Started writing at 8am - With breakfast still on the table and floor, the boys are in morning play mode so I have a "moment". This morning started early. I awoke at 5am. No problem, I was asleep by 10:30 and it seems that my body has a natural 6-7 hour sleep quota as of late. Once met, I’m awake for good no matter how hard I try to snooze. This is actually a good thing lately since I’ve decided to do my scripture study early, preferably before the boys are up. As any young mom knows, once the kids are up your day is dictated by them and their whims. You can try to fight it, but as I’ve surrendered in frustrated exasperation (rather than the kicking screaming tantrum I feel like) I’ve realized they always win, even though they don’t always know it yet.I actually got in a good 45 minutes of study this morning which as I heard Easton’s little feet running to the bathroom at 6:09am, I was so thankful I’d woken up early! I took such delight in hearing him then walk to our room, see I wasn’t there (why is it they can’t wake up Dad???) and tiptoe down the stairs until his little eyes were peering at me over the banister. Then in a very sleepy, cuddle-me voice said, “Mom, I scared about flushing the toilet.” (???, chuckle-chuckle!) We had a little chat and he agreed to let me finish reading for 10 minutes while he stacked his blocks.
We heard McKay a few minutes later and Easton went up to entertain him. CRASH! Easton’s pulled down the blinds. I head up to take care of business and get on with the day. Easton announces he wants “Wice Kwismees [Rice Krispies] with milk and a water cup.” McKay eats them too (my favorite petrified food to scrape off the surfaces of my floor, table and walls) but is more the fruit lover so he has a bit of banana and some strawberries cut up with vanilla yogurt. (Thank you, Megan Rowe for introducing me to vanilla yogurt on my fruit! The most simple thing in the world, yet as one who has never liked eating yogurt, I’d never thought to put it on fruit.) I have a couple generous slices of wheat bread (made it Sunday – YEAH for me on so many levels) toasted with some OJ.
Ryan joins our little band and I’m able to let him know that the church bookstore treasure we found this past weekend on our temple trip is better food for thought reading than scripture study manual. But such good food for thought! It’s Teachings of the Book of Mormon, transcripts of Dr. Hugh Nibley’s Honors BoM classes 1988-1990. So reminiscent of my favorite religion classes I took at BYU (1995-2000) which I often crave just as much as chocolate with almonds! We send off Ryan, but boys are in play mode and I sit to start writing this.
After no more than 2 minutes goes by and they’re already fighting. In the last half hour-it’s 8:30 now - I’ve refereed countless squabbles while writing this. McKay trying to push over the carefully constructed couch pillow tower Easton has painstakingly stacked and Easton not letting McKay pitch balls over the dining room passthrough to be closer to his basketball hoop. And my wonderful morning of serenity has been blown out from under me by these demanding, adorable boys toddlers who teach me countless times a day how human and yet lovable we all are. They've been upstairs and downstairs to play and while I finish this up, they are currently upstairs jumping on the beds. My current survival mantra is that if they're happy and not seriously endangering themselves, the furniture, or the house - life is good. Call me crazy, but I surrender!
Now I’m off to save the world. Okay, not really. I’ve got to find a repairman to come take a look at my washer which has quit on me and will probably need replacing as we’re now out of various clean unmentionables. I’ve got to contact my printer to find out if our fundraiser’s dinner book can be produced for less. I’ve got to contact our HOA (blasted home owners association) to contest the fees they’re trying to levy against us for putting in a storm door and replacing a shutter which they asked us to do earlier in the spring. And I won’t bore you with the rest of my growing list at 8:30 this morning, but the day has begun and as I try to post this my internet isn’t working. Since my audience is likely not to check it within moments of it posting, and this post will not be solving the world’s problems like world peace or “helping the children” [reader, did you see the SC pageant contestant thing???!!! Hilarious!], the connection will have to be fixed later and you have now eventually read it.
3pm - Still haven’t fixed the computer so I’ve switched to another. I took the boys outside for a walk after writing what was above. We passed three sets of missionaries at the baseball field on their P-day together playing some ball and threw them their stray balls on our way to a park. On the way back from the park we totally scored! In the parking lot I found a crumpled up $10 bill all by itself by some stray leaves!!! WAHOOOO! And then we found a poor little caterpillar and decided to adopt him. Hence, the picture above is of our outing's treasures. Easton’s been checking on him often to see if he’s turned into a butterfly yet. At 11:30 we headed to the pool for playgroup and got home at 2:15. McKay’s down for a nap now and Easton’s chillin’ with a snack and cartoon – his favorite! I haven’t accomplished a single thing on that list above yet but am ready now! Bring it on!
