We've Arrived

1. Anna went an entire day and didn't take a nap AT ALL. And actually she wasn't even that cranky. We've arrived!!!

2. We had a family movie night a few weeks ago, and we watched a movie that we all genuinely liked with real people in it rather than just animated creatures. We've arrived!!!

3. We had not left the country since the fall of 2005 (before I got pregnant with Noah in summer of '06), but last month we returned to international travel and not only did we live to tell the tale, but it went well. It was fun. We've arrived!!!

4. Not only are the kids able to entertain themselves and stay out of the way while Jon and I work in the yard, but they are able to really, truly help. They pick up sticks, branches, and trimmings from bushes that we cut and take them to the fire pit or brush pile. We've arrived!!!

5. Anna can buckle her own car seat. No longer do I need to do that for ANYONE in our family. We can just head out the door and everyone opens his or her own door, gets into his or her own seat, closes the door, and off we roll. This makes getting in and out of the car SOOOO much less of a pain. Mornings are easier, errands are easier. We've arrived!

6. I have a child registered for Kindergarten. Not only is it hard to believe that I have a child old enough to be going to elementary school (and to my old school no less) but no longer do I have to think about how guilty I would feel if something happened to Noah while he was at a daycare that he wouldn't really have needed to be at if I were a stay-at-home mom. I've arrived!!!

7. We have gone to several shows lately (Chinese Acrobats at the Morris, Joseph at Bethany Christian Schools) and the kids have sat, watched, enjoyed, and then conversed intelligently about the shows afterwards. What fun to share experiences like that together! We've arrived!!!

8. We have gotten to the point where the kids can put on their own movie in the morning...by themselves...so.....you know what that means, right? Yes, you guessed it: WE CAN SLEEP IN (in theory. I'm not saying this has happened a lot yet, but we know it's possible). Now we just need to remember to leave out some granola bars or cheerios on a Friday night to keep the hunger at bay, and we'll be set for a nice long Saturday morning of sleeping in. We've arrived!!!!