sunday night

Okay, Julia’s not going to bed. She’s been out a few times—stomach ache, feet itch, covers are tangled. This time Heidi ordered her back to bed.

“But I have a question!”

“No more questions today. Tomorrow. Go to bed.” But then in a minute Heidi relented and went to find out what the question was.

She came back laughing. “Okay, just so you know—she wants to have her First Communion and her own Nintendo DS. You were supposed to call and have not.”

Sigh. I love how First Communion and Nintendo DS are on the same list. That amuses me.

We had a good sleepover weekend, lots of fun.

Last night we went to a party—a friend’s son graduated law school and has passed the bar, and that’s definitely a reason to celebrate.

Anyway, we had these grandsons sleeping over, and Kirsten was babysitting the other one, b.g., so she came over here with him to help Maria with all of them while we were gone.

When we got back Kirby laughed and said, “Wow, it’s not easy keeping these maniac babies safe.”

So true.


Here’s the b.g. man swiffering madly. He loves to swiffer. He’s little, but mighty. He looks harmless, and he’s cuddly and dear as a little teddy bear, but he calls his own shots, tells it like it is. Kirsten was reading him books last night. Some he likes. Some he doesn’t. Those ones he disdainfully turns the pages, then throws them down. Okay, then.
notice the swiffer carefully parked behind his chair

This girl, m.c. was here too. She and Lydia had a very good time.


And t.c. has things on his mind. Most of his directives start with this: “GRAM-PAW!”

“GRAM-PAW! My blanket is lost. We have to search this whole entire house and find out who stole it!” Okay, this was at 5 am. We’re not searching a house full of sleeping people. The blanky was on the floor next to the bed. But an hour later, he was back, “GRAM-PAW! I can’t turn on the TV!”

Ei-yi-yi. I wandered out to the family room too and he and l.c. were there in their pjs, tousled hair, rosy cheeks, wide awake. I was a little accusatory, “Why are you up? It’s still dark out. It’s not even day yet. Why we up in the night still?”

“I heard a guy snoring, and I could hear it even in my room.”

“Yes. That’s Grandpa. It means he’s sleeping and he’s tired. That doesn’t mean it’s time to get up.”

He looked at me, pursed his lips, and changed the subject to the suitability of Phinneas and Ferb as a program for children. I barely answered. I don’t care. I’m too tired to care. I’m sure it’s fine. “Change the channel to whatever you want.”

But it was very fun really, even being up at six made me laugh.

Later he and Tim were playing outside in the snow. Sam was with them. She’s a winter dog, loves the snow and if there are kids outside to hang with, that’s her favorite. Shortly he was at the door, “GRAM-PAW! Sam killed a RAT!”

Whaaaat?

It was a mouse or a vole or some such thing, and Sam was indeed happily tossing it in the air. She let Jay have it to throw away, but she didn’t really want to. Later, Tim said she was, “Digging up half the yard looking for more rats.”

And this guy. He’s like pure sugar. I whisper to him, “Are you my sweetie?” He looks at me from under his eyelashes, grins, and nods. Oh my goodness.


This guy was here too. Here he is with the EIGHTEEN cups he found in James’ room. EIGHTEEN. No wonder it seemed like we didn’t have that many in the kitchen.



Tomorrow is Monday and it’s looking like a great week, feels like Christmas. We’re gonna bake some cookies, I think, wrap a few gifts, be happy. Happy Sunday. Love, Val