A Good Week

Last week, we spent the week in Franklin as I was getting ready to help host my best friend's baby shower. The shower was great, and the kids had a fabulous time getting spoiled rotten by family and friends, but now we are in "re-entry mode." Matt has wisely helped me see that I can't return from a week out of town and resume a 100% normal routine the next day. (Why I am not smart enough to figure that out on my own, I am not sure...) So, I am learning to expect a time of "re-entry," a time where we slowly but surely pick up pieces of our routine and return to life as normal. This week "re-entry" mode is taking longer than usual... 

We returned home late (like just before midnight) on Sunday night to an immaculate house. I had worked hard to leave things clean and straight, and then Matt really went all out to have the house spotless. I so wish I had taken a before picture as I walked in the door Sunday night, so I could then show the before and after. It is not to be believed. Sophie has school on Mondays, and we knew it would be interesting with our late night arrival. Oh, and Matt had an "unfortunate incident" with his car, which left it in the shop and him being picked up from work earlier than his normal Monday morning leave time. So from Monday morning on...

• Interesting news on several fronts that required more than the usual time and emotional energy 
• The oh-so-fun car repair bill (this could have been SO much worse, so I am actually grateful for this one)
• Lots of laundry  - washed - check; dried - check; folded - well... not so much; put away - maybe never 
• A great nap that I thoroughly enjoyed but had no time for
• Three foiled attempts at grocery shopping and lots of complaining from Matt, Sophie and Will about the lack of food
• Lots of playing without cleaning up
• Two nights of Matt being out late (translation: pancakes for dinner the first night, oatmeal the second night, with not so much cleaning of the kitchen...Matt literally just walked in and said, "What happened in here?")
• Today's grocery shopping adventure - Matt graciously offered to let the kiddos play at the church while I shopped at a nearby store. While shopping he called to say that Will had pooped all over himself and Matt (Matt speaks on Wednesday nights), and while Matt was off changing Will (which took a while), Sophie wet her pants, and frankly, created a puddle in Matt's office because she couldn't find him and didn't want to ask anyone to take her to the bathroom. When I arrived, Matt's office smelled like the dirtiest bathroom I've ever been in, and Will had just pooped again! One of Matt's friends, asked me if I had a peaceful time at the grocery store! Clearly he mistakenly thought I was at the spa! Matt, the eternal optimist said "It would have all been fine if Will hadn't pooped twice and Sophie hadn't peed all over herself!" Yes, indeed.

Let's keep in mind that it is Wednesday as I am writing this! The funniest part of all of it is that we leave next Tuesday to go out of town for Thanksgiving, so we are going through "re-entry mode" just in time to leave to go out of town! What a week! 

I heard some of the saddest news I've heard in a while this week. As I listened and read about a precious family dealing with one of the most heartbreaking circumstances one can imagine, I was reminded that my problems are so very small. I will choose to remember that these people, my wonderful husband and my two precious children are healthy enough to make messes of all kinds. The absence of routine isn't earth shattering. We've have enough to eat, kissed and cuddled, read books and laughed. It's been a good week.