It's amazing to me how much of a difference there is to our family between 2 and 3 children. This weekend Mary went to have her special weekend at my parents' boat in Michigan. Even in spite of the fact that Emily is sick and screamed all night Friday night, it still is so much easier to get things done with 2 kids. I didn't realized how much of a difference there would be for us. Now, don't get me wrong, I love all three of my kids and couldn't imagine life without any of them. It surprised me more than anything.

Anticipating that evenings this week will be tiring, Brian and I cooked a bunch of our meals for next week: stuffed peppers, lentil soup, 3 loaves of bread, and black beans and rice. So at least 3 nights are already covered--and ingredients eagerly await in the refrigerator for the rest. That feels good.