Super Mom and some Halloween

When I was in the hospital, I had a favorite nurse. She was Lainey's night nurse in the Level II nursery, and she was just fabulous. Before I was discharged, she came in my room to say goodbye and wish us luck (really, an awesome nurse! She cared enough just to come say goodbye!). At the time, Nick and the kids were there and it was chaos - kids were climbing all over the hospital bed, pushing buttons, Everett had his hands all over Lainey's newborn face, and I'm sure Ellie and Maren were yelling at each other because that is what they do, and I could see it in this nurse's face, a look that said, "you have your hands full". In fact, it wasn't just on her face, she said it too, several times. Then she told me something like this, "You need to take time to recover. Don't try to do everything. I can tell that you are the super mom type, so you'll probably try to do it anyway, but just try and take it easy." This woman had only known me for a few days - in the hospital, no less, and had already labeled me as a 'super mom'. Perhaps it was because I took such care with my appearance? (Ha! I jest! I wore the hospital gowns the entire time, didn't mess with contacts, makeup, or even a bra ;) I DID take showers while I was there, I want you to know). What is it about me that would solicit such a response? I've felt the same vibe from friends and even people I've just met in our new ward. I am doing my best with what I've got, just like everyone else here, people. My house is messy, like, all the time. My kids are lucky to get their hair combed in the morning, and lately, I'm lucky to get a shower. I am far from organized. I yell a lot at my kids. I am far from a perfect mother and have melt-downs about my imperfections at least once a week (seriously, just ask Nick). I do have meals on a schedule, but that's only because food is important to me and I get pretty ornery when I haven't eaten. There you have it. I'm not really a 'super mom', I'm just trying to get through the days, just like most of you, I'm sure. I do the best I can, and what I feel is best for me and my family. I try to find joy in the little things and do the things that keep my sanity. There, needed to get that off my chest.

And now, I jump to photos of our Lainey: A photo to document that she was, indeed, dressed up for church. We took her for the first time last Sunday. She slept the entire time, and no one even peeked at her, which, is good for the germ aspect, but no saw how cute she was! After a four hour nap, she was not impressed that we were pausing to take photos before she got her lunch.

My kids CAN play nicely together sometimes. Look, here's proof:

Maren was the teacher, Ellie the student, and Everett was content looking at books. Of course, right after the photo was snapped, Maren climbed over, snatched Everett's book away and informed him that it was there for her to use at her disposal, and not for him (not in so many words, of course). It was nice while it lasted.

Okay, on to Halloween. Ellie was just so excited this year, she just couldn't stand it. The school Halloween Parade and party just added to all the fun and excitement. Once dad got home, we took the kids to trick-or-treat at their grandparent's house to get a special treat (plus giant handfulls of candy) and then a little later, they went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood and had a great time.

My little tiger hated having the hood up: And my four beautiful children all in one photo:

And just in case this blog post made you think I might be the perfect mom... I'm sitting here in my pajamas at 11 in the morning while my two middle children absolutely tear the playroom apart. Oh, and I should be folding and putting away laundry that's been waiting for me for about a week now. ;)