i won!

i mentioned in my ten smile tuesday that i was entering some of the bloggy giveaways. well, i just checked my e-mail, and can you believe it...i already won something. the giveaway isn't even technically over, and i'm a winner! even better, i won one of the things i really and truly liked...not just a gift card but a skeeda bag (pictured below..minus the groceries!)....something i can use in every day life! how lucky is that...well let me tell you just how lucky...there were 377 entries...yes, three hundred and seventy seven....and little ol' me won! so, here's my big thank you to pediascribe!

in other news....we did the play-date thing yesterday. a morning in the park...and then the whole gang headed back to my house for lunch. have i mentioned how much i love having a houseful of people. we're talking about making the playdate an ongoing thing this summer, and i am so excited to offer my house and backyard for just that purpose. anyway...that was a lovely time. kate had her first chance to check out the big swings at the park...which she loved. (i'll try to post pictures later). elizabeth got to slide and climb and run and ride and on and on....a wonderful time!

today...well, i've been doing a bit of cleaning here and there...vacuuming, starting some laundry since i'll apparently be leaving town sunday evening rather than tuesday evening (more on that later), even some sweeping and scraping in the garage. hubby, if you read this before you get home you'll be pleasantly surprised...i finally did it...i scraped up that sticky icky mess on the garage floor that the coffee creamer made by leaking out of the trash bag...sorry it took me SO long. we've played with lib's zoo, chalked up the back porch, and tried to entice the kater gator to crawl (she's tryin'...she has the inching and rolling mastered...and the whole turning 360 degrees). of course, i can already see it coming...she's going to start crawling while mike and i are out of town...she'll show her skills off for grandmommy and poppy first...i can already see it coming!

anyway...i've mentioned it twice, but yes, we are heading out. my parents are coming here tomorrow or sunday to build a swingset for the girls. then they'll be in town for kate's dedication at church sunday evening...and then off we go. well, not all of us...mike has to stick around work till thursday, but the girls and i are hitching a ride with grandmommy and poppy and heading up to their place for a bit. hopefully we'll have the chance to see some family and friends (some who have yet to meet kate...apparently i need to take the trip north a bit more often!). then mike will head up that way thursday evening, and friday morning bright and early the two of us will take up to drive up to michigan for his sister's wedding. notice i said "the two of us"...yep, my parents have graciously (and eagerly...come on, this isn't really a sacrifice for them...i know they are excited about the chance to spend some quality time with the girls) offered to watch the girls so mike and i can enjoy the wedding and a weekend alone (well, alone except the 100 extended family members that will be staying at the same hotel....so i suppose its a relative term!).

and, okay, i'll admit it...this will be the longest we've left the girls....and the first time we've left them and headed out of town....and yes, while i'm looking forward to the time with just my hubby, i'm also feeling a little lump in my throat as i think about leaving them behind. i know, its a mom thing...and really, they will be having a BLAST with grandmommy and poppy...and i know it will be so good for mike and i to get away...(not to mention we'll actually be able to stay at the reception for more than 15 minutes!)...but i also know that come sunday i'll be so excited to pull into my parents driveway and have my sweet girls back in my arms. incidentally, sunday is my birthday...so i get the best of it all...wonderful time with my parents before the trip, a most expenses paid weekend away with my hubby, and the chance to enjoy my birthday with a dinner and cake from my mom...what more could a girl ask for!?