Pumpkins and Sunrises

This costume, from Old Navy, in 2003 was the best money EVER spent. Mason went as a pumpkin in '03 and '04, then Madelyn went as this very same pumpkin, last Halloween, as in '07, (this Halloween just passed, she went as a sinister spider) It resides in our 'dress up trunk' and the kids play dress up in it ALL THE TIME. This is what I walked around the corner to the other day. My little pumpkin girl, all dressed up with no where to trick or treat! This costume is actually 18 mos-24 mos in size, and yet she still parades around in it. Not occasionally, but often. Even the hat, which is perched atop her little head. Yes indeed, it was worth every penny we paid for it. Now it doesn't go down as far as it once did, and doesn't cover up her little behind any more, but it sure it cute to see her still wearing it. I think it's finally too small for Mason to get on, but it was certainly one his favorites too.

Can you believe this is what I see nearly every morning? Don't get me wrong, I've seen a sunrise before. I saw the sunrise during my 14 years of working. But the last 4 years, I haven't seen much of it. (The last 4 years of course, coincides w/my role as SAHM) What a lucky girl I am, with two children that sleep in. Some of you might want to groan and start name calling, but it's late right now. Quite late. Far too late for children to be up and talking. Especially when one said child has to get up early in the morning for school. It's after 10 o'clock, pm, and they are still discussing things amongst one another... She wants him to sleep in her room, he wants her to stop talking, she wants him to find her flashlight; he wants her to stop talking; she wants him to read her a book, he doesn't want to read to her, he wants to read to himself... On and on an on...
The baby monitor, such a handy thing, this might get me through teenage years, as it's become such a fixture, something they don't think twice about. I get to hear the chatter between them, and the astonished "HOW DOES SHE KNOW I'M IN YOUR ROOM?" When I call up for them to break it up. The "I have eyes in the back of my head card", also known as The Mummy card. When they're at this age, and logic and reason aren't within their grasp quite yet, it's pretty fun.
So - to get back to my sleep in bit, I deserve my sleep-ins, when I fight with my kids to fall asleep each and every night. The tough part is, now we have to get up first thing in the morning. We've got to get ready for school. Our mornings consists of: Wake-uping, breakfast eating, lunch packing, dressing, teeth-brushing, and an iota of cartoon watching to do, AND make it to the bus on time. For a house full of night people, this has come as a shock to a certain someone. We're doing our best, and at the same time, I'm trying to enjoy and love the beauty of seeing this every morning.