Morning Bliss

(Happy 50th post)

Something I've realized about myself over the years... I'm a morning person. Indeed, I'm especially a Monday morning person. I've never dragged though a morning, praying for a cup of coffee to magically appear before me and revitalize me. I tend to jump out of bed. And since I was pregnant with Ben, I don't even drink coffee on a regular basis.

Because I live with grace and dignity (ignore my dingy, ratty sleeping bra), I don't rub my morning happiness into the faces of anyone except my husband. Ben doesn't mind; he's a morning person too. Chester only minds when I sing.

If he happens to sleep in (if he's not up by 6:20, I wake him up), I get the joy of going in there and getting him up. "Ben, are you still asleep? It's morning!" He buries his head against his mattress and giggles. He'll blearily look up at me with a big grin on his face and then shove his face back down again. This goes on for a little while until he's managed to get into a sitting position. Then he waves his arms up and down until I pick him up. This routine is by far one of my favorite activities we do.

I get my love of mornings from my mother. It's my mother's "time" in the morning. She'd always wake up around 4 to pray and drink coffee, read her devotionals, etc. She'd have her own time to rev up for the day. I've tried to adopt the habit, but I can't manage to wake up before 5 on my own. Only a few mornings a month do I actually spend time alone. Ben usually wakes up soon after I do, regardless of the time.

When I do find myself alone in the mornings, I love it. And by the time the boys wake up, I'm enthusiastic and ready for the day.

I find Monday mornings refreshing because I get to slip right back into the old routines of a weekday. I like the busy work of getting Ben's food and bottles ready. I like making sure he has his bag packed perfectly. I thrive on repetition. And, I like seeing Ben's eyes light up when he sees his favorite daycare lady. And I especially like how he'll smile at me with a little twinkle in his eye... like he's already planning what mischief he'll get into during the day to come.