The Puddles

It’s a party at the Lake House!!!!  The kids decided to have a slumber party in the playroom tonight.  They brought down their sleeping bags and prepped the room for the night time.  They opened the futon to full-sized and gave that bed to Ainsley while the older two volunteered for the floor (silly kids).  Miss A was in heaven!  After 30 minutes of Madie and Ben struggling to get comfortable, all three finally joined Ainsley on the bed.  Very cute!  Now I just have to decide whether or not to sleep on the couch near them or go to my own bed.  The emotional side of my brain says . . . “Sleep on the couch so you can protect them from the scary people that are going to break into the house and hurt them.” The logical side of my brain says . . . “Crazy woman. Sleep in your own bed so that you will have a good night’s rest. The kids know how to come to your room if something goes wrong.”

Daddy finally comes home tomorrow from camp and they are all thrilled to see him.  We officially finished packing for Madie and Ben to go to camp.  Officially means that I labeled all of the items and placed them by outfits in labeled ziplock bags for each day of the week. I know that my organization will go out the window by the first evening of camp, but I know that they have outfits that match with enough underwear and socks to get them through the week. (Which was an issue with Ben, who had 2 dozen pairs of underwear but didn’t put any shorts in his suitcase originally.) Their suitcases and stacks are looking lovely.  I’m glad that I got in done so early, so that I can sit and admire my handiwork/organization for a few days before they are destroyed.

At midnight, the world is peaceful. But by 8am my serenity is gone and has been replaced by this crazy woman who has a list of things to get done.  I have to work on remembering these peaceful moments when things are getting scary around here.  There are good times too. I enjoy seeing the kids play so nicely with each other.  When they are genuinely sweet and thoughtful, it really makes the day seem brighter.  Today they played “Hospital”. Ainsley was the patient.  She had cancer (this is her fifth bout of cancer this week). Ben is the expert. Madie is the doctor.  They really do have a delightful imagination.  Madie has labeled on the doors for “Radiation”, “Labs”, “Patient room 107 and 108”.  Very cute!  This cash register is their ultrasound.  The scanner wand is what they use on the body while they stare at the machine for the picture.  The babydoll stroller is the wheelchair (thank goodness Ainsley is tiny).  They made her a hospital bracelet out of a white ribbon and decorated it with her name.  The whole scenario is enduring. I like their verson of cancer . . . easy to cure.  While I fixed dinner, I convinced them that Ainsley needed hydrotherapy and that they could use my bathtub to accommodate this procedure.  They agreed and proceeded to take a bath and get dressed in their jammies.  Good children.

So I am hoping that this week will end well.  It is a good beginning to the end.  We are going in the morning to clean the church and then back home again to hang out until Daddy gets back home!