Partly Cloudy, Mostly Sunny

Having a job that allows me to spend Saturdays with my family has always been a luxury, and "family day," as we call it, has always been the highlight of my week. However, the combination of having to pack a lot today and staying out late last night with friends for a "good-bye" get together combined to make for an emotional day for our tired kids. Not only that, my wife has been sick for several days and unable to get better because she cannot sleep at night in our hot, upstairs, memory-foamless bed. I knew I had to man-up to the situation and exercise a lot of patience. There was a lot of crying today, a lot. There was a lot of taking toys and fighting too. And of course, there was a lot of two-year old defiance. Despite my best efforts first to get permission to put the kids in bed all day, then when that failed, to exercise a lot of creativity and patience, I still got frustrated a couple of times with the kids. But, despite some clouds, there were a lot of rays of sunshine today: a cute conversation laying in bed with my two-year old daughter while she pointed out spots on my face that I needed to "soften"; wrestling with the kids; reading to the kids; chasing the kids around; hearing my son say things like, "We don't have to set the table. Mommy asked if we could set the table," or "This isn't our house. We're only renting"; and a funny conversation with my wife about what a miracle it is that men with such selective attention and hearing can function in society (perhaps a post for another day). I am certain that if I am going to allow the kids to stand on my stomach and chest or ride on my back as much in the future, I need to exercise more. I am also certain that our baby girl, who flails around like a fish out of water when she is mad, will only be happy suspended in air. She won't be held. She won't get down. She won't accept food or drinks. Nothing we can do will calm her down once she gets going. She reminds us of "Katie Ka-Boom" from Animaniacs. I did have some success chasing her around the house. It filled her will momentary glee. Another highlight of the day was the arrival of my parents. We missed them, and it is a lot of fun to invite them into this important chapter of our lives before it closes. As to moving prep, we got a lot of packing done and the house is clean. The thing that leaves the most sour taste in my mouth is not that the kids had rough moments, but that I let my frustration get the better of me sometimes. All in all, there was much more positive than negative I would say.