In the mornings Lily comes in to tell me it's 7 o'clock. Oh how I love this summer schedule, Katy comes at 8:30 and finishes where ever we are. She gets them dressed, finishes breakfast, does hair, brushes teeth. No rushing around to have them all ready set go before I leave for work.
I'll admit, it's made me a *little* lazy though. So as I was saying, Lily comes in to tell me it's 7 o'clock. Or sometimes is 6:27 and she got "confused" that she saw a seven and thought it was time to come out. She's usually awake in her room singing and clapping and talking much before 7 but doesn't come to talk my ear off until 7. And now that Addie sleeps in until 7, wahoo! Getting out of bed at 7 is glorious. And sometimes I can even give Lily a job for a while or tell her about a craft I have set up and she'll go do it. And sometimes Addie even sleeps in until 8. So stop glaring at me mamas with early risers, I've paid my early morning dues, I've got up for months on end at 4am TO START the day. I have. And I've even done it somewhat recently. But lately, it's been nice, very nice.
I love Katy, I love the energy she brings to our house, I love that the kids love her so much, and I LOVE being a little more lazy in the mornings. My job doesn't "start" at a certain time. It's fine if I get in by 10, better if I get in by 9 so I can get home earlier, but we really make our own hours and get our jobs done. I have a staff of 2 to manage and meetings and a boss, so obviously I can't sleep the day away and roll in when I like, but within reason, I have the flexibility to be lazy some mornings.
This weekend we painted our guest bedroom that will eventually be the bedroom that the girls will share. Our Au Pair, Sabine, will get Lily's old room in August and the baby will get Addie's old room sometime around January or February or later depending on how attachment I'm feeling. (there will be a whole other post on painting, complete with pictures, some day, in it's current state I'm afraid you would judge how "unkid" the color is.) It's brown, very dark beautiful chocolate brown.
Yesterday we had a small birthday party for Addie with 4 families and 12 kids. It was very fun, and very exhausting. I fell asleep at 8pm. But then I woke at 10:30 and couldn't get back to sleep until after 1am! So that brings me to the whole purpose of this 10 line blog I wanted to write. (Jeez, get me writing and I can't stop!???)
Where was I? Oh, yes, 7 am. So Lily comes in this morning.
L: Mom, it's 7 o'clock
M: Okay, come in and snuggle for a second
L: I hear Addie, can I go get her? (Really she can't get her out of the crib, well she probably could but she doesn't, so it means she goes in and Addie changes from playing happily with bear-bear and books, to frantically letting Lily know it was me that she wanted to come and not Lily. Unless Lily brings milk (rice). Sometimes we make the milk cups up the night before to make it easy for Lily to get them and buy me a few more minutes. Usually Lily comes to announce to me that they aren't made, and since she didn't, I assumed Lawrence had done it before leaving for work)
M: Sure, but go check for milk first
L: Okay, (and she RACES off - RUNS everywhere like her life depends on it)
I hear the plastic of sippy cups banging together and assume milks are ready and I will have a few minutes, then I can get up, then I can pee. No go.
Lily barges in to Addie's room, white noise machine noise fills the hallway, Lily turns off the white noise. Quiet fills the hallway.
Addie says "Milk me!" in a very demanding voice
L: Here you go Addie, the milk wasn't ready
A: MILK ME!!!!!!! NO NO NO LIL LIL MILK ME!!
L: Addie, I did my best to get us something to drink, I'm sorry but the milk wasn't ready so I got us water. Water was the best I could do.
A: No Wa wa Lil lil MILK ME!!
Me: Laugh my head off, a good hard belly laugh is a great way to start the morning.
L: (coming into my room as I'm laughing) Mom, Addie want's milk.
M: No kidding? Okay, let me pee.
The rationalizing "Addie I did my best" was cuter than I can explain. Oh, how I love my little positive thinker and helper, she is a treasure.
And still I did lay in bed about 4 minutes longer than I would have otherwise, and in laying in bed terms, 4 minutes can feel like a lot...
Addie was napping and no guests had arrived yet so Lily, Lawrence, and I had an Elmo drawing contest on the white board. Lawrence's is on the right, that is who Addie voted for. No one voted for mine. 
I had to wake Ads up from her nap. I figured it would be a good time for some sleepy photographs, and she didn't wake. So cute. She was all soaked and sweaty when I did get her to wake. My favorite!
Cute and Coy after just waking up to a house full of friends. 
This is my version of an Elmo cake. She loved it, I might quit my day job to be a creative baker! Actually Lily helped a lot and did all the sprinkles herself. I was able to find cake mix at the store that was off the shelf milk free. Yay for not having to buy $6 cake mix! It was her first cake on her birthday! YAY!
Blowing out her candle!
Very serious about her first juice box
Time to go outside
Playing in the pool. Addie got a noodle for her bday "noo noo" and she wouldn't put it down all day. 
Addie and Benjamin
Opening Presents - from our friends Addie got a Little People MiniVan, a Little People Princess Carriage, A cow expandable tunnel, and a learning Fanta Color Pattern Building set. Plus Lily made her a plethera of crafts and thoughtful type garbage, plus a beaded necklace.
Lily was happy with all the new gifts too! Thank you to our friends for a really wonderful day, celbrating our sweet almost 2 year old girl.
Our cute little beach house
