My fabulous friend and sister-in-law has offered to help us ease into our Life with Six by having our two little boys over for frequent play dates at their house. They completely love it over there, so when I surprised them this morning with the news that they would be heading over they were beyond excited. I loved knowing that they would be having the time of their little lives with their cousins.

I also loved that it meant a good, solid chunk of big-kid time, which is a rarity around here. There were no spills or tantrums over specific spoons over breakfast. Everyone was able to dress him or herself quickly. School was uneventful and finished in time for us to go to their favorite park (the one I won't take them all to by myself because it's too big and crowded for me to keep up with everyone), and then we still had time to pick up some art supplies and head home to paint with "real paint" (not watercolors). And none of it spilled!

It was so easy and really fun to get to just BE with the big kids for a few hours. And it made me laugh that we talked about the little boys many times and wondered how they were and what they were doing.

Big kid time joy...