A Much Different Saturday

After a thoroughly refreshing night of sleep, I rose to face the sunshine at 7:30am sharp. By the time I took a pee and finished brushing my teeth the kids rose from their slumbers as well. I was both happy & a little surprised that we didn’t have any “mommy” moments through the night. The kids gathered near my feet as I cranked out my morning calisthenics all the while I listened to our fresh coffee brew.

Jacob joined me walking Ykraps while Bella stayed back. It was a lovely start to the morning with only a few wispy clouds scattered on each horizon. It was still rather chilly, however. We later learned that it was just below freezing. The kids each ordered something different for breakfast, but neither was too taxing. Jacob had Cocoa Krispies and Bella had a caramel roll. I threw some cinnamon rolls in the oven as well. Both had an IPA to wash down their delectable delights. :)

I played on the PC while the kids ate and enjoyed the rest of Ratatouille. I talked with them about my run. They both expected me to be heading out soon. They’re trained well. Perhaps some day either or both will develop a similar ethic. We’ll see. By the time that I headed out, Jacob had gone to his room to play his PS2 and Bella was in her room watching cartoons. They hardly noticed I was gone. I worried just a little, but they were fine.

I got back around 10am. Not long after my return Mindy phoned to see how the kids were doing and how night one went. I think she talked with Jacoby, too. I shared that it was going better than expected. She spoke in a very benign tone, one that made me feel like little more than a care taker. In fact, it reminded me much of the way she speaks to Jimaken when he has the kids. Of course me being who I am, I let her know how I felt.

As mid morning surged by, the kids and I planned our day. The weather, while sunny, wasn’t going to be very warm. It would be heading towards the upper 40’s, but no higher. Plus, with all the recent rain, our outdoor options were limited. We agreed to take a hike back through the woods to the water fall. Bella asked, too, that we get in the hot tub later. I agreed. And to that end, I added about 5 inches of water that it needed.

The sunshine was brilliant and made it feel warmer than it was. We started out throwing the football, and then, like often happens, we moved to the tree swing. We played outdoors for a solid hour. I eventually headed back in and took care of tidying up the house. Not long after, the kids asked Lilly and Makayla over. They played in the back yard and house all afternoon. That pretty much put a wrench in our hike plans much to Jacob’s dismay. But unlike most other times, he seemed keenly interested in playing with the girls. Hmmm?

Mindy left a message mid-afternoon. We missed the call. I had the kids call their dad around dinner time. It looked like he had called our spare number a couple of times. Later, upholding my promise, the kids and I drove to Chipotle in Hilliard. Traffic was nightmarish, but we managed it fine. Bella went along but didn’t order anything. Instead, she had leftover pizza when we got back home with our take-out. Mindy must’ve phoned again sometime around 7pm. Both kids talked with her this time. We were preparing to hot tub about that same time. We didn’t talk long.

Just as the sky began to darken, I put the chemicals in the hot tub. I got in first and the kids soon followed. Like before, getting accustom to the hot water is a slow process for them, but they eventually sink down into the depths and love it. Bella is very dramatic about its therapeutic affects. We stayed in the tub for no more than 20 minutes. After the hot tub we gathered on the family room floor to watch Flushed Away. I bored of it quickly, although I liked the beginning. While they watched the movie, I played on You Tube. I watched/listened to Pink Floyd at Live 8, some old Todd Rundgren clips, and then watched the Liv Tyler story. I enjoyed my time.

The kids watched the movie once again until they were very sleepy. They both asked to go to bed. With their mother away, I figured that was the best way to ease them to bed. It was 9:40pm. The tuck in went OK, although Bella wined a little and then began a coughing spell. I gave her some cough syrup, which she despised but needed just the same. I had to go up a second time as her pouting continued. But eventually she fell asleep. I ended up finishing the growler of IPA I started into last night. At 11pm I tuned to Mad TV & then Saturday Night Live at 11:30pm. I didn’t last long, however. I went to bed around 11:45pm where I tried watching some more of SNL. I woke around 1am with Bella crawling in bed. Until then, I was enjoying sleeping in the very middle of the bed. With Bella now in it, I slid uncharacteristically to the north edge – typically Mindy’s side.

I woke again feeling almost completely rested around 3:30am. I wasn’t certain but could’ve sworn that Bella was giving me shit for snoring, pleading with me to stop. Are you kidding me? Who’s in whose bed here? I couldn’t return to sleep so I got up and headed down to the computer. I wasn’t down there long before I could hear Bella wining once more. I went back up to see what was the matter. She complained of being left alone. I gave her the option of returning to sleep in our bed or her own. She chose her own. I tucked her in and then went back downstairs where I read some before the sleepies returned.