A good place to be

I survived another "late shift". Sean is working and 4 out of 5 children are asleep. When Sean works late, it is nice to have the morning with him, but the evening hours can be long and draining. Trying to feed, bathe and tuck in 5 children is a busy task. Tonight my Mom and our friend stopped in to hold babies while I tucked Mikayla in. She is teething and fighting something so feeling generally miserable. She didn't nap today and needed some extra snuggle time. I was able to rock her to sleep and enjoy that special time with her. Later, as my company head for the door, Alex was soundly sleeping and Jordan was awake and content. This all changed as their car backed up the driveway. Suddenly both boys were crying and Aiden and Caileigh still needed to be tucked in. I am pretty sure that the children sense my vulnerability and pounce on it. Aiden and Caileigh are trying to earn coins for the children in Haiti. I "may" have bribed them to stay in their bed and I would put some money in their jars in the morning. Long story short, it is now nearing 10 and everyone is asleep except for Jordan who is also fighting the sniffles, but he is sitting here beside me in his car seat watching me intently, or maybe he is just staring at the wall behind me. Hard to tell. I am about to enjoy a bowl of ice cream, coffee is prepped for the morning and my world is feeling like a pretty happy place.

I am exhausted, yet energized. I am brain dead, yet inspired. I am overwhelmed, yet at peace. I am one thankful, happy Mom.