Good morning!

It's quiet right now, except for the very muted sounds of melodic Christmas music playing. For the past week I have been getting up with Dave on weekday mornings. 5:15 am. I never thought I would be saying this, but I love it! The first few days it took just about all of the will power I had to get out of that warm comfy bed. It took me about 2 days of this torturous feeling. Then I began waking up before his alarm. I started going to bed much earlier and actually felt rested by 5 am. This is so not me. See, I had been feeling very behind. Every.single.day. And friends, that is not a good feeling. I also felt like I was always telling the boys things like, "Later, after I get this, this, and this done" or ,"I can't do that right now because I am behind on my work" or my personal favorite, "WE ARE RUNNING LATE! GET YOUR COAT ON NOW. NO. DON'T DO THAT! MOVE!" So, I began making changes. Like I said, it wasn't easy at first, but being consistent was the key for me. Now that it has been a week I know I can do it and keep it up. I am getting some cleaning done and working out before the boys get up. Because I have found the near impossibility of doing these things when they are up. I've tried doing Pilates when all three boys are around and believe me, having an extra 27 pounds attached to my leg while I am doing leg lifts is not doable for me. So this morning I am sipping my coffee and smiling. It is only 6:45 right now and I am smiling. The dish washer has been emptied and those stray dirty dishes that some how gather during the night have been loaded into it. My laundry is done. I have so rarely been able to honestly say that, but over the past week I have gotten caught up and our clothes are all in the same state as my boys. Resting where they belong. :) Other reasons for my smile: You guys are SO encouraging! Dave and I sat down together and read all of the comments from my last post. We smiled together and laughed together. Sarah's comment of "barfing with you" was classic! And seriously you guys, each time a new comment would come into my inbox I would read it and thank God for the encouragement. I can't even put into words what it meant to me. There is something powerful in the shifting mental imagine of seeing yourself alone with eyes downcast, to seeing this slow and steady addition of people coming in around you, beside you, lifting your head up, up, up. "You're okay, you're not alone, we are here. You can do it!" Thank you. Last night after Dave and I got the boys settled in bed (it's a long process) I came down stairs to see Dave preparing two small pieces of pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top for us (is that cheating - like opening Christmas presents early?). The best part: Most of our small plates were in the dishwasher, so our pie was served on Elmo and Cookie Monster plates. Hmmm. Maybe that is where the stray dirty dishes came from... :) I'm having so much fun with, and am almost done getting ready for, this awesome Christmas swap. I have loved doing this! Anticipating a wonderful day with friends tomorrow. So, so thankful. Seeing so many good things to look forward to represented in dates and times scrawled on my calendar each time I walk by it. Four days of having Dave home - He can change all of the diapers! YAY!! :)*Wink*