Exhaustion

The depths of my exhaustion know no limits. Last night was a whopper of a night - let's recap: Avery wakes up 1030-1200 off and on, Josh goes in to comfort. Oliver screams out at 230. Josh goes in - settles him down and gets ready for work. Oliver comes in my bed at 4am asking for breakfast. So I got about 4 hours of sleep last night. Josh had about the same and has to work 14 hours. I thought we'd be over the sleep thing by now...

Family love

After attending a parenting class on sibling rivalry, I was instantly calmed and inspired by this quote from T.S. Eliot,

“There's no vocabulary For love within a family, love that's lived in But not looked at, love within the light of which All else is seen, the love within which All other love finds speech. This love is silent.”

Siblings are the foundation for our relationships in the future and may, indeed, be the longest relationship we ever have with someone. I know that Oliver and Avery have fierce emotions that battle each other throughout the day, but every so often there is a quiet peace between them that rejuvenates my heart. Today, Avery said, "What are you doing, Ollie?" while she sat next to him and the train set. No pulling trains off the track, no stepping on the tracks, no trying to pry a toy from unsuspecting hands. Just curiosity and simply wanting to share space. 

After today's class, I'm reminded that in our most tired moments, we should go to our children and show them that we love them. It's our greatest power as parents.

Here's a picture we took to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday. 60 years and what do you have to show for it? A lot of love. 

Beginnings

Having two children puts documentation in the back seat. Writing this blog will help serve to document our adventures and preserve them for our family. It's also a source of free therapy, a meditation on parenting fails and successes, developmental milestones, and a window on the brief frivolity we can enjoy while the tribe stays true to the call of adventure. Let the wild rumpus start!