today (in an extremely long run-on sentence)

Today my girls woke up happy and chattering to each other and stayed in their room playing long enough for me to get a shower and some precious moments in front of our icons and then perched on the couch, Bible in hand, listening to the rain, and I wish every morning started like that,

and then they asked for oatmeal for breakfast so I didn't even need to convince them that it would be the perfect fare to fill our bellies with its warmth and goodness

and then I let Aida make a huge mess with watercolors on the kitchen table and Sophie make a huge mess in the bathroom washing her toys because they were happy and independent and I made muffins and folded that basket of towels and rags in the laundry room that never gets folded (only to fill it up again with more clean towels and rags...such is this endless cycle)

and after we cleaned up 2 huge messes and changed into different clothes we ventured out in the rain because we could not wait one more day for a trip to Costco for wipes and nighttime diapers (since they're still just 3) and the girls had their thrill of the week because we had a hot dog there for the first time ever (please forgive me, I know it is the Fast, but this pregnant mama needed protein and B vitamins and truckloads of mercy and grace)

and after quiet resting time (during which Sophie bounced 2 slats out of her bed again) the girls dressed up in princess dresses and pink boots and mittens and flew on their horses to several places, namely Nana and Grandpa's house, the beach, Batman's house (?), and the Nashville Zoo and I wish I had pictures but somebody let her camera battery die

and we read and read and read and read and waited for Daddy to come home and played with Playdough and I had 2 little helpers in the kitchen to make dinner with me (like every night)

and we lit our Advent wreath and read about the Israelites passing through the Red Sea and halfway through the (very short) reading Aida asked if she could open her Christmas book now, and when it was finally time they opened up Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia! which we read together

and then I got to have dinner with some lovely people while Elijah gave the girls baths and put them to bed and did the dishes (he is great like that)

and it was a good day.