophy pose. Okay, it does look more like jazz hands, but I'm not predicting anything!

• Joey was officially initiated as a daycare attending child today. While I watched Pam change his diaper for the ride home, one of the other little darlings that was undeniably enamored with the "new baby" aka "her Joey", a sneeze must have snuck up on her. As she oggled and hovered over him, she achooed right in his face-I'm talking point blank range. I couldn't hide the grimace on my face, even with my hands cupped over it in immpuisance. Now we just wait for the symptoms to come upon him. Not that we are germ free in our home or anything, it's just that our germs seem less germy than other kids'. What can I say, I'm just partial to our own filth:)
• I'm sure I will laugh about it someday, but the chain of events that unfolded as we attempted to get settled back home was anything but funny at the time. Olivia unbuckled, just out, and ran solely from the van to the house, letting herself in and shutting the door behind her. I unbuckled Sylvia and sent her on her way to the house while I loaded up my arms with 4 bags (literally: large purse, diaper bag, breast pump, and milk bag) and Joey in his infant carrier (that he probably grew out of last month). Thank goodness Olivia was helpful enough to carry her own school bag to the house. Locking us all out of the house was less than helpful though. Picture me, weighed down with all the bags and baby carrier, trying to protect Sylvia from the rain that poured down, knocking on the back door and firmly instructing Olivia to open the door while she explained to me, through the glass window in the door, why she couldn't do so! Ugh! Once we did get in the house, both the girls proceeded to throw fits; Sylvia because her shoes got knotted when she tried to untie them, and Olivia because...well, that's just what Olivia does after a long day at preschool. I put down my bags and my baby and went straight to the bathroom to try to find solice for a moment of personal business. Even my bathroom duties were rushed, as one child cheerfully followed me into the restroom, apparently done crabbing for now, and the other one continued to wail, which in turn alarmed the baby to the point of frightful cries. Once everyone had calmed down, undoubtedly not without some stern words from myself, I had a plan to get the baby down for a final, quick nap, snack the girls, and attend to other personal duties. It was going well until, mid-pumping, the girls whiningly reminded me that they "WANTED SNACKS". Oh jeesh, I had forgotten to snack them ...and uh-oh, Sylvia's "gotta potty"...uh, too late...she's wet now. I guess there could be worse things:)
• I got to read the girls 3 whole books while Joey napped. I had been missing them and wanting to read to them all day and they seemed like they had looked forward to time with me too. It was a few minutes of snuggling, story time bliss.
• I am able to blog this long-winded account of the last hour or two thanks in part to Veggie Tales:)