THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Mags: "Mama, you can be the boy Barbie."

Me: "I don't really feel like being the boy today."

Mags: "Yes you do, Mama. Don't be silly."

In reality, sometimes I just don't want to play Barbies at all, which always ends up making me feel incredibly guilty. I mean, this is what I signed up for. Days upon days of hanging around on the floor playing with our kids. I should want to do it. What is my problem? So I started to think about it and this is the analogy I came up with. Hang in there with me. 

This is essentially my day job. I also have a few other part-time jobs, but staying home with the kids is my current full-time position. I can honestly say I love what I do. But no matter how much you love your job, there are always PARTS of it that are less appealing than others. When I'm tired from being up the night before with Mags, having a tea party is not on the top of my list unless there is a quick power nap between the first cup and the finger sandwiches.

The past week has been a challenging one with our spunky little four-year-old. She has found new boundaries to test and it's like we're a pair of dogs wearing the shock collars...except Chris and I have no idea where the invisible fence line is. We have escaped into the kitchen multiple times to shake our heads or just stare at each other in amazement at what was happening. 

In other words, we weren't huge fans of age four last week. And that's okay. I realized it's impossible to appreciate every stage these kids are in. Standing in the Target lines with all those older women telling me, "Don't blink!", has increased my guilt meter (like it's not already overflowing with the Catholic in me). 

Sometimes I want to blink. I want to scoot past that temper tantrums and the puke fests. Just like at my jobs out of the house, sometimes I wish the meeting would get canceled or the clock would move faster. There are no older ladies behind me then, smiling and telling me how fast it goes, don't miss it, and treasure every single moment. 

It is an incredible gift...to be a parent. It's also a responsibility. A job. So, no. We don't always jump up and down screaming, 

"Yes! He pooped on the floor AGAIN!"

However, we can be sure that just like the time at work, this stage will pass by soon enough. 

Granted, sometimes at an agonizing pace, 

but we'll get there...eventually.

TRIFEXTRA: The Start of the Fire

This post is in response to Trifecta's Trifextra Weekend Challenge. They asked that I give them a 33-word opening line to my book.  That's it.  Make them want to read the next 333 pages of my work. This is a great concept. It really took me a long time to complete. I ended up going back to the first story I ever submitted to Trifecta, called The Fire and decided to work off of that. Enjoy!

THE START OF THE FIRE

Loretta’s arms, holding a box labeled “Baby’s Room”, were begging to be relieved. Setting it by the crib, she took a moment to catch her breath. A whisper tickled her ear.

“Welcome home.”

HOUSEKEEPING

There are a few things I need to post about. First and foremost is announcing the winner for the recent CAPTION CONTEST. You can read all about it, check out the picture and be impressed by the fantastic entries here. I do love how you guys make me laugh. After thoughtful consideration, the winner is:

      With her entry of:

"I got lost on my way to the kegger."

Be sure to check out her blog: The Mom of the Year 

Great job to all who entered. You made Chris and I...ahem... I mean, the secret panel of judges and I chuckle.

The second order of business is that I bit the bullet and purchased and secured for a whole entire year the domain name: accordingtomags.com

I'm really excited about this. I can only imagine the time it is going to save me to not have to type "blogspot" in my address. Precious seconds, I bet, and those add up! 

The third and final thing is that Mags got to meet her favorite football player, Kyle Arrington (AKA "Awwington") of the New England Patriots. She asked that I post the picture she took with him (she is so proud). Mags and I cheer for #24 every Sunday...unless the Pats have a "bye" week. Training camps begin today and the NFL pre-season starts on August 9th. Woohoo! Good luck to all the football fans out there and the teams you cheer for! 

Are YOU ready for some football? 

A WONDER-FUL SURPRISE

Mags: "Mama, I have a great idea! Let's share your new Wonder Woman socks. You wear them Monday and then I'll wear them Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Then you can wear them on Saturday and I'll wear them on Sunday. Doesn't that sound like a great plan?"

Thank you to my sweet friend, Becky, for such a 

fun surprise in the mail yesterday. 

Now, where to hide them so Mags can't find them?

 In the Invisible Jet, of course!

KIDS, GLORIOUS KIDS

Me: "How long do you think it will take for us to start talking about the kids?"

Chris: "Isn't asking that question technically talking about the kids?"

No matter how hard we try when we're on a date or in this case, on a trip ALONE, the kids are always with us. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of other things to talk about, but there are so many things that remind us of our munchkins while we are not with them. 

As I looked through the pictures from our "big kid" trip, I noticed a pattern. A lot of our pictures were taken FOR the kids. There were so many cool things we saw that we knew they would have loved to see too. Chris and I both found ourselves pointing them out to each other, snapping a picture of whatever it was, and texting it to my mom to show the kids. 

What kind of pictures? Well, thanks for asking! I'll show you and I'm sure you'll agree there is no way we could have passed these up.

 

That's right. An iguana basking in the sun, a huge freight ship, a draw bridge and a blimp. Please note there were MULTIPLE pictures taken of each. I just chose the best out of the bunch.

No matter where we looked, it seemed everything reminded us of the kids. I spotted this car and immediately yelled,

"Chris, look! It's Lizzie from Cars. Quick, take a picture of me and the car so we can show the kids."

Sure, there were interesting facts about the car on a piece of paper in the window, but we were more excited to show Tuck "who" we found. We then continued our walk to the beach. Along the way, talking about the kids (of course), we saw this and both took a picture. 

I text it to my mom and asked Tuck what he thought made this. I knew full well he would answer, "WOLVERINE!". Ahh, a nerdlet in the making.

As the days went on at the beach, our pace slowed in talking about the kids.  

That is, until I saw this little guy.

Trifextra: Courage

This post is in response to Trifecta's Trifextra Weekend Challenge. This weekend they asked us to do the following: 

"In celebration of Moon Day we want you to write 33 words about someone who took a giant leap.  It can mean whatever you'd like, just make sure you write exactly 33 words." 

Courage

They sat close. His smell was intoxicating. She was trembling slightly while her courage grew.  He, ever the gentleman, sat watching the movie. She, having to know, leaned in to him. And LEAP!

HERE COMES THE SUN

Today was the day it happened. I knew it was bound to show up. 

The storm. 

For weeks I've kept my head down. "Eyes on the prize" so to speak. Chris and the kids kept me laughing and well distracted in anticipation for the surgery. I had projects I was working on and fun plans I was making for summer trips. I had lots and lots of support from family and friends. When the day of the surgery came I was ready. I was scared out of my mind, but ready. 

It happened. It was over. I was home and recovering. I was thankful. Things went well. My husband and kids were the best caregivers ever. I got a gold star for my post-op check-up. I was fine. Mostly. Mostly is better than most, right?

Then it was finally here! What Chris and I have been waiting for. Our "big kid" trip away. We've been having a fantastic time talking, laughing, and being goofballs. But today it hit. Everything hit. I don't know what it was. I was restless. Chris even pointed it out. 

"You okay, Babe?"

We were on the beach for heaven's sake without any worries or cares. Of course I was okay, but I didn't FEEL it. I felt edgy. I tried to lay down, go to the water, read a book, snack on some watermelon, drink something delicious, but the nagging feeling was overwhelming. Then the storm clouds rolled in behind us. When the clouds let go, so did I. We rushed to gather the towels, coolers, chairs and hurried off the sand as the rain poured down on us (again). That's when I noticed it. I was crying. And it felt good. As we walked back to the condo, Chris and I were able to talk through my tears. He made me laugh...to which I ended up doing a "laughcry". I love that man. 

I've made such a huge leap in my healing by being here the past four days. I've been feeling much stronger physically and mentally (phew, I was worried about this one especially!). I think I needed to let go emotionally. After a solid cry in the rain, the skies look a lot brighter. I knew it was coming. The storm. 

But I also know what's behind it. 

DO YOU LIKE PINA COLADAS?

Chris: "It's not going to stop raining any time soon, I say we just walk back to the condo in it. It's not too far."

This sounded like a brilliant idea. I was up for some adventure and it was a warm rain. I mean, really, what's a little rain? 

Our first "big kid" night out was fun. We had hung out on the beach all day capturing pictures of "treed" teenagers, reading, and people watching. More of the latter for me because the beach is a bountiful place for that past time in more ways that you can imagine. Anyway, we got all gussied up and headed out to a restaurant multiple people had told us to splurge at. 

The restaurant was fun. Live music was booming, a beautiful breeze was whispering through the outside dining area, and there were plenty of yummy drinks. I am not a "foo foo" drink girl myself, but I have always had a hard time resisting anything that had the "Key Lime" flavor attached to it. I spotted a Key Lime pie Martini and I was sold. It seriously tasted like I was drinking a melted piece of Key Lime pie. (I agree, my description makes it sound gross, but it was one the best girly drinks I ever had.) 

Chris and I spotted lots of "look-alikes". The aunt from Harry Potter, Skipper from Gilligan's Island, Jimmy Buffet, the blonde bad guy from Die Hard, and my favorite of the night, HULK HOGAN. As he walked toward me, I told Chris what I was seeing. You know what my husband did? He posed for me so that I could pretend to take a picture of him and get the doppelgänger in the picture. That's true love right there OR being as crazy as your wife. Either way, it works for me. 

Hulkamania

As we finished up our dinner and drinks, we heard thunder. Then the rain came. It wasn't a sprinkle either, it was a torrential downpour. After sitting and trying to wait it out for 20 minutes, we decided it wasn't going to let up any time soon. So, being without kids and full of drinks, we decided to go take a walk in the rain. We stepped outside under the restaurant's awning where everyone from inside was waving to us and yelling,

"Good luck out there." 

How bad could it be? It was just a little...well...it was a LOT of rain! We were drenched within the first two minutes. We didn't care, though.

It was a blast! We jumped in puddles the whole way home. 

And made a great little memory for ourselves.

WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!

I saw something yesterday on the beach. Walking towards the scene, it took me a minute to figure out what was happening. After I got over my initial mommy moment of "GET DOWN FROM THERE, YOU ARE GOING TO GET HURT!", I really took in what was happening. 

A college-aged guy, being egged on by his inebriated friends, shimmied himself up a Palm tree. It was like watching George of the Jungle; he was that quick. Once he was up there, he started plucking the fruit from the top and throwing it down. His friends cheered and danced around like cavemen while they collected the falling treats. Then...the guy was literally "treed". He couldn't figure out how to get down and his friends, being no help, were offering up suggestions like, 

"Just jump." or "Grab one of the green things (pretty sure the guy meant the Palm frond) and swing down." 

He doesn't hang out with the brightest bunch, does he? 

Anyway, I tweeted this out and my friend, Becky, suggested I use the picture for another CAPTION CONTEST. Great idea, dear friend! (If you missed my first one, you could visit here to check out the picture and the funny entries.) Last time our winners got their names' posted in lights and on fire. This time, I thought the winner (or winners) could be posted like this:

Font credit: http://flamingtext.com

The rules are simple.

1. Come up with a caption OR conversation.

2. It needs to be in the comments under this post to be considered. 

3. Remember, this is a family blog. 

4. The winner (please let there be entries) will be chosen in the next few days.

5. The winner will have their name on the blog in the above tree-like font. 

Without further ado, I give you the picture: 

Have fun...and don't jump!

TIME AWAY

After arriving at my parent's house:

Tuck: "So, Mama, when are you guys leaving?"

My parents weren't far behind him asking exactly when we were going to skedaddle for our "big kid" trip. Chris and I planned a getaway during the time we were visting in Massachusetts. The kids and the grandparents could take care of each other...Mags being in charge, of course. Chris and I were going to run away for the first time in a LONG TIME. Alone. Chris' aunt kindly offered up her beautiful beach condo in Florida (THANKS, AUNT SUE!) and we were sold. With the surgery only two weeks ago, laying around at the beach in the warmth sounded heavenly. 

Just one thing....I had to get past myself and the list of silly questions racing through my post-surgical brain. What if the kids missed me? We've never been away from them this long. What if they misbehave for my parents? What if Mags has a nightmare? What if Mags gets into my mom's good make-up? What if my Dad cuts his leg open running up a slide? (Wait, that one has already been covered) What if...what if...what if....

And then I snapped myself out of it. My parents and our kids are peas in a pod. They had big plans...and they all were looking forward to THEIR TIME together! Time away is good for all of us. It will replenish my supply of patience and I will have time to finish up my recovery.  My husband and I are looking forward to eating hot food and talking about something....anything really....besides what needs to go on the grocery list or where exactly that urine smell is coming from in the bathroom. The romance is HOT in our house. 

We arrived in Florida yesterday after a long day of travel, settled in the condo and got some food. After dinner we called the kids on Face Time to say good night. All my worries melted away as soon as I saw their faces. It  was obvious they were all going to be just fine. 

Especially with Mags at the helm.

WHEN YOU GOTTA GO...YOU GOTTA GO!

Tuck: "Hey, Mama, do you smell that? I tooted. Isn't it gross?"

Yes, the stench was DISGUSTING. His seven-year-old body is producing man-like, roll down the window kinds of gas. He was having a blast showing off his "talent" yesterday on our 10.5 hour car ride to visit my family. 

Weary (and nauseous) from travel, our foursome was ready to get out of the car at the end of the drive to say the least.

We really enjoy visiting my parents' house. It always smells fresh, clean, and there is never dried oatmeal stuck to the rug...until we leave. My Mom (AKA Meme) has the yummiest smelling hand soaps and the most fantastic little collectibles. I'm like a little kid when we first arrive, checking out any new knick-knacks or original little "finds" that my Mom and Dad have picked up in their travels. This time they outdid themselves, though. When I entered the bathroom, I discovered something SPECTACULAR!

They found this brilliant gem in a little town they visited recently. It reads:

"Spritz the bowl before you go and no one else will ever know." 

Well, except if you are in there longer than the designated "pee" time or you announce when you exit the bathroom, 

"Wow! That stuff really works!"

Besides that, you're secret is safe. 

Just remember to put the cap back on. 

WORDS WITH FAMILY

"Mama! Check out the word I made in Words With Friends!"

Chris and I have been playing Words With Friends with Tuck (and a separate game with each other). We thought it would be another way to work on his word retrieval, vocabulary, problem solving, spelling, and math. The boy LOVES to figure out how many points his words will add up to before her presses "play". I've been proud of what he has come up with. He's learned a few tricks and once he figured out how it worked, he was good to go. 

Last night he asked me to play WWF with him while he chilled in his bed before lights out. I (being exhausted) was game (I totally crack myself up). I heard him working out a word, repeating the letters he had and then finally making a move. Then I heard him high tail it down his ladder. Next thing I knew he was at my bedside with a coy smile on his face as my phone went "DING", alerting me that it was my turn. I was shocked to see he had played the following word:

 

Tuck, being a sweet, cautious, rule follower, looked almost panicked and said,

"I used that word, but not in the bad way."

He was very quick to clarify he used it to mean "donkey". Thanks, Shrek, for helping my kid with his vocabulary. I turned the phone to Chris who was packing for our trip. He stifled a laugh, grabbed his own phone and exited the room.  I let Tuck know that even though he used the word to mean donkey and it got him "lots of points", we should try not to fill our board with words like that. He apologized, agreed and told me to PLEASE hurry up and make a new word so it could be his turn again because he had BIG plans for his 'z'.

As I listened to Tuck climb back up his ladder to his top bunk, my phone let out a familiar "DING". In walked my husband with a sly smile on his face saying,
 

"Not to be outdone by my son..."

It didn't take me long to figure out what he was talking about. I clicked on the game I was playing with Chris and saw this: 

I'm certain he meant it the other way, though. 

PICTURE THIS

Mags: "Daddy, these shoes hurt my feet, but I still want to wear them."

Chris: "Ah, that's one more milestone on your way to womanhood, Mags."

This is the twentieth installment of "Picture This".

Flicker of Inspiration: Tell a story in 11 words

This post is in response to The Lightning and the Lightning Bug link-up. Their prompt this week asked that you tell a story in exactly 11 words. Since it is summer and we are heading to the beach soon, my mind drifted to this picture of our son I took last year. Here we go!

Matching toes with water’s edge.
Eyes locked on one goal.
JUMP!

WHERE OH WHERE HAVE MY TASTE BUDS GONE?

Me: "I've developed an aversion to the taste of coffee since my surgery. Quick! I need to have everything they removed put back in!"

Something alarming has happened since my surgery. I thought maybe it was a fluke at first. Perhaps it was just the combination of anesthesia, pain meds, and the anti nausea patch skewing my taste buds. Well, it has been over a week and things are not turning around. In fact, they are only getting worse. I'm afraid if I talk about it, it will make it that much more real. I'm going to have to face it eventually. Okay...here goes....

I don't like the taste of coffee anymore. 

*insert sobbing*

I don't know what could have happened. I'm thinking of sending my doctor a strongly worded email about how this side effect wasn't in ANY of the four pamphlets she gave me. You would think the writers of the "Menopause and You" information packet would have included this. I mean how much time would it take to drop this little fact-let between hot flashes and mood swings? I was kind of hoping for a change in my acne-prone skin, not in my taste buds.

It's not even like I drink it for the caffeine. I've been a decaf drinker for years. I love it for the taste. The stronger the better, I say. I would have made an excellent cowgirl.  And now, well, that love is gone. The smell still appeals to me, which is such a tease. Perhaps once my body and hormones settle the heck down, the adoration for my beloved coffee will return? One thing is for sure. I will keep trying every day for the next few weeks after my husband brews his cup. I'm not going to give up! For now, I'll have to settle for a nice cup o' tea (as my Pa called it). 

Tea will still make me a hard core cowgirl, right? 

Yee-haw!

YOU ARE HERE <-----

Driving to the hospital the morning of the surgery:

Chris: "Okay, so you're job is healing for the next week. Got it? No backseat parenting from the bed."

I realized this surgery that I have a pattern. Sitting here, staring at the wall and mindless TV, I've had time to recognize it. Having been through this three times already, I always go through the same thing after the surgery's over (quick, someone come save Chris!). Here we go:

Mel's Stages of Recovery

1. Compliant: I need help to do anything and I never bite the hand that feeds me...or holds the pain meds.

2. Awakening: I start to come out of the anesthesia fog. I'm still pretty sleepy but my appetite is coming back. I miss the kids, beg them to come talk to me and am extremely cautious about any movement I make. 

3. Ambitious: I start to feel a little more lively. I can sit up for an extended period of time and my made up to-do list is swimming around in my head. I turn on the computer and get typing. I make lists and am insistent I am going to get them accomplished.

4. Overly-ambitious: I realize the anesthesia has robbed me of the slightest chance of an attention span, I'm exhausted from all this productivity and need a three hour nap.

5. Helpful: I've got a full nights sleep. I'm feeling more refreshed. I feel like I can do little things to help out my husband such as give him a break to go pee by himself and check his email. The kids and I laugh and chat. Thirty minutes later I need a two hour nap (progress from three). 

6. Sneaky: My husband showers the kids and then jumps in to take one of his own. Feeling like I have been doing NOTHING but lay around for days, I quietly get up and go out to the kitchen. I throw a few dishes in the dishwasher and decide I could start dinner for the hubs. I don't hear the shower stop in time to get back to my bed and act innocent.  I hear the dreaded, "What do you think you are doing?" Then he banishes me back to the bed. I need a quick nap to refresh from my failed mission.

7. Impatient: I end up crying that I am not healing quickly enough and watch my ever-so-patient husband sit on the bedside and appease me. He reminds me it's only been four days and then gives me props for "mostly" staying in bed and not trying to do too much.

8. Feeling Human: (I am here) It being my last day with my husband at home before he returns to work, I decide I should join my family out in the kitchen and do an activity with them. Turns out my husband has been busy training his minions on what to do when they see me up and around. I don't stand a chance. Back to bed I go.

9. Independence: Tomorrow I am home alone with the kids. Thank goodness for their flexibility. I am sure to get multiple texts from Chris reminding me that is okay if the kids sit with me on the couch and have a movie day. We don't usually hang in front of the TV for long, so I'm sure both of them will be on board with this plan of 'zombify-ing" themselves with me. One day won't rot their brains, right?

10. Appreciation  
 

Thanks for all your hard work this week, Chris. 

You rock! 

WONDERS OF LIGHT

This post is in response to Trifecta's Weekly Challenge. They choose a word and ask us to write a story using the third definition of that word in a 33-333 word story. As soon as I saw the word, my mind immediately went to one of my favorite pictures of our daughter watching the fireworks show last Fourth of July. 

 

FIREWORKS (noun)

3: plural
     a : display of temper or intense conflict
     b : a spectacular display <the fireworks of autumn leaves>

 

Fizz, whistle, pop, BOOM!
Eyes explode, mouth agape.  

Fireworks of expression illuminating towards the sky.
An unbridled gasp, a sudden squeal masked by the fizzling remnants of light.
A face of pure ebullition.

THE TERMINATOR....OF FOOD

Tuck: "Daddy has a job for us. He says we are his "Super Sniffers". 

Chris doesn't have a very good sense of smell. It has it's benefits. He has always been able to clean out sippy cup science experiments and has taken the lead on a lot of the disgusting over the top baby-poop-blow-outs. After the power outage, we packed up as much food as we could and brought it to our friends' refrigerator. By Murphy's Law, we had just done a large grocery trip before the surgery and outage. 

Once our electricity came back on, Chris took the kids to restock and pick up our salvaged food. But first, we had to finish cleaning out the contents that remained in the thawed out freezer and fridge.

That's where my husband came up with the idea for a group "activity". Anything to keep the kids entertained, right? We knew Mags would just say "YUCK! That smells." to everything put in front of her for dramatic effect. Tuck wouldn't truly know, because honestly, Swiss Cheese, although yummy, smells disgusting. 

So, there I sat. Queen Sniffer. He asked us if we were ready. We gave him the thumbs up, but we weren't overly excited about this task. Some things were able to be saved, but I drew my sniffing line when he pulled out the "frozen" bag of Flounder filets. No thanks. It's bad. Don't even bother breaking the zip lock seal on that sucker. And the "Mystery Meat Package" that I tin foil wrapped months ago and forgot to label with a Sharpie...I had one thing to say to that.

Hasta La Vista Baby!

For the record, I watched Terminator with my husband in

 my quest to fill in the holes of my missed 80's movies. 

WOW! Action packed awesomeness (insert sarcasm).

Unlike Arnold, I won't be back for #2. 

HEALING POWER

Mags: "Mama, don't worry, even when you look ugly, you're still pretty."

Me: "Thanks?"

The past four days have been an adventure to say the least. Between the surgery (read here for the back story), the pain killers, the unbearable heat, and the power outage, we haven't been bored. The first few days home were decent. I mostly did this:

Photo credit: Mags (while "checking on me")

My husband was true to his word and kept HEAPING amounts of chocolate by my bedside. He also wrote a guest post for me! See? What a good man. I had some very fun emails, DM's, PM's and texts waiting for me to pass the time while I was awake waiting for my pain killers to kick in. I apologize to any of you if I repeated myself or babbled. I'm a little nervous to look back and see what my responses were to your sweet messages. I was also thankful for a few night owls who kept me entertained in between pain relief.  

Then Friday afternoon it started to storm and we joined the tens of thousands of people in our area that lost power. The storm raged through and left quite a destructive path of downed trees, power lines and damaged houses. Luckily, our house went unscathed. But, the power was out. Saturday was fine. I was more awake and Chris kept the kids entertained. I stayed in bed and played on my phone, stared at the wall, and slept. We recharged phones with our car charger and picked at all the veggies and fruit from the fridge. The kids were troopers to say the least. Saturday night was hot and I noticed a rash on my stomach (which I attributed to the heat). The mountain cooled off quick and we kept the windows open. To our dismay, we woke up Sunday facing another full day of heat and no power. 

Sunday early morning I noticed I was very itchy and had a bigger rash on my stomach. To give you a quick medical history, I am allergic to most narcotic pain medications. I get a rash and then my tongue swells. I don't mess around. The doctor sent me home Thursday with a pain medicine that I had never tried before and it worked. I seemed fine. Except it built up in my system and I got itchy and rashy and well, no need to have the tongue swell. I took some Benedryl, said good-bye to the comfort, and texted my best friend who is a nurse. She congratulated me on officially being allergic to every narcotic pain med out there. Thanks, K! 

I also had noticed that since the surgery, my vision was very blurry. Being on a roll, I texted my friend Michele, who had surgery this year as well. She confirmed (to my relief) that she had a similar experience with her vision. Apparently it was due to a combination of the anesthesia, pain medications, and anti-nausea patch. Phew! I wasn't going blind after all. On with the hot, sticky day!

Late Sunday morning we heard power was restored to some of the streets below us, so we hung on. In between naps I heard fits of laughter, large bangs, and the word "zip line" being repeated over and over by the kids and the husband. I thought maybe I was having heat stroke and hearing things, but then I checked Facebook. Turns out I was right about the zip line in the living room as seen by this picture Chris posted. 

#WhenDaddy'sInCharge

At about 5PM we gave up the good fight and went over to our friends' house to escape the heat for a few hours and take showers. Thanks, Amanda, Mark and Mimi! Once the sun began to set, we came home and settled in for a night of open windows and fresh night breezes in our house. I took a sleeping pill and drifted off fast. At about midnight, we woke up to the sweet sound of beeps, clicks, fans, and the A/C kicking on. The sweet relief of electricity. 

We all woke up this morning a little more refreshed. My swelling has gone down and I'm managing the pain with regular doses of ibuprofen.  I'm also feeling more "with it". Chris planned out a full day with the kids and I'm hoping to get some writing done, steam clean the carpets, and maybe watch an 80's movie or two.(Just kidding. I'm making sure you're not sleeping.)

So, once again, thanks for all the love, support, packages of goodies (those will be a post in and of themselves), and laughs. We have some seriously supportive family and friends. 

Stay cool in this heat!