Rain, Rain...

My day began at 1:30am. Alynna has been dealing with some nasty congestion, so she and I have seen a lot of each other over the past two nights. We like to spend our time in the bathroom with the shower running hot water until the mirror is coated with a foggy film, or on the couch snuggling upright to drain her little nose. It's been like having a newborn baby who wakes up every two or three hours.
It's always those sleepy hours of the week morning when I have my moments of crisis. I remember feeding the ever-waking Kaeley in the middle of the night. I near hated Brad at that moment for being able to sleep through the night. Then I looked at an innocent piece of furniture and began to despise everything about it's ugly exsistence. Everything looked brighter in the morning. Just like last night I began to wonder at the reality of God. I would pray that Alynna's congestion would disolve instantly. Now I was honestly praying this in my own selfish desire to sleep, but I was also praying for her comfort. Well, since God is not a genie in the a bottle her congestion continued to slowly improve. In the exhaustion of the hour I questioned if He was really there. It wasn't a serious moment, but a selfish one. I spoke outloud to remind myself of the time and time again when God had proven Himself to me.
The past two mornings I hear the alarm going off in either a form of an electronic beeping or in the voice of a toddler squeezing his face into the closed door and it's jam, yelling, "MeeMa! MeeMa!" I have peeled my eyes open, stuck the toothpicks in to keep them open, and sincerely answer my day with a groan and a "LORD! Help us!" The praise music gets turned up loudly on sleepy mornings. I'm always functional, but there's a difference between functioning and living joyously. The praise music focuses me outward and upward instead of inward toward my sleep deprived, self-serving, whose-kids-are-these-anways self.
On and off these past week it has been raining. It's bitter sweet to have rain like this when you live in Sunny California. It's sweet, because it's the closest thing to a White Christmas we'll ever have and have had for years. The bitter part is most of us are alarmingly unprepared for a downpour. Kaeley has rain boots, which I bought her for fashion purposes two years ago, and a winter coat thanks to grandparents. Nathan had to be bound in layers of sweatshirts, hoodies, and then top it off with a windbreaker, because it's the closest thing to a raincoat I can find in his closet. He does have an umbrella, but he uses it as a light saber when it's closed and carried it like a bucket when it's open. It's really a hindrance rather than a help.
Now today I was to meet my good friends at McDonald's, leave the two older children there for two hours so I could participate in the Mothers-Time-Away cycle, and go Christmas shopping. It sounded fantastic until I realized I had to get three small children down three flights of stairs in the rain. So... here's what I did...
I carried Kaeley down the stairs (for time-saving purposes), loaded the car up, and parked it right outside of the parking lot entrance. I left her downstairs as I ran upstairs to get the two little ones. Down we went again. I loaded the two in the car and headed off.
Show me a mom who is allowed to shop without the usual bundle of children and I'll show you a mom shopping at Target. I went there to claim a price adjustment of $2.02 so that I could continue shopping for a humidifier (I love Alynna, but I'm hoping for a miracle tonight), diapers, socks, winter clothes on clearance for my summerclad children, and a gift card all totaling up to a whopping $72.00. Thank goodness I had the $2.02 back in my wallet!
While I was there I thought I'd look for a pair of rain boots for Nathan. I usually think it's a waste to purchase items like that for the area I live in seeing as how it rains four days out of the year and a Storm Watch on the news usually means to look out for a light sprinkling. However I saw Nathan's downcast face when his sister was allowed to splash through puddles, and he, wearing little canvas tennis shoes, was not. Then I thought it would be super cute and helpful if I had my own pair of rain boots as well. Target did have rain boots in my size. They were super cute, and $25.99! So, I decided my tennis shoes would do fine. They had no boots for children. Now if I were a super mom who was super prepared for other seasons I could have purchased swimsuits for the entire family. That's California retail for you I suppose.
Back to McDonald's where the children and I happily scarfed down oil with a side of potatoes, breading with a side of chicken, and mayonnaise with a side of grilled chicken. On the way out I bought us each a cookie to round out all four food groups. Nathan has now learned that the best way to eat a McDonald's cookie is to break it in half and suck out the chocolate. I mean, seriously, he sucks out the chocolate. Until, that is, I look back at him disapprovingly. He will then grin, nod his head obediently, and eat more like a normal person. He fell asleep in a pile of crumbs and smears of chocolate. Before he was even fully awake he was saying, "Crack-ors. Coo-Cooks."
He splashed his canvas shoes through puddles while I selected the most urgent purchases from the car, the car seat with the baby, the diaper bag, the four year old, and I ran upstairs to deposit it all but the four year old. Then I ran back down to grab Nathan who was happily sitting himself down on the stairs. Why try when you have Mom?
I put them all down for nap. While I should be sleeping myself I feel a hazy happiness puttering around the house with my hot chocolate and pastry (you know, I have compensate for all that exercise).
When the children wake up we will decorate our first ever gingerbread house. It's a kit with pre-made gingerbread walls and icing, so don't be too impressed with my skills. The skill will come in when I let the children at the decorating. Then we cut the semi-homemade marshmallows for the potluck we have tonight.
I look forward to seeing our friends tonight and enjoying a cozy house of fellowship, but over all what do I see? The not-so-urgent purchases still awaiting its warm welcoming into the house, the loading of potluck gifts and goodies, and, of course, the children back in the car. Which all means... more stairs.