Fantastic Friday

Or something. Heh.

Well, I hadn't been getting any kind of sleep all week (we're talking up past 0500 and back up again as soon as the kids woke up between 0700-0900) and it showed. I was miserable, bitchy and out of sorts. Being stuck in the outrageously hot house with the kids who were misbehaving terribly didn't help, nor did my Thursday migraine.

But Thursday night, I managed at last to get some sleep, and it made all the difference in the world! Friday was, like, magical. It was just a fantastic day. {I have since resolved to take my sleeping pill after all, if I'm still not sleepy by 1 or 2 in the morning...}

Friday, we were all up before 0900, and I fixed the kids some breakfast. We hung out in the house, dying of heat, until 1100 when the pool opened. Then we hustled to don our bathing suits and sunblock before walking the half-dozen blocks to the pool.

Would that I'd brought my camera! Not that it would have made much difference, I guess, since I was involved in must of the kids' fun that day.  The kids were like natural waterbabies in the water for once! It was a great day for making pool progress:

Chloë, who has always been s a major chickenshit when it comes to the pool, started jumping in from the side. Well, I use the term "jumping" lightly.  More like squatting down and falling in, but it was progress. And until now, all three of them have been clinging to the wall in the shallow water for dear life. Not anymore, now Chloë comes about 10 feet out!

Jack, another chicken, also started walking away from the wall. This was HUGE for him. I would stand a foot away, and he would walk to me, and I'd back up and back up until he couldn't reach anymore. Then I'd pick him up and we'd start over. Eventually, he let me move out farther into the deep end and hold him underwater until he touched the floor. Even at 5+ feet we did this, which is about 3' down for him! Big step.

Sophia also came away from the wall as far as her big sister, and she let me start throwing her! I'd count to whatever number she told me to (usually she said, "Count to one two times, like this: 'one, one'," which amused me) and then throw her as high and far as I could. She would often dunk completely under and then come up laughing. It was great; we did that a lot.

So, big fun yesterday. We stayed for about two hours until the kids were hungry for lunch, and then I came home and cooked what they requested: scrambled eggs. They ate a ton of them, almost a whole carton! Must have really worked up an appetite at the pool.

By that point, I could see their sunburns starting to come out, even though we'd reapplied the lotion at the pool, so we stayed home for another couple hours to keep out of the strong mid-day rays. It was absolutely boiling hot in the house, though (no AC), so I agreed we could go back again at about 1630!

I was hoping Rob would get home, get his truck inspected and then join us, but neither of those things happened Friday. Instead, we swam for the second time on our own, having lots of the same fun we'd had earlier in the day, and he got home really late. When he finally texted me that he was home, we left to go see him.

He had some bad news: he didn't make Chief after all, and he had to stand watch overnight. Bah. He was really disappointed about the Chief thing, and I can't blame him. He's worked so hard for this, and it's natural to be discouraged. But, 2010 is another chance to do it all over again.

On the way home from the pool, the ice cream truck was rounding the corner. I normally buy the kids something from them once or twice a summer, but I hadn't yet this year. So when they started clamoring, as kids will do, I remembered suddenly that I happened to have a fiver in my wallet! I never do. Here you can see the ever-indecisive Chloë taking two lifetimes to pick her treat. They managed to spend exactly five dollars, too, which isn't necessary now that I see here in the picture that they take Visa. Shh, don't tell the kids that.

Of course, they must always sit outside when eating their ice creams, unless it's in a bowl. This pic is now my screensaver; it would be much better without the nice recycling bins in the background, huh? Note Sophie's classy choice of footwear. I guess she couldn't decide? That's my Soapy!

"Eat faster, Jack!!" This mess on Jack's hands was absolutely spoiling his fun! My kids are usually not fond of being messy, and they come by it naturally from their mama. I just wiped him down after with the pool towel and sent the three of them into the tub. Ah, much better, for all parties.

It was hot, and we had absolutely nothing else cold to drink. Yes, he really did drink the pickle juice. BLECK!!

After dinner, Rob took a little nap and we sent the kids to bed. Oh, Sophia had passed out shortly after the second pool trip. {It was an adorable scene, which I'd be happy to show you except she was nakey and I don't want her little hiney out for random strangers on the internet, y'know?} So she never had dinner, and we were going to leave her there, in the middle of the living room, 'cept she woke up right around 2200 when The Mister was leaving for work. Augh.

So she and I hung out all evening, me coaxing her to go to bed, she insisting she wasn't tired. She often tells me, "I want to sleep all day and play all night!" Where she got that, I don't know, but I completely relate.

In the end, we fell asleep together in the living room, both naked and curled up with each other. It was sweet. I love her soft, sweet tush and her blond waves against my face (her hair goes curly when it's humid, don'tcha know).

There was even a great package in the mail for me on Friday. The Loopy Ewe (an online yarn store) was having its 3rd anniversary sale in the form of a kit containing two hanks of a specially-dyed Lornas Laces colorway, a Loopy mug that Rob covets, and a Loopy carabiner measuring tape (I can always use more of those!) - so, I bit. I know, I'm not supposed to be buying yarn, but I loved the colorway and couldn't resist.

I mean, is that not seriously beautiful stuff there? I think I will actually make myself a pair of socks with it and wear them this winter. Oh yeah, because the kit came with a sock pattern specially for this yarn, too. We'll see. I'm not really a sock wearer...

Also, Stephanie reminded me that I never posted a picture of the finished Bandaid Blanket, which will go to wee Luke when he's born. I hadn't done so because I wanted to wait until I had crocheted on the edging, a simple 2 rounds of single crochet. What do you think? Does it look better finished than where it started? I think so.

I like it, in the end. It's hard to appreciate through a picture, though; way more than half the appeal is in the close-up details, which kinda get swallowed by the variegation, and in the texture, which is faaaabulous. (It's Artyarns Ultramerino 6 or 8, I forget which.) So I'm hoping she likes it!

Best part of the day, though? I didn't yell. Not even once. ☺

Fin.

Comments

[Stephanie]

Wowie! I'm glad you told me that Google Reader wasn't picking up on your blog, it took me a 1/2 hour to catch up! This is the first post I missed & I'm glad to finally see the finished Band-Aid blanket! So nice! I love it & I'm sure Luke will too! Thank you so much for making it for us!

[Nadine]

Both my sister and my dad have been known to drink pickle juice. I don't imagine it's thirst quenching.

[Nicole P.]

Gorgeous! But why is it called a Band-aid blanket? Isn't there some sort of copyright infringement? ;)