Tight Scheduling

This is a picture of Natalie swimming at Lifetime Fitness where she is on the swim team. Notice my shoes in the photo, which I included on purpose. I'm able to relax for a few minutes after my workout and before we go home and I've been enjoying that since the weather has been nice lately. This month she started swimming there four nights a week, Mondays through Thursdays. We're okay usually okay on Wednesdays, because we don't have anything else scheduled, but our scheduling is a little tight on the other three days. On Mondays Patrick has pick her up at school (3pm-ish) to take her to her piano lesson (3:30 to 4:15), then he comes straight home so she can quickly change and eat dinner. I usually get home with Anthony at about 4:30 and hurriedly eat and get dressed so I can leave at 5pm to take her to swim practice (5:30-6:30).

On Tuesdays and Thursday, we do everything above except for the piano lessons, but Patrick usually has to head out around 4pm to pick up Alex for the carpool. Natalie usually stays home so she can do homework, practice piano, and eat dinner. After swim practice, she takes a "quick rinse off shower". I put that in quotes because she is not quick. She can take 10 minutes or more to "rinse off" if I don't get after her to hurry up. Once when I was working late, Patrick and Eric were both able to finish their showers and get dressed before she finished.

We have to rush home after that so we can get home by 7 to 7:15 so that someone will be home to watch Eric because Patrick has to bring Alex to soccer practice and then pick up Anthony from soccer practice. He leaves the house around 5:30, goes back and forth to the two soccer fields, and doesn't get home until around 9:15. Alex doesn't go to bed on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 10pm. He doesn't take quick showers either. Sometimes Natalie and Alex are more alike than they will admit.

It's felt busier this week. I had to work late on Wednesday plus Anthony stayed after school a couple of days to work on a project. I feel like I haven't seen this little guy very much. We have this new "game" this week. Eric puffs out his cheeks, then I flatten his cheeks with either my finger on one or both sides or the palm of my hands. He lets out the air and starts joyfully giggling. I love making him laugh. I probably shouldn't have done this right before bedtime, but he was so playful that I couldn't resist.

The van reached 100,000 miles this week after less than 5 years. We bought the van right after Eric was born. Patrick has done a lot of driving and shuttling kids around in that van. He is currently teaching Anthony how to drive in that van. I hope it holds up a little longer. We don't have time to get another one.