February 1st

Thursday is February 1st, and should be my niece Brianna's eleventh birthday. Brianna should be turning eleven. Just thinking of that is enough to make me want to cry. I can't believe its been two years since I last saw her alive. I just don't know how my sister and husband manage. They are amazing people.

the joy of naps

William has decided that naps are "so 2006". I knew this was coming, after all he is three and a half, but I am devastated! I can still get him to "have a rest" for about an hour in his bed before he starts with the constant, "Mommy, is my awake?" (note: need to work on the kid's grammar). Its seriously one of the hardest things for a parent to come to terms with, and I am struggling. After all, if he doesn't nap then I am on the job with the little men from 6:30 in the morning (or 7:00 on a good day) until 7:30 at night. No break. No time to do anything without the help of the boys. Sure I can make phone calls, do laundry, clean the kitchen when they are around, but email is damn near impossible and forget any nap-time workouts (which is particularly brutal since they have been sick and I haven't been making it to the gym). Now Henry is up. Until another day...

happy holidays

I love the holidays. I really do; the only thing better than Christmas is my birthday (although now that I am getting older the birthdays are getting a little less exciting). Unfortunately we were all sick with the stomach flu when Santa came to our house. We all managed to rally that morning and have a great time (after all, what is more exciting than presents!), but the night before was tough for William and I and the night following was horrible for the King. Then we all had vicious colds in time for our trip to Chicago. For a change, we were the people hacking on the plane (much to other passengers dismay, of course). Our time in Chicago was hectic as always, but very fun. The boys really loved their time with the family, and I can really see how they get different enjoyment from each place that we stay (quality time with the grandparents, crazy time with the cousins). Moving around a lot while we are there is tough, but its good for them to see more of the family that way. They were really quite resilient about sleeping different places (Henry even slept in a bed for a couple days!)and we all got over our colds. I managed to contain the damage of not working out for weeks and eating/drinking more than usual. I only gained two pounds on our trip - not too bad considering how far from my normal habits I strayed. We had a really good trip, but we were all thrilled to be home again. Today the King went to work, William went to preschool and Henry and I went to the gym. I love being back in the routine. Happy 2007!