Ode to Alex

I realize I rarely write about my beloved eldest, sweet child Alex. It's probably because she's out of sight, out of mind doing the dishes, cleaning her room, or pulling Gracie out of the crib. Alex is the mini of our mama team, but I reckon she's doing a better job at it than I am. She's even a better wife than me! When I occasionally ask her to text her daddy a message for me while I'm driving that goes something like this, "WHERE ARE YOU? Why aren't you home yet!?!", she edits it to a much kinder, "Can't wait to see you. Are you almost here?"

Well today, we decided to play hooky and go to Disneyland. Since my kids are on Day 47 of The Neverending Cough, I didn't feel too bad calling in sick. We had a fabulous getaway, just the five of us. And throughout the day as comments of fellow tram and train passengers fluttered my way, "Are you here by yourself?" "Are they ALL yours?", I realized I would NOT have been there by myself if it weren't for Alex.

Because of Alex, I was able to pull off four kids in a public restroom. Because of Alex, we were able to climb 396 stairs to see the Aladdin show. Because of Alex, each little one had a responsible ride partner to cover their eyes during the "scowy" parts of Pirates and the Haunted Mansion. And at the end of the day, because of Alex, we were able to figure out which floor, row, and aisle we parked on because I had absolutely no recollection of even driving into the parking garage by that point.

On the way home, I gratefully asked, "Alex, where would I be without you?"

She said, "Probably still wandering the parking lot."