I found a lot of unpublished memories, they are broken and I deleted many of the sentences that didn't make any sense at all; I was exhausted.  But here they are, where someday I can remember them with the kids.

Ethan closing the freezer door carefully, one pant leg pulled out and trailing behind him

Parker singing 'come out butterfly' to a beautiful monarch butterfly cocoon.

Parker and Lyra both turning to me to give me kisses when I made kissy sounds at them in the store.

Parker getting his blood pressure test at the store.

Lyra singing to herself 'I'm a nice princess, I'm a nice princess'

Parker singing to himself 'god loves me, god loves me' as he walked up to school.

Esther had a toy in her hand and went to crawl away when Ethan cried and reached for the toy he wanted, she turned back, gave him the toy and then crawled away.

Ethan got his finger pricked for a blood test and after the nurse was done milking the blood out of his finger they gave him back to me.  I held him and through his tears, he held up his band-aid finger and started 'telling' on them, babbling loudly and angrily, waving his injured finger and then holding it close to my face for my inspection and then returning to angrily babbling at the ladies.

The teacher took me aside and told me that Parker had been pitching a fit in the bus, they went on a field trip and gave each kid a buddy.  They assigned a girl to Lyra and a boy for Parker.  Parker was VERY upset.  Apparently he insists on being behind Lrya in line as well.  The teacher looked at me and half smiling said 'It's to keep an eye on her.'  Parker is endlessly protective of Lyra.  Lyra knocked over something and Parker was worried that she would get in trouble for it so he insisted that it was Esther that had done it, even though I had sat there and watched while Lyra did.  When I insisted that it was, in fact, Lyra, Parker came over to tell me right in my face, like he was defending her honor, 'It was ESTHER!'  Sweet for Lyra, problematic for mom.

Oct 16
Esther's first step

Oct 31
Ethan's first step

the rain let up a little before we left for trick or treating and it was GORGEOUS!

we went to a whole block of houses

everyone LOVED it

babies in the wagon got a sucker each

they too loved it

Once Parker had a little heft in his bag, he started running from house to house excitedly repeating 'candy! candy! candy!  when we got home I told them that since they had so much candy, we then had enough to pass some out as well!

so we emptied half their candy into a bowl and they gleefully passed it out to the many trick-or-treaters that were still passing though

There were only a few of their more favorite candies left and now they are playing cats.... and giving Esther suckers, because she loves them.

it is sweet, but I am going to have a lot of washing to do to get all her sucker smears off everything.

I didn't want to take it from her, though, because the kids were so happy to see how happy she was.

Nov 7

Chris went out of town for a few days, and the kids were angels.  Ethan and Esther brought themselves in from the car while I got kids backpacks.  Lyra and Parker brought in groceries by themselves and brought them all the way in to the kitchen.  It even occurred to me that there was no possible way that they would all behave so well were it not a blessing.  Also, I felt significantly less tired.  I was happy and patient and energized - there was no particular reason for it, I really, honestly think that it was a sincere blessing.  And it occurred to me that Chris must have prayed for me - earnestly and fervently.  Later when he called, I asked him if he had, and he said, almost surprised, that he did.  I could tell.  I could feel it in myself and see it in the kids.  I know it sounds cheesy and dumb, but it really happened.