Tired Wednesday

That's what I feel like today. I woke up feeling poorly rested, my eyes still throbbing and pounding before the day had begun, and I had a bad dream that I couldn't shake from my memory. In my dream I saw a large tornado heading for our house, so what do I do? Grab the camera and take a picture of it. I don't remember anything else, but it felt so real that it seemed like I could go down stairs to look at the pics on my camera and see the one I took in my dream. The morning did not start well, either. Violet consistently wakes up around 7 am (which is way before I'd like to get up) and comes into our room and says to me that Calvin is screaming. He really was, too. Ugh. So many people say to me (who are older and have older kids) that my stage of life is the best having little kids running around. And that I'll always want this time back. I'm just not getting it. By most day's end, I'm ready to tape Violet's mouth shut (not literally guys, but I know you know what I mean) from her constant jabber, questions, and comments. She drives me nuts some days. She's a terrible back seat driver, too. She says "Mom, its green, you can go. Slow down! Don't hit that car! Mom, watch out, its yellow, its turning red, you have to stop. Oh! Its green, mom! Go faster! You're not driving fast enough..."and on and on and on ~ its a never ending dialogue in the car. Can we say Type A first born child personality? Shawn and Kim came over last night for the last visit we get with them before Christmas. Violet was SO excited to see them (especially Shawn). Something about Shawn she just loves. She wanted to sit by him the whole night, ask him a million questions, and sit by him at dinner. She just LIT UP like a little shining star. I couldn't believe it. It was like a different Violet. She was charming, delightful, sweet, thoughtful, and didn't whine once. Gives them the impression she's an angel child. But the MOMENT they left and she had to go to bed, she started whining and screaming again. I realize this post might sound a bit negative. I don't feel like this all the time, but some times. I know all moms have moments like this. I'm a little drained because I'm writing this at the end of a long busy day of driving around running a bunch of errands and having to break up many fights through out the day. One day my kids will get along, right? Right? Calvin had his 18 mo check up this morning. The scale said he was 26 lbs 4 oz, so maybe my bathroom scale is little off. Or its possible he devoured a big meal before I weighed him. He is in the 50th % for weight and 75th % for height. The doc said his growth curve is perfect for all areas of growth (height, weight, head) looks great, and he is doing what he should be doing. He said "hi!" to the doc and "bye!" when she left. She thought that was very sweet. Before Calvin's dr appointment we were in the waiting area. Calvin walked up to an elderly man sitting in a chair reading a magazine. I could tell the man was delighted Calvin came up to him. He started talking to Calvin, saying "oh! You want to see the cars in the magazine?" and Calvin responds by saying "yeah". So Calvin starts flipping the magazine pages over, and the man is just so happy to interact with him. They had a "conversation". He gave him a high five and when the man's name was called, Calvin told him "bye!" I didn't bring Violet with me to Calvin's appointment because he had to get one last vaccination, and I didn't want her to see him cry and be upset. And of course, he did, but he was over it quick. He is always quickly calmed down by his paci and blanket. I guess its called a pacifier for a reason. Violet stayed home and watched Sesame Street downstairs while Dave worked in his office. I hope she didn't bother him too much. We're leaving for "family camp" on Saturday morning really early. It is at the camp known as Turkey Hill in Missouri. We're going to be gone August 1-7. We don't really know what to expect because it is our first time. Violet's friend Katie will be there, and she's really excited about that. I hope the sleeping arrangements allow us to get some decent sleep as a family. The camp is off the main road so much that its in a dead zone with no cell reception.