Today

If my mother were to read this (and she will; she'll likely be the first--she's dedicated), she'd give me the what-for for still being awake.  It's Saturday morning, 0008, and I should be sleeping.  I should be sleeping because in the last 48 hours, I have worked 14 and slept a total of 5.  I have a house full of sickies (more about that later), and I have at one point, felt as though we were suffocating in viral diseases and vomit.  But not today.

Today was amazing.  It really shouldn't have been.  It should have been good.  Fine.  No big deal.  Patrick had his Christmas party at school, which Adam attended because I had just gone to bed as he was leaving.  I didn't wake up until 9 and, by 1, I had completely lost track of time.  I was delusionally tired.  I found cottage cheese with our glassware and dry cereal in the fridge...among other things.  I barely knew my own name.  I was am exhausted. 

But my (truly amazing and humbling and sort of perfect) sister took the kids and, along with her equally-awesome husband, gave us a free night.  (Note: We have Annie, but I'm still nursing on demand, so we don't really stray far from each other.)

So, tonight.  Tonight, we had fun.  We visited my sister-in-law and her husband, who we adore.  We got to see our sweet and awesomely-named nephew.  We got to be us. 

We went shopping.

We went to dinner.

We discovered a new favorite restaurant.  (One that trumped the last one, and for 1/2 the cost.)

We talked over dinner.  Annie slept.

We planned our 10th anniversary.

We held hands. 

We laughed.

We talked about the kids. 

We talked about all of the reasons why we love our family.

We split three desserts. 

We said "I love you."  And it wasn't before bed or getting off the phone or because we knew the other was mad.

We came home to a clean house.  (I must have done some work in my delusional exhaustion.)

We had fun.  We had lots of fun, which is encouraging, because our life is so hurried and hectic and loud and busied that, aside from focusing on everyone's basic and daily needs, we don't have much time for anything else.  But today we did.  And it was awesome.  And, though I am still exhausted, my soul is renewed, and that makes things good again.  I'm tired, but I'm whole. 

Thank you, God, for this.  Right now.  All of this.  It's...more than enough.  It's my kind of perfect.