Four more sleeps to Africa! Saturday night on the plane doesn't count, since it is unlikely we will get any sleep then. We'll call that bonus sleep if it comes.
We had a big trip planned this weekend to visit friends and deliver Len's dress clothes to their temporary home in our friends' closet. Since my head is still on the edge of exploding, we decided that it would be best for me to stay home and rest while Len took the kids on the overnight trip. After all, most of the trip was going to involve a series of visits where Ruby and Henry would have other children and/or adults to play with.
I did get a good night's sleep, and was a very productive packer. However, it does seem that our belongings are breeding in the night. Really, I just keep giving things away, sending them to friends and Annabelle's Thrift Store and anyone else who will take them, and when I wake up the next morning there are new items littering the floor where the old ones were. Is there a fogging spray for this? I have to believe we will get to the bottom of the pile if we just keep going....
When we finally all returned home last night, and the kids were in bed, Len told me about one visit on the trip that didn't go so well...with a friend we are trying to build a positive relationship with. And it is a good relationship we have, we just want to grow it along in a happy direction. Anyway, Len took the kids to meet with this person in their very nice office, and the person was quite kind, giving each of our kids a piece of cinnamon gum. Our kids don't get gum very often, which was evidenced in Ruby smelling it for a long time. Then each child took a bite, politely chewed it up, and swallowed it. Ruby nicely handed the wrapper back to the benefactor and asked them to discard it. Henry was very interested in a nice (and expensive looking) model airplane on display, and Len will probably have nightmares for weeks about Henry almost knocking it off of its stand.
As I was getting the rundown from the trip, this last part, along with stories of bittersweet goodbyes, made both of us teary eyed, as Len recounted the stress of trying to make a good impression and keep our kids on the straight and narrow, and pretty soon we were both crying and then doubled over laughing at our life right now.
Was it just last summer we were in our nice home, with the kids both going to bed by eight and sleeping all night in their own rooms?
As I write this, I am just outsisde of our bedroom that all four of us currently sleep in. Len went in around nine tonight to help the kids get to sleep, as Ruby especially is showing signs of stress from these weeks of 'lasts'. Last day of preschool. Last day at our church. Last visit with Grandma and Grandpa. Last time to see friends here for a long time.
So Len went in to lay down between the kids and help them get to sleep. However, for the last 45 minutes or so, I have only heard Henry's little falsetto voice trying to whisper to me, 'Mommy....Mommy!' As I walk in, he shushes me and squeaks, 'Don't talk. Daddy is sleeping!' Then he collapses into a ball of giggles and pillows.
Four more sleeps. hopefully we haven't scared off our friend with the cinnamon gum. Hopefully there is a lot of laughter in our future, as well as new friends and new mercies from God each day.
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