Heaven

***Warning: This post is very long. No one is obligated to read it or

enjoy its detail. It just felt good to write it.***

Here's today...

1:51am--Wake up to a HUGE burst of thunder. Lay awake for quite some time, listening to the amazing storm raging outside. Think to myself that my mother taught me to love storms, and it's one of the things I love most about her.

5:59am--Wake up to Eli standing in my bedroom doorway, waiting for my clock to turn to 6:00, when he knows it's ok for him to come wake us up.

6:00am--Get up with Elijah, who is in a happy and sweet mood.

6:25am--Open the windows. The air is cool and damp...yum.

6:27am--Start folding some laundry. Laugh out loud when Elijah sees his recently-laundered dinosaur costume and ecstaticly exclaims, "OH!! Look what I see, Mom! My dinosaur costume!!! Can I wear it?" Help Elijah into his dinosaur costume.

6:58am--Get Haven out of her crib. She, also, is in a happy and sweet mood.

7:50am--Go for a fantastic run. The sky is grey and everything is wet from the thunderstorm last night. It's a little chilly and breezy, and during the whole run my mind and heart think I'm in Oregon. BREATHE.

8:20am--Listen to David cleaning the bathroom. Feel gratitude for a husband who rolls up his sleeves and gives all he can to help with kids and housework--three cheers for David!

8:48am--Vacuum. Then rejoice in the feeling of having clean floors. Ahhhhh.

9:10am--Get in the shower (the newly cleaned shower), proud that I am showering before the clock turns to "pm". Shave my legs without feeling rushed, since Dave is watching "Sesame Street" with the kids.

10:05am--Put Haven in bed for a nap. Feel relieved that she goes to sleep easily without too many tears.

10:10am--Remember that last night I promised Elijah we could make brownies today. Realize we have no more box mixes. Realize that this then means I will have to make them from scratch.

10:12am--Dust off my from-scratch, mouth-watering brownie recipe which I've had for 10 years but have never made. Feel nervous about how hard I've heard it is to make these brownies right. Remember Shirlene Wade, feel inspired, and start making them anyway. Practice makes perfect. 1

10:13am--Answer the door for Eli's friend, Luke, who is coming to play. Smile because now the rest of the morning will be fun for Elijah, and smooth for me.

10:20am--Put the brownies in the oven. Feel proud that I haven't botched them so far, and excited that they were incredibly easy.

10:23am--Finish chatting with Luke's mom, who I like very much.

10:55am--Take the brownies out. I baked them in my favorite pan, which I inherited from my grandma after she died. It is white and blue speckled; I feel creative and loved every time I use it.

11:03am--Serve the boys each a brownie.

11:04am--Hide in the kitchen alone and eat my own brownie(s) with a cold glass of milk. Fight back tears because the brownies are so incredibly delicious. Say goodbye to box brownies forever more.

11:07am--Call David and tell him that if he wants any brownies, he'd better come home during a break and get some, because I cannot guarantee that they will be around when he gets home tonight.

11:08am--Wipe the boys' super chocolatey faces and give them each a banana, per their request. Smile as they spontaneously burst into a made-up, giggly song about bananas. Ahhh, sugar highs.

11:50am--Get Haven from her nap.

12:16pm--Answer the door. It's Luke's mom coming to get him.

12:31pm--Finish chatting with Luke's mom, yet again.

12:38pm--Help Elijah tie one of our red couch pillows onto his back so he can be a sea turtle (he is still wearing his dinosaur pants).

1:16pm--Attempt to convice Elijah to remove the sea turtle pillow for his nap; he finally agrees on the condition that he can put it back on immediately upon waking.

1:19pm--Tuck Eli into bed in between his peals of laughter at the way Haven is running haphazardly all around his room.

1:31pm--Read books to a snuggly and smiley Haven.
2:00pm--Research stuff online for the new house. Yay for new house projects! Play peekaboo with a happy Haven and her blanket on my lap while I look at webpages.

2:31pm--Put a yawning Haven down for a quiet time.

2:34pm--Sneak another half a brownie with another half glass of milk. Brownies have now become my lunch and afternoon snack.

2:35pm--Cover the brownies and put them in the cupboard in a desperate attempt to make them last until David is home. I love him enough to do that for him, right??

2:36pm--Briefly consider the possiblity that I could finish off all the brownies and make a new batch, and David would never know. It would look like I had exercised impeccable self-control and thoughtfulness. Think about how gross I would feel after consuming only brownies for an entire day. Walk away from the kitchen.

2:44pm--Curl up on the couch with "Les Miserables".

2:58pm--Start dozing in the middle of a paragraph.

3:1opm--Wake up and realize I dozed off. Feel like a senior citizen. Keep reading.

3:15pm--Get an awake Haven out from quiet time. Feed plain cottage cheese, which she loves. Think to myself how much of a miniature David she is.

3:20pm--Cuddle Eli, who has just awakened. Hold him while he rests his head on my chest--heaven.

3:35pm--Get Elijah dressed in his dinosaur costume again, which he has passionately opted for instead of the turtle shell.

3:45pm--Get the kids in the car to run errands.

4:02pm--Arrive at the new house. Count the number of cupboard handles, doorknobs, and pull-knobs in the house. Wish I had the money to change all of them at once. Feel happy that we have a big, shady tree in our house. Mmmmm, trees. Feel content that this will be our home.

4:30pm--Arrive at mortgage lenders. Laugh as they comment about Eli's costume and Haven's ponytail which is sticking straight up on top of her head.

5:08pm--Arrive at Wal-Mart. Find the flip-flops Eli knew in the pre-existance. Also find 21 out of 29 new cupboard handles for the house. Buy aforementioned items. Smile as cashier comments on Eli's getup. Get a kick out of how scrappy we must look--me in my white, stained t-shirt, Eli in his too-small dinosaur costume, and Haven in a paint-stained onesie with no pants or shoes. Feel glad that we each are wearing whatever makes us feel free. Leave Wal-Mart.

5:41pm--Arrive home. Feed Haven dinner. Love that she always eats frozen peas voraciously.

5:43pm--Help Elijah get out of his dinosaur costume and back into the couch-pillow turtle shell.
5:58pm--Bring Haven up to her room for bed. Watch as she and Eli run all around the room, pulling each other down and laughing hysterically.

6:08pm--Pull Haven onto my lap for a prayer and bedtime. Kiss her and tuck her in bed.

6:10pm--Fill a big bubble bath for my turtle-son.

6:14pm--Listen as he imagines to himself in the tub. Feel grateful that he didn't have to do any time-outs today.

6:48pm--Discover a dripping, giggling Elijah sneaking out of the bath. Wrap him in a towel to dry off.

6:52pm--Savor another sudden thunderstorm and adore that it is pouring mammoth-sized rain drops. Consider it a personal gift from heaven.

6:58pm--Feed Elijah dinner.

7:04pm--David gets home!

7:54pm--Negotiate with Eli that if I sing him the angel lullaby, he will not get out of bed after I tuck him in. Ha ha.

7:55pm--Sit on the ground with Dave as we all laugh at Eli's antics.

8:01pm--Sing the angel song and tuck Eli in bed.

8:15pm--Go to a different Wal-Mart to buy the other 8 cabinet handles. Feel happy that it is still cold and wet outside.

9:00pm--Come home. Watch half of Law & Order SVU until Dave realizes for both of us that we are too tired to continue.

9:31pm--Love that another thunderstorm is starting to roll in. I can hear rain beating against my roof and windows. Blissful.

9:40pm--Go to bed. Tired. Content. Grateful. Blessed. Happy for a really great day after a string of stressful ones. Yum.