Yep, you read that right. I finally chose a name for my weekly hour-by-hour photo project; Huppy Hours. You know, because we’re the Hupp family and these are hours in our life and also, because I love happy hour. {see week 1 here}
I chose to do these on Mondays because Mondays are no fun and this is a way to distract me from the fact that’s it’s a very long time until the weekend. Although, lately, it’s the start of a school week I’ve been more excited about.
Christmas break and then a “snow’ day and then a 4 day weekend. It’s been a little too much happy family fun time. To be honest, there hasn’t been much happy or fun about it. When it “feels like” -20 degrees outside and we’re all stuck in this house together for that long, it’s bound to get ugly. My kiddos have definitely inherited my need for alone time and there’s only so many places in this house to escape from each other. And the noise!!
So, the point of my rambling vent of too much family time frustration is this week’s Huppy Hours took place on a Monday; on a No School Monday. There were a few {very few} joy filled moments, but also many real life smack you across the face moments. Literally, I got smacked across the face by a 2 y/o.
The day started out with a slow start, perfect for a day off of school. Surprisingly, though, the oldest woke up fairly early. It’s funny how they do that on weekends and days off, yet when it’s time to get up for school it’s like pulling teeth. This just meant he got to have some extended, quiet video game time so mama could get the coffee flowing.
Through breakfast and potty training and puzzle time I could feel the tensions rising and the bickering starting. We bundled up and headed outside to release the steam. We only lasted about 20 minutes because it was frigid, despite the sun shining.
We headed in for hot cocoa and quiet time. Unfortunately, naps seem to be few and far between anymore, but I do have a daily requirement of quiet time. Two of them laid in their rooms while the third zoned out on the couch for a bit; not without a quick tantrum because little brother made a giant mess in your room.
The big kids started getting a little antsy again so while the baby slept {hallelujah!} they got to head outside for a bit, again. I think that cold air put a spring in their step and some sort of magic happened. They worked together to craft a homemade sled and actually enjoyed each other’s company. I could hear the laughter from inside so I ran out as quick as I could so I could document that monumental occasion.
This reached the point in the day where I’m staring at the clock just waiting for the hubby to get home. For him to save us from each other. To bring a little change in the air. And to help me feed these rugrats and get them to bed!
My favorite thing about this project is looking at all these moments put together. Each alone may not seem so earth shattering, but together it’s a perfect documentation of our life in the those hours. Tiny little moments strung together that make up childhood memories.
Courtney MaCaire 