With Youssou’s birthday in two days and Joseph’s birthday in two weeks, my soon-to-be three-year-old found it necessary to practice his birthday skills this evening. Apparently Joseph could not sleep with so many birthdays to think about. An hour after I put him to bed I heard suspicious sounds coming from his room and went to check on him. I found Joseph sitting on his knees in bed with an excited grin on his face. “I made you a birthday cake Mama!” he proudly gushed. And sure enough, on his bed was a lop-sided 3-layer cake. Or at least so it appeared in the dark from across the room. Upon closer inspection, it was his largest stuffed animal, topped by a medium-sized stuffed animal, and topped again with a small stuffed animal. And for effect, a white sock rolled up on top. “I already blew out the candles for you,” he explained, pointing to the sock. So much for scolding him for not being asleep!
Now it’s Midnight and way past my own bedtime (you see where Joseph gets this from). After being up until 3am last night, I am adult enough to know that I should be in bed now. But this quiet time when both of my boys are asleep is addictive. It’s the first time in four days that I have checked my e-mail. All the work of the weekend is done and the work of the week has yet to begin. Ah…. Sunday nights. Just a few more minutes Mom, please? And that is precisely why Monday’s are always so hard for me.
Speaking of making things hard for myself, in four short weeks I will be moving my family and all of our belongings across the country. Goodbye Chicago, hello Washington DC! I am beginning to suspect that I have some weird, subconscious addiction to moving. I hate moving. Really. But it seems like we move every year. When we moved into our lovely vintage apartment with its golden hardwood floors last November, I vowed that we would not move again until we bought a home. But alas, here we are, once again purging our clutter and surrounding ourselves with packing boxes. Ugh! I do have a valid excuse at least. I have been offered a wonderful career opportunity in DC. It is not something that I sought, but rather it sought me and (here comes the cliché) seems meant to be.
As I mentally prepare to leave behind loved ones, I picture myself becoming a savvy blogger once I am settled into my new home. You know the type- savvy enough to upload awe-inspiring technologies to my blog and post thoughtful reflections and creative pictures on a regular basis. I picture myself waking up early every Sunday morning before the boys, putting on a pot of coffee and writing amusing stories about the Diatta’s adjustment to life in our nation’s capitol. Yeah…. well…. It seems like an inspiring way to stay connected. But then there is that whole issue of setting realistic expectations for myself. Oh- and the fact that I value sleeping in on the weekends so much that I have taught my child to do so too. Hmm… Let me reflect on that one a bit more….
Watch Out! Joseph has learned how to make a mean snowball!
.JPG)
Heading out to play in the snow
Right before New Year's Eve, Jenny and I took a road trip to Indy to visit our childhood friend Rachel. Who would have ever thought that the three of us girls would end up with five boys? Here is me with Jenny's newest addition, Alex
Joseph thought Rachel was an excellent cook, as you can tell by the empty plate...
Here are four of our five boys- Jack, Joe, Baby Alex and Ryan
Here are all five boys. Rachel's son's are Kyle (on floor next to Joseph) and Ryan (holding Baby Alex). Jenny's boys are Jack (seated in red chair with no baby on lap) and Baby Alex.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
