Summer 2010
Tuesday was my birthday. The kids were all home because of Hurricane Sandy. We only got a lot of rain so we still had power, which is nice since we tend to lose power at least once each winter, and sometimes summer storms as well. The county, for a reason that escapes me, canceled school through Tuesday on Sunday morning. I enjoyed having the kids home all day. I also enjoyed having two extra days that I didn’t have to get up at 6:30 am.
We decided to go out for lunch to celebrate. We went for my favorite, Mexican food, without any arguments, which in my house is only slightly less than miraculous. We go out for lunch every Sunday after church, and finally had to make a schedule of who chooses when, since we could never agree on where to go.
Anyway, when we got there, DK and MC weren’t terribly hungry and wanted to share, but couldn’t decide what to share. When DK mentioned getting her own plate, MC said she wouldn’t eat at all. MC argued with JT over where to put the cheese dip. John implored them to remember that this was not about them but about me. MC told the waiter it was my birthday, and when I told her I didn’t want the wait staff singing she said, “You mean we’re not allowed to celebrate your birthday?” When the food arrived, I said, “OK, you can’t sing, but you can pray for me.” At first she declined, but then she started, and thanked God for my “existence” and for her “annoying Dad.” We ended up laughing.
My kids are not perfect, and neither am I. (Shocking, I know.) But that’s OK. Because I remember the years I spent crying out to God for babies. Now I have them, so I take the good with the bad. And the bickering, and the irritating. And I love it anyway.