So I have decided kids only function in extremes. You never hear of a sort of laid-back or sort of high-strung kid. They are always easy going to the point of being pokey or VERY hyper. They never “kind of” have to go to the bathroom. They always have to go NOW!! They are never content with the temperature in the car. They are either sweating or freezing. They are either full to the point of a tummy ache or starving.

What is amazing is that I have at least one of each. It is impossible to keep up with the ever-changing demands. Noah is my guy in a hurry. Everything needs to happen immediately. I think- no, I know- he gets this oh-so-charming quality of impatience from yours truly. Hey, we are the people who get it done! However Luke is my patience-trying child whom you could probably light a fire under his rear-end and he wouldn’t move until he was good and ready.

So as a result, I am always rushing around the house to appease Noah then have to summon the energy of a yoga instructor to deal with Luke. I am not sure where Grace falls on this spectrum, but I am sure she will be somewhere closer to the Noah side when I see her baring her teeth at me for not getting food to her high-chair tray fast enough. She also is beginning to take steps at not even ten months old just as big brother Noah did. Luke didn’t even bother crawling. He scooted on his rump around ten months (imagine a dog with worms dragging its butt across the carpet) to get to the places he wanted. He did this until he was about fourteen months and then decided to give walking a go. Actually, Luke took his first steps the day I decided to start potty-training Noah. Oh and I did the naked potty-training method so we could be done in about three day’s time. So there was a rush to get Noah to the potty since he always had to go immediately yet Luke was about to fall on his face because he hadn’t quite worked out the kinks to the whole “walking thing.”

I have been living in this state of dual extremes for nearly four years. I am in need of a break. And my very sweet husband offered to buy me a plane ticket to Florida for a long weekend with one of my best friends/cousin who also has three adorable, yet time-demanding children.

THAT’S RIGHT!! The moms get four days of a break from the Tortoise and the Hare show in the MIDDLE OF MARCH of the COLDEST, LONGEST WINTER ON RECORD IN MICHIGAN to go soak up the rays in sunshiny Naples, Florida! Thank you to all who have made this possible. Your kindness is immeasurable and it is impossible to express enough thanks (Scott, Keith, Mom, Dad, Alison, Mrs. Mellas, Mr. Mellas, anyone I might be forgetting. Wow, it’s like receiving an Oscar). I will be sure to post some pictures, although they will more than likely be between the hours of 10:00 am to 8:00 p.m. since Christina and I will be spending most of our trip sleeping.

All joking aside, I will miss my sweet babies very much. I hope Gracie will hold off on walking until I get home. I hope my little boys will not miss me too much and will let other people make their chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I have frozen meals for Scott to help with the dinner rush. I tried to catch up on every stitch of laundry and cleaned all the bathrooms. I cut everyone’s finger nails and toenails. I hope Scott won’t be too overwhelmed. I have a gift for the boys- gummy bears- that Scott can give to them if they start to miss me. We even got one last virus out of the way this past weekend, so hopefully no one else will be sick (saying many prayers for that).

The only thing left is to… RELAX.