Back for a moment...

If someone told me you could die from lack of sleep, I would believe them. Maybe this is a scientific fact that I have not heard yet. I'm sure I have visited this subject before due to the nature of my job, but here I go to revisit.
(please do not read this as: poor carrie...I have made choices to place me in this position...and it isn't always this hard)
It is Tuesday and I have a full day of playing with kids, cleaning up the house and doing all the other chores and activities that go along with the "mother" role. As naptime nears, I am hopeful that I will be able to sleep just a little bit..unfortantely, my morning coffee appears to still be buzzing through my bloodstream and the endless thought patterns of mundane matters will not stop. I get up and resolve that the night will be full of many more cups of coffee. At 6pm I head out the door to go to work. Beginning at 7pm, I run around and work my booty off, getting sips of coffee here and there when I have a moment. The night races by until around 4am when the patients start to be discharged and the waiting room empties. My fatigue hits me like a semi-truck. I have to walk around to stave off the exhaustion. Somehow I make it to 7:30am and I drive home to be met by my beautiful children...and exiting husband. Off to work he goes and I bite back tears as I muster the mental strenght to think through what I should make for breakfast. I'm the first to admit: I'm impatient, flustered and cranky. I barely make it to 9am. How many more hours until naptime?? Can I make it until 2pm?? Turns out that I can but this is a rough day. Once I sleep for 2 hours during naptime, I can finish the evening with dinner, bath and bed. I sleep all night and still feel tired the next day...maybe its time to think about day shift??
I'm thankful:
*my mom for all her help this week so I could SLEEP (!!)...(she also cleaned, grocery shopped, filled the car with gas and fed and put the kids down for naps)
*Sally--one of my faithful friends who also helped me this week - coming over to babysit the kids all morning on Wed so I could sleep...she also cleaned my kitchen!!
*Warm, sunny days...SUMMER!!!!!!! We love it!
*Dinner tonight at my parents house that Jason will be able to join us for -a little late- since his schedule is a little earlier this week
*Fun time today with Amanda...we went to a bike park that the kids rode bikes and scooters at, then played in pools and a slip-n-slide at her house. It was great!
*Knowing that next week I only work once
*My parents willingness to help Jason and I out nights when I work and Jason doesn't get home until 10 or 11pm...my dad (and sometimes Mom) has been coming over almost once a week lately. thanks dad!!!
*Ezekiel's latest face - its super cute - I'll try and get a picture of it. He scrunches up his nose and lips
*Mary Rice Hopkins and the favorite song: "ooh ooh ah ah" (about Matilda the gorilla)