Not a morning person

I am not a morning person. I usually drag myself out of bed at 7:30 to make sure the girls get off to school, but I'm not typically happy about it.

On the other hand, I have two children who really love getting up early. Both Annika and Nolan are up between 6 or 6:30 every morning. I used to try to get them back to bed, but realized that fighting it was futile. I found that as long as they have each other to play with, it is usually peaceful. And, I have also found that I am able to sleep through their wakeful time...and that extra hour really makes a difference in my disposition.

This morning, however, was not one of those mornings. At
6:32 a.m. Nolan was in our room trying to get Bill up. He was whispering, thankfully, but it still brought me to conciousness. Since he was unsuccessful at getting either of us moving, he thought he'd try the girls. I didn't realize it at first, but I started hearing them moan about him interrupting their slumber. At this point, recognizing that it is way better to only have one child awake than start my day with four kids needing this and that, I decided I should get up.

As I hit the hallway, Nolan was emerging from the girls room. I quickly and quietly shut their door and said, "Nolan, I'll come with you. Show me what you see." I followed him down the stairs and into the front room, which was much brighter than I had remembered it being the last time I made my way out of bed before 7:30. He headed right for the window, and as he made an opening in the blinds to peer outside, the sunlight came streaming in! Then, he repeated the words he had whispered before, the words that woke me up, starting this whole adventure:

"Mom, the sun is making beautiful colors! See?"

"Wow buddy, it is beautiful!"

"Mmhmmm" he said, with a smile and a nod, still looking outside.

"Buddy, do you know who made the sun?"

Again, the nod. "Daddy."

I smiled at the thought, but resisted my inner sarcasm and said, "No, actually God made the sun and put it in the sky to light up our world so we can see all the beautiful colors."

"Mmhmmm, God and Nolan made the sun."

"Well, no, just God, and that is why you can see everything."

He succombed to the fact that neither he or Daddy really had anything to do with the making and placing of the sun in the sky, and then he ran and got the kids Bible story book. We took a few minutes and I read to him the account of creation and how God created the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day.

I am not a morning person. But today, I loved the 6:32 a.m. wake-up call. Thank you God for the sun and all its colors, and for my colorful son who brightens my days.