Accalia's first soccer practice went off without a hitch, and Accalia really enjoyed herself. I tried to keep Cole and Ella entertained by kicking and throwing around the balls we brought. I think Ella had the most fun lying on top of me on the field and giving me kisses - definitely one of the highlights of having a 22-month-old.

Ella didn't nap at all today, so she fell asleep within minutes of us getting home. She's been asleep since around 7 p.m. other than half waking up to nurse. She'll probably be extremely hungry in the morning since she missed out on supper.

We had a full and happy house this afternoon. All three girls from next door came over. The four-year-old came over a little before 3 p.m., and the other two (6 and 5) were over once they came home from school. Even with three extra children in the house, it was so much more peaceful than it was when Mercedes would come over. I think part of that is because Cole now has a playmate and isn't trying to work his way into the action. I think another huge part is that the three girls are used to living with multiple children and don't have to work to get past the differences that go along with playing with friends as an only child and playing with friends as multiple siblings. There are definitely benefits and challenges to both.

We've seen more of the girls this past week than we have in the month or so since they moved in. I'm just amazed how it is that you can live next to three other children and rarely see them, especially when much of that time has been in the summer with no school in session. I thought it was rather funny today that the three girls devoured most of the candy in the dish on our table. The dish was still pretty full of parade candy from nearly two weeks ago. Previously, one of the girls had told me that they weren't allowed to have candy, so hopefully their mom won't be too annoyed by their snacking over here.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at their house to hear what the girls tell their parents about us. I think we talked about nearly all of the things that set us apart from mainstream parenting over the course of the afternoon. The oldest commented several times about what a big house we have and how messy it is, most likely referring to the Lego and Lincoln Log strewn living room. I replied that we didn't think it made a lot of sense to pick up toys until we were finished playing with them and that all of our different messes just show how much fun we've been having throughout the day. Cory laughed when I told him that and said they'd probably start trying to use that one at home when asked to pick up their toys. We also talked about cloth diapers since the oldest wanted to help me hang up diapers on the line. Then we talked about homeschooling because the oldest asked me what grade Accalia was in this year. Then the oldest asked me if the kids were able to do anything that they liked, and I told her that we try our hardest to find ways so that everyone is able to do the things that they want to do. Not sure what prompted that question, though.

So tomorrow will see another soccer practice and hopefully packing for our weekend in Mankato.