D.A.D. Day

The arrival of fall brings with it cooler temperatures, back to school routines, busy soccer seasons, and a demanding work schedule for Justin. It's his busiest time of the year as he works to complete and file the state tax returns for T-Mobile. His biggest deadline is October 15th, but September 15th can be quite a dozy as well. So basically we usually don't see too much of him for about a month and a half. I think every year he and his co-workers have taken October 16th off as a get-out-of-work-free-day. (Not really free considering he'll often be working 16+ hour days as their deadline approaches). Yesterday marked the passing of deadline #1 and his director gave everyone in the group today off. I hereby dub these days as D.A.D. (Day After Deadline) Day.

D.A.D. Day is a special day because we get to enjoy having Justin a part of our everyday routine. It started with him waking up with the kids (difficult to do after our late night at the rockin' Def Leppard concert last night). He managed to make sure the girls showered, ate breakfast, and packed up their homework and the lunches he'd prepared in time to catch the bus to school. I stayed in bed and finished reading a book. As lunch rolled around we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to eat out with only two children in tow and headed to one of our favorite places - The Cheesecake Factory. The food was wonderful as usual; unfortunately it took 45 minutes to get it so we had to eat quickly because Katie's restaurant manners were wearing thin. Turns out Miss Katie's behavior was justified because later that afternoon she was running a fever. I gave her a bath and medicine, but what the girl really wanted was her Daddy. Thankfully, I was able give her what she needed.

The girls get out of school early on Fridays and each wanted to play with friends. Justin is very pro-playdates which is understandable because he's not the one who has to deal with playdates... usually. First let me say, I want the kids to have friends in our home, but it's not always easy... first you have to call around and try find someone without plans, then there are transportation issues, and messes, sometimes arguments (Jason won't leave us alone...), and the most frustrating to me is when they approach me and say they can't think of anything to do. But since Justin was here and all for it - everyone had a friend over to play. Oh, did I forget my least favorite thing about playdates - is that within two minutes of friends arriving Katie is prematurely awaken from her much needed nap. Good thing it was D.A.D. Day cause she was content to hang out with her Dad while he played with all the kids outside.

Our evening was relaxing - much needed after an incredibly busy week. Justin made quesadillas and fresh salsa for dinner while the girls and I watched the finale of Design Star. Then it was off to bed for the kiddos - as usual I got Katie to bed quickly after a short story and snuggle. As I type this Justin is still up with the three oldest. He, as usual, takes his time getting them to bed (though, at this point I’m thinking he may have fallen asleep with them). I know that they love the time he spends visiting with them each night as they lay in their beds. He's such a great Dad.

After our awesome D.A.D. Day today, I look forward to our next... too bad we're going to have to manage without much of him for a few more weeks.