Props to our county firefighters.

So, figgy and our little professor got to spend some quality time with Gramma Wendy last night. We got out for the night and headed up to Annapolis to the Sly Fox Pub with our dearest friends, V&M. Gabe and Gabby came out, which was really nice because I've never met Gabby. I feel like I know her, though. LOL! Gabe somehow got my e-mail address off of a group e-mail that went around a year or two ago and thought that I was someone he knew (same name). So, I've followed the story of Gabe and Gabby the last 18 months or so. In any event, I should have learned years ago that any friends of V&M are friends of ours. The pub is a relaxing little nook in downtown Annapolis, near the water, with an outside courtyard. Timmy plays his live music and people walk in and out with their dogs. It's a neighborhood hangout; many people just pull their boats up to the dock and hang out at the local pubs along the main drag. It was a gorgeous night with a slight breeze off the water, the stars shining bright and, most importantly, we were surrounded by really good company. We were home by 3:30am and collapsed into bed; the kids were awake at 7:00am. I wanted to shoot myself in the head.

We had a fairly busy Saturday. The kids were up bright and early and we spent the morning and much of the early afternoon outside celebrating the 3rd birthday for our sweet neighbor. There were slip-n-slides, pools, and a sprinkler ball. The hit of the party, by far, was the arrival of a fire truck! A fire truck! Kristy stopped by and asked the local station if they'd be willing to come by for a bit. I'd say the kids loved every minute of it, but it was definitely a hit for the "big boys". ;) My husband...my dear, sweet husband...stopped dead in his tracks and squealed like a little boy at Christmas. The husbands stood around the truck, pointing and whispering, then giggling to each other and reminiscing about their dreams of being firefighters as children. The guys (the real firefighters) were really cool with the kids and let everyone climb in and out (the little kids, not the "big boys") of the truck and watch the spinners on the front. They pulled out the ladder and, when it was time to leave, the siren let out a wail and the horn was beeped. There were tears of excitement in the eyes of all the dads as they waved goodbye. LOL!



I wanted to clear something up...please, please don't take any offense to what I say here. It's a sort of outlet for me and a way to keep all of you up to date with the kids (along with crafty stuff). Sometimes I have days where I feel like a complete failure as a mom, because I look at the parents around me who have singletons (one child or several children born at different times) and watch them doing things with their kids that I'm not able to do with mine when I'm alone during the day. (Large parks, swimming lessons, music lessons, etc...) I'm honestly not slamming anyone, it's strictly me feeling like I'm not able to offer my kids the sort of life that they really deserve. I struggle with feeling like maybe I'm doing them a huge disservice by keeping them at home and not putting them in daycare. Then, I struggle with the guilt of putting them in daycare and not seeing them very much. It's an internal fight that I'm sure I'll battle for the rest of their lives.