Happy Distance

 Everett enjoyed his first time eating in a restaurant in over a year.  He and I didn't set out to break his streak. That said, tt was nice to sit inside with literally zero other patrons and watch the people "being safe" in the packed outdoor dining rub shoulder to shoulder with strangers....I was able to teach Everett a few things like "you can't touch the table or booth with your hands if you're busy double-fisting french fries" and "before you pay to go to the exclusive VIP section of the bar, make sure there aren't more "VIPs" in there than there are normal folks in the rest of the place".

Smile

I've known for a while now that Amelia was going to crash into her tween years, teen years, and beyond with little to no regard for my mental wellbeing as a father.  For whatever reason, she ignored my pleas for her to remain 8 years-old forever.  She instead opted to grow into a smart, responsible, beautiful young woman. She's wonderful.  I'm so proud of her. Yada.  Yada.  Yada. Whatever.  At least I could always count on my man, Ev, to stay little.  He's snuggly, he's small, and he still needs me to pour his chocolate milk for him.  So, given all this and the fact that he knows I'm counting on him, can anyone explain to me why I am scheduled for his orthodontic consultation tomorrow to discuss him getting braces?? Braces don't scream squishy little kid....they scream smelly big kid starting his ascent disgusting adolescent/teenager.  Yuck. 

Father's Day

Yesterday was my 13th Father's Day.  I'm pretty sure they're getting better each year.  The kids are old enough to make the day special for me.  I got to sleep in until breakfast was on the table.  I got to open great gifts. The kids gave me a back massage while I watched basketball.   We had a ping pong tournament.  We watched a movie together.  We grilled out.   The kids and I crushed our own pints of Haagen-Dazs.  A special thanks to my wonderful wife who was there every step of the way (except the ice cream, which was a huge mistake by her).  Lastly, I'd be remiss to leave out these two....who continue to prove Father's Day isn't just about the humans...

Trustworthy

In trying to figure out who destroyed our orange tennis ball, I came across this subject who denied any knowledge of the situation.  She said she'd never seen the ball and explained she may have a bit of orange on her face from some Cheetos she had earlier in the day.  She's cute, but I'm not sure I believe her.  I mean, can you really trust a dog who walks around with her right ear turned inside out??  I didn't think so either.  

Something's Missing

The kids have now been gone for one week. The house is clean. The house is quiet.  There has not been one cartoon, youtube video, or video game on the TV.  There hasn't been one thought about posting on this blog.  I haven't heard that anyone was hungry or bored. .... it's been a pretty great week....you know, aside from missing my hilarious, snuggly, favorite people on the planet.