Wednesday Nights...My Favorite Night of the Week

We are a perfectly happy family of 4...daddy, mommy, two little girls, and our dog. Our family is just the right size for my lifestyle and personality (I could do without the dog, but that is a whole other story). There was a long stretch of time between Kennedy's first birthday and when she turned 2 and a half where Kevin and I toyed with the idea of possibly having a third child. We kept coming back to the fact that we really like things the way they are. But, I often wondered what we might be missing if we didn't have a third child. It is so hard to know when your family is complete, it is such a hard decision to come to. We felt mostly sure for a long time, but alas, we are 100% sure that our family is perfectly complete just the way it is.

I have to say that I truly do not know how large families manage all of the activities and schedules that are unique to each family member. I applaud them for being able to do it. However, I am a bit (okay, a LOT) obsessive as well as a perfectionist. I stress over the little details that most people do not even notice. Luckily, three of my best friends are the same way (Amy, Carie, and Samantha). I can always call them to discuss those ever important decisions like...which Halloween costume should I go with? What about the treat bag? And then there are Easter baskets and Christmas dresses...these are huge decisions that must be made months in advance in order to get everything I select in the sizes the girls need. One of the things I get most nervous about is, heaven forbid, what if things get discontinued?... like the Easter basket I love and the bedroom suit that the girls each have. My goodness, I couldn't possibly have one child mismatch from the other two! Like I said, details that many people don't expend a ton of energy on, but Amy, Carie, Samantha, and I surely do. It is good that we know this about ourselves and can laugh about it. We know that we are a wee bit ridiculous.

Now, to get back to the title of this post, Wednesdays are definitely my favorite night of the entire week! Believe it or not, Wednesdays are even better than Friday nights for me. Katelyn is in gymnastics from 5:30 - 7:30 on Mondays and Thursdays. Kennedy is in gymnastics from 5:30 - 6:15 on Thursdays. Kevin and I have a double dance lesson every Tuesday from 6:00 - 7:30. By the time we factor in drive time each way for gymnastics and dance as well as getting the girls to and from our parents houses for babysitting on dance nights, we are not home much during the week. But on Wednesdays, Katelyn is in Awanas from 6:30 - 8:00. Our wonderful, saint of a neighbor, takes all of the neighborhood kids to and from Awanas every Wednesday...she's the BEST! On Wednesdays, I do not have to leave the house once I get home from work. It is so hard to rush home from work, gets the girls changed and ready for their events, make sure we have all had time to eat, and then rush out the door. It is exhausting to be so rushed after work. Then when we do get back home in the evenings, it is snack time, bath time, and bedtime...whew! All of these activities and the girls are only in one extracurricular each. We gave up soccer this fall, but am somehow going to resume in the spring. I am not sure if it is possible to manage two sports for each of the girls, but we are going to give it a try. I think that soccer and gymnastics are excellent sports for kids. There are already so many other activities that we have not even tried.

Once again, how do large families manage all of these activities and schedules? I am so lucky that Kevin stays home with the girls because he can get dinner prepared each evening before we head out. There is absolutely no way I would have time after to work to prepare dinner. We would be eating out a ton, which is terribly unhealthy and expensive.

I usually do not have to rush off anywhere on Friday nights. But, I am so damn tired by the time Friday rolls around that I cannot even move. I usually go to bed earlier on Friday nights than any other night of the week and then sleep in on Saturday mornings (thanks to my amazing husband for making that possible most Saturdays).

So, there you have it. Our busy, weekly schedule in a nutshell. My mom keeps telling me that this is just the start of such a lifestyle. As the girls get older, my mom assures me that all of our lives will continue to get busier and busier. As long as I continue to have my Wednesday nights to take a deep breath and sigh, I think I'll be able to keep up with our schedules. Life is never boring around here, which is actually just the way I like it.