It is hard for me to see my kids not doing something the “right way.”  It is at that point I find myself jumping in and taking over. 

• “I’ll play your entire video game so it’s done right. And, you’ll have fun watching me!”
• per molly . . . “You’re not eating that ice cream fast enough.  I’ll show you how to do it right.”
• “If you are going to make a fort, make it right.  You sit there and watch and smile too.”  “Mom can clean up later.”
• My new method has been to simply leave them alone.  “Just enjoy yourself as I go meditate and pray (aka. take a nap).”

Either click above or go to crowdedship.com.

Per our kids . . . I have taught them the following lessons . . .

1. If it’s not yours don’t touch it.
2. Don’t get up on my table.
3. Don’t talk with your mouth full.
4. Don’t talk to strangers. (per molly as she talks with her mouth full)
5. Couches are for sitting . . . don’t jump on our couches.
6. Cool whip with chocoloate syrup is a great snack.
7. Your mom is superwoman.
8. Only little kids need help washing up in the bathtub.  I think this was somewhat selfishly motivated.  Dakota hates me calling him little, so all the things I want him to do, I tell him little kids need help with that.
9. Drinking out of the milk carton is acceptable.  Visitors would never know unless there are floaties.   (Linda and I have a difference of opinion on this lesson.)
10. Tackle someone if they are in your way.
11. Our families favorite thing to do? . . . take a nap.  (No one seems to agree with me.)

Last night Michael, Michelle, Linda and I surprised mom by showing up in Chicago where she and dad had gone for her 60th birthday (I mean her 30th birthday).  Linda and I picked up Michael and Michelle at O’hare last night and then went to our hotel right down off of Michigan avenue, downtown Chicago.  Just being here, I could sense Ann-Marie lingering presence.

Dad took a bit longer than we had expected so we found a neat little pizza place with mediocre pizza . . . but still, we were eating pizza downtown Chicago late at night with no kids.

Yea, that’s the other thing.  The kids all stayed home.  Just Linda and I came . . . WOO HOO!  Thank you Webbs.

We ended up beating Mom and Dad to the hotel, so we split up.  Linda and I went and hung out by the front desk and Mike and Michelle stayed in the room.  When they came, Mom stayed in the car, so Linda and I just walked out the front door and past her.  She noticed and started honking.  We just ignored her . . . kept walking . . . for just a few steps. 

I think the bigger surprise was when she walked into the hotel room and Mike and Michelle were sitting on the couch. 

Well, we are off to an exciting day in dowtown Chicago.

Linda has been watching Alli for nearly the last 2 years.  She has become part of our family and we are going to miss her dearly.  Yes, she is our next door neighbor, and they are not moving, and her mom is now staying at home, and in the summer she’ll probably be outside with the kids all the time . . . but still . . . we’ll miss her. 

She has brought a lot of joy to our home.

My mom was so gracious as to send me a calendar.  The calendar is “The New Yorker: Dads 2010.”  I will have to share some of the other pics later.  I’m pretty sure that she bought it primarily for this picture though.  It really wasn’t funny because of how true it is.

Last week Spencer wanted me to take a stick he had found outside and make a gun for him.  It would have been a bit of a challenge due to the fact that – well – it was a stick.  I promised him that the next weekend we could make some guns.  At that point I wasn’t sure what that would mean for us, but I figured we could figure something out.  As we were talking about it I remembered seeing some marshmallow blow guns on the internet.  He and I found the directions this evening, made a quick trip to Home Depot and Meijers (for some marshmallows) and the above pictures are the product.  We had a pretty good time shooting Mom with marshmallows.

Based on the supply and inspiration of one of the ladies in our church, each of the kids put together a valentine box.  Spencer follows in the footsteps of his father as he puts minimal decoration on his box.  The others put a bit more into their decorations.  Linda and I had a box as well.  To be honest, I was mostly concerned / excited about what was going to be in the box.  I was not disappointed when I found (i did put them in the box) a bag of chocolate/caramel dove candy pieces.

We quickly established that I wouldn’t eat the kids candy, and they wouldn’t eat mine.  Before you begin worrying about them, please know that they definitely got more than me.

Mom and Dad were able to come in Tuesday Evening (early Wednesdaymorning).  We had to hide them in their room and hide their car in the garage so that Molly wouldn’t see them before she left for school.  She probably would have had a rough day knowing that Papa and Grandma were playing with Spencer, Ryan and Dakota without her.

It was a fun surprise for her when Grandma and Papa pick her up from school.  While they were waiting for Molly, they all played on the school playground. 

The pictures that stuck out the most to me were these two by Ryan.  My question is which is he – King of the hill or Queen of the hill?