Phew, what a day

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The sound and smell of a Skil saw cutting wood. When I brought Lillian to school this morning we could hear the high-pitched whir of a saw blade spinning and we could smell sawdust in the air. It immediately reminded me of growing up in my dad's wood shop and it brought me back to the familiar sounds and smells of saws running and wood cutting. It's amazing how a simple noise or smell can conjure up such vivid memories and feelings of home and comfort.

2. My mom. I know I mention her a lot and I don't mean to sound repetitive, but I would've had an emotional breakdown today if it weren't for my mom. She saved me on multiple occasions. My toilet decided to overflow while I was trying to get out the door to bring Lil to school. My mom arrived as I was on my hands and knees in the bathroom (still in my pj's) trying to clean up the mess. My mom insisted on finishing the job so I could get Lillian to school (of course she went above and beyond and cleaned the entire bathroom while she was at it). While my mom was busy scrubbing my dirty bathroom for me, I was having fun with Lillian and her preschool friends. We got to go outside and play hopscotch and draw with chalk, we read stories about bears, we put together floor puzzles, and- for the third week in a row and much to my pleasure- we got to play with the sand table. :) When we got home, my mom entertained the girls and played along with all of their games, many of which required her to answer an imaginary phone every 30 seconds or to order food from Lillian and Sydney's kitchen store. My mom folded my laundry, put it away (and organized the clothes that were already in the drawers), she cleaned my kitchen and did my dishes and she changed all of Liam's poppy diapers and let him spit up on her. She corralled the girls during our picnic dinner (it's become a tradition when Daddy is on call) to get them to eat. Then, while I got my haircut she gave the girls a bath and got them ready for bed. They would've been running around all over the place until 10pm if it weren't for her help. Btw- the girls got their hair cut, too! It was Sydney's first time and she did great!! My mom didn't leave until 9pm. She stayed at my house for 13 hours to help out. She felt bad leaving me at the end of the day, and I felt bad that she had stayed so long. I hope she gets a good, long night's rest. I love her lots and I don't know what I would've done without her today. I think I'll start calling her "Saint Mom."

3. My sleeping children. Peace and quiet never sounded so good.