Connections

We've fallen into some bad habits around here lately. Deliciously bad habits. Albert and I have been staying up late at night together. Late, after everyone goes to bed. We watch television, recorded episodes of our favorite show- N.C.I.S- and it takes a long time to make it through each one because we frequently pause them to talk about this or that...sometimes it's talk that's related to the episode...often its not even close. We drag our butts to bed at one or two in the morning, knowing full well that it will be time to get up very soon. For sure, it really stinks in the morning, when the sun rises all too early, but these late nights have been just what we need. They've become my favorite part of my day.
Our conversations are uninterrupted. Our thoughts are streamlined, coherent, and make sense. They are not broken by random minor emergencies, and not subject to pause by the needs of our ten children. It's like being on date...but a very cheap one. A free one, in fact. It's what I've been craving, needing and has been so incredibly life-saving for us both.
These nights aren't just improving our marriage and our friendship (though they certainly are doing just that) but they are improving me as a mother, which was a completely unexpected but welcome benefit. I find that I have more patience, and a stronger desire to be around my children, even when its chaotic (and as most of you know, I do NOT do well in choas, which is strange for someone with ten children). I find myself seeking out each of my children during the day, and have noticed a big increase in the QUALITY of my time together with them. I feel more complete, more revived and more refreshed...even though I'm often also very tired!
I'm not sure how long we'll get to keep doing this. It certainly can't go on forever, but I'm in no rush to see it end. I have this crazy, amazing feeling, that this period of our late nights together will turn out to be something I'll cherish, in retrospect, for a long time to come. So I'm trying to revel in it, and soak it in...even though the sun will come up and leave me moaning that it can't possibly be morning already...
In the interst of full disclosure I'll say that after our children are up and out to the bus stop...I am very prone to going back to sleep until the little ones wake up...and that may also play a role in my feeling refreshed. That plus the fact that Mia has been sleeping extraordinarily long periods of time....long nights and great naps...now if only I could put our house on some sort of self-cleaning system....