Still Here

I'm still here, in case you were worried that I had fallen off the face of the planet, or died from exhaustion, or perhaps run away screaming only to join a circus' traveling freak show.

It could happen. Sometimes I put off showering until late in the day, therefore looking pretty freakish for the majority of daylight hours.

The reason for my vacancy is that we've been busy here at the Case homestead, settling back in after our vacation and attempting to force our children to accept some different routines and set-ups. The boys now sleep on twin mattresses (with only boxsprings, as the frames make the beds sit about 6 feet off the floor, or at least it seems that high when toddlers are launching themselves off the edge, oblivious to the peril that awaits them when their faces meet the floor), and Charlotte sleeps upstairs in her room in a hand-me-down crib from Jack. Altogether the new arrangements seem to be working quite well. The first night the boys were understandably thrilled (THRILLED! JUST THRILLED!) with their new beds, and they spent lots of time jumping, pouncing, shrieking, and bouncing. Baylor stayed up later than his mother intended, happy to creep out of bed and read a few books by the dim glow of his nightlight.

I can't really get mad at him for wanting to read. At least he's not, you know, pulling pranks on his sleeping brother, rigging Jack's hand with shaving cream and then tickling his nose. At least not yet.

Charlotte slept through the entire night (12 hours...it was delicious) for the first time in her life, and it makes me wonder if I should have made the switch ages ago. Surely a crib mattress is more comfortable than the thin pack-'n-play mat she's used to. Whatever the reason, she slept, and her room is starting to look like it actually belongs to a little girl, with pretty bedding, flowers, and soft green walls. Once I get it all arranged as I like, I'll take some pictures.

Along with these changes comes a sudden slew of household projects that need to be done. I need to arrange furniture, switch the dressers between the rooms, go through clothing and put it away in the correct dressers, paint Charlotte's chest and nightstand, hang things on the walls, find a chair for Charlotte's room, finish the chalkboard paint in the boys' room (oh my word, it's been sitting unfinished for a month), buy new light switch plates and outlet plates, hardwire new lights into the ceiling fixtures, and do a few paint touch-ups on the ceilings and walls. And this is just in the upstairs bedrooms. I won't even go into detail about the projects in the rest of the house.

Thinking of all these things makes me tired. I suddenly want a cup of very strong coffee.

Instead, I think I'll join my husband and boys while they read some Golden Books in the sunroom. Paining and organizing can wait. My boys won't always be small enough to appreciate the storyline behind Dumbo.

Although who can resist a physically malformed elephant who can fly?

Speaking of freakish circus shows.