Red day, and a week of more normalcy.

 We capped off camp today with Red day. Each day of dropping off got less stressful as I learned how to do it right ~ which meant getting there at least 20 minutes early to secure a spot in the lot. The kids loved the camp, and especially the music......and the CD that was filled with some rockin kids bible songs. Now, we don't attend church anymore, so these songs led to MANY interesting questions in the car. That is going to have to be its own post (the one about how we are theologically messing with our kids a bit)....but it still needs some sorting out in my own mind first. Lets just say they were fun conversations. ;)

 While I planted our front door planters ~ Jake had a blast with the sprinkler. He loves to put his face directly into it and shriek with joy as the water hits him full bore. It is impossible to watch his antics without laughing :)

Captain googleyeyes. He took the goggles very seriously, and wore them the whole afternoon. They squished his big chubby cheeks down so hard that when he tried to smile all he could come up with was this wierd square mouthed grimace sort of thing, which was hilarious. With both ears pressed down, and the grimace, and the bad hair cut. he was truly a sight to behold. Jake loves his puddlejumper, and I can't believe the way the kid is swimming. He gets himself all the way through the deep end, kicking his feet, or can just float there, kicking his feet and treading water, for a really long time. So much fun to watch his affinity for the water at such an early age ~ Jake keeps up just fine with the Bigs in the pool and it makes swimming with the three of them so much fun. This week Luke learned how to cannonball into the deep end, and also taught himself how to do front and back flips under the water. 

We are making baby steps towards normal. This week I had Erika here M/W/F from 3-7, and Brooke from 12:30 till 6 on Tuesday and Thursday. I loved my mornings along with the Jakester ~ Jake is like my little boyfriend, and I could not possibly have a cooler or more compliant and loving boyfriend. He is sweet, and easy, and so go with the flow that it astounds me. He is just a joy to be around. 

I learned that the trick to an easy nap time transition was having lunches made and sitting on the table when we walked in from pick up at 12:30, so Jake helped me make the sandwiches every day. He's good! We'd walk straight in to lunch, so that by 1 everyone was tucked into bed for naps. We had to wake them every day ~ rousing warm, sweet smelling kids from their dreams is such a fun task, they are so stuck in the in between place for a minute or two, so warm and sweet and dazed and cuddly, and I just love curling up around them and feeling them stretch and yawn and sigh as they exit the dream world so slowly and languidly. Its beautiful. 

We were at the pool every day but one and then I would prep dinner and Erika or Brooke would either change the kids or bathe the kids as I got dinner on the table, and we would all eat together. It was really great, I appreciated the extra set of hands as Nate was gone all week, and remains gone through late tomorrow afternoon. 

I rested most days when they rested, except for Thursday, when I took off for my first trip to the mall to procure a new dress and a few other things for our big trip to DC next week. I was a little nervous heading in, but had a plan, executed it, and was successful! I'm very much looking forward to a little bit of alone time with Nate, as that is hard to come by, these days. 

I feel like a lot of little things happened this week. Small tasks that would have felt impossible to me 2 weeks ago are done, and it was fun doing them. We haven't had the TV on at all, instead going to card games at night after the pool. The kids love it. Uno. Memory. Go Fish. Sequence. So much nicer to sit and interact when their little bodies are tired and relaxed than to just turn on the TV and watch them zone out. I feel like I'm close, really close, to being able to go to just Brooke next week, and not needing daily help. Nate will be travelling again early in the week, so we are either going to be setting up playground play dates, or pool play dates, or maybe even a matinee with the kids one day if I can find someone to watch Jake for a couple of hours for me. 

My kids are all in bed, the laundry is all done, I'm going to do one quick and OCD vacuum of the downstairs, and crawl into bed with my book that I can't put down. 

Kids, you have really, really learned how to help me. YOu grab my crutch for me without being asked. You automatically hold the door for me without being asked. You have become so helpful, and I hope that one of the blessings of this break is that it creates in you an awareness and an empathy for people who are disabled or who may need some extra help. That would be a great thing if it could be a natural offshoot of this time where I needed you, and you helped me. 

I hope that whoever is still reading this is off to the start of a wonderful weekend.