Quiet Time Cuteness

There are afternoons when the kiddos drive me insane with their "Quiet Time" antics (i.e. running in and out the room to go the bathroom, to pick out one more library book, to ask if quiet time is over, to go the bathroom again, to ask for water, to request my presence in their bedroom, to go the bathroom again, and so and so forth), but this during today's "Quiet Time" I found Lil' Miss Jorja absolutely adorable. I opened her bedroom door to find this...

A girl wearing a new, hand-selected outfit (thanks for the headband Lori!) reading to her animals.



Celebrating Meg's birthday -- and Anders' first time with a lighter (certainly a sign of attentive parenting on my part, jeez).



Basking in the glow of candles and yummy, homemade cake deliciousness.

China

Meg and I spent a bit of time in China recently -- Beijing followed by a 3 hour flight south to Guilin -- thanks to her job, our fabulous co-parents, my new knee, and the ease of Skype for "seeing" the kiddos every day.

Travel is such an effective way to gain perspective. I'm looking forward to including Anders and Jorja on upcoming international trips -- once they've established a solid nighttime potty routine, a more diverse array of "approved" edibles, and a consistent willingness to sleep past 6am without the assistance of their "It's Okay to Wake" clock. It shouldn't be too long...