Tuesday, April 6, 2010

i'm gonna miss this..

...right!?

some mornings come earlier than others. this winter was rough...as in trying with all my might to keep kate in bed past 6:30 rough. day light savings time was blissful...two straight days of 8:00 wake ups...which then fizzled into hearing elizabeth and kate chattering at 6:45 but fabulous obedience on their part...staying in bed until their turtle comes on (which happens at precisely 6:54 according to my clock). i've settled into a routine...up around 5:30 (on a good morning when i actually hear my alarm...but that is another story...because, yes, apparently i have the ability to totally sleep through my annoying alarm that repeats itself every 10 minutes for an hours....), quick shower, pack the hubby's lunch (sadly to admit, this is a new-ish addition...for quite awhile i allowed him to fend for himself), make my coffee and breakfast, sit down for some Bible studying...at one point i was also doing wii fit, but honestly, i cannot do it right now...i just can't. there is no way i can get up any earlier than 5:30 and still be functional for the rest of the day...and there just isn't time before the girls are up and the morning starts to fit everything in...lunch packing, Bible study, showering, etc. as it is the girls are typically up before i finish praying and journaling...so they have settled into a nice routine of eating dry cereal and watching PBS kids while i wrap up my morning. except for jillian...sweet, sweet, delightful, sleeping jillian...who doesn't get up until 8:00. have i mentioned lately how precious she is?

most mornings that is our routine.

most mornings it works beautifully.

most evenings we are in bed by 10:30.

most.

and then there are some.

some evenings when we get in bed late.

some mornings when we are up far too early.

like this morning.

4:00...i'm up for a quick potty break and have a bit of a hard time settling back to sleep...still struggling with the semi-migraine-ish headache that has been plaguing me since sunday evening

4:45...i've finally settled back to sleep, but wake up when i realize the door to our room is opening. someone taps on my shoulder, and i hear kate's sweet little voice..."mama, i spit in my bed...spitting is my children's term for vomiting. i think, "oh dear Lord...please no...." upon inspection in my bathroom she doesn't have "spit" anywhere...i stealthily sneak in to check her bed, praying i don't wake elizabeth. i find a suspicious puddle but no "spit"...so i re-inspect kate...only to discover that she, in fact, has on underwear...very wet underwear...where there should be a pull-up. oops...i do take note that it is a bit ironic that the night she wears undies she would pee while 3 of the past 5 nights her pull-up has been dry. ironic...but not really funny at 4:45 in the morning. mike takes care of kate and gets the laundry started while i take care of the bed. sweet blessed husband...who i think felt quite bad about missing the "pull-up factor" at bedtime...

5:10...sit down on the bed, debating whether i should go back to sleep or just get up...

5:15...alarm goes off...i debate what the day might look like if i just skip my morning routine and go back to bed...the prospects aren't good....i roll out of bed.

6:54...showered, hair dried, mike's lunch packed and he is already out the door for work, breakfast finished, Bible study mostly done...though dare i admit that i have struggled the ENTIRE time to keep my eyes open, and i fell asleep mid-prayer-journaling about 4 times....but like clockwork the big girls come tromping down the steps.

7:15...kate heads upstairs to get some undies....and doesn't return....

7:25...i head upstairs to get kate. i can hear her talking...and as i climb the steps i can see that the light is on in jillian's room...kate's explanation..."sissy waked me...so i waked jilly".

7:45...sooooo tired...already contemplating how much caffeine one can consume without completely erasing the benefits of the weaning from caffeine i've done in the past month or so...wondering what might ease my headache (aside from shipping noisy children elsewhere....) and coming up empty-handed..

...and that, my friends, is how some mornings go around our house. that is how this morning went at our house, in fact.

and on this morning, i am praying for grace...for strength...for energy...for love and a sense of humor....for His new every morning mercies...for healing for my headache....and you know what the best thing of all is...i know He will meet me here...that He will give me everything i need for this day. He is good like that....

and, i know that someday i'll be missing these sweet, messy haired, noisy, early waking, morning buddies...maybe not today...but someday...



8 comments:

Crystal said...

Oh, hang in there! We've all been there (and will probably be there again). :)

Wendi@EveryDayMiracles said...

Would it be terrible if I admitted that I laughed through some of this post?? :) It was the forgetting to put the pull up on Kate and the irony of that situation that started the gigging. And only because I have been there before and you can either laugh or cry. :)
Amanda - you are such a good mom. And I am so grateful for your honestly. Visiting this beautiful little place on the internet helps me feel like I am not alone in this day to day striving to be what God has called me to be - to find JOY in it - and to fully embrace that HIS mercies are new every morning and accept all the grace he gives.
Praying for you this morning.

Rebecca said...

oh i am so there with you, amanda!!

Anonymous said...

What a sweet gentle reminder that the Lord meets us right where we are! I needed that today.

You sweet women never cease to amaze me. I think you accomplish more before 8:00 than I do by noon!

Little Candle said...

Gosh, I could relate to so much of this post. I have early risers myself and some mornings are such a struggle. I have been trying myself to get up at 5:30 a.m. for quiet time and me time...it's hard I'm with you! I will be praying for you...you are such a good Mama and remember that you are doing a great job! I hope your headache is better.
Oh, and it a little over four hours to Indy. Farther than I thought. Maybe we could meet halfway at some point?

Nancy M. said...

I understand! Sometimes I have to remind myself that I will miss all this craziness one day!

Aminta said...

lol Ahhhh, I needed to laugh. Thank you. Hehe! Sigh.....
Remember that THIS TOO SHALL PASS. :)
I love you Amanda. And your babies will someday look back on these days and ask "momma, why do I have to grow up?!" And that day you will SIGH and laugh in delight because you WILL be so happy and so sad that it has indeed PASSED.
To you Amanda Dear, from a Momma who is contemplating on the days passed and wondering if I want to go through it again. lol
Muah, muah, muah!

Shelley Fuge said...

girl, I am so incredibly impressed. I rise when the kids rise. I cannot even fathom getting up at 5:30am I would seriously be in a bad mood all day. May the LORD bless your efforts and I will make an attempt to be slightly more like you. :)