Typical Morning

Our house from 6:15 to about 7:30 in the mornings is not so much a three ring circus as a circus stampede. JP sets his alarm (most nights) and gets up first, heading straight to the shower. That usually wakes Irene or me, and one of us gets the coffee started, trying to be quiet to keep from waking the twins. Occasionally we'll try to sit down for a few minutes to chat or read the headlines, but that rarely works for long anyway and just makes us late. Once the twins are up, we shift into high gear, trying to meet everyone's needs while maintaining some semblance of order. Diapers, breakfast, clean up the breakfast mess, wash faces, get dressed, pick up, crisis du jour (e.g. Henry running down the hall bare-bottomed saying he's done with the potty and ready to be wiped), feed Willie, get everyone packed for the day, huff puff, sign paperwork of some sort that Parker forgot to show us last night, book and lunch bags, frantic search for something inevitably misplaced (glasses, keys, shoes...), hugs and kisses all around at least once and usually a couple of times to make sure no one missed anything, goodbyes as Parker and I head to the car (bye bye! says Neil, waving furiously), a trip back in for something we forgot, hugs and kisses all around once more, and finally JP and I are off, leaving Mom with the final preparations and to get Neil to RISE and Henry to AIDB.

Regarding schools, we had thought Henry would be going to RISE with Neil next term, but things didn't work out and we're actually sort of relieved, thinking that while the program is perfect for Neil, Henry really probably needs Mom more. He'll still have the option of the AIDB program whenever Mom needs a morning for errands or whatever, but mostly he'll be with her. Parker will be at the magnet school a few hundred yards away, which should help lower the intensity of the mornings at least a touch.