Sweet Lauren

This has been a big week for us. Our Lauren started at her new preschool on Monday, and is settling in very quickly. She has already made new friends, learned many of the new rules (that she tells me about in detail), and adjusted to three mornings a week in pre-K. We are so very proud of her.
In about 10 more days, I will be back at work for two of those mornings each week, and life will get even busier. But today... today I walked by her room while she was at school and saw this:
It was an empty room. It was full of sweet reminders of Lauren--her love of pink and princesses, her precious blankie, her dress up clothes--and yet it felt very empty. She was only gone a few hours, but I missed her. It was a reminder that this is only the beginning. Life is designed to have your little ones slowly leaving you from the moment they are born. And that is a good thing. That is the way it should be. But I was so glad to have her home again in the afternoon, and to be reminded of how fleeting this time with her really is.

And in the meantime, I have this little face to keep me company:
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On a completely unrelated (and much less sentimental) note, I have a question for all the moms reading: how do you store your child's stuffed animals? In just a few short years, Lauren has amassed quite a stuffed animal collection. Most of them are stored in baskets around her room, with another dozen or so shoved under the bed. Ever since we moved, I've been working on decluttering, cleaning, and organizing all of our "stuff," but these little critters are tough. I found this adorable animal bag, that seemed like a great idea.You put all your stuffed animals inside when they're not being played with, and then your little one can use it like a beanbag chair. Very cute--until I saw the price. $60 to store stuffed animals? Not exactly in the budget. Any other ideas?