President's Day Play

We had another packed week, and I'm really looking forward to Spring Break.

Last Saturday I got up to feed the boys, and then made a run for gas and some groceries before cleaning and laundry. I made the kids their favorite treat and kept an eye on them while Kira prepared for several church meetings that afternoon and evening.

At lunch, Merritt was a huge jerk after I had asked him to clear over his dishes for about the 10th time. We had a stern talk about how we all have some jobs we have to do, and that is one of his. He was upset for most of the rest of the day, but was back to himself by the evening.

It was quite nice outside, albeit muddy, but nobody had much interest in leaving the house. At least Carver went out for a bike ride.

Hannah came over to ride with Kira for their meetings in the afternoon. The kids all bathed, and then I sorted laundry and fed them and put them to bed. Avey was busy most of the day cleaning her closet to avoid doing other tasks. She de-cluttered a lot, so made lots of good progress. Hannah and Kira were back around 9 that night, so we watched a little before calling it a night.

Sunday was a typical morning, except that Carver stayed home from church and Avey went to hear the musical number of which Kira and Hannah had been a part. Hannah was on the flute, and Kira sang. By all accounts, it went really well. One of the speakers even called Hannah's playing "celestial." I fed people when they came back and then we all went to the dog park while Avey continued working on her room. Hannah supervised Apollo while Kira and I kept track of the boys. We took some baseball equipment, and so spent a good part of the time taking turns hitting the ball.

Once home, Jesse tried to rally people for a board game. He really craves interaction. When it was shower day this week, he resisted going for a bit, and then asked if I would come and just be in the bathroom so that we could chat while he showered. He's clearly an extrovert, but luckily, so is Carver. Carver offered to hop in the shower with Jesse so that they could interact.

After dinner that night we played dominoes with Hannah for a while, as there was no school the next day.

We slept in a bit on Monday, and then I got up to feed the boys and start my grading. Kira left for work, and then shortly after that Avey realized that she needed to be at the school for play rehearsal hours earlier than she had thought. I dashed her over there and then came back to continue grading while the boys tried entertaining themselves.

I finally finished the work I needed to do, and then I loaded the boys and dog into the car and took them for Wendy's and a picnic at the park. A little after we had arrived, I got a text from some neighbors hoping that Jesse and Carver could play, so I invited them to meet us at the park. They came not too much later, and so that was lots of fun for them. Merritt ran into a classmate at the park, so they played well together, and then after we'd been there about an hour a girl from church showed up at the park, too. There was enough going on that we ended up staying at the park for about 2.5 hours!

Kira had a break, and so she beat us home by a couple of minutes, and then she ate some food before running to pick up Avey and bring her home. Kira then went back to work for an evening client. I managed the kiddos and got them ready for bed. Kira was home right before bedtime, and then Hannah joined us for TV for a little.

I was up before my alarm on Tuesday morning, but it wasn't pitch black outside on my drive to the train station, so that was nice. I am really looking forward to the spring... I had a standard day in the city and then caught the early train home where Kira let me lounge on the couch for a little break. I got an email that the company is sending me a replacement heated mattress pad after the one I bought at Christmas stopped working on my side. That will be nice to have by the time the weather warms back up (#sarcasm). After dinner, Kira took Apollo and Jesse on a little walk around the neighborhood. Avey stayed late after school for rehearsal again, so Kira went to pick her up while Hannah and I chilled in front of the TV.

Kira let me sleep a little more on Wednesday, but I got up just a few minutes after her and saw the boys off. It was a rainy day. I had the dentist that morning, so I got ready and did a little work before leaving for that. I have no cavities!

Kira and I then drove 30 minutes away to shop for a living room set while Hannah came over to practice piano tuning on our baby grand. She also kept Apollo company in our absence. Kira and I found a couch and loveseat that we think will work out great in our TV room, and so now we need to do our best to train Merritt not to jump on them. They will arrive this week on Wednesday, and I can't wait to toss our old death trap out for the trash the next day.

Kira and I were right next to Costco, so we ran in there quickly to grab a few more items. They are remodeling one of their enormous freezer sections, and so they were out of some of our normal items when Hannah and I went earlier in the month. We came home a bit after Hannah had left to drive the bus, and so we had a little time to catch our breath before the bus brought the boys.

Merritt was very uninterested in doing his homework or having his shower that afternoon. Man has he been a pill lately. He still has his funny moments, and most of the time he is fine. One of his favorite things to say lately is "Mom, so, wanna hear the most craziest [or funniest] thing?" He says that maybe 10 times a day. He then usually shares something that he saw on a video or heard about from a friend.

Merritt Drew His Christmas Hat

Kira was singing at some point that afternoon, and got especially enthusiastic about it when Jesse was there. She sang loudly to him, and then he ran out into the front yard. He came back a minute later and said, "I held up a sign saying 'Adopt Me Because My Mom is Crazy,' but no one picked me up."

Avey stayed an extra hour later than usual for play rehearsal, and so she didn't get home until about 9:45 p.m. Kira went to get her so that I could get ready for bed with my long day the next morning. Hannah stayed home that night.

Thursday was more of the same for me with my long day in the city. I had a very stupid meeting that afternoon that I had to join while on campus, and then call into so that I could start my commute while still in the meeting. At least I could still call in and not have to be there...

Jesse had a special day because his class took a field trip to see Avey's play. He said that they got a tour of the theater and so they all went by Avey's spotlight station, and she was apparently very funny. She blew the kids' minds when she showed them that she could make the spotlight's beam smaller, and larger, and that it could even change colors. They would not have been any more impressed if she had showed them the original Ark of the Covenant.

Kira was on the phone that night, and Hannah opted to stay home, so I had the TV to myself while Avey stayed in her room (they didn't have rehearsal that night).

Kira let me linger in bed a bit on Friday morning, and then I took Avey to school and did grocery shopping before meeting Hannah for racquetball. I came home and got ready for some more interviews of applicants to our doctoral program. Two of them were very strange interviews, but the third was fun because the applicant had lived in Munich for a while, so we bonded over that a little and spoke in German a bit.

The rest of the day was more work for me. Kira was feeling crummy with some congestion in her sinuses, and Carver was home with what seemed like the same thing. Kira napped in the afternoon and Carver mostly just lounged. He seemed quite a bit better by the evening, although his runny nose is lingering.

I took Avey to the evening performance of the play, and then Merritt coerced me into playing video games with him. I don't usually mind, but he has a way of ordering me around, walking in front of the screen so I can't see, and getting frustrated after a few things don't go the way he wanted, so he gives up and switches to something else. In any case, he finally settled on something that he could enjoy, and so we did that until bedtime. Hannah came over and then I left to pick up Avey after the rehearsal. We watched a little before bed.

Kira is doing a little better today with the congestion. She is planning on taking the boys to the church to help her clean, but of course they are giving her a hard time. It's also haircut day, so I'm gearing up for a lot of weeping and wailing from these boys. Avey was invited to a birthday party this afternoon before another play performance this evening, and we are planning on seeing the show on Sunday after they are all home from church.