Taking the "Re-use" Part of Recycling to a Whole New Level

As it turns out, we were not the only family in Winston-Salem looking to buy a sled this week. Every store I tried was sold out. So... we improvised.

Here is Riley's first "sledding" adventure...

Winston and Wrigley lead the way.



Here he goes.



A bit tippy.



Sledding is fun.



The boys have a stare down.



Our three babies.

The Perfect Winter Day

As I write this, we have 6-8 inches of snow on the ground in our yard. This is North Carolina and snow storms like this don't happen often. Riley is napping in his crib. Winston and Wrigley are so tired from playing in the snow that moving is out of the question. Casey is snuggled up on the couch reading a book. I have completed the laundry and am now enjoying a cup of coffee and a few minutes of peace. It seems that all of the stars have somehow miraculously aligned to give us the perfect winter day. Of course, it's noon, so who knows how the rest of the day will shape up, but still, this is one of those moments where I actually have time to realize that life just doesn't get much better than this.

Granted, Riley has been sick with a stomach virus all week. I am still trying to get rid of an ear infection. Casey is recovering from a sinus infection. Winston has been nursing an ear infection for about 4 weeks now, and his surgery to repair his knee is on hold until the ear infection is completely gone. Sleep has been spotty for all of us, Riley's stomach virus has led to a mountain of laundry so disgusting that all we can do is rinse it out and throw it directly into a Oxyclean-filled bucket, and everyone has been on edge in anticipation of this snow storm. Perhaps that's what makes this quiet, sleepy day seem so great. Or maybe it's that the roads are pretty much unable to be driven upon, forcing us to stay put for the first time in who knows how long. Whatever the reason, I wish days like this were more frequent.

Riley may still be pretty much immobile (although we can already tell that those days are going to come to a quick end very soon), but still, life as the parents of an 8-month-old and two crazy dogs is pretty exhausting. I can't wait to see what I'll be saying a month from now when Riley is crawling (or even walking) while we are nursing Winston back to health after his surgery...

For the time being though, I am going to sit still for a few minutes, take a few deep breaths, and appreciate the many, many wonderful things that I am usually too busy or too exhausted to pay attention to.

Specifically, a fun day playing in the snow.

Heartbreaker

It's official. I'm in love. It is still amazing to me that my eight month old little man can simultaneously break my heart and make it swell with pride. I was struck by this when driving Riley to "school" this morning. As I turned around to look at him in the back seat like I have done every day since he was born (don't worry, I only do it while safely stopped at a stop light - what kind of mom do you think I am?!?!), I almost burst into tears. There he was looking right back at me using Panda (his mirror). Not only is it cool that he has now figured out how to use the mirror to look at me, but what did he do -- SMILE. And a great big smile as if to say, "I love you, Mommmy". I almost missed the green light because I certainly was not going to be the first one of the two of us to look away.

Only about 5 minutes later I was again struck by this simultaneous sadness and pride. When I dropped him off at "school" and he saw Miss Tamilia and Miss Niga (his teachers), he instantly grinned at them as he does every day (he is such a flirt). But then, much to my dismay, he actually held his arms out for THEM instead of wanting to hang on to ME any longer. I was proud of him for his independence, but sad to know that I am no longer his first choice.

I guess I should get used to it.