home alone 4

On Wednesday, C & B went away for a couple days on business (we'll let them call it that). We four were left to hold down the fort. And did we ever! For a couple days, we didn't leave the 11 acres the Dotterer's call home. I taught them how to play "alligator", a game my dad used to play with us long ago. They loved it just as much as my siblings & I did. It brought back some sweet memories of being (happily) scared out of my wits by a dad who made time & spent energy he probably didn't have after a hard day's work crawling around on his hands & knees chasing his 4 youngest children.

We also dug into my apron collection (see, I was quite practical lugging it out here, in fact), and baked lemon pudding cake, which we polished off completely in 12 hours. What's the point of being home alone if you can't break the healthy food rules?

I was moderator in quite a few "discussions" and we survived two whole days of school without mom, no small feat!

Saturday we were all ready to get out of the house, so we went into the park in town. It was a sunny, warmish day (60's, yeah, yeah, I know. The Midwest has been pretty balmy too. I'm happy for y'all. You should still come out for a visit...), and after many heart palpitating moments caused by Will's antics on the rock wall, a strenuous game of tag, a picnic on a big flat rock in the shade of a date palm, we went to Coldstone Creamery. And there I had a lapse of judgement. Proof that while I may be able to keep them mostly in one piece (Will did get a split lip one night...), I am not yet completely broken in. I allowed them each a "like it" size of ice cream. After I was halfway through mine, and feeling rather queasy, I begged the kids not to finish theirs either. Will however, finished his completely, and an hour later was asking for a snack. I know he couldn't have been hungry. He was obviously mistaking the gurglings of indigestion for hunger pangs. Never again.

C & B made it back Saturday afternoon from their trip & life went back to...the way life is here. Not quite normal (whatever that is anyway), but into the rhythm it has--back & forth, up & down, but all around pretty pleasant.

Our string of visitors is going to start Thursday, so I'll try to post faithfully, but no promises! Have a great week!