Snafus of Summer Start

Summer started this week and I cannot believe we're only one full day in.

On Monday, we woke up to a huge thunderstorm and Claire's terrified, shaking form in our room at 5:05 a.m. She's gotten a lot braver about storms, but there's no way she's sleeping through thunder shaking the house that close to morning. JP calmed her down and tucked her back in her bed ("Did you go in Landon's bed?" we asked, relying on our delegation method of parenting. "Yes!" she cried, "But he doesn't know! HE DOESN'T KNOW!", affirming my belief that Landon could sleep through an active tornado in his room because he had no idea a screaming sobbing Clairebear was trying her hardest to shake his arm and make him move over in his bed while lightning flashed and thunder boomed all around.), but it was too close to my own wake-up time to go back to sleep myself, so I hovered in the frustrated in-between, not gaining any real rest, but also not just calling it a loss and getting out of bed to accomplish things.

And so the day began. I got to work late because it was pouring and then I took most of the afternoon off to pick up Claire for her 2:00 4-year-old check-up. From there we raced to pick up Landon from his last day of school at 3:00, ran a few errands (birthday presents for the 3 birthday parties we have to attend in the next 2 weeks), swung home to get snacks and pack for the evening's activities, and piled back in the car to go back to daycare to pick up Cora and then drive out to the JP's pool to attend the parent meeting for Landon's summer swim team at 5:45. He then had an intrasquad meet from 6-8 pm, though when JP finished coaching at 7 and I could finally take the girls back home for dinner, the kids still hadn't started their races. I got home with Claire and Cora at 7:30, fed them a hasty dinner and tucked them in bed, and then fed myself cereal and cleaned up the house. The boys got home at 9 (9!) and Landon was too tired to eat so he just went to bed. I helped JP with his work until after midnight (SO many emails due to the cancellations from the severe scattered storms all day) and we both collapsed in bed around 12:30.

racing suit!

And so endeth Kindergarten and starteth our summer break.

On the upside, Claire's check-up went great. She's very tall (98th percentile) and averagely weighted and she chatted cheerfully with the doctor all about her favorite foods and love of Frozen. The shots gravely offended her, but the bouncy ball from the treasure chest made up for it. And Landon had a great last day of Kindergarten, and he won both of his races at the intrasquad meet! Including butterfly, which he's never swam before, ever, not even in our backyard pool. But he legally swam the whole 25 yards and looked great (JP ducked out of his Board meeting just in time to watch and shoot some video- did I mention JP also had to present at a Board meeting at the pool that night? Super fun Monday.).

Claire was convinced they'd draft her in the meet at any minute
and insisted on wearing her goggles for the whole 2 hours we were at the pool

Tuesday also began early because a very confused Cora, who had gone to bed much too late Monday night, woke up much too early yesterday morning. Landon started his morning swim practices (he's supposed to be from 3-3:30 in the afternoon but can't do that because he has parents who both work, so he'll be going to the 8-9 a.m. makeup session every day), so JP needed to drive him out to his pool at 7:30 to watch him practice, drive him back home to drop him off with the back-up care nanny I'd scheduled for the week (he starts camps next week), and then driving back out to the pool to coach lessons from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. So I had to take the girls to school, something I haven't done in months, so we got out the door late and then I got stuck behind a coal train that stopped on the tracks for FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. 45! Minutes! Just dead stopped. And I was boxed in by other cars and Cora was very confused at the turn this day had taken, so I put the car in park and crawled into the back to feed her and then she fell asleep for her morning nap. We got to daycare late, I got to work very late, and then I got a call from JP at 9:00, just before I was supposed to step into a meeting, saying the back-up nanny wasn't there. What?! I called back-up care and they couldn't find her either, so JP threw Landon back in the car with a few snacks, and drove BACK to the pool where Landon swam and watched swim lessons until 3:00 when I left work early (I'm out so much vacation time this week and I've actually been at work both days!) to go get him. We ran errands- can't waste an afternoon off, no matter how reluctant an afternoon off it is- and then picked up the girls. I made dinner (these enchiladas again, SO dang good) and then let the kids swim while I fed Cora outside. She was exhausted and fell asleep while on duty in her lifeguard chair, so I kicked the kids out of the pool, supervised showers, tucked Cora in bed, and changed into barre clothes so I could run out the door at the exact second JP pulled up in the driveway to make it to 7:15 barre class on time.

Lifeguard no longer on duty

And so endeth today. Our backup nanny never called the company back, so we still don't have care this week. Landon is going to spend a lot of time at the pool with JP; luckily it's a short week and Landon likes to swim and makes friends easily (he already had a gang of boys by the end of today. I have to go to be at work like a real full-time working person tomorrow and I am not taking any routes that cross train tracks (nearly impossible in Fort Worth, but I have one). We're trying to figure it out if we can sign Landon up for any of the swim meets, but they're all an hour away, 9 hours long, and I'll be alone because JP coaches all day Saturday. Most of this post basically sums up why we are terrible about signing the kids up for any activities. JP and I were Division I college scholarship athletes and our kids will be lucky if they play one sport a year.

On a random, adorable note, Cora has decided she needs to walk. She pulls up on everything, starting late Friday, and cruised- CRUISED- along the couch Sunday morning. She looks ridiculous every time I see her vertical- her feet are so tiny and chubby and can't possibly hold up a whole body, but hold her they do. She's a fierce crawler, but I figure it's only a matter of time before she's walking everywhere like real people and I freak out about how she's my last baby and she's not allowed to hit milestones that early and we need to put a low roof on her pen like a veal.

So tiny!

But she is so proud and so darn adorable that I can't help but enable her.

Last night ended with an incredible barre work out (legs shaking so much!) and found me sipping champagne and logged into work from my kitchen table doing law things through complicated excel formulas. JP and I finally went to bed about 11:30, but Diana Gabaldon's latest book in the Outlander series- Written In My Own Heart's Blood- came out yesterday and I'm weak, so I read even later. Cora woke up loud and cheerful at 6:05 this morning and how can it only be Wednesday?