Taking the Wheel

This is the first day that it has really hit me that Trevor is gone. As I was loading the kids up for church this morning I was strangely aware of his absence. It has become such a ritual for us to attend church as a family, and I missed having him in the driver's seat.

When we got home, the kids wanted to use the water sprinkler toy that Grace had received for her birthday. I had them change into their bathing suits as I got lunch ready for them. This was easier than you might think since it only involved unloading the Happy Meal boxes onto plates and squirting some ketchup on the side. As they began eating, I slathered them down with sunscreen and then dashed outside to start mowing a section of grass that they could play in.

Trevor had mowed last Monday so it wasn't too high, but I knew that it couldn't wait until this Friday to be cut again. I was hoping to have the entire section done by the time the kids finished lunch and got out there, but no such luck. They stood there on the edge of the deck patiently waiting for me to finish. As soon as there was enough area to set the sprinkler in, I stopped and got everything hooked up for them.

As they began squealing with glee at the water hitting them in the face, I ran back to the mower as I realized that the water's reach far exceeded my calculations. I powered back up and cut in a ridiculously haphazard pattern in an effort to get all of the grass that was being sprayed. Needless to say the lawn was not being cut in my usual methodical way, and it irritated my OCD just a little, but the kids were having such a good time that I didn't let it bother me for long. It actually turned into a game to see how quickly I could get the grass cut before it became soaked.

It worked out well that as I was finishing the grass, the kids were growing tired of the water. I stripped them down to bare skin on the deck so I could rinse off all of the wet grass sticking to them. They looked so cute running around with no clothes on. It won't be long now before they are too old (and modest) to do things like that. I got them clean and dry and in the house and before long, Grace was out like a light.

The whole weekend had been exhausting for all of us, but especially for Grace. She offered no resistance to the suggestion of a nap and she slept for most of the afternoon. Nathan claimed to be wide awake and not sleepy at all, so we watched a few of the Harry Potter movies together. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon and I was glad to have had nothing planned.

I look forward to the week ahead with more than a little apprehension since I won't have Trevor to take over when I reach my breaking point with the kids. This will be a good opportunity to work (once again) on my patience and breathing technique. I will also be able to review my numbers since I have the feeling that I will be counting to ten (and beyond) more than once.