breakfast of champions

i am not a morning person. after decades of attempting to correct this about myself through new year's resolutions of waking early, working out, reading the bible, etc. before breakfast, which always petered out oh, about the second week of january, i've come to terms with the fact that i am just not wired that way. it was unfortunate that the nine years of my professional career required me being at my place of work often by 7 a.m. -- an insane hour to be fully mentally prepared to educate 13-14 year olds in the ways of trigonometric functions and quadratic equations. so, i figure that this brief period in my life that i currently enjoy is long overdue. nowadays when i hear the alarm ring and chris start the shower, i can blissfully roll over in bed and return to dreamland, convinced that this is just payback. or the universe righting itself. or whatever. susanna, as with most things we're finding, takes after me -- she, too, loves her beauty sleep. i often have to wake her up at around 8:30 am to get her fed and dressed for preschool. (and yes, she goes to bed by 8 pm each night, and sleeps soundly.) i hear tales of her little friends who are up and at 'em every morning before the sun rises. that sends shivers down my spine. i haven't seen a 6 on the clock in years, and have absolutely zero interest in doing so anytime in the near future. but while the girls in the mann household slumber, the boys are beginning their day. chris tells me that as soon as he's taken super outside and has retrieved the newspaper, like clockwork, liam comes skipping down the stairs, bright-eyed and eager to share his morning meal with his daddy. i think it's a really special time for both of them -- when it's just father and son, eating together and talking about their upcoming day. i don't know how much project management discussion they have regarding chris's job, but i'm sure there's a fair amount of conversation regarding liam's schedule of school, playdates, and activities. they say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but i daresay it's not just the food you eat. i know firsthand how upbeat and excited liam is after spending such quality time with the closest man in his life. and i'd wager a guess that chris, backing out of the driveway to see his son waving goodbye to him from the family room window, is ready to face his day with that special extra tad of enthusiasm only a preschooler can provide.