Over and Over Again

Call it what you will, a season in life, a lull in action, the winter doldrums, life is seeming very routine these days.  I can pretty much pinpoint to the day what each month brings.  January is funky with sickness, recovering from the holidays and doing sales tax for Owl People, February brings Love On the Run (an event I help with) and getting overhyped by Valentines Day, making kids valentines, Erin and our valentines yadayada, March is deciding on Farmers Market dates, preparing our tax returns, sending Papa some balloons up for a birthday wish, April brings a visit to Kansas City every year to visit family, busting out some inventory for Farmers Market, planning for Henry's end of school party in May.  May is an explosion of things, Farmers Market, end of school party, birthdays, birthdays and birthdays....I could go on about what I can expect in every month until December.  

I guess it is good to have a routine, to have a plan for how your year is going to go but I am none too excited for the months ahead.  It is daunting to think of. At what point in time did these fun things become work?  How do you deviate from making them seem like work to being fun again?  Was that what happened when Graham came along?   Exhaustion from all things?  I can't continue to blame everything on three kids anymore.  I need to stop myself when people ask me how it's going with three kids.  I usually say "don't do it" to the person with two kids or "it's crazy" to those who have three.  I was at a class the other weekend and someone said to me "you have quite a few kids"  I said, "well, when you put it that way it sounds like I have 7 but I really only have three."  I feel like I have 7!

I think sometimes if I am living this life well or just surviving in it?  I am hopeful for the future that things won't seem like such a drain, that my children will stop bickering, that I can hire a babysitter for ALL three kids for one night, that things can get just a little more jazzy around here?  Like a nice vacation, beers in the backyard, KIDS playing OUTSIDE.  Yes, those would all help.   

In sum, I know that I should not be complaining, there are far worse things to throw in this routine of being routine such as sickness, accidents, being broke, losing my hands or something far worse.  I am grateful every day for the health and safety of my family and the blessings that we have been given.   I just maybe need to be doing a better job of acknowledging those blessings more often and appreciate "THE ROUTINE"

And because no post is complete without pictures...