Back to the Mall!

This is the final "all day session" for the painter, so again, Allison and I headed off to the mall to get out of his way. I decided to go to a different mall than our "usual" because there was a store nearby I wanted to check out. The sad thing about this other mall is that it does not have a carousel (I have to prepare her for this along the way), but they do have a great play area, so as soon as we got there we grabbed a snack and headed down there to play. "The Playland is Currently Under Construction" read a huge sign. Try explaining that to a 2 year old. :( She really didn't bat an eye and asked if we could go to a book store. SURE! We spent the next hour looking at and reading books. No one was in there, so it was like our own little private library morning. Good times! We left with a Courderoy Halloween book, a cook book for kids, and a preschool activity book. We then headed home for lunch and nap.

Speaking of nap, we are trying a new strategy. Allison normally sleeps with an enterouge (sp?) of animals (Shay Shay, Elmo, racoony, mama kitty, and baby kitty), and she plays with them for a LONG time before falling asleep. Daddy came up with a great plan that I introduced today. It's called "Don't make me come in there!" Once she's had some time to relax and play after laying down, we go in and tell her it's time to go to sleep, and that if she keeps making noise and we have to come back in, an animal is leaving the crib. At first I thought, how cruel! She loves her animals. Then I remembered my day yesterday and thought- great plan! Today I took Elmo out of the crib and, using my finely tuned Love and Logic training, said, "I know the rest of your animals will stay in your crib. You'll be a good girl and go to sleep now because you want them to stay with you the rest of the time. Good girl! I loooooooove you!" I haven't heard a sound since. YIPPEEE!!!

Last night I reflected on how blessed my life is. I'm able to spend every day with this precious little child while my husband deals with the daily grind of a wonderful yet stressful job. I get to make home made pizzas, hang out at the mall, watch re-runs of Will and Grace, go swing at the park, etc. I also have so many wonderful things to look forward to, like visits from out of town family, a reunion trip with several families we traveled to China with, holidays with Allison, and in a few years, an addition to our family. Life is so good! God is so good! That doesn't mean that my days are always full of laughter, and there are times I feel very stressed "on the job", but for the most part, it is the most glorious job I've ever had, and I wouldn't trade it for anything! The very best part is that at the end of the day, be it a joyous one or a stressful one, this wonderful man walks through the door and I am reminded how much I am loved and needed in this world. He is the best blessing of all!

Happy Thursday, everyone!
Laurie