Party People:
Moi (39)
Hubs (39)
Thing 1 (6)
Thing 2 (1)
4:00 am I've been tossing and turning with light snoozing for the past hour, so I go ahead and get up. Fix a coffee and assume my perch in the living room. Ahhhh. I love this time of the day. My parents used to get up freakishly early when I was a kid, and I always thought it was so strange. Now I get it. It's so peaceful and quiet. I can complete thoughts in my pea-brain head. No interruptions. Just peace. If I somehow saw this scene happening in someone else's house (an old lady sipping coffee in the corner of a room in the middle of the night), it would send shivers down my spine because it's creepy AF. But since I am the old lady in the dark corner, it's glorious. I contemplate life, sip coffee, prepare for the day, review the last blog post to pump myself up for today, and get this post started. I also plow through all the work emails that came through over the weekend and send my classes' weekly announcement. I don't exactly enjoy those tasks, but I am extremely grateful for a job that I can do in my jammies before the sun comes up. No chains to an office or desk here.
5:30 am Shower and paint the barn. I hear the guys come in the house right about 6:00. Brian and JDub slept in the tent for some good old fashioned backyard camping last night. For the second night in a row. So happy they enjoy that together. And so happy I don't have to do it.
6:15 am Head downstairs and get all the night's details from the guys. Sounds like it was great success! Sleep was had by all. I get some breakfast burritos going, and J hunkers down for some Minecraft time on his first official day of spring break. He's so cute sitting at the counter. Hair all tussled. Voice a little gravely, yet still a little boy. B says his firm's photos are ready, so we take a look and ooo and goo over them. Amy freakin nailed it. As usual. We also ooo and goo over his staff; they are a dream team. B heads upstairs to get ready, and I putz around the house straightening. B leaves for court about 7:30, and I catch him making his shoes fabulous. Somewhere in there I declare kiwis are the world's prettiest food. Thing 2 is still sleeping, so I decide I'd better be responsible and squeeze in a few minutes of grading. Ugh. I blast through some discussion boards and even get started on a batch of essays. Nothing but caffeine and will power of steel forcing me to do this right now.
8:00 am Somehow I've made some great progress on project: grading. Taylor arrives for the day, all cute and smiley as usual. Thing 2 is still sleeping, so J and I sneak upstairs stealthily for some quick hygiene things. As I'm doing some last minute get-out-the-door things, I waver between feeling sad and glad William is still sleeping. Will he be upset that I'm gone when he wakes up? But it's so much easier to get out of here with him peacefully oblivious. But what if he doesn't get enough mama time today? Well, it's not like I'm going to wake him up and then run out the door 30 seconds later. Ugh, motherhood, you're crazy! Cray town. <head shake and snap out of it> Gotta go. He's fine. We head back downstairs. I project my mother hen instructions for the morning, which primarily involve JDub's new 20" bike he got yesterday. He is talking with a funny accent and crossing his eyes around Taylor, which I suspect means he has a crush. Hmmm. Good choice in girls, but we need to work on the art of flirting, my darling.
8:30 am I hit the road. Take back roads all the way to the office, which have great views of orange blossoms on literally every corner. The smell in the air at this time of year is absolute heaven. Mary Poppins Returns is the music of choice, and it's nothing short of brilliant. Underneath the lovely London skyyyyy ... find her in the place where the lost things goooooo ... a cover is nice, but a cover is not the book ... if you would just look up! Ahhhh! It touches my soul! And I want to be friends with Emily and Lin. The originals, Julie and Dick, would be dreamy friends too.
9:00 am End my soul-touching commute by arriving at the ranch. Find a seat in the back row for the faculty meeting and thankfully get to chat with Susan. It's been forever since we've caught up, so we try to sneak comments under our breath through the oh-so-helpful-and-important meeting; cue: eye roll. There is a story of student success, which is presented very professionally and articulately. There's also a devotional time led by a professor I greatly respect and admire. So I suppose I do get something out of it. But still. Meetings.
10:00 am Meeting adjourned. Head upstairs for our department meeting. We begin with updates and prayer for our precious friend, who is battling cancer. Damn, life is short and unpredictable. We discuss some business and get stuck on a minute point about discussion boards. We all have our input about what to do, and we go nowhere. Round and round. At some point, a comment is made about "polishing a turd," which cracks me up and adequately describes the issue. We snap a quick photo, and we all die laughing at Yvonne's giant floating head.
11:30 am Wrap things up and start heading back home. I check my phone getting into the car and see I've missed a text from my sexy man. He says he had a successful morning. Sweet! I try calling him to get the dish while I drive, but he is in a lunch meeting. So my commute is quiet, serene, and not all that interesting.
12:00 pm Arrive home and notice Taylor's car is gone. She must have taken them to the park. How nice! She is so sweet with them, and we all adore her. I get myself into the house, and my mom brain kicks in again. It's already noon, where are they? What if something happened? Well, she would have texted if anything came up. Just enjoy a quiet house for a minute. Oh god, there was an attempted kidnapping in Lake Elsinore a couple weeks ago. Can she really keep her eye on two boys at once? What if J ran off somewhere? No, no, they're probably having fun and loving life. Gat dang, mother's brain! What's wrong with you? And just then, the front door is flung open. Two red-faced sweaty boys come bounding in with smiley Taylor behind. Look what we got at McDonald's! Try this, Mama! Oh, wow, TayTay took you to McDonald's?! How awesome! Aww, thank you for doing that, Taylor! So sweet. Ok self, the boys are fine. Safe and sound. We snap a few pictures, which is not typical, but I want to use the blog as an opportunity to get pictures.
12:10 pm Taylor leaves for the day. W immediately starts demanding a baba, baba, BABA! He and I head upstairs for happy nappy, and J happily gets some more ipad time. W and I rock in his chair with a baba. I sing a few songs. Ahem, I attempt to sing a few songs. But he insists I only sing "mama song," which he has been doing for weeks now. It gets a bit old, but I tell myself this is one of those precious memories I will cherish for the rest of my life. When J was a baby, I made new lyrics to the tune of Jesus Loves Me, which go like this:
Mama loves me, yes she does.
She loves me just how I am.
Happy, sad, and angry too.
Tired, afraid, and sick, achoo!
Yes, Mama loves me.
Yes, Mama loves me.
Yes, Mama loves me.
She loves me how I am.
I used to go through all the family members, each getting their own verse. But this child literally kicks and screams when I sing anyone but Mama. Haha! If that doesn't stroke the mother's ego, I don't know what would. Ok happy nappy, sweet angel baby. Mama loves you.
12:20 pm Change clothes into more of a mom uniform -- jeans and tee. Head downstairs for some grub. Love any chance I get to transform leftovers into something good. Use last night's terryaki salmon, broccoli, peppers, and pineapple, and mixed in some udon noodles with siracha and sesame seeds. It is ... wait for it ... delish. Brian calls somewhere in there, and I get to hear about his successful morning. I am so proud of him I could just reach through the phone and squeeze him. It's an amazing experience to watch all his hard work pay off. We part ways, and I catch up on some texts with a friend about school recess drama/bullying crap happening to her kid. It's just the worst feeling to send your baby off for the day and worry about him/her. Ugh! J is happily lost in Minecraft and Stickbot video world with intermittent tinker toy construction. At some point in here, I drag out the computer and start writing up this post.
1:30 pm I'm actually all caught up-ish on the blog, and Thing 2 is still quiet. Wow. So I take care of some work emails and contemplate more grading. Nah. I scroll through social media and continue texting. At some point, I decide I should be responsible with my quiet time and get back to work. Rather than grade, I attempt to open a titilating sexual harrassment training seminar I'm supposed to complete this week. But alas, the link is broken. Yes! I decide to straighten the house instead. J drops his things and joins me, sweetheart. He brings in all the junk from last night's tent and puts toys away. Somewhere in there, he picks up a weed from the kitchen counter and explains he picked it for me because I like purple. Melt my heart into a puddle!
2:00 pm Mama? Mama? A faint little voice in the distance signals happy nappy is complete. Ok peshus babyface, Mama's coming. Retrieve the munchkin and sit with him in the rocker downstairs. J bounces around us with jibber jabber and funny faces. W laughs wildly.
2:30 pm I am contemplating a trip to Sycamore Canyon for a good hike this afternoon. The weather is a glorious 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. I start packing up life to leave the house for a few, and I'm distracted like 80 times with things I don't remember now. We finally make it outside, and J desperately wants to try riding his new bike again. His excitement is palpable, so we all head to the street. Thing 2 is horrified that I start pushing Thing 1's bike and not his. I go back and forth between the two boys, pushing each of them. Actually, I'm not really pushing Jonathan's bike. I'm balancing 60 pounds of dead weight while running down the street, my back twisted to the left like an 80 year-old getting out of a chair, trying not to let him crash, all while cheering him on. Hot damn. How did my dad do this? My heart is pounding. He could do this all day, and I'm ready for the defibrilator. But I really want him to get this. For himself. Come on, JDub! But ok, Mama needs a break. I text Janet to see about meeting at Sycamore, and it seems promising. We head back to the driveway, thinking I'll get the Things loaded in the car. But they pick up basketballs and go to town. I figure I'll ride this wave, since waves can be quite short around here. Sit in the garage and smile softly at these brothers having fun together.
3:30 pm The wave just keeps on going, and I decide not to fight it. I decide to return a call to Bunny. We FaceTime for quite a while and catch up on her retirement, B's latest health scare, our future pool plans, and various and sundry things. The boys jump in and out of the camera and completely destroy the garage and driveway with toys, tools, chalk, and garbage. W says lots of hi's and ba-byes. Throughout the whole call, I mean to snap a screenshot but completely forget. Hang up. It's so pleasant out here. Perfectly shady. A lovely relaxing afternoon at home. J says he's starting to get hungry, but cooking does not sound lovely or relaxing. He says he wants pizza. I hem and haw a bit because they had McDonald's for lunch. But I figure, whatever. It's spring break, and Mondays are too long. Let's go.
5:00 pm We pile in the car and head to Papa John's, which is right next door to Chipotle. Perfect. Put in a pizza order and go next door for my dinner. While ordering, I'm holding Thing 2 on my hip, who randomly reaches out and slaps Thing 1 in the face. I don't miss a beat. Hey, no! We don't hit! Black beans and green salsa. The teenage Chipotle girls look at me like Bambi in front of a Mac Truck. I chuckle and apologize. Get the food. Head to their patio. It's so wonderfully perfect outside today. J really wants to try the chips and queso, so he devours half of it while screaming about how spicy it is. After a few minutes, we walk back to pick up the pizza. We decide to just stay in that patio area to eat since it's great out here. Dinner is full, and I mean full, of funny faces, nasty noises, weird testosterone-infused guttural sounds I couldn't make if I tried. Hysterical laughter with plenty of "not with food in your mouth; you'll choke" type comments. I'm confident the other folks on the patio are wondering what the hell is happening with us. Some oldest child pressure to conform starts rising up in me, and I think I should settle them down for the sake of the other people out here. But who am I kidding? They are freaking hilarious, and I am belly laughing along with them, mouth full and everything. J inhales 75% of a medium Papa John's. God Almighty. W starts insisting he get out of the highchair, and I cannot employ stall tactics any longer. We pack up and get in the car. But right about the time we're backing up, my sweet tooth kicks in. I briefly attempt to ignore it, but my will power is weak. I suggest we run into the grocery store to get a treat. That suggestion is met with enthusiasm, so we drive across the parking lot. Run into the store and grab a few items. Get back in the car, and heck, it's spring break. Cookies in the car.
6:30 pm Arrive back home. The backseat looks like a chocolate massacre has commenced, and I don't even care. I start bringing junk in the house, and the boys are back at basketball. This wave is short lived, though, and we're soon all in the house. The combination of a full stomach with dusk approaching is making me ... as the French say ... le tired. I am feeling it. I start mentally counting down the minutes until B will get home. Please get home early tonight. We head upstairs. The Things are slightly amped for the typical bedtime crazies, plus car cookies. We all end up in our bathroom. I figure I might as well ride this wave and wash my face. Mild chaos ensues while I splash crisp cold water on my face. Ahhh. Feels so amazing after a long day. Get myself cleaned up and in jammies, then start the same for WW. Sit down with him and a baba, with the one and only Mama Song on repeat by yours truly.
7:15 pm Christ alive, I hear the garage door. W hears it too, and immediately slides out of my lap. He runs down the hall. Dada? Dada? Dada? Aside from the mama song, he's been especially obsessed with Daddy lately, and it's truly adorable. B makes his way upstairs and brushes W's teesh (teeth), a new nightly man-time ritual. I am really feeling that 4am wake-up right about now. I stay in W's rocker, just rocking back and forth, my head back on the cushion. They finish up the teeth routine, and we do a bunch of night nights, knuckles, love yous, and more night nights. W and I resume our last few minutes of bedtime stuff. He is a little squirmy. I let out a few shushes. At one point he flings his hand up and wacks me in the lip. I'm annoyed. It's time to settle down now. I want to be more stern, but I control it. Don't end the day yucky, self. Push through. Push through. Somehow by the hair on my chinny chin eyebrow, we have a pleasant final night night. Love you, sweet baby. Night night.
7:30 pm I join B and J for their nightly chats. Plenty of catching up about the day's events, especially pride about working on his new bike. He insists he sleeps on 18 pillows and stuffed animals. Ok, if you insist. Night night, sweetheart. Blow kisses and catch them, then slap them, our little inside handshake thing. Mama loves you.
7:45 pm I sink into the couch with my laptop. B brings me a raspberry beer he picked up today. Wow. We are both tired. We catch up about our days. Laugh about a number of things. Sip on beer. J sneaks out of his room a couple times, complaining about various and sundry things. He's too hot. His nose is stuffy. His animals fell. I'm too tired to get up and re-tuck, and B doesn't seem to ever feel compelled to re-tuck. So we repeatedly send him back by himself. Night night, sweetheart. We'll come check on you soon. Eventually, Brian starts deconstructing a pocket knife, and I start writing up this blog post. We become quiet in our downtime. You'd think we're an old married couple or something. We each work away on our own projects.
9:00 pm Another day in the life is in the books, as I've completed this post and am so excited to crawl into bed. Brian reads through the post, and we both chuckle and laugh at parts, especially the dinner pictures. I'm relieved to have finished this post, and more importantly, I'm so glad I did it. Again. Every time. There's something about intentional documentation of these detail-packed days that hits me right in the feels every time. I suppose they help me remember little gems that I would otherwise forget, and I am happy to create this memory bank. I check on the boys one last time, hubs and I move through some bedtime hygiene tasks, and we crawl into our comfy, oh so comfy, bed. There's some pillow talk and chit chat. We pray and start drifting into neverland.
Today was a good day. The downstairs is a wreck with sleeping bags and tent stuff that didn't get put away. My kids lived off McDonald's, pizza, and cookies. We skipped baths. And I have piles of grading that will be calling my name at 4:00 am tomorrow. But whatever. Today was good. We did the stuff that matters, and I love that. We played. We laughed. We enjoyed the weather. We made it through the basic necessities of work-related responsibilities. We were spontaneous. We made memories. My heart is full. Not every day is quite so easy or fun, but I truly love my life. I'm a spoiled-rotten middle-aged ole gal, who is having my cake and eating it too. We've been through tough seasons in the past, and I know tough seasons are ahead (because that's just life). But this season sure is amazing. Life is great.
