Happy October!

Here's a photo of my sister-in-law, Kajsa, with her little guy Jacob, my mom, and Carolina and Finn. Look how big my kids are compared to that little peanut! He's about two months old now.

Changing the subject...
Isn't October just the best?! It is my absolute favorite month and I am so lucky that all of my girls are born in October. My friend, Rachel is nine months pregnant right now and is VERY ready to have her baby. I just texted her a little encouragement, telling her that six years ago tonight I worked a full day with a terrible attitude (I was just SURE Maggie was going to come the day before), came home, cried and whined a lot because I was so tired of being pregnant, and then I was holding Maggie in my arms by 2 AM. I cannot believe Maggie will be six tomorrow! It's just crazy.
Anyway, we had her birthday party over the weekend and it was a huge hit. I'll have photos just as soon as I get them from Grant (if you'd like to send him an e-mail to encourage him, I wouldn't mind). It was superhero themed and it was probably my favorite party I've ever done for one of my kids.
Tomorrow is her real birthday and we have some special things planned. When I was little the birthday girl got breakfast in bed, so we are starting that tradition this year with our family. She has been asking about this for months. She requested homemade blueberry muffins so I'll be rising at five AM to make them (Grant and Finn will be up with me, too. Ugh. How do you get a child to sleep later than 4:45 AM?) I'll make extras to take to school at lunch time, defying her teacher's request to send erasers instead of food. Sorry, Mrs. D! If other parents hadn't done it first I probably wouldn't, either. Thanks, fellow parents! Carolina, Finn and I will be eating lunch with Maggie at school. For dinner tomorrow she requested a "European picnic" so we'll have that for dinner. What's a European picnic? I'm glad you asked. When I've traveled in Europe it seemed like at least twice a day I'd eat something like freshly baked bread, an apple, some cheese, and a piece of dark chocolate. It was cheap, delicious, and portable. So now when we want to take a picnic, rather than make a million sandwiches or complicated things I just pack some bread, some fruit, some good cheese, and a little chocolate, and fancy it up by calling it a "European picnic." Maggie LOVES it, obviously, since that's what she chose out of all the things I could have made her. I'm looking forward to it because, Hello! What an easy dinner!
It's so much fun to make birthdays special. I love it.
Here's Maggie with her BFF, Riley, at a sleepover a few months ago. Yes, those are fake, cheap, plastic fingernails.
Pretty sure this was a swimsuit fashion show.
Love, love, love my six-year-old!