Life is Good

Inmate #1 and I walked home from church today.  I think I take for granted the relationship I have with my kids.  There are no awkward pauses; no uncomfortable topics.  I love being around them.  My kids aren't perfect, but it's their imperfections that make them so darned loveable.  I guess I'm a just a little bit shocked that they still think I'm okay.  They don't mind being seen with me in public.  Am I doing something wrong?

Inmate #2 asked to make cookies and is currently making something yummy to share with us all.  The only thing is he chose to make the cake mix cookies with a red velvet cake mix, so the dough looks disturbingly like playdough.  EEK!!!  Have I ever mentioned how much I truly HATE playdough.  It's the smell.  It gives me a headache.  It is one of the worst smells in the world.  And they say it's non-toxic?  He offered to let me lick the bowl....Umm NO!

Inmates #4 and 6 were playing legos together nicely (yes, those two words are in the same sentence and in a row--SHOCKING!) in the front room when Inmate #1 and I arrived home.  Almost turned around to check the address.

Inmate #7 decided to clean up after her brothers and started putting the legos in a plastic bag while singing, "Happy. Happy."  That's what she makes me in so many ways.

Wow!  How does life get better than this?

Tomorrow is a day off from school.  Do you ever feel like these are wasted days?  I wish I had a formula for making vacation days worthwhile for everyone.  During family council, Inmate #2 said he wanted to go up the Gorge.  NO WAY!  They NEVER want to go there, but they were all nodding in agreement.  Who are these children?  When we mentioned the fact that we're living in a daily torrential downpour, they said they didn't care, they just wanted to go for the burgers in Cascade Locks.  Oh, I agree, SO worth the drive, but do I want to drive the main freeway in continual rain with the big ol' semis driving by?  Nope.  I don't think so.  Not even in the van the size of a UPS truck.

We have a little bowl with about a hundred ideas for family activities in it.  We used to draw one a week and had a goal to do something fun together weekly, but we haven't done it in awhile, so today the bowl emerged.  Every kid pulled a strip of paper out and, without reading it, put it in the middle of the table.  We ended up choosing to play basketball together and head to Jamba Juice afterward.  I'm not a sports person--let's see...C+ in folk dancing.  You know where my strengths don't lie, but I'm in.  I'll be around for a good laugh, I'm sure.  At least no one else'll be around.  I don't mind making a fool out of myself in front of my offspring.  They will all just know to be more thankful for their father's genes when the day is over.

On the down side, Inmate #3 still has a fever plaguing her.  No one else in the house is sick **knocking on wood.**  She has no cough, no runny nose, no vomiting, no nothing.  The fever will break for a number of hours and return again by evening.  I'm taking her in tomorrow morning to have some blood work done.  We'll see what we learn.  This has been way too long.  She had a fever two Sundays ago and was out of school for a day.  It was gone for the remainder of that week and returned the following Sunday--last Sunday (a week ago).  Although it has broken twice, there has not been a day this week in which she didn't have some amount of fever.

Regardless, it will be wonderful to have everyone home.  Looking forward to a fun day and a good week.

I read this post to the fam just now.  The response from the Warden was, "But what about the Warden (yes, he called himself the "Warden") making dinner?"  He does this each Sunday, but again, I'm taking him for granted.  Such a good man, and such a good dinner.