A Random Round-up of the Happies

We'll start with the breakfast happy, only because it's first on the timeline, and not because it made me the happiest. You'll just have to believe me that my children make me happier than chocolate. Most of the time.

1) This morning I got chock full on a chocolate chip muffin. And to make matters better, these bad boys are considered legitimate breakfast food. It's all the chocolatey goodness without the guilt, essentially a cup cake without the frosting. But because we attach the term "muffin" to it, we can classify it as a socially acceptable companion to our morning coffee, as opposed to say, decadent, frosting-covered chocolate cake. (Not that there's anything wrong with that, Steph.)

2) Back when my darlings were tiny babies, we began a night and nap time tradition of serenading them with a homemade lullaby called "Sleeping Time." I sang it with Caed until he decided he'd rather have me do really really really long prayers instead. I still sing it with Sheridan. That is, I did until a few days ago, at which time she declared she was going solo. I said fine with me, but trust me, you're gonna want more cowbell.

3) The good doctor is back "on service", which means he has disappeared indefinitely into the halls of the hospital. Sure, there will be occasional sightings at the visitors' entrance, where his adoring children will wait expectantly in their car seats for a glimpse of daddy at the "hopsittle", and where yours truly will field the five-second-intervalled questions of "Where is Daddy?", "Why isn't he coming?", "When will he come out here?", and my all-time favorite, "Does he know we are waiting for him?"
By contrast, Larry just completed a cushy clinic rotation, during which we enjoyed abundant daddy time. I downloaded these pictures today, and my happiness meter went haywire.

Caed is his father's boy right down to the expression on his face.

4) And even when Daddy isn't around to start the giggle fest, the children can concoct all kinds of fun on their own. The friendship I see developing between these two just melts my heart. Right after I took this picture (and after they ran instantly over to SEEE ITT, SEEEEE ITTT!), Caed and Dani started to dance holding hands. The dancing quickly deteriorated into a unconventional game of Ring Around the Rosy to the tune of Hey Ya. While our version of that Outkast song is clean, my preschoolers managed to add some questionable lyrics of their own as they shouted, "Asses, Asses, we all fall down!"