Don't mean to Toot-

My own horn, that is! I hate to gloat. No, really- I hate people that constantly spout sunshine and daisies. They seem to mock the 'real people' who wear mis-matched socks, use the dishwasher (for dish storage), and seem to go to the grocery store EVERY single day. But not because they want to.--------------- With a family the size of mine, we seem to do everything big. When things go bad, it goes bad- big time. When things are good- they are GREAT! Yesterday was one of those days. Fantastic!!----------- So I will gloat. A little. Because you never know when a Great Day will happen, and on the rare occasion that it does- DOCUMENT IT. It will hold you over during the not so great ones. I know. I am tempting fate- Two great days in a row. Thing swill turn crappy soon enough. I promise. Then you can listen to me whine about "the dark side" of big family life. So I will gloat while I can. Toot toot! The morning started well, the kids were ending their swim lessons with a play day- and the parents were invited to join them. I couldn't (because of my aversion to wearing a swimming suit anywhere in the vacinity of anything with eyes) AND I had to take care of the baby. Besides, Steven LIVES for those Daddy moments. He took the plunge- and loved every second of it! The kids weren't completely horrified to have him splash around with them either. Win, win... AND I got pictures. An hour later, completely water logged- it was well worth it~ I had had some doubts, especially when SOMEONE forgot to bring dry tighty whities... but with the dad assist it was a blast. We went to visit Big Grandma, (aka My Grandma) and visited for a bit. It was nice to sit, and catch up.The kids loaded up on candies, and took full advantage of her Bag Of Stuff. She saves all sorts of little things- like mini flash lights, promo calculators, little toys, sample sized everythings... and the kids can't get enough! It's like finding hidden treasure- every visit. Pretty cool Grandma!! We then, Yes, ALL 9 of us, continued the Grand Adventure by braving the Greenway. Yes, tempting fate. We parked at the South end, hiked up and around, and ended up at the play ground in the middle. We all survived. And have photos to prove it. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful a day it was. Beautiful. We hiked back- Clara in the stroller giggling her little head off, and JJ walking most of the way on his own two feet. He did have a little help- but he's still little :) Stopped at BK, and played a little more. I was SO happy- the kids were great- no fighting, picking on each other, no whining or anything. Especially considering the fact that they should have been exhausted! Little Energizer Duckies, they kept going and going--------- While walking, we decided Dad should cook. Bust out the grill and have at it. We even braved Walmart (in the afternoon) for supplies. We actually- mark the date down- got to a speedy checkout line, with no line! Did I tell you it was a great day? When it's good- IT'S GREAT!! So, we meandered back the the Beast, and headed home. In awe of the day we had spent. All together. Loving every minute of it!--------- Days like these, are what makes being a Mom feel like more than being an unpaid domestic servant. Days like these, I am reminded of exactly what I had hoped for when I wanted kids. Heaven on Earth- THIS is what it is like to LIVE. Most days are tough, to be honest, many are pretty rough- Days like these seem to wear you down, and can make things seem pretty bleak. But then you have a good day. Once in awhile, you might even have a great one- and everything else is forgotten. Those great ones make everything- the bad, the ugly, the completely unorganized and utterly chaotic- fall away. Just being able to wake up, get out of bed- and to know, really know that GREAT days are possible... makes dragging the old mom body out of bed just a little bit easier. And next to A Great Day... Easy (easier) is always appreciated:)