Nine Hours a Week!

After the first day of school I knew I was in for a long week with Ellie before preschool got started. She was missing her playmates terribly and thought that I could replace all four of them--wrestling and giggling like Spencer, reading books and snuggling like Cami, playing dress-up and dolls like Emma, and playing house like Adam.

On any given day I can hold my own pretty well with any of those activities, but those first few days of school found me a little (okay A LOT) stressed getting everything together for preschool and preparing for my cousin's family to arrive from Utah.

I was distracted enough that when she randomly took her nap in the middle of the kitchen floor, that I did not even notice until I realized it had gotten kind of quiet.

This week I've been a lot less distracted by stressful pursuits, but even still Ellie has been a little lethargic and lonely without her brothers and sisters around all day.

Until today....

there's no need to be sad and lonely with a group of happy faces like these to play with at PRESCHOOL!!!!


I'm not sure who was more excited about preschool, me or her.
For my first time EVER, I don't have any kids at home with me 3 hours a day, 3 days a week!

Already today I finally got some good exercise, got caught up on the 365 blog, cleaned up a bit from my 20-month-old cousin (once removed?) who likes to dump out toy bins, and Ellie magically stopped begging me for food and friends nonstop all day.

Next week my house will be spotlessly clean, I'll have lost 20 lbs., I'll have written a Pulitzer Prize winning blogpost, and Ellie will be reading at an eighth grade level....