Marc and I really scored tonight with being fun parents -- not really our forte on normal days. It seems like we usually are a bit beaten down by day's end: weary, and just so ready for them all to be in bed. I don't know what happened tonight, but we had some spontaneous fun.
Marc was at the church having his stake audit, the kids were all fed, and I was playing chase with Eva. She didn't sleep much today, but instead of the usual resulting crankiness, she was giddy. She was laughing so hard, and she got me laughing too, yet when Marc opened the door, she immediately quieted and whispered "Dada" with great excitement. He joined in the game and that thrilled her to no end. After a little while, she gathered up her blankie and came to me, saying "night night" repeatedly. You don't have to tell me twice! Off to bed with Eva.
Marc played chess with Max (I never play it with him because chess makes me feel stupid). Lucas and I read a chapter of Harry Potter on my bed. We all finished at the same time, and Marc and Max came in to lie on the bed with us. Lucas asked us which we would choose to lick, if we had to choose one of the following: a dollar bill, or an escalator handrail. A lively discussion ensued. (In case you're wondering, the concenses was that the dollar bill could have been touched by things almost too scary to consider, while many people ride the escalator without holding onto the rail. We would find a spot on the underside least likely to have been touched.) We then proceeded to expand on this game for the next 1/2 hour, with all of us laughing so hard we had to keep shushing each other in an attempt to not wake up Eva.
Apparently Lucas has a previously untapped talent of devising diabolical dichotomies. Here's a sample: Would you rather steal from a bank -- from your friend's account -- or steal the Hope Diamond? What would you rather accidentally do at your friend's house: tip over the refrigerator, or erase all the shows on their DVR? Would you rather destroy a library or a museum? (When I said the museum because I do love my books, his response was that the museum was so completely innocent! Well, what did the books ever do wrong??)
I've known for awhile that Marc had an evil streak, so I wasn't all that surprised when he asked: would you rather drink a teaspoon of water when you're really thirsty, or drink a gallon of water when you're full? or, What would you rather have your hairdresser accidentally do: shave your head bald or shave one line down the middle of your head? (That one was easy for the boys, but I said I'd have the reverse mohawk and then do a comb-over. I never ever thought I would say those words.) Max and I do not seem to share this talent for sniffing out the truly impossible situations and so were content to groan over their proposals and argue the merits of each decision.
I'm aware that things like this are probably a common occurence in other households, but when you consider that it was 9:00, neither Marc nor I had eaten dinner yet, and we were both pretty tired, it seemed like some kind of serendipitous miracle to me. Here, unplanned, we were all having so much fun together, and it's rather rare since Eva came along for us to have so much undivided attention to give to Max and Lucas. The boys couldn't believe their good fortune. In fact, Lucas even mentioned it in his prayer tonight: he was "thankful that we could play the 'would you' game for half an hour". Awwww. I feel like I did something right this time! I only wish I had thought to take a picture of all of my boys laughing together on my bed...
Thursday, September 14, 2006
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17 comments:
How cute! That sounds like a game that Nate's family would play. I'm always pleasantly surprised, a little embarrassed, and happy when my kids remember fun times that we have had together. There should definitely be a lot more of them.
They sound so much like BOYS...something to look for....wow that is cool to do even when you were probably soo hungry! I like that you always give some time to each one I don't know if I could read a whole chapter with someone yet...it is hard to do alone! Can't believe he actually said something in the prayer....funny
It's, sad isn't it that was always feel a sense of elation when we spend so me good quality time with our children. Somehow, for me, the memory fades all too quickly and I forget how good I feel and how happy Kaitlin is when I give her that kind of attention. I think that moments like that are rarer than you might think. How great that you and Marc were able to connect with your kids like that last night. Don't let the feeling fade!
PS I'm terrible at that game too, but more than happy to debate the "merits" of each suggestion!
I also feel like we are so wiped out by bedtime we are practically screaming, "Just get in bed!" like our Little Critter/Mercer Mayer book says. It's great that you had 30 minutes of fun with the boys. I always hope the fun times we have like this outweigh the bad memories of me yelling "get in bed!"
I almost feel like I need one of those books you see in the parenting section of Deseret Book, "101 things to do with your kids" like we can't think of them on our own. If that book exists, this game should be #1. Is anyone else getting "So I Married an Axe Murderer" flashbacks?
I have never played the "what if" game. It sounds hilarious! Good parent day for sure!
Way to go! I know what a major accomplishment that is, especially at the end of the day. I'm usually DONE with being the mom by 7:00pm so that last hour of awake time isn't always nice, and I feel badly ending the day in a grumpy way.
I can totally imagine you guys lying on your bed laughing so hard. I'm completely grossed out by the thought of licking a dollar bill or an escalator handrail, but intrigued by the game. Congrats on your good parenting day!!
I love days like that! Did you know there is actually a game to make decisions like that? Its called "Would you rather" We just got it and my kids love it. You will have to check it out it sounds right up Lucas' alley.
I loved hearing about your day with the kids... that is exactly the picture of family togetherness that I love and hope for. It makes those days of "smotherhood" hardly noticeable! I can't wait until Henri is old enough to sit around and talk with like that.
I hope you are getting that this is not a regular occurance for most of us! Like Jill said- I am DONE being the mom by 7:00 and spend the rest the hours screaming about teeth brushing and going to sleep. You did a good thing and I'm so glad you wrote about it! We all wish it would happen more often, but for now, just be glad it happened!
We've had company from Eugene for the past week and so it was fun to have time today to catch up on your news. It made me so happy to see the photo of Eva and me and to hear about your happy family times. We're glad that Max did well with the teeth ordeal. We love each one of you so very much.
That sounds like so much fun! I love those times when you all get along and everyone's in a good mood--I feel so content when that happens. That's what I think the celestial will be like: just laughing and genuinely enjoying your family. It's moments like those when I can feel the Spirit strong in our household.
I laughed out loud at the mention of the reverse mohawk/comb over. Isn't it great that blogger fun motivates us to write down these cute memories?
Your post made me laugh and cry with a mutual recognition of these feelings. I just love those moments when you feel like you DID IT--you created a memorable and great moment for your kids. Awesome!
I love the fun spontaneous moments, they seem to come less frequently the older the kids get. Maybe because there is less community bed time? We will have to work on that, thanks for the inspiration.
What a great story, you all sounded like you had a wonderful time.
It is amazing how moments like that, ones we don't plan, just happen and will remain with us the rest of our lives.
What a delightful description of a delightful evening! Those moments come far less often than I wish, though we did have good dinner table conversation tonight and the bickering didn't ensue until it was time to start the dishes.
The fun, spontaneous moment that comes to mind for me in recent memory was on the Fouth of July this year. We had a severe rain/thunder storm--which nixed our plans for fireworks watching--then our power went out; we lit every candle we could find (which in my house is quite a few) and played charades while eating popcorn and patriotic colored M&Ms. It was something straight out of an Ensign article. Moments like these make you think you're doing something right as a parent.
Sometimes it's better to stay in the moment instead of worrying about the photo. No doubt you nor they will forget how much fun it was. It's sweet he prayed about it...you know it really meant something to him.
It does feel good to do something right...to spend that quality time with our kids. But I agree it can be very exhausting. why is that?
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