Yesterday morning began sort of rough for me, following a long night in which Madilyn spent nearly two-and-a-half hours awake in the middle of the night. It's a long story as to why, and I won't go into the gory details. Suffice it to say when we finally convinced her to stay in bed and sleep, the lack-of-sleep damage to Mommy and Daddy had already been done. Korynne tried to be kind to us as she slept a bit later than normal, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome our needs. Needless to say, both Mandi and I woke up exhausted and not nearly ready to face the day with its new challenges and/or opportunities.
Mandi had to run several errands yesterday morning, so I thought I would seize the opportunity to spend some quality "Daddy" time with the kids. Well, that didn't work out so well since Madilyn was overly tired and cranky, Korynne is still fighting a bit of a runny nose and wasn't all that cheery, and Daddy didn't have the required amount of patience to deal with the entire situation. Kaedyn was home from school thanks to the impending holiday, but he had chosen to engage himself in a Lego project behind the closed door of his room. Smart kid, that Kaedyn, given the volatile situation outside of his room.
Instead of continuing to press the girls for some quality time, I took to working on several pie crusts I was preparing for the impending Thanksgiving Day feasts with both sides of our family. I figured maybe I could get a early sense of the holiday spirit if I spent some time doing a holiday-type activity. Maybe, just maybe, I my spirits would be lifted. Leaving the girls to fend for themselves, however, only forced them to bicker at each other and thereby created a not-so-joyous atmosphere. I had all but reached my wit's end when Mandi returned home. "Ah," I said to myself, "The reinforcements have arrived." Still, Mandi's arrival did not stop me from snapping when all three kids were standing at the back door watching the season's first snowfall and still bickering at each other. Daddy's fuse reached the end. In no uncertain terms, I told the kids they were driving me nuts and if they didn't leave my immediate area and find something with which to entertain themselves, I could not be held responsible for my actions. (And no, my verbiage was not nearly as eloquent as what I have just typed.)
Well, lunchtime came and went without incident and when we were finished eating, I thought maybe my mind and body would best be served by suiting up and taking the dogs for a run. As I prepared to do just that, Kaedyn asked if he could go along, and I readily agreed since I figured some fresh air would do him good as well. We bundled up to face the cold weather, strapped up the dogs, and the four of us headed out. It was a good run, and I felt 100% better afterwards.
After returning home, Kaedyn decided to hang out in the backyard and play around in the snow. It wasn't too long before I heard a thud on the window next to which I was sitting. Upon my investigation, I found Kaedyn's rosy-red cheeks and big smile as he pointed at the remnants of the snowball he'd just thrown. I realized he was calling me out. He had just declared war. It was on! I threw on a sweatshirt and gloves, stepped outside, and for twenty glorious minutes we pasted each other with snowballs and laughter. It was a great time, and snapped me out of my funk for the day.
After a quick shower before work, I came out into the kitchen to find Kaedyn in the midst of preparing himself a cup of hot cocoa. Folks, there's just nothing like a good snowball fight and an ensuing cup of hot cocoa to put a guy in the mood for the holiday season! Thanks to my eight-year-old and his ability to make me feel like a kid again, I was feeling much better by the time I headed out the door for work. I drove to work in silence, and just enjoyed the waning afternoon snowfall. As I got into downtown, it was fun to watch the city's public works employees putting the strands of holiday lights on the trees.
Despite the rough beginning, the day ended on a wonderful and warm note, and officially launched my spirit into holiday mode. Today is Thanksgiving, and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you celebrate. My prayer is for each of you to take a few, silent moments thinking about all those little things which add to your holiday spirit. Count them as blessings, and may your Thanksgiving be one of joyous celebration.
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