Mom's Right-hand Girl

(sorry for the blurry faces, still figuring out my new camera)

Ellie is my right-hand girl.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I just can't do it all. (Ok, let's be totally honest, that is pretty much Monday-Friday! But, on two of those days, we have figured out a solution.)

My solution is Ellie.

I start at 5am with A.J. to seminary, then Madie at 6:30 and Easton on the bus at 6:55. Then I go over Brooke's piano with her once more, and we head to piano lessons at 7:30-8:00, then Brooke has honor choir at 8:15.

I am literally going from one child's breakfast, lunch, and ride to the next for over 3 hours, and I have no time to get Miss Annie ready for preschool with a drop-off time of 8:45am.

We tried several different things, with me waking Annie and showering her at 6:00 and riding around town with me. We tried letting her sleep late and taking her after Ellie got on the bus at 8:30. We even tried getting everyone up at 5:30 and having breakfast and scriptures together, but nothing worked.

Nothing worked until I discovered the "power of siblings," or the "power of Ellie."

Ellie is amazing! One morning, without any suggestion, while I was gone running Brooke around, Ellie accomplished the impossible.

She showered, dressed and fed BOTH she and Annie. She even did Annie's hair in a sweet little twist on top into a ponytail. (Which is no small feat with Annie's curly locks that have a mind of their own.)

She made both their lunches, cleaned up their breakfasts, packed their backpacks (complete with lunches, snacks and Annie's show-n-tell), and even had their jackets on and ready to go.

Tuesdays and Thursdays would never be the same.

Now I wake them, and Ellie takes over.

Every week I return home to an excited Ellie who can't wait to show me "Annie's do" for the day, what they have cleverly decided matched the letter of the day for her show-n-tell and Annie beaming like she was the star of the morning.

Well Annie Grace is a star, but Ellie is the light of my mornings!

Thank you Miss Ellie!