Harts in Durham

I’m going to tell you something I’ve learned about myself since having kids. I’m grouchy after working night shift. Like, really really grouchy. I think Corey pretty much got used to tip-toeing around the sleep-deprived monster (yep, that’s me…) when it was just us. But kids kind of expect you to act the same whether you’re well-rested or spent the previous night taking care of sick people. Which is how I’ve learned that sometimes I’m just incapable of patience and thoughtful understanding post night shift. I’m crabby and nauseous and all around not a very fun person to interact with.

I tell you this because I’ve worked nights for the last two weeks. It’s been rough on all of us. So on Sunday, after my last night shift for the week, when Corey suggested going to Duke Gardens, we all jumped at the chance to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather. For those of you not in Durham, Duke Gardens is over 50 acres of gardens on Duke University’s campus. It is especially lovely in the springtime and such a fun activity on a warm afternoon. We spent the afternoon wandering the grounds of the gardens, pointing out various colors, running in the open spaces and just enjoying time together as a family.

Here are some pictures from our time there if you’d like to see :).

You can only catch JJ being serious for a minute or two before she’s back to her happy, smiley, silly self.

This one is totally a daddy’s girl.

Enjoying the sunshine while the girls ran around one of the big fields.

Teddy stood and stared at this statue of a little girl for such a long time, it was cracking me up. The girls were also scandalized by her, um…lack of clothing on her backside ;).

Up close and personal, the way she likes to be, haha.

What do you do to rest and recover from an exhausting week? I also had lots of iced coffee on Sunday, which I think helped me perk up quite a bit ;). Coffee and my family…two of my favorite things in the whole world.