Ballerina Princess Party

The invitation said Ballerina-Princess party, please come in costume. We happily complied, and Dash found his pretty pink tutu to be no impediment to playing with trucks in the mud in the backyard of his friend Audrey during her birthday party.

Secret hope

It is my secret hope that Ella will just take care of this whole potty-training-of-Dash thing by herself.

Grateful

We got rejected (or shall I more kindly say 'not selected') in yet another kindergarten lottery today.

But I'm not going to dwell on that.  I am instead going to focus on what makes me grateful tonight.  And that is this:

1)  Having girlfriends who will happily give up a long-planned night out at a restaurant to come to my house for pizza because my husband has to be away on travel.

2)  Having girlfriends who show up for said pizza night with two bottles of wine, a plate of brownies, and a box of pastries.

3)  Having girlfriends who listen, commiserate, support, validate, and, importantly, distract me from this school mess.  It is a gift to receive both sympathy and perspective on a challenging situation.

When I told Ella that my friends M, K, and J were coming over tonight, she said "Mommy, they aren't just your friends, they are my friends, too."

   My friends (and Ella's, too)

Freckles

The boy is getting freckles.  I can't decide which I adore more - the big one on his nose, or the little family of them on his cheek.  Every part of this little guy is precious and more precious.  And it only took 120 pictures to get one close-up where he isn't blurry with action which is precious in its own way.  He IS a two-year old boy.