I thought you did

Not perfect parents.

I like to think that I have a routine of sorts. There is not a calendar broken into 30 minute sections highlighting new activities and chores for the entire day but I do try to stick to a bit of a schedule.

Most nights we are geared up for bed about 8ish. We stick to that for a couple of reasons. One, the babies are dog-tired by then and two, that's about the time dad comes home and can kiss them goodnight. The bigs take about a half an hour to brush teeth and hair and by 8:30-8:45 they are down as well or at least in bed reading.

So, last night dad decided that he wanted to start, or rather finish, a project before he turned in for the night. Point is, it got a bit crazy for a few minutes, shirts were flying, toothbrushes were brushing, and kids were running all over the place.

Finally it quieted down a bit. Prayers were said, backs were rubbed, blankets were fetched, books were opened and dad and I got the power tools out. A few minutes into leveling the wall cabinet, we heard a little voice say, "What daddy doing?".There was little Addi Rose standing in the bathroom doorway holding her pink blanket. I looked at Ryan and he looked at me and we both said,"I thought you..."

Number three, an unplanned miraculous angel, amidst the hustle and bustle of bedtime, had successfully avoided any and all bedtime efforts. It seems one of us or the other sent her on a quest for her favorite blanket and she ended up downstairs playing through prayers and night nights. It caught us completely off guard and we busted up in laughter, which was actually quite refreshing after a tense hour of unscheduled mayhem.

You know you have too many kids when you forget to put one to bed.

This also helpfully illustrates why it is completely acceptable and necessary that I count my kids every time we go somewhere. So, if you see me out and about mouthing numbers; one, two, three... Go ahead and say a little prayer for me, will ya?