My heart melts....

It's been a whirlwind last couple of days....

Each summer, Andrea, Julie and I get *dozens* of ears of corn.... shuck them, cook them, cut the kernels off the cobs, and then freeze them to eat during the long Iowa winters when these lazy carefree days of summer have long passed. It's such a treat, and the kids .... well ... they love it. So yesterday, we spent several hours working on the corn and chatting while the kids played and swam in the backyard. They had a blast, and truthfully so did we!

Now -- one thing about the corn that truly deserves mentioning. (Especially for my friends who don't live in Iowa)... When you live in Iowa you NEVER buy sweet corn in the grocery store. No... you buy it either at a gas station or bank parking lot, from a guy in a pick-up truck, who picked it fresh that morning. And you NEVER buy it a day ahead because that same guy will be there tomorrow with fresh corn. It's soooo much better than anything in the grocery store. Totally yummy!

So while we were working on the corn project, Katherine and Jenna decided that they wanted to have a slumber party later that night. So after we got home from gymnastics, Jenna came down, and within minutes the house was filled with Barbie dolls, dance music and laughter... oh the laughter. How I love it! Proof positive that they were having a wonderful time together.

They finally went to sleep after watching a movie and eating popcorn in the basement. I assumed that they'd (actually Jenna) would sleep in after a full day of swimming, playing with friends and an exciting sleep over. No such luck! When Andrew woke up at 6:15, Jenna was already up and playing Barbies. Katherine was still sound asleep in bed. In Katherine's world, 6:15 am might as well be sometime in the middle of the night. It's WAY to early to be awake and among the living. She'd much rather sleep in! (Yet another reason why she is sooo my daughter! LOL!!). In any event, we were all awake by 6:45 am, and I was showered and ready for the day! Typically, my kiddos don't wake up until sometime after 8, and it could be as late as 8:45!

I made them pancakes for breakfast, and then it was off to spend the day at Adventureland with Matt, Jenna, Nate and the Launderville's. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The kids went on tons of rides, checked out the new addition to the water park, saw lots of their other friends both from school and Chow's and cooled off by eating ice cream at the end of the day. Andrew got to ride on his beloved train, and he was screaming "CHOO --CHOO"! the whole time we were on it! He LOVES trains, and was in Heaven the whole time!

When we got home, I laid Andrew down for his nap and Katherine and Caleb wanted to chill out and watch a movie. A few minutes later, Katherine came upstairs and we read together. After a while I told her that I was going to check on Caleb. She immediately told me that he was sleeping. I still wanted to make sure he was OK..... I found him curled up in his favorite chair sound asleep just as Katherine said. But what I saw absolutely melted my heart. Katherine had put a pillow under his head, covered him with a blanket and tucked him in. It almost brought tears to my eyes. She was so thoughtful, so caring, such a wonderful big sister .... all without being asked. She did it because she loves him with all heart and wants to make sure he's taken care of. It's in these small moments that I realize I've done something right as a parent. And in ordinary moments like this I realize she's an extraordinary girl.

Tomorrow morning, we're off to book club. The moms sit around and discuss the book (and lots of other things) and the kids swim in the backyard. Then, Matt and the kiddos are heading to LeMars and I'm staying here. It's going to be a quiet weekend for me -- scrapbooking, spending time with good friends, and relaxing. I'm looking forward to it!!