Fall Back

This is actually from the 2006 time change, but just make the kids a bit older and it was all quite similar :)

Just thought I'd help make you all appreciate the time change as much as I do...

3:57 a.m.

I’m awakened by a loud ‘thump’ and then a loud scream from Camryn. As I jump up to see what the problem was, I inadvertently poke Carly in the eye with my big toe on my left foot. Now with two girls screaming, I finally get the light turned on to see both girls holding their left eyes, crying and looking at me like I was a monster.

It seems that as they rushed my room this morning, there may have been a little pushing and shoving to be the first to my bed. This in turn caused Camryn to hit the bed post with her eye, then Carly was injured by that wayward left foot.

So the morning commences… Both girls get in bed with me and seem to settle down once I hunt down Camryn’s pacifier ( under her bed by the wall ) and get them both a sippy of milk. Once I get back in bed, the jockeying for the ‘best’ spot in the bed begins. They have to have mommy’s pillows – stacked high and soft and the most comfortable on the bed, as opposed to the lowly single pillow on the other side of the bed. This is fine. Both girls are perched high on the soft stack, and I happily lay on the single, flat pillow hoping to get another 30 minutes of sleep.

Oh no, that wasn’t going to happen. Carly then realizes that Camryn is next to mommy and she wasn’t going to have that. Leap-frog style Carly jumps over Camryn and tries to nestle into the meager 3 inches that separated my head from Camryn’s. She failed. Camryn tried to hold her ground by knocking her hard head into my hard head, not going to allow an inch for Carly to get in between.

So, I come up with a failproof plan. I move over and lay between the high, soft pillows and the flat one, on the open expanse of nothing but sheet. I place Camryn on one side, Carly on the other. Wow – peace. For about 5 seconds. Then Camryn decides that she wants to be next to Carly. The leapfrogging begins again. Once Camryn makes her move to my right side, Carly decides she wants to be on mommy’s left side. So we are off again. Finally, a girl on either side of me, I wrap one arm around each and try to snuggle them close. This seems to make things better. They calm down. Camryn is going to town on her paci and Carly has found her thumb. The world is good. I can see that I might actually get some sleep before the day begins.

Oh no, that wasn’t going to happen. Here comes Roger. What a sweet cat. Since I usually sleep on the left side of the bed, Roger pounces on the bed – right on top of Carly. She doesn’t like this, not in the dark, not at all. After a few unidentifiable-but-surely-not-kind words from Carly’s mouth, I entice Roger to come over to where I was laying. He climbs up on my leg and sits down. He was apparently too close to Camryn because she decides to use my head as a footstool to get over to the other side of the bed. Then they both decide to talk to Roger and then to pet him. All is well, starting to get peaceful. Roger jumps down and the girls lay back down. Ahhh, maybe just 15 minutes of sleep…

Oh no, that wasn’t going to happen. Carly begins going through her repertoire of songs. First, I get a rousing rendition of “Where is Thumbkin” complete with a thumb in my face. Somehow that song transitions effortlessly into the “ABC” song, which Camryn, paci firmly planted in her mouth, joins in. So we have a lively “Round” of the ABC song going, which inevitably leads to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”, the song with no end. See, the final verse in that song usually ends with “how I wonder what you are”, but to the girls, this is just restarting the song. So I try to distract them from the music with a “Good Job” and some applause. That seems to – or did it?

4:13
They both stare into the bathroom and start talking about Bubba. Looks like Dylan is up. In one last fruitless effort, I tell Dylan to get in bed with us. He snuggles in the bed, Carly lays next to him and all is quiet, for a few seconds at least. Carly, apparently proud of her performance ability, begins the musical performance all over again. This time, the “Round” doesn’t please Dylan, who accuses the girls of messing him up since their song started at a different time than his… So they begin again. And finally, all are ‘seemingly’ on the same page, until we are stuck in the endless “Twinkle Twinkle” song again…

I realize that the day has begun, and that the precious 15 - 30 minutes additional sleep I wanted wasn't going to happen. So I decide if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. I say the words they all love to hear. “Let’s go watch our shows”…

And off we go.

To start the day.

It’s 4:20 a.m.

Oh wait, it’s really 3:20 – forgot the time changed this morning….

Top ten things

Top ten things Bill and I learned this weekend

1. Certain brands of citronella candles become quite liquid, even when not lit, once the temperature outside reaches 100 degrees

2. 4 year old girls are very curious about said candles

3. Two 4 year old girls can touch every surface in a backyard in under 20 minutes

4. Candle wax is hard to remove from water hoses and sprayers

5. Candle wax is hard to remove from hose reels

6. Candle wax is hard to remove from iron tables and chairs

7. Candle wax is hard to remove from wooden play sets and plastic slides

8. Candle wax is hard to remove from hair and skin

9. Candle wax is even harder to remove from clothing

10. Our yard should be free of mosquitoes until winter

Top ten things my daughter’s learned this weekend:

1. Melted candle wax is fun

2. Candle wax is more fun when you add water

3. Candle wax makes a plastic slide even MORE slippery

4. Candle wax gives the wooden swing set a nice glow

5. Candle wax makes the wood steps up to the playhouse very slippery

6. -- especially when you cover the safety handles with wax too

7. Candle wax feels really good rubbed on skin like lotion

8. Candle wax feels really funny rubbed into hair like shampoo

9. It’s hard to hold onto the water hose when it’s covered in wax

10. That vein in mom’s head really throbs sometimes