finishing a long week

Saturday night.  The week is almost over.  I'm grateful. 

I finished up the bedtime routine running solo for third night in a row - plenty of work and a good chunk of play for Matt this week.  I am thankful for these opportunities for him to play here as we start to develop friendships in our new city, but I'm also not a fan of long term solo parenting (though each night does get easier as we re-create our routine, just the four of us).

To "in humility count others more significant" than myself (Philippians 2)... how many times a day do I use these words to encourage my kids - and how much I need to hear them myself! 

This afternoon the four of us made "welcome home" posters for the door of our sweet neighbors who have been away for SIX LONG weeks!  Oh how I've missed the companionship of another stay at home mom! 

We finished up our artwork, traipsed over to their stairwell and spiffed up their doorway in anticipation of their evening arrival. 

The project kept us busy through most of the late afternoon.  Later I did a little weeding in our thriving garden while the kids played.  What is it about kids and water?  There must be some sort of magnetic attraction that results in wet, happy children every time the two get together :) 

Homemade pizza for dinner that ended in one very playful silly mess - I've realized that when Matt is away I am so desperately outnumbered by the silly crew at the table that I just sit back and watch the action.  Oh the giggles.  It feels a bit like a slumber party, but it happens every night (at least when I'm running solo - when Matt's around we manage to have a little more adult conversation!) 

So the end of a long week.  Much rambling around in my heart and head.  And this is all I manage to get on a computer screen.