4am

Since we've returned from our Christmas trip to England we have been stuck in a bit of a cycle.  A wake up at 4am cycle, to be specific.  It isn't the worst jet lag ever.  At least not in the traditional sense.  It is the perfect storm of unfortunate events; Little R getting sick, Sweet Z getting sick, weather radios alerting us to snowstorms we already knew about, that kind of thing. It all has come together to convince CleverDog that this is our new routine.  Which is why she took it upon herself to run around our bed this at 4am when we were, for the first time in over a week, blissfully unaware that 4am had arrived.

There are benefits to waking up so early.  You realize the things that you can get done when half the day seems to have passed before most Fargoans have put on their Sunday best and their Canadian Goose Down as they head out to church in the sub zero temps.  In our house we've already had too many cups of coffee and planned ahead so we are able to structure our day to justify a level of productivity that includes cleaning the bathroom and making apple pie but still allows for a decent amount of time for naps and lounging on the couch with a good book.

Perhaps the kids are just itching for some athletic activity as they seem to think that 4am is a good time to run laps around the kitchen.  I give them thumbs up for the teamwork, if nothing else.