Super Heroes and Incredible Friends

Today was one of those days. You all know exactly what I mean; it's the kind of day when nothing goes according to plan, your house is a mess, you lose your temper and make your kids cry.

Or maybe you ate too much, none of your clothes fit right, your hair looks greasy, you didn't get any sleep, your kid pours soup all over the floor, and you won't see your husband for three to five more days.

I could go on and on, but the particulars don't really matter. It's just that type of day when you wonder aloud, "Why in the world did I ever think I was qualified to be a parent?"

So you spend the day moping, groaning, gorging on a bowl of ice cream (temporary satisfaction). You may yell at your kids a little more, wonder why nothing around the house ever gets done, and then settle on the couch to watch some trashy TV.

Luckily for me, my day turned around just before bed time. A little package came in the mail that contained three literal bundles of joy.

My friend Jen is Incredible with a capital I. In fact, she's the entire Incredible Family rolled into one tiny person.

She sent two specialized capes and an awesome photo book of her visit to D.C. Jen turned my kids into Super Heroes AND saved the day. See, I told you. She's Incredible.

Jen, you have no idea how perfectly timed your package was. Not only are you uber-talented and thoughtful, but because of your gift I was able to send my children to bed with smiles on their faces. Thank you a million times over! I laughed and cried (reliving the zoo hike) as I read the photo book to my children. I'm so lucky, blessed and grateful to have a friend like you!

Here are some shots of my kids enjoying their surprise presents:

Laynie totally got into Super Sister mode and stripped down to her pull-up. Check out her face. That's the don't-mess-with-me look.

Super Gavin! He flew around the house for about thirty minutes until I could convince him to put on his pajamas. I'm totally going to have to sneak into his room to take the cape off while he's sleeping.

It's got the Obama campaign symbol on one side. You may not have known, but my little boy thinks President Obama is pretty much the bomb.com. Gavin gets so excited every time we see him on TV. "Look Mom! That's President Obama!" And he loves to visit the President Obama House (not the White House) when we're in D.C. No matter your political affiliation, you have to admit it's pretty cute that my little boy knows the president's name.



Laynie's cape has a princess crown on one side.

And the Super Man S on the other.

Don't worry, Gavin won't be sporting his lefty-love when we head back to Texas to visit. Jen had that covered too. She put a Super Man sign on the red side of his cape. Although if you ask Gavin he thinks it's Prince Phillip's cape and the S is for "Sleeping Beauty."

As I've been writing this post, I've had a few seconds to think about the other awesome, creative, wonderful people in my life. Even though I had the kind of day you don't want to relive, at least I have friends and family who love me even in my failures.

Love you guys!