[x] Preschool is not for the weak (of heart, stomach, or immune system, for that matter). The kids started in early September and since then, we've all be sick as dogs. LF is sick as a dog, Bear is sick as a dog, I am sick as a dog. K. snatched it up awhile back, but was able to overcome it quickly and today, Beauty woke up sounding congested six ways from Sunday.

IMMUNE SYSTEM FAIL.

Ugh! Of course tomorrow is Halloween. Thank god for Dayquil for me, anti-b's for Bear (he has a sinus infection), and fingers crossed for my girls. What horrid timing.

[x] Suffice to say, there is much excitement in my house about tomorrow. I have--in order from oldest to youngest--Batman, a butterfly (for the second time in her 3.5 years, might I add!), and a little flower (of course!). The older littles have quite the grandiose plans for trick-or-treating from sun up to sun down, but (thankfully) even if we canvased the entire subdivision it wouldn't take that long. And I'm certain we will--canvas the entire sub-d, that is. Early bedtimes for all involved tonight? Check. Have I mentioned the fact that my husband is dressing up as Robin (the superhero, not the bird) tomorrow? Oh, yes. He sure is. It's very, umm, interesting. The costume is very, umm, spandex-y. Yeah. I've gotta figure out something to, umm, make it a little more decent. Heaven help me. It's going to be very special indeed. But ultimately, the kids will love it--especially Bear--and that's all that matters. I'll have pics on f-book tomorrow sometime, so if you're a friend of mine, you've gotta check it out. :)

[x] At dinner last night, Beauty turns to me and says, "Oh! Mommy! Look at that!" while gesturing wildly toward the enclosed (three season) patio. What could it be, you might ask?

Well,  we have a mouse. In our house. Okay, that's not *exactly* true. He's living on our patio. I am, as you can all probably imagine, a little less-than-enthusiastic about this turn of events. I need this thing out, and now. (Humanely, of course! No-kill traps ONLY!). *sigh* It's been very nerve-wracking with the dogs, and even more nerve-wracking to think this little mouse could've entered my home any time. By this I mean that I tend to leave the back door open when I step onto the patio to let the dogs out, and there would've been more than enough time for this little mouse to wander into the (real) house. And that, my friends, wouldn't have gone well at ALL. So tomorrow, we gut the patio and makes sure our little friend is not burrowing anywhere to have babies, etc. Oh, good grief. A mouse. I mean, really?

[x] Yesterday, we also made about ten zillion sugar cookies (cut out shapes of pumpkins, acorns, and leaves) and we frosted them and decorated them with sprinkles. As any parent of a small child (or a now-big child) will attest, sugar cookies--especially the iced ones--will tear your kitchen apart. It was a disaster. I thought about just lighting the whole kitchen on fire and walking away from it, but instead...I cleaned (begrudgingly). It took HOURS. The dog might still be sporting a green stripe of frosting. Oh, and the dogs loved it--let me tell you. Any "dropped" cookies? Gone in less than half a second. I knew we had pets for a reason.

[x] Totally obsessed with this song at the moment. Gives me goosebumps. Love, love, love it.

[x] I turn THIRTY on Friday. I am so, so excited, to be honest. I nthought my life would be this amazing--every time I pictured myself at thirty, I had a very different (sad) mental image as to where I'd be in life at this time. I am not, have never been and will never be, one of those women afraid of her age. Or hesitant to admit her age. I'm proud of all my thirty years for sure. Not of every decision, mind you, but of where I've been, where I've come to, and where I'm going. Thirty is going to be awesome. :)

[x] Big news for Little Flower: she's officially a "big" girl now! Pre-mouse incident, I left her in the (incredibly childproofed) family room for, say, ten seconds. She was in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a sea of toys. When I came back, she was STANDING against the stairs! On her own! Standing! She pulled herself up! I can't wait to tell Sue (her OT) on Tuesday. I am SO proud of her! She never ceases to amaze me. Go, LF, go!

[x] LF's birth month is coming to an end, and it's bittersweet. It was such a full month and she was so celebrated--I almost wish it could just go on for her indefinitely (think that I think she's pretty special? Yeah, I do! :) But now she's one, and I know she'll be two in a blink of an eye. I just really try to enjoy these times with the kids. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in day to day living and everyday nonsense, but at the end of the day, I love these moments--each and every day--where the details unfold right before my eyes and I learn something new about one of the kids. Precious and rare indeed.

I'm a lucky mommy, that's for sure. <3

But I'd better wrap this up. LF is about to wake up from her nap, I'd bet, and the older littles are cooking for me in their kitchen and I am to sample the fruits of their labors as we speak. :) Happy Early Halloween to all those who celebrate!

<3