Family Matters, Week of 6-18-06

Every Wednesday Thursday I write about my family. Welcome to it.

Annie (4yr Old Illusionist)

I don’t know how she does it, or even if she asked for it, but my mother-in-law recently invested in a trampoline—and I don’t mean no little five foot diameter circle, I mean a damn trampoline—and she loves it.

Yesterday she even got me on the thing, playing and laughing and jumping. Abby got tossed around a bit more than I anticipated (trampolines are scarier than I had remembered), but it was fun. What wasn’t fun was the heat which was scorching even at six in the evening. The playing culminated in me going up and up and up (with the children not on it at that point) and finally I threw me legs out and bounced on my butt…

…which hit the ground…

…ow. Good thing I got a big ass which broke the landing nicely.

Abby (2yr Old Monstrocity)

Kids are funny. Tired kids are even more funny.

But exhausted kids? Oh crap. Run like hell.

Abby hit the exhausted stretch on Monday night, her thrashing and wailing and screaming at the slightest provocation was absolutely hilarious to me and Ericka.

Abby, for whatever reason, wanted to go hide in the corner of the living room, behind the chair. But it was bedtime, not time to hide. But she was determined. She would scream and screech and wail as we pulled her away, time and time again.

The funniest moment was when she tried the now-dubbed ‘Abby shuffle’, by which I was blocking her way with my hand, she grabs my hand, pushes it toward me, and quickly shimmies her way towards the chair. It doesn’t quite translate into words, but at that point we were near insanity with screaming, crying kids falling all over us.

Even when we finally got her in bed the battle wasn’t over. She didn’t want anyone to touch her, yet she was exhausted and falling asleep while sitting up. She would lean over and catch herself (as you do when you try to fall asleep sitting up) and then cry because she was upset at herself.

Finally, the sleep won out.

Ericka (her myspace)

Ericka has been taking on quite a few shifts lately, trying to punch a hole in the enormous rift our finances are currently mired in.

However, all hope is not lost. A longtime reader and friend has offered to help with our struggling finances, and it is not unappreciated or unnoticed (of course it took a week to write back to him, but still). So, big thanks there.

Otherwise, Ericka has been the Superwoman of the day, taking care of children day in and day out, and working her butt off on the weekends. Rock on, babe.

Come on - hey don't you know how we started...
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