Lulu Crazy Person

We made it to Friday with only a few minor hiccups. I could have done without the centipede in my hallway. Or the 11pm screams and cries on Monday night that led me to a Gavin, and his entire bed, covered in barf. The busted air compressor that sent me into a meltdown spiral when I was trying to pump up my half-flat tire was also not a high point.

We did, however, have some fun in the midst of the crazy. Wednesday was Pierce's Mickey Mouse themed 2nd birthday party, and Gavin loved hanging with his cousins and driving Pierce's new remote control bus. By Thursday night, we were all healthy, our house was clear of creepy crawlies, and our car was no longer causing minor annoyances. In fact, I got both boys home from our day at school/daycare/work, and they both made enjoyable company in the evening. Usually, I can't get them in the bath and off to bed fast enough because we're all so spent by the end of the day. On that night, though, we fit in a few extra laughs and smiles and stayed up just a tad later than normal. Before my head hit the pillow, I was able to welcome Dylan home. We had all been waiting for this moment for such a long time. I don't know what it was about this last trip, but it was one of the hardest of all. Even Dylan had a really hard time being away from us.

We started the morning off with a bang, and the pancakes were on the griddle pre-6:30 am. I bailed on my boys after breakfast to hit the gym, and Dylan was so glad to have some time with the two Gs. We did a mid-morning kid swap in town, and it was a Costco run for me and the little ones (and the rest of the population of Scottsdale), while D did his producer thing and shot some training videos. With any luck, D will be home in time for dinner, but the fact that he'll be home at all is good enough for me and everybody else.

I may have to retreat to The Sanctuary tonight to escape all the sounds and catch some decent sleep. As I was waiting for my tabata class to start this morning, I was sitting on the floor and it occurred to me that I am just so damn tired. Kids wake me up at night. Kids wake me up at 4:30 in the morning. On Wednesday, I had started my second load of laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, packed the next day's lunches, and put the baby down for his first nap...by 6:15am. I'm always tired...who isn't, right? I power through, just like anybody else, but living a well-rested life is definitely the better way of doing things. In this time of my life, I'm too familiar with all the different kinds of tired. A few years ago, I had no idea that so many different flavors of exhaustion existed. I skimmed an article I saw online the other day that said something along the lines of, "Sleep deprivation is a form of torture, so it's actually a big deal to constantly be tired." That made me feel like less of a wimp.

Photographs done before the sun had risen.

Dancing on the coffee table, 6am. Also, check out his torso to leg ratio. It's so pronounced in this photo. 

Having a realllly hard time getting this guy to stay in a chair for a photo. 11 down, 1 to go.

Next to a car transporter on the way to school, Gavin says, "That guy has lights on his hydraulics." What??

I've never seen a sweeter smile. He's into overturning the dogs' food and water bowls, but then he just grins at me, and I can't even get upset.

Get me a beer.

Destroying some pancakes this morning, like a man.

Giving brother a hug to keep him warm because it was so cold in the produce cooler!

When I'm steering the ship by myself, I get an extra hefty dose of stress hormone and then back it up with an extra-extra-hefty dose of caffeine in the morning, which keeps me awake and a little bit psychotic, too. When Dylan gets home, I'm able to let some things go and just chill. It's not that life becomes so much less work or anything, but for whatever reason the control freak in me simmers down just a bit when I'm not the only adult in charge. Along with chilling out, though, comes the intense fatigue of coming off the adrenaline-fueled craziness. It's a good thing. At some point my body needs to just give into the exhaustion. So, here's to many, many hours of deep and uninterrupted sleep and to possibly looking a little less haggard by morning. (I'm a little too psycho to get that much rest, but I will sure try.)

Woohoo for the weekend!