today

I have too many unrelated photos to try to draw them together, so I give up from the start .... but here's (some of) what we did today.

We LOVE the badminton/basketball courts beside our complex playground.  Loads of room to run and roam.  [Anyone looking for a good big sister?  We've got two!]

One of my favorite parenting mantras: "Say Yes to as much as you can, because you will say No to so much."  (Pretty sure I read it in a book but not sure.  Maybe from Shepherding a Child's Heart?) 

In this case the question was "can I wear my pajama shirt backwards as my shirt today?"

[I'm embarrassed to admit how often my NO is not really for their good but for mine.]

We made tortillas with Ashlei's tortilla press.  You definitely want a neighbor with a tortilla press. 

Pure yummy-ness.  Those kiddos are hanging out waiting for scraps. 

The kitchen bar has redefined cooking with children.  They are right in the middle of the action - but without crowding into my armpits trying to get a good look at the mixing bowl.  I love it more than I ever thought I would (and I had really high expectations going in!)

Then after supper I cut Lydia's and Luke's hair.  No pics because, well, I was cutting hair.  Just a little pre-bedtime fun for momma and the five. 

Luke and Lydia have very similar hair - Lydia's just thicker, longer and curlier :)  After the doc trimmed around Luke's head injury, and then I trimmed a bit more to even it out, well... the back length needed some trimming too.  Lydia's wanted a hair cut for weeks now and with the start of school on the horizon it seemed like as good a time as any.  It was a dusting of curls on the kitchen floor when all was said and done. 

I'll get a picture in the morning - Matt will be here (!!!) to admire my work too so there should be plenty of smiles from everybody :)