November 1st

It's 8 am and I've already had one child stomp upstairs in an angry huff.

The morning arrived early - I was up at 5 before the sun rose for the day. I woke on my own accord, to switch vehicles with my Husband. We arrived in later than him last night due from our frightfully fun festivities. And neither of us had the desire to switch them last night. This morning, unlike most, I had no desire to go back to sleep. This morning I snuggled up on the couch with some warm blankets and just enjoyed the peace and quiet. I could hear the dog stirring upstairs, the wind rustling the bushes outside the window. Meenie tossing and turning a bit, Moe coughing (a deep, croupy sounding cough) and Einey's soft breaths. I could hear the heat cycling on upstairs and the cars rolling along the road. I could get used to the this I thought, having time to wake up before others. To let my body rouse itself from deep slumbers it harbors. To have time to adjust to being conscious, before needing to act.

By 6 am, Moe woke and joined me on the couch. Sweet five year old Moe, no longer a baby. But still. Still she is able to curl up on my lap. To snuggle in the pre-dawn hours. Her little body pressed close to mine. She moved only to cover her cough. Once her little body awoke, she moved to the other couch, to watch some Sunday morning cartoons. Old school - Tom and Jerry. Back before cartoons were deemed to violent. Meenie soon joined her sister, snuggling close. I watched them watching their cartoons. By 7 am, they were both awake. Hungry, wanting breakfast. Cheerios for one, yogurt for the other. We ate in silence and then move back to the living room.

Not content to watch TV anymore, they broke out some crafts they received last night. With little help, they punched out their crafts and began assembling them. They worked together and in the end, a ghost and witch were born.

By quarter of eight, Einey joined us in the land of the living. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Einey is my night owl. Content to stay up late playing games, watching TV or reading in her room. She's a bear if roused earlier than the sun.

And then, peace was momentarily shattered. Eieny was playing her DS. Moe grabbed Meenie's DS. Meenie said NO. Moe stomped upstairs. Moe loves the DS. Moe doesn't have her own yet. She's saved for 1/2 of it right now. We told her Christmas is coming, maybe she'll get the rest of what she's saving then. Maybe not. It took her sister's a long time to save for theirs. She stomped upstairs to cool off. A few moments later, she returned. May I please play Webkinz Wuy-orld? And in that time, balance was achieved, peace restored.

While I relish the peaceful moments while everyone else slumbers, I don't look forward to losing daylight mid-afternoon. I know it will be all too soon before I pick them up from school, narrowly beating the fleeting hour of daylight we have left. To have the long hours of darkness to which we need to supplement artificial light for natural light (which coincidentally, I need to replace some light bulbs soon. Like yesterday before the time played it's game on me).

It's now 8:20. Peace is restored and we have a long day ahead. I can't wait to see what's in store today and the rest of the year.