Weekend Flurries

Our Saturday is drawing to a close. A list of appointments, goals, and errands has either been checked off... or put off for another weekend. The boys are arguing over which they would most prefer to do before bed. The choices: Uno or an episode of "Jack." (Samurai Jack is our latest family obsession. It's an animated series with everything boys love, lots of ultra-cool weapons, ultra-cool fighting and ultra-cool music... and enough of an artistic element and righteous fervor to satisfy the parents) We ultimately settle on a short game of Uno and then a Jack episode.

Between the kids' arguing and my badgering to brush teeth and get pajamas on, I ask Caleb how his swimming lesson was today. His face lights up and he sprawls on the floor to demonstrate, his face planted squarely in the carpet, the two new swimming techniques he learned today. His arms are totally extended above his head, he strokes his arms and legs before popping up. I'm thinking dust mites and mold spores, but the look on his face is pure eagerness. This is such a quintessentially Caleb moment and I try not to laugh because he is waiting for my reaction. I tell him I am very impressed.

I wander to the kitchen to browse email, and enjoy an after dinner cup of warm coconut milk. Enter Eli, stage right. He's lately figured out that anything I'm drinking or eating, he wants on that train. He asks for some, and I pour him a glass. The other day, I was fixing myself a lunch of sauteed bell peppers, mushrooms and chicken sausage with a spinach salad. After sauteeing the peppers and mushrooms, I slid them onto my plate and turned my attention to the sausage. When I turned around, Eli had helped himself to half my peppers and mushrooms. I was thrilled. I figure the more vegetables the better. People ask me sometimes how to get kids to eat healthier. I reflected that maybe all we need to do is eat well ourselves. My kids see me eating fresh veggies all day long, and they often ask me to share. In their mind, they're getting a treat.

This afternoon, we discovered Eli's gift in life. Tom took the boys bowling. Eli totally dusted his dad and brothers, with a score of 122. No one else even came close. I doubt there's much money in bumper bowling, but a gift is a gift and I suppose we are duty bound to support him...

There are lots of warm fuzzies to go around the Professor's House this evening. I hope your Saturday has been as full of love and smiles as mine has been, dear Reader.

Love,
The Professor's Wife