Reasons Why Today Was Nice

**note: this picture isn't from today, but it IS recent, so you can tell she does need her bangs trimmed. **

So it's Monday. The only day we have completely free during the week. I usually hate Mondays because they just seem so ... well, loooooong for one thing. The squid is usually bored to tears (literally) by 10:30 a.m. and I have already raised my voice a few times because she's taken umpteen things away from Brenna. So today, she got up nicely. Who knows how long she'd been awake, but at 7:30 when I opened her door, she was just laying on her bed. Then she smiled at me and said, "It's early, mama! It's so dark. An - uh, polkapalace hum-un-uh-la-de-da..Good JOB sleepin' in yours bed, mama!" She desperately wants to be able to talk as fast as I do but she just doesn't have enough words yet. At least ones that make sense. So she just throws some nice syllables in there to make up for it. It's really very cute.

So we had a little chat and I gave her some mini pancakes and blueberries and some Ovaltine and she settled down for Mickey Mouse. Brenna got up in a good mood (she woke up twice crying last night. Getting a tooth again) and had some breakfast. Have I blogged yet that Brenna Brenna wants nothing to do with baby food anymore? REally, she doesn't want me to feed her much of anything, except yogurt. Everything else she'd like to shove in her own mouth, thankyouverymuch. We also watched one episode of Backyardigans.

Then Sydney painted a while while I cleaned up the kitchen. When I was done cleaning, I sat down with her and talked to her about what she was painting. They both joined me in the bathroom while I took a shower and played peekaboo and made each other laugh. I hold out hope that they will soon be actual friends. We ran errands. First, Wal-mart, where we found kids sunglasses on clearance -- Syd is over the moon about sunglasses lately -- and not one, but TWO elderly people called Brenna a boy. She was wearing brown shirt and pants, but they did have hearts and flowers and little owls with flowers behind their ears. I'm not sure what kind of sissy boys these people assume I'm raising? Anyway, no tantrums, freakouts or cart munching, and I found one of those cupcake trees I've been looking for. I can't believe it's almost Brenna Bear's first birthday! Crazy.

Then we tried to get Syd's bangs trimmed, but the place was closed, and ran on base to do another errand that didn't work out, and all the while, they were perfect angels. Home for lunch. Brenna took a nap. Syd retired to her room where she did NOT take a nap but did stay quiet enough to allow Brenna to. Then we played a little, got the mail, vacuumed and took a walk one street over to Becca and Drew's house to play on the swingset with them. When it was time to go home, there was no fit even though Syd hates leaving there and even though she didn't have a nap. She even WALKED all the way home instead of riding in the stroller. She held my hand and talked to me and... I know this seems like a little thing, but it's HUGE to me. I totally dream of being able to walk into places just holding two little hands and not having to worry about a stroller.

The girls played with each other while I made beef stroganoff, corn on the cob and fresh spinach for dinner (okay, and some grilled cheese sandwiches and cut up bananas) and Cory walked in right as we were ready to eat. We did bath, stories and bed with no issues and I have to say that all in all, it was just a great day. Nothing fantastic. Just good. And I'm grateful.