Luke is offically five.

It happened yesterday morning around 7:40 am. He was so excited for it to be his Halloween birthday! I made him a crown to symbolize all the things that the four year old Luke loved this last year. Spongebob, fruit roll ups, his DS, kitty's, Tom and Jerry, Power Rangers, lizards, etc. He was so excited about the crown that he wore it to school. And his teacher reported that he wore it all day long.

I took cupcakes to his classroom that afternoon and as we were walking out of the school Luke saw his shadow and proclaimed, "I'm a king! Just look at my shadow!"

Luke blowing out his candles.

Licking off all the frosting first. Priorities people.

Opening his first present. This year Luke got a Bakugon ball, moon sand, a Mario tiny remote car (that didn't work), a bike, and Spike the ultimate dinosaur.

Lily was shoveling food into her mouth as quick as she could get her hands on it. At one point she even reached over to my plate and took a huge handful of my pasta.

Waiting in such sweet anticipation for the grand finale present.

Trying out Spike the ultimate dinosaur.

Getting ready to let go of our balloon wishes. Kitty wished that Lily would go on a vacation; funny, Chad and I wished for the same thing!

It was a great day, Luke is such a fun boy. He can be the absolute sweetest boy in the world, as long as everything is going his way. :) Love you Luker.

We love Spongebob and kitty goes for a ride.

Chad and I often find ourselves quoting some Spongebob. It's just that there are so many practical applications found in an episode.

Lily is still very much enjoying kitty. Kitty is having second thoughts about us though.

Oh, and kitty was finally named. Chad came up with the name. The children do not even know kitty's full name. That's how bad it is. The word bad is in it. Kitty's new full name is . . . Major Bad ass Mead. I'll let you figure out what part the kids don't know.

Lily, this is the devil calling. Wanted to tell you your doing great!

Yesterday, Lily put terrible two's to the test. The collaboration of which was far worse than any single day of mothering either of my boys had ever been at age two. I was busy cleaning house. She was busy destroying, Lily style. She began her quest for the devil in the laundry room. She took the cat box and while dragging it through the house took out fistfuls of kitty litter and the other substance that goes in kitty litter all over the main floor. Take a moment and try to picture it in all it's glory.

I come out from cleaning the master bath, I scream out RUBBY! She gives me a look of 'whatcha lookin at fool' and saunters off. I get this all cleaned up and just as I'm taking the vacuum back to the laundry room I hear an evil giggling. The kind of which are only made while evil deeds of mess making are begin performed. Lily has taken our fifty pound bag of dog food and dumped it somehow all out onto the floor. Then she proceeded to lay on top and wildly roll around in it while using her arms to spread it out to as far as she could manage (she quite talented). I could give her away at this point.

Those who know me know I love tidy. Oh, how I heart tidy. And I was in the middle of doing my weekly tidy (chores) when I got this and the cat little cleanup patrol added to my list. Thank you.

That's it. Out she must go. Into the backyard, out where children and dogs belong. I locked the door and went about cleaning up dog food pebbles. She had been outside for six minutes. Upon my return I couldn't believe my eyes. She had de-potted all of my HUGE patio pots. All six which are about a two and a half feet diameter at the top, which hold my blessed; lime tree, cilantro, rosemary, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, lemon trees. I wish I would of had the state of mind to take a picture so you can get the image of how huge they all were and what a freakin disaster it was. Plants/trees everywhere and Lily and the dog tearing them apart. Heaven help me. Actually, Lily is the one who really needs help because that girl is so past being on thin ice.

Lunch time, thank heavens for leftovers. I heat her's up, serve it up with a nice cup of water and even kiss her on the cheek because I'm the forgiving sort. And do you know what that child o mine did. She took a look at the lunch, then at me, then picked up her lunch and flung it so far that it landed all over the walls/couch in the next room over.

Ring ring...devil calling, "Lillian Madison Mead your doing just great."

The sun'll come out tomorrow.

Yesterday was such a bad day! I went to bed and felt so bad about myself and my mothering. I was short-tempered and impatient (my natural state is impatient, some kind of birth defect, but this was more than usual).

I worked for seven straight hours to get the house clean from the weekend-mess-making that we did around here. Lily was just a TOTAL pill while I was cleaning up (a post about that to come). I tried to keep our new kitty alive (wary of Lily who likes to strap things into strollers . . . especially kitties). Then the kids got home from school.

I was exhausted and didn't get my usual nap (I tend to be quite cranky without it). I tried to do my self-soothing talk and not take out my bad mood on those I love most, but I made a critical error and took the kids to Target (at 6pm no less). It was late in the day, I was very close to the edge and I was exhausted -- a recipe for disaster. While I was on the sheets aisle, the boys got into a scuffle that ended with Luke falling down and crying. Got the picture?

So, what did I do? Did I:

a) take a deep breath, imagine myself stepping back and giving them a good kick in the rear end;

b) tell them I was taking away their current favorite toy for five months;

c) send them to bed with no dinner; or

d) do a somewhat animal-like, primal scream as loud as I could for about four seconds.

If you answered "d," you are correct! At Target. Yes, I had a moment. At Target (not WalMart). And guess whom came right around the aisle just as my moment was ending. A sweet friend of mine who has only one child. Yes, she didn't understand, but she still loves me.

Anyway, after all of this, I still had to take Owen to his basketball tryout. I went to the church and there were literally 200 people ahead of me. I wanted to cry. Lily was in my arms trying desperately to "fall" out of them so she could go right in there. I got in line, doing my deep breathing exercises. I couldn't leave, this was the only night for tryouts and Owen really wanted to play, so be there we must.

We live three minutes from this church. It was seven o'clock by this time, bedtime. Just then my brain hatched an idea. Take the two little ones home and leaved Owen there to go through the stations by himself. He loves to be grown up and independent so I told the lady in charge that I was having a nervous breakdown (thanks mom for the priceless and spot on saying) and explained that I would be back in fifteen minutes. She gave me a hug and said no problem. Lord, bless her! Got back, picked up Owie, went home and tucked him into bed, promising that tomorrow would be better.

And it was. We all played outside today for two hours, riding bikes, doing sidewalk chalk, playing basketball and eating Popsicles (we are in Texas after all -- it's 75 degrees outside . . . he he he). It was good. I felt good. Better. I was outside sitting on the driveway when I had this thought: motherhood is composed of days, more good than bad, some really bad, and some really, really good . . . we had a really, really good one today. Thank goodness!

New family members, I just can't help myself.

Here I am with some girlfriends at our church's harvest festival, looking sassy. I'm including this in this post because I'm super awesome. And I know it. Why, the brazen self proclaiming? Because I am for one; and two I let the kids (and Chad) get a new kitty this weekend. See, I told you I was awesome.

We have yet to name kitty. I think Garfield would be good, Owen likes Cooper, and Chad is partial to Topper. So, we'll see. Kitty is on loan to us till we see if I'm allergic to this kind of Kitty, fingers crossed.

Because everyone loves kitty. I love kitty too, because it brings SO much joy to all the babies I love so, that's why I do this (in case you were wondering why I've lost my mind and gone and gotten that same kind of animal that tried to kill me, literally). I'm sure this will be a check on the "things done good while on earth" rooster. It'd had better.

Where's baby?

As I was driving into the garage today I noticed something above the one car garage. It was a leg. But what would a leg be doing in the gutter. And whom does it belong to?

Baby. That's who it belongs to. How baby got into the gutter and how long she's been there is probably a better question for two little boys.

Mead Halloween festivites.

The aftermath of trick or treating. Chad and I slept in (which we do every Sunday:)). We woke up to find the kids all in the dining room sorting there candy to kind, size and likability. Lily was of course gorging herself on sorted candy.

Friday night at neighborhood Halloween party. Lily dedicated herself wholly to the bounce houses. I don't have a single picture of the boys from this party, they were far too busy playing/running around with their friends.

Trick or treating with friends the Fullmer's and the Andersons. Pretty much walking around with our friends telling the kids to "wait up". After trick or treating a bunch more families came over to the Fullmer's dance party. The adults ate yummy food, chatted and danced while the kids ran wild all over the cul-de-sac. Very good times.

Luker with some of his spoils.

Oh wait! I do have one pick from Friday nights party. Here is Owen on the dance floor getting down. That's my boy. I don't have a pic from Saturday's dance party but just know that I was getting down at the Fullmers. Lily and I rocked that dance floor (technically it was the driveway but Jeff brought out all his DJ equipment so it felt pretty official). I mean if there is a strobe light a going I'm there.

Snow white (with pigtails of course) painting her pumpkin Friday night.

Seeing Lily adoring herself in her costume added years to my life. It just did my heart good. I put her costume on and she was literally dying at how she looked. She ran to the mirror in my bedroom and kept exclaiming, "ohhhh Rubby!" (her nickname). I tell you. Even the boys were dying at how cute she/the whole thing was.