Alpha and Omega

Today was pretty much more of the same around here - Quinn at preschool, Keira getting into garbage and standing on chairs, yada, yada, yada - but the beginning and the end of the day were pretty spectacular. And here's why.

The Alpha: This morning, on the drive to preschool, I hear Keira giggling in the backseat. Apparently Quinn was making some of his hilarious faces. Her laughter encouraged him further, it seemed, and soon an all out laugh-fest erupted back there. What music to my ears, to hear them entertaining each other. A good ol' fashioned belly laugh is a great way to start the day.

The Omega: The day ended with the lovely Miss K (no, not in the beautiful dress below, but in her puppy-n-kitty PJs), sleepily patting my chest, looking up and me and saying, "Ahhh mama." Yes. She called me mama. To my face. Not when whining to her dad because she wants me back. But looking at me. Calling me mama. Yippee! She's only done this a few other times in the four months she's been home, not that I'm counting....
But OK - I am counting.
She's done it four times.
And on an in-between note, as all parents know, it is never all wine and roses (or, all juice and popsicles). You have those moments like this:

Keira constantly taking off her shoes. At home. In the car. Always in the car. Everywhere.

It occurs to me that maybe the shoes are too small. But, nah, doesn't really seem that way. Anyway, fast forward a few weeks to this week when I decide that Miss K needs nice little summer sandals. I take her to an actual shoe store. You know, to really get measured. Just in case I had, by some fluke, misjudged when I bought those very cost-effective Target sandals. So, they measure those delicate little feet and declare that she needs a size 5 1/2.

Aha! Mystery solved. I don't need Fred and Daphne and the gang to tell me that indeed, the constant shoe-removal must have been because her feet had been wedged into shoes 2.5 sizes too small.

Yeah, well, no Mother of the Year here on this cul-de-sac.

But we have happy kids (usually) and now, some happy feet.