Wrapping it up

I took the week off of work to get some things done around the house and to have some family time, and a couple of very predictable things happened:

- One or more kids got sick
- I didn't get half of the things I wanted accomplished
- The week was over far too quickly

In spite of it all, I think we had a very good week. We had several frustrating moments stuck in the house with sick/crazy kids. I don't think I'll remember those, though. I'm pretty sure I'm going to remember the good yard time we had.

One of the main things I wanted in our new house when we moved was a useable yard. Our previous yard was tiny, not very kid friendly, and completely unlike what I had growing up. As much as I got frustrated with it, I felt even worse for the kids. While our new yard isn't the biggest, it is definitely much more comfortable and kid friendly - and this week we took advantage of it.

This week was about the water hose, bare feet, and chasing the kids around with bucket-fulls of water flying. There was the night sitting in the grass with Ally and Ben watching the stars come out and seeing who can spot the next one first. Seeing them sitting still and laughing in the grass - a bigger step than you might realize for Ally in particular - felt good. There was the bat darting in and out of the yard that Ben was always a second too late to look up and see - and Ally flinched every time we mentioned it. It was fun - it was exactly what I was missing at the old house.

It felt like home. (I think the bat sealed the deal.) It was a good week. I can't believe Monday is almost here.

-Jeff