lately

Lincoln on a horse.

I just found out that Brent has the weekend off!

WAHOO!

It feels like a miracle.  He's been like a ghost for what feels like a good long while now.  He gets home LATE at night (after I'm asleep, usually) and then feels like he should study.  He gets up at 4:30 am and is gone by 5:30.  Last thursday was his first day off in 10 days.  He spent the day doing yard work and studying.  Maybe I'll be able to talk him into laying off the books on Sunday and spending some quality face-time with the fam.  At the very least I'll have some back-up during Primary.  We have an energetic group of boys that we team teach, and it's always easier with two of us.

It's friday night and at our house, that means Movie-Night.  Something the grandparents introduced.  Tonight the feature is "Zookeeper."  Mercedes made a bed for the three of them on the floor, and they're waiting patiently for their fish to finish baking so that they can get dinner over with and have their movie-night treat.   They picked Pumpkin Ice Cream at Trader Joe's.  I'm sort-of watching... if checking email and cooking dinner and updating our blog and glancing at the screen every once in a while counts.

On our way to TJs this afternoon we passed a skate park and Cooper declared that for his "five year-old birthday" he wants a little green skateboard of his very own (Brent's long-board from Dental School is green, but a little big for the little guy).  It's always nice when they have a specific idea in mind.  All three of the kids have birthdays approaching and it seems to me like every day Mercedes comes up with a new thing that she wants for hers.  Today it's a stainless steel water bottle.  Yesterday it was her own ipad.  Luckily, Lincoln is still easy.  He doesn't really know what a birthday is yet.  He'll be happy with cake and ice-cream. 

My birthday present to myself this year will be a potty-trained two year old!  Our little Linc is very determined, independent, and strong-willed.  He does what he likes, when he likes.  I'm counting on that to get him trained sooner rather than later.  He definitely isn't afraid of falling in, like Coop was.  Without me starting the process (I'm waiting until AFTER tomorrow's Super Saturday RS activity) he's already done his business in the right spot a few times.  I am so done with diapers.  And the SMELL which accompanies them.

Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.