Weeks and weeks

Again -- way too long since my last post but the previous two weeks have been filled with vacation activities. Adam took two weeks off from work for the 2009 Levy family stay-cation. We're a family of six - there's not much traveling outside of about an hours radius. Maybe next year ;)

Our time together at the end of the summer consisted of playground trips, the start of ballet & tumbling, bike riding, ALOT of pool time, Calum talking more, plenty of hours playing in the dirt pile, our fair share of Popsicles (we should have bought stock), all four kids getting to know one another a bit more, family visits, getting through hair washing without tears (accomplishment!), and many other silly triumphs only a mom & dad can fully appreciate. One morning we had all four kids in our bed waking up together. We popped the TV on and Calum said, 'Oh, I wuv Tigger & Pooh' - this was so dear and Adam & I shared one of those great moments of just smiling at each other. We are the parents to four amazingly beautiful children. Wow!

Some funny things from the mouth of babes:

"Mommy, Drew just spat on herself"....Ella was channeling her proper English background.

"Hole...me...Santa...Mommy" ----- Calum asking for a hole for Christmas after playing for two hours in the garden...in a hole.

"Mommy, can I have a Popsicle" - "Yes, Ella, after lunch." - "Um, no no no no, Mommy. That's just not going to work." ----- Ella. I didn't know where to go with that one.

"I don't want to play. I just want to have fun." -- Ella

"Yet's yump...(Let's jump)" --- Calum asking Drew to jump w/ him......"Ok, 'oney (honey), broda (brother) 'ere (here.)" --- Calum soothing Drew after he attempted jumping w/ her...he was holding her hands while she was in her bouncy seat.

"It's ok Mommy - just show me one cartwheel" --- Ella's request followed by, "Mommy, let me teach you how to do it right." --- Ella's response to my cartwheel. It's a good thing all of this wasn't followed by emergency vehicle sirens. It's been years, and three pregnancies since my last cartwheel.

"baby giggle giggle giggle" ---- Oliver's response to me kissing the sugar from his neck.

"Mommy, let's call Drew 'Charlotte' - it's a better name." --- Ella renaming her sister to follow the recent 'Charlotte' trend of our friends.

"I love school. I want to sleep there." --- Ella - what a difference a year makes!!! "Me too!" Calum's response to his sister's enthusiasm.

My response to all of these? My heart soaring & breaking, all at the same time. How exactly does that happen?