Loving the Middle

Cuddling. Washing. Unpacking. Snacking. Packing. Swooning. Singing. Loving. Sipping. Sorting. Folding. Cuddling and Loving some more.

So goes my day.

This one wide open span of 24 hours wedged in between days that are beyond filled to the brim, they are spilling over into this space. Little bits of sugary love from yesterday’s festivities, where we even managed to sneak in a senior photoshoot between all the partyin’, and the loom of a morning flight that will beckon me in what seems to be just a few hours.  A flight that’s causing me to unpack from our recent vacation, instead of leaving our suitcases piled for a few more days, and repack bits of clothes that I can’t wear here, lest I freeze.

And I wish I had something profoundly great and inspiring to say today, or witty and funny.  But today is leaving me short-winded, holding my littlest who doesn’t want to be anywhere but molded right around my hip, and my oldest little begging for some of the sweetness that’s seeped it’s way into today.

Since we’re all feeling short and sweet around here, I’ll keep this post feelin’ the same love.

Like loving my cuddly teddy bear….

who could barely keep those big blues open for our trail through the neighborhood, collecting heaps of candy topped with lots of Aaaaahhhhhhs.

And loving my little ballerina girl.

She was never more than five feet from the ninja duo… and this trio? They made the evening an adventure.

Her first choice of attire after raiding her dress-up bins and then letting mama add a little bit of warmth to the whole getup.

Loving dressing up.

And starting out the evening as a darker Rachel Zoe (I had a blonde wig, but it just wasn’t working). Bananas! By the time we rounded our first block, I’d already morphed into Kim Kardashian. I guess that’s the power of persuasion, after being asked if that’s who I was a few too many times, I began to just answer , “Yes.”

The best part? I was warm.

I just can’t get over the glow of the evening sun, how it danced it’s way right down into a golden finale and gave it’s beautiful curtsy before it settled in for the night behind the rooftops.

And speaking of curtsies…. it was my cowgirl’s move for the second night as we set out for round two of the candy hoarding.

I’m totally loving my cowgirl.

Another throw-together that began about half an hour before we walked out the door when she grabbed that pink, wide brimmed hat and said she wanted to be a cowgirl. I bolted and flung my way through her closet for anything that resembled a life on the farm, you know, girlie style. After some dotted on freckles and a swipe of a tube of red across that perfect pout, my girl made for a stunning cowgirl. But her room… that’s another story.

And now I’m stuck loving the leftovers and walking over piles of junk spread across her floor. But today brings more important things than what is trickling in from yesterday, so between flinging things into a suitcase for tomorrow, I’m butterfly kissin’ Brayden’s little lashes and introducing all the characters Aliyah transforms herself into since her room has become one giant dress up box, to a crowd of stuffed animals.

I’m loving the middle, baby.