Day 214.

When you meet new people, or spend time with old friends or relatives that you don't see very often, you want them to see your kids like YOU see them. As the creative, intelligent, free-spirited but well-mannered children that they are. You want them to see their fabulous-ness and not their whiney-ness.

I am grateful for letting go of behavioral expectations.

My kids were tired and cranky for the duration of this reunion. Granted, they had been sick this week, and are just not at the top of their game. But, I'm going to stop making excuses for them and just realize that's part of who they are. No, they aren't this whiney usually, and yes, I was embarassed a few times when Dylan talked to me like I was a 5-lb. bag of dirt. But, I don't have to come across as the perfect parent, nor they the perfect children.

At some point (maybe it was when Dylan was five months old and I desperately tried for her to do "So Big" for others - and she would never perform in front of an audience) - I realized...it wasn't about me showing her off. Oh yeah, remember how they aren't circus animals, dogs for us to train, or robots? They're actually little people with minds of their own, decisiveness, crankiness, and bad moods included. They aren't perfect, nor am I. And if family gets to see THIS side of them instead of the other more charming side, well that's just life. And the great thing is, family loves you both anyways (even if they are talking amongst themselves how whiney and needy and clingy and annoying Hilary and Jason's kids are...) :)

Both kids fell asleep last night in my arms at the end of a long reunion day. Unheard of. They were O.U.T.

This picture is kind of self explanatory. How cranky!

Another good example of the weekend.