Mornings

Mornings at our house start before the sun rises.

 

Even with my eyes still closed I hear

little feet running down the hall.

 

It gets quiet as they tiptoe into our room,

 I hear, "Mom?" and I open my eyes

to one of the boys about a foot from my face.

I send them down stairs & tell them I'll be down soon,

and then I hope they get started getting dressed.

 

Bo & Rocco are usually dressed before
I come down because I always lay out their clothes in little piles
on the fireplace before I go to bed.

 

And when those piles are gone I have
a full bucket of jammies
to put back on the shelf until tonight,
and a pile of yesterday's underwear
to whisk off to the laundry room.

 

But Annie...

she will still be here.
 

 

and it'll take me about 5 minutes to threaten coax her out of bed.

 

The kids start trickling to the table,

(Kit is always first)

 

just as sun starts to peek up over the horizon.

 

As the kids eat,

 

I run around doing all the little things that need to be done,
Making tea for Annie & my myself, 

 
setting out snack options for them
to choose & stuff into their backpacks for school,

 
making sure their backpacks are fully loaded & ready to go.

 

 Then, at 7:40 comes my least favorite part...

"Get your shoes on.
Annie go start the car.
Get your shoes on.
Get your jackets on.
Bo get your shoes on.
Rocco, Roo get in the car.
Bo, your shoes!"

And everyone needs to be bundled to the max,
look at my weather on the morning drive today:

after the "get out the door scuffle" all is well again.
(& after the "get buckled" scuffle)

I love seeing the full back seat in my rearview mirror
as I buckle check,

"Bo, get buckled!"

The drive is beautiful to their little school in the cornfields,

and I love listening to their chatter.

Today, Rocco was filling Roo in on important baby deets that even I didn't know about,

"So if an angel comes into your house and you see it that means you are going to have a baby."

Then, comes the part that makes me a
little emotional every single day:

As they get out with I love yous and pass in front of the car,
 my heart swells as Bo looks so grown up
& I think of him on his own for the next 7 hours.

 I start to miss them already as Annie turns at the door to wave
& always holds the door for Bo no matter how far he is behind."

We smile & wave like crazy
and then I am down to three.

And as long as we are in the car it's errand time.

Every other day we seem to head to Target from school.

Where I have to resist this:

"Pleeeeeease mom?

But I stay strong.

Today was just a quick run for

strawberries
&
radishes.

It was a good thing we stopped despite that cold because the boys acted like they might die while I quickly snapped
that last strawberry picture.

But, I understand because I might have died without my radishes.

This radish-butter flatbread recipe was just calling my name!

Then it's just time to wait.
The mornings have slipped away and we settle in to
enjoy the long days until we get to pick Annie & Bo up again.

I am all too aware that those looong days turn into years
that are flying by so fast they make my head spin.

So cherish those mornings Mamas.
'Cause even though it always seems wayyyyyy too early,
all too soon no one will be
peeking over the side of your bed.