24x24: Monday, Sept. 20, 2010

6:06 a.m. - The alarm clock has gone off, but Nathaniel and Nicholas are in their totally ransacked bed, huddled under their covers. I see one foot.

6:13 a.m. - I'm checking the weather and thinking that 98 degrees is too hot for late September and that I'm going to die at the ballpark tonight. AND DO YOU SEE THE "FALL" GRAPHIC MOCKING ME ON WEDNESDAY AT 93 DEGREES?

6:47 a.m. - Nathaniel has managed to rouse himself and get dressed, but Nicholas is still in denial that it is, in fact, morning.

7:01 a.m. - I'm dressed and go in to get Jakey, who is THRILLED to see me and tells me "Good morning!" for the first time. I melt into a puddle on his floor.

7:28 a.m. - Nathaniel, Nicholas and I are in the carpool line at school, Nathaniel blaming Nicholas for sleeping in and making them too late to eat breakfast there. Thank God for Pop-Tarts.

7:57 a.m. - I turn the corner into my cube, where I will spend the majority of the next nine hours.

12:11 p.m. - I run out at lunch and pick up Gatorade to take to baseball practice later.

12:23 p.m. - I stop at The Birmingham News offices (three blocks from my office) to pick up five copies of the Sunday paper, in which there's a picture of Nathaniel and Nicholas.

12:25 p.m. - I flip to the Local section to read the story on the grand opening of Railroad Park. (More on that later this week.) I see the picture of Nathaniel and Nicholas right there!

4:44 p.m. - I head to school to pick Nathaniel and Nicholas up for baseball practice. I'm surprised by the light traffic. UNUSUAL.

5:32 p.m. - Practice gets under way.

5:56 p.m. - Nicholas takes some batting practice.

5:56:05 p.m. - He connects!

6:33 p.m. - Dusk falls and the lights buzz and begin to flicker on.

6:43 p.m. - Nicholas practices fielding the ball. He winds up to throw to first.

6:43:03 p.m. - He releases the ball ...

6:43:04 p.m. - He watches it soar through the air to first. He dreams of the Major Leagues.

6:55 p.m. - Darkness has almost completely fallen over the field.

6:56 p.m. - I rip open the Gatorade and snacks for the ravenous 6-year-olds who are about to descend upon them.

7:41 p.m. - After receiving welcome-home hugs from Jakey, we settle in to eat a late supper.

8:14 p.m. - While I help the big boys with their homework, Jakey indulges in his favorite obsession: SuperWhy.

8:17 p.m. - Jakey rewinds and fast-forwards TiVo like an old pro.

9:11 p.m. - After baths, Nathaniel and Nicholas settle into bed. Nicholas falls asleep almost immediately, while Nathaniel reads under the covers.

11:54 p.m. - After my shower and myriad other daily tasks, my laptop awaits me on the couch, my little spot to tell you the story.

24x24 is a series posted at totally irregular and unpredictable intervals. I invite you to participate anytime you'd like! Simply post 24 pictures from a 24-hour time period. You can just post the pictures alone, caption them, put a time stamp on each one ... whatever you'd like. If you'd like to write a 24x24 post of your own, grab the button at the top right of my blog and come back and let me know when you've published your post. I'd love to visit!