the hi story

 Mom and Kari and I were watching babies today and John and Dannell came to visit with l.c. and the new baby.

 Macaroni and cheese, kid food supreme:

 Here's Uncle John helping a guy consume his lunch.  John's a good eating cheerleader.

 And Uncle John fetched this colorful contraption to the patio and the little guy liked it a lot.

 But then there's the lap of the Auntie, also good when you're tired and your shirt rides up, and you know.

 Here's this little girl, greeting the new baby with her sweet, chirping, "Hiiii!  Hiii!"

She likes to rub their hair and touch her cheek to them.   b.g.'s brother is almost four months old now, and she says, "Hiiii," and then snatches his socks off his feet, not that he cares.

Today was a great Tuesday, including the cherry-filled cake my mother brought, and the sun, and the foolishness.

Okay, the foolishness?

Last night I came home from work and the couch--the red couch in the family room that the kids told me was the best thing that's happened to our family in years??

That couch?

Was broken.

It looked like a wrecking ball was dropped right on a cushion.

Jay has a drill and brackets, and he fixed it this morning.

I said I don't come home from working and expect to find the furniture broken.

Julia's big eyes darted all over--thinking under pressure, thinking up lies.

She said she only sat on it.

Bullshit.

Then maybe, possibly there was some bouncing.   The size of the bounce seems to be between six and twelve inches.

How many bounces?

She estimated twenty-six.

Sigh.

Onward. The couch is fixed, the world kept on turning anyway, and there was money in the mailbox today.

Everything is okay.

love always, Val