cut your mullet

at eight o'clock the four of us were in the bed and the babes were the only ones who were supposed to fall asleep. the boys had a good wrestle and run-around with ernie while i did dishes and set the timer for tomorrow's coffee. then while i straightened the covers on today's unmade bed and changed diapers and zipped jammies ernie went to my mom's house to retrieve henry's gary-hippo. jude was tired and kept nuzzling my neck. henry was wiggly while whispering "you're the best" and "i love you, jude" in our ears. it was a perfect evening together. enough of everything for everyone. so we piled up in our room of blue to put the boys to sleep.

ernie and i woke up at ten o'clock with those heavy fingers of sleep trying to hold us cozy in the bed. it was all we could do to get up and out of it. ernie was still wearing shoes and all that goes with a body still in shoes. i had already brushed my teeth once and as ernie jumped up and stretched i imagined how nice it would be if i just stayed in the bed until morning, sleeping for ten hours with boys in soft pajamas.

but i got up and filled tall glasses with ice and grenadine and coca cola and passed one off to ernie who was already working on finishing his "be thou my vision" composition that is due tomorrow.

sitting at my paper-pile covered desk i'm wondering why it is that ten hours of sleep doesn't send me running through the house half-naked and laughing like it does henry. so much joy in that kid. we could all use a little more, methinks.



let's hear it for boys in coats.