May 7

Today was my last MOPS meeting of the school year, the big meeting where everyone brings food. I signed up - pre-broken leg - to bring a hash brown casserole. Since I knew this morning would be hectic (Caleb to the bus, Daisy to preschool, two kids in the van, and a hash brown casserole), I prepped the whole thing last night. This morning, I turned my oven on to preheat at 7:45, knowing the casserole needed an hour to bake. Then I busied myself with teeth-brushing and lunch-making and shoe and sock-putting-on. (Caleb went to school without socks on Monday. I didn't realize, but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. But apparently it was, because he came home wearing a pair of socks borrowed from the school nurse. I was pretty embarrassed.)

At 8:30, once the neighbor had taken Caleb to the bus and Daisy was ready and waiting for Grandmother to come take her to preschool, I happened back into my kitchen and thought to myself, "Why on earth is my oven on?"

I was baffled, and I turned it off.

It wasn't until 8:45, when Daisy and Gayle were off and I was getting ready to pack the little ones and my diaper bag and the hash brown casserole in the van....

The hash brown casserole. That's why the oven was on. I was supposed to bake a hash brown casserole. Whoops. 

But it was too late to do anything about it by then, so I just let it go and got in the van.

I am definitely not Super Mom.

But I am a mom who has a hash brown casserole in her refrigerator, if anyone wants one...

I am also a mom who got to sit on her porch swing with her sweet little man and funny little toddler and listen to the birds sing in the sunshine while we waited for Daisy to come home from school.

So, he looks a little bit dopey in the picture, but I promise Eli was really happy.

He was also happy when we went back to the swing later to wait for Caleb to come home from school.

Of course he had a wardrobe change. You wouldn't expect someone this handsome to wear the same thing for longer than four hours, would you?

(Side note: I did wear the same thing for longer than four hours, which was amazing. Eli hasn't had a major volcano/waterfall spit up in at least 3 days. Perhaps the mere thought of going dairy-free was enough to solve his problems?)

(Side note 2: I just moved Eli up to 3-6 month clothes. It is very exciting, and I can't believe he is that big. Also, he has approximately 20 pairs of pants, but somehow none of them are appropriate for the summer and most of them are ridiculous. He also has two pairs of shorts, but none of them have onesies or shirts to go with them. This is the dilemma of relying on hand-me-downs to wardrobe a baby. On the plus side, he is a baby. I'm pretty sure just a onesie is appropriate clothing for a baby in the summer, right?)

Then Caleb came home, and Lily was happy, happy, happy. She ran to greet him, barefoot, in her little dress, all the way down the sidewalk, grinning and clutching a dandelion. He wrapped her up in a big hug. I don't blame him - she is adorable. I love how much those two love each other.

Big brother blew bubbles, and little sister danced in them. They're a pretty good pair.