an ordinary day

I'm going against tradition tonight and writing a post without a picture. Though I am not much of a writer I want to remember these days and to be able to look back at this post years from now and reminisce on just how amusing raising boys in the little years are.

The day began just before 6am with Isak’s feet pattering down the hall and his little voice “daddy where are you?” as he made his way over to Cory’s side of the bed. Ben was joining in with coos from his crib. We got a few cuddles before Isak was on the move, and so the day began…trip to the potty for Isak, new diaper for Ben, throw on sweats, dad gets ready for school, pack a lunch, make coffee and throw the boys in their car seats, still in their pajamas, to get Dad to school by 7.

Each day the boys and I plan an activity; usually something fun for them, but today was a Costco day. Ugh. And being an activity not particularly exciting, Isak was going to drag his feet with getting ready for the day.

We made it home from dropping off Cory, made it through breakfast, several storybooks, and cartoons, but then when it came time for dressing and cleaning up mayhem gave way. Yes, between chasing Isak around the house, multiple trips to the potty and several dirty diapers from Ben, it took me 1 ½ hours to get the boys dressed, oatmeal combed out of hair, faces washed and teeth brushed. Finally, both boys were strapped in their car seat when I ran back in the house to grab my keys and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror...ugh…in all my efforts to get the boys ready I hadn’t done a thing to groom myself. I quickly splashed some water on my face and hoped I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew and out the door I went.

We made it through our shopping without any incidents, Isak buried in a cart of groceries and Ben strapped to the front of me. Isak was promised a smoothie if he was well behaved…yes I used some bribery today. But it worked well and we were loaded up and on our way back home within an hour…pretty much a new record. About half way home I heard squeals of delight from Ben and a “need napkin” from Isak. I looked back in the mirror and Isak is shaking his straw between his teeth, smoothie flying everywhere. Yep, totally my fault for not having him finish before getting in the car.

We got home and got the car emptied out. Isak was very helpful with putting the groceries away. In other words they were scattered all over downstairs. Ben decided it was time to eat before we got everything put away, so I grabbed the boys and headed upstairs so Isak couldn’t turn the disarray downstairs into a colossal mess.

He asked if he could put daddy’s new socks away, so I agreed knowing full well I would be picking up socks all over our room by the time Ben was done eating. I got Isak situated with the dresser drawers open and then sat in the rocking chair in the boys’ room and closed my eyes enjoying a quite minute while Ben ate. Ah but silence only last so long in this house! It could have only been two minute when Isak came skipping down the hall with no pants on, his underwear hanging from one leg, saying “look at me!” and his dad’s desk trashcan on his head…fortunately paper is the only thing to be thrown away in it, but all I could think was where is all the paper now? And please oh please little boy have used the potty and not done your business elsewhere. And as if on cue, he peeked out from under the trashcan flashed me a smile and skipped toward the bathroom where he proceeded to use the potty.

I nearly forgot I was nursing Ben during Isak’s show until I heard him giggling and looked down to find he too had been watching Isak, which meant I was spraying milk all over his face and the room. He was now open-mouthed trying to catch some of the spray.

And then it happened. I could not stop laughing. Between the smoothie filled car, grocery scattered downstairs, socks and trash strewn all over my bedroom, pee inevitably dripping down the walls in the bathroom and now milk sprayed all over the boys’ book shelf, there wasn’t anything I could do but laugh.

Laugh, and think to myself I love these days and the extraordinary humor my little boys bring.

Yes, the mess is all cleaned up now, but tomorrow is another day.