Ahhh ... sleep.

Sleep ...

So many factors to consider:

• are the kids tucked in ...
• did I brush my teeth ...
• have I remembered to pray ...
• do I have the right pillow ...
• will I be cold while I sleep ...
• should I put on a pair of socks ...

And then it comes; one of my favorite life moments ... the feeling of my head finally sinking into my pillow. I love this feeling. It feels like "I'm done for another day ... I'm finally getting some ME time ... I can let go of the things that are giving me furrow wrinkles in my forehead for a few hours and run away ... far, far away."

Have you ever listened to your body as it falls asleep? Any night shift nurse can tell what an art the act of sleeping is. Your body starts to relax ... your thoughts slow down ... your breathing becomes rhythmic and soothing ... your limbs become heavy ... and then finally, you're gone ... out into the black.

Do you dream while you sleep? Steve seems to be in constant turmoil as he saves the world night after night in his dreams. He usually gets shot at at least once before he wakes up in the morning, thankfully living to tell the tale. Do you have a recurrent dream? I have two. The first is a tornado dream in which I look out my childhood bedroom window and watch a gigantically frightening twister race up over the dry farms toward the house collecting dust and debris as it comes. I blame The Wizard of Oz for this one. The other is a little less specific but usually includes a common theme - marrying the wrong man. Sometimes I'll dream I'm at the temple with an old boyfriend ... knowing that we shouldn't be getting married but not being sure how to break the news to everyone. I usually think, "Something about this just isn't right. Aren't I already married?" No matter how the dream unfolds, it is always a relief to wake up and realize I'm sleeping next to the right man in my 'real' life.

As a night shift nurse, I'll take sleep whenever I can get it. I've been known to choose sleep over food. I'll frequently go 25 or 26 hours without sleep. I think the longest I've ever gone without sleep was 40-ish hours. I woke up at 6:00 am Saturday morning and didn't make it back into my bed until 10:00 pm Sunday night. Thankfully this is a rarity and I don't recommend it. Granted, the body can endure amazing things when it has to ... but it starts to divert it's remaining power to the main deck for "life support" leaving all other areas of the ship without power. Areas like "rational thought" and the "patience zone" are gone and for some reason it becomes that much easier to cry over the silliest little things. A tired body is an emotional body. I've been told that lack of sleep takes years off your life ... which I can live with as long as it's the last ten years of my life. =D

Happy Zzzz to you all.

Got Giggles?

From time to time our little Ike will get a serious case of the giggles. Usually toward the end of the day when he's feeling a bit tired and is finding things to be particularly funny. Sometimes it starts with someone jumping off the couch, or a toy being tossed into the toy bin. But tonight it was a bouncy ball ... a super duper, ricocheting back, giggle inducing bouncy ball.

I show this clip, inspite of the frightening double-chin camera angle, and include a warning: These giggles are contagious!

eNjoyIng cLasSic mOmenTs

What is it about a bLacK & whiTe photo that can turn even

silly moments into classic moments?

Enjoying a Sunny walk ...

Enjoying a thoughtful moment ...

Enjoying being home from school ...

:::::Water Park:::::

"And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down and the floods came up, up, upper."

These pictures made me think of one of my favorite movies,

"Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day."

A classic for sure that contains one of my favorite songs about rain storms and flood waters ...

"Pooh too was caught and so he thought, 'I must rescue my supper.'

Ten honey pots he rescued, enough to see him through,

but as he sopped up his supper, the river sopped up Pooh.

And the water twirled and tossed him

in a honey pot ... canoe!"

This is one of our favorite parks that was flodded out by the weekend's massive rain fall.

Sunny's response was, "I guess we'll just have to call it a water park now."

Ha! I guess so Sunny.

I love you, Mommy ...

This cracked me up. Sunny and I were testing out our new camera with video capabilities and all I did was say, "It's recording you Sunny." The rest was her own doing. I must admit ... I'm touched that she thinks of me even when she's feeling silly.

Zoo Day

Time to visit the local zoo with some Michigan friends. It was a day filled with food, friends, and fun!!

Up close and personal with this pacing tiger ...
Ike and mom ... NOT loving the effects of humidity on my hair!
Ike and pacing tiger ...
Sunny at the bronze giraffes ...

The goats were Ike's FAVORITE part ...
Sunny by the "girl lion."

I asked Sunny what the lion was thinking and she said, "I think she's thinking about coming on this side of the glass to play nicely with us." hmmm ... maybe!

Sunny and Ike at the fish exhibit ...
Sunny, Alex, Noah ...

Deer Crossing

I was finally able to capture a picture of the family of deer that live in our neighborhood. They wander in and out of yards that are connected to the nature preserve on our street but I never seem to have a camera around when I see them. So there you have it, more evidence that this is a beautiful place to live (or visit - hint, hint).