A Week of Ruminating (and Other Things)

It's 3:30 on Sunday afternoon and everyone in the house is sleeping. I tried, snuggled up with JP, relishing one of my favorite parts of our weekend- the quiet, the sun streaming in from the windows, the cozy, cozy bed, and the knowledge that no blackberry beep or pending work assignment can drag me away. But if nighttime sleep is elusive for me, daytime sleep is even more so, so I slipped out to sit on the couch with my laptop, camera transfer cable, and the last recorded episode of Top Chef Masters. This bit of guilt-free alone time might be my other other favorite part of my weekend.

I've spent most of my free time in the last week thinking and reading and not writing. Thinking about our family, my career, next steps, and big decisions, and then reading literary candy when I don't want to think any more (I read four books of Susan Elizabeth Philipps Chicago Stars series between Monday and Thursday- fun, fast reads they are). I find I have to do that every now and then- spend a week letting myself ruminate and question everything about our status quo. I usually end up with a few conclusions, some tentative plans, and a renewed ease with a wait-and-see approach for the rest of it. It's not that I had any decisions to make right now, but sometimes an issue presents itself in my head (like the possibility of another baby last week) and it's all I can think about for days. I've learned it's best to just let the thoughts ride until they run themselves out and some conclusion is reached (which is often "I don't yet have a conclusion"), and then my brain feels better and I can focus on the day-to-day again.

As for real-life events happening in the midst of my ruminations, Claire started a new school! Here she is ready to go on Monday morning in classic Claire attire: animal shirt (in this case, her beloved "elphant" shirt, permanently stained and a little too small), her pink blankie, her "C" purse filled with an essential two matchbox cars, plastic bracelet, and Zebra puzzle piece, and her pink crocs on the wrong feet (always).

 

She did great and we're so excited about the change (more on that later). We were worried she'd cry the first time she was dropped off, but she was fine -- instead, it was her big brother who cried when we got to the car because we were leaving her behind. We realized too late that for all our prep of Claire, we'd not quite prepared Landon for the fact that the two of them would be separated for the first time since she was born. Luckily, he's starting at the new school at the beginning of September.

Other scenes just pulled from my camera:

Claire and I modeling our potential family portrait outfits for our session at the end of September. Claire picked our pose. Tex couldn't quite copy it.

 

Gigi came to visit! She drove up Friday afternoon and left after brunch this morning. Claire was SO excited. That girl looooves her some Gigi.

 

Gigi's presence demands a discount shopping trip, so we got lost three times driving to Hurst, Texas, home of the closest Carter's store where I picked up some late Summer/early Fall shirts for Claire, all with animals on them of course. Next up was TJ Maxx where my mom talked me into an "age appropriate" date night dress for JP, which means it was both shorter and tighter than anything I'd pick out by myself.

We came home to find all the yard-working, non-shoppers asleep with JP on our bed. Landon's head popped up when he heard the flash.

 

Next up, date night! My mom volunteered to babysit Saturday night and we left her settled in with the kids for a night of movies and staying up past their bedtimes. Everyone looks pretty excited about this.

 

JP and I haven't had a date night in a while, so we were all smiles with my new $15 dress and plans to hit up a sushi restaurant we've been wanting to try. And it was FABULOUS. We ordered (and finished) nine sushi rolls (totaling several pounds of fish), a handful of Nigiri, four sake bombs, a carafe of hot sake (JP), and a martini (me), and paid $75 including tip. Some of the best sushi we've ever had, in a very fun chic restaurant, and JP was actually full!

 

The highlight of my night was the "crunchy blue" roll and talking with my beloved without interrupting myself to tell Claire to sit down in her high chair. The highlight of JP's night was the Mercedes SLR McLaren parked outside the restaurant. I don't know how guys know these things, but he immediately spouted off facts like only 3500 were made and the base selling price is $450,000. Are they born knowing these things? He never looks twice at other women, but man, he had a hard time keeping his eyes off that car while we were talking.

And because we were feeling crazy (and the sushi happy hour we were taking advantage of ended so early), we bought tickets for the 9:30 show of The Dark Knight Rises at a Movie Tavern a short walk away. We meandered around the square to stop for dessert before the movie began and then I ordered a glass of wine and sipped it throughout the 2.5 hour movie. I love movies with a bar.

We got home well after midnight and as I poked my head in my mom's room to tell her we were home I had major flashbacks to the summer after my freshman year of college (the only summer I came back home). Except this time I don't have to sneak JP into my room and now we have children to wake us up bright and early in the morning.

Today, tired:

 

I hear the natives stirring, time for the grocery store and a new week of living, less thinking, and (hopefully) more writing.