Hey

Well, EmBaby was really mad. But John had a great practice. Almost three hours long. Thank God for DEET, man, that's all I'm going to say on that subject.

James suffered from some sort of mental palsy at the field that caused him no end of clumsiness - he knocked EmBaby off the bleachers several times, kicked over a box of animal crackers, cracked Smidge in the head with his knee, dropped his book untold times, and then sent my coffee flying when he tried to get out of the way after sending EmBaby down between the steps on the bleachers. Poor kid was so exasperated. He said, "Wow, I guess I'm having a bit of a klutz day, aren't I?" Well, yeah, but like I told him, we all have days like that on occasion. It's okay. Then I directed him to sit, on his butt, yes - both cheeks, over there, a good two body-lengths away from the small ones, while I cleaned up the coffee.

And yet, the kid recovered well. I sent him to the Suburban to look for paper towels, asking him specifically not to lock the keys in the car because Daddy won't be home until after they've rolled up the sidewalks. He returned and I could see he didn't have paper towels. Nor did I see any keys. I froze. I think I whispered, "You don't, by chance, still have the keys, do you?" HE froze. A look of horror-stricken panic spread across his face. I might have thrown up a little bit. Then he burst into laughter and produced the keys from his back pocket, whole and unscathed (but most importantly, NOT still in the car!) "Did you really think I'd locked them in?" Um, yeah. I thought it was a distinct possibility. "*cackle* *chuckle* *guffaw* That's why I thought it would be so funny!" Keep laughing, Kid. I have pictures from the year you thought it was kosher to wear your underwear on the outside of your pants...

And speaking of underwear... I think I got peed on by one of the little siblings. Not one of mine. Mine don't pee on people. But I'm pretty sure the Little Red-Haired Girl who plays with Smidge and EmBaby peed on my lap while we were playing. (If I didn't come with my own children, you'd think I was some kind of Child Catcher - while all the Moms Who Know Each Other hang out and talk salons and bbq plans, their younger children, left to fend for themselves, end up with me and my crew at the other end of the bench. I look like the woman with eighteen kids all disturbingly close in age, and all with different fathers.) Anyway, when she got off my lap, the tops of my pantlegs were soaked. So where her britches. Her mother left shortly thereafter. Ew. So, um, I think Thursday I'll bring extra clothes - some for her, and some for me.

And it's over. And we lived. And I still have four children. And nobody got left at the park. And Zorak is on his way home! YAY!!!!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy