Free weekend!

Having a weekend with no formal plans is the best ever.  This was one of those and we did fun things and got things done including pictures of the 3 kids (and Cole's 4-year pictures), a home project, yard work, a dinner out to celebrate good report cards, and lots of playing together. 

Rich and I did comment a few times, though, about how slightly "needy" the kids are, firing a million questions at us a minute, it seems.  "Dad can I try that?  Will you do that to my bike?  Can you click this?  Can we go here?  Can we go there?"  Or the infamous walk one foot in the back door and just shout my name, "MOM?!?" instead of coming to speak to me.  I've used the phrase, "Upstairs!  Not gonna shout!" more times than I can count this weekend. 

And then there's the mindless chatter.  The repeating lines from movies/shows.  Verbal instant replays of what just happened in video games, etc.  I mean, I'm sure if my kids were mute I'd do nothing but long to hear their voices.  But just out of curiosity...

But in all seriousness, a very sad story in our town of a sudden accidental death of a child (we did not know) has been on my mind all weekend.  The knowledge that a family near us is going through their worst nightmare right now is just even difficult to wrap my head around...a reminder of how fragile life is.  And, therefore, the mini-frustrations that did surface this weekend were quickly laughed away out of pure thankfulness that my kids are healthy and here.