Frisbee Golf!

Alamosa opened up a frisbee golf course. It's on the edge of the golf course, mountains, and cattails, pretty awesome place to play. Our kids didn't quite get the game, but we'll be spending some time out here this summer!

Ilon working on her mermaid, long and hard in the hot sun. She was very proud!

The night shift

Working nights I have to switch back and forth from staying up during the day to staying up all night. Which means I pull an all-nighter about once a week, with a nap in between if I'm lucky. The last night that I work, I try to sleep only about 4 hours during the morning so that I will be able to sleep that night. SO I lose 12 hours of sleep a week. 48 hours a month . 576 hours a year. And I never get it back.

Part 1:

The Haze...

I wake up with that groggy, nauseated feeling you get when you stayed up later than you should have. My head is fuzzy, every thing moves slower, and I am in a haze for the next couple of hours. This is not my brightest time. No big decisions or conversations should be made or had. My husband and children tread lightly around me and Aaron's been known to tell me to go back to bed, to make me nicer. He's always right.

Part 2:

Miss productive

When my body realizes that I am not joking, I am actually up to stay for the rest of the day, I move into productive mode. Cleaning, cooking, activities, plans that I have to make up for the time I've been gone.

Part 3:

The crash

This is when I fall into bed at 10 or 11pm and sleep like a dead dog until little hands pull at my face in the morning or the threat of a bursting diaper pulls me out of bed. If I'm lucky I have 2 normal days off. And then it starts over again.

Why I still work nights:

I am certain this schedule is awful for your body, it probably leads to long-term health problems and insomnia. I don't think anybody should do this for a life-time, although many people do.

I LOVE IT.

I love coming in when everyone in suits and heels are leaving. I love turning the lights down and the music up. I love the smell of coffee at 3 am. I love watching the sun rise and set on my shift. I love listening to patient's fears and concerns when they can't sleep at midnight and their family and friends have left. I love giving the little old ladies baths and braiding their hair to help them sleep better. I love working in the quiet of the night when the rest of the town is sleeping. It feels special somehow, to watch over people in their most vulnerable state when they have let down their guard and are trusting you to keep them safe.

It's not all wonderful. There are busy nights with very sick people that keep you on your toes. There are nights you never see your chair or your dinner or your coffee. But for now, while I'm young and healthy and still sane,

I like my nights.

It's here. It's warm, sunny, a bit gray from all the fires around, but perfectly enjoyable. The summer doesn't last long, so we make the most of every day!

The Sunshine Festival, some serious hula-hooping went on here.

Indoor activities, coloring the Gabe.

The backyard is pretty much our home.

Going to Fantastics!

Slip 'n slidin'

Happy Memorial Day!

When we woke up to winds so high the air was brown and you couldn't see the mountains, we hightailed it out of the valley to spend the day in Pueblo. It was beautiful with only 32 mph winds, and that was a great improvement! We did a little shopping, went to the zoo, ate at the river walk and relaxed.

The red panda, a family favorite

Aaron's favorite, the lion. This stuffed one scared just about as much as the real ones.

A long week...

It's been a long week for the whole family! Aaron played his mandolin with some friends at a work BBQ. They are a funny bunch of guys that make great music! The night I went back to work Gabriel spent throwing up and Aaron spent doing loads of laundry and trying to teach a 2 year old to aim for the bucket. Ilon did the same the next day, and the next... Is it just me or are my kids ALWAYS sick? My three nights at work I spent literally running, all night long, every night, and my feet head back mind are killing me. I definitely earned my paycheck and then some. So this has been my view for the last 2 days as we recuperate:

and this:

and this:

and this:

And these are my healthy children. If you've seen them, send them home.

The closet

After reading the blog http://www.makeit-loveit.com which has tons of great crafty/sewing ideas for people like me (not much time, not much experience), I raided Ilon's closet to turn her previous winter clothes into new summer clothes!

I still have a bag full of shirts and dresses left to do. Ilon thinks it's great now, we'll see how long that lasts!

Sunday at the Sand Dunes

We spent the better part of Sunday at the dunes, climbing around and playing in the water. The weather is turning into what Ilon calls "warm summer", instead of the "cold summer" we've had so far. It was relaxing and lazy and perfect! We ended the day with a trip to the kids favorite pizza place and a long walk home.