April Fools!

Some of you might remember last year's April Fool's prank meal. Mom topped herself this year.

Some angel food cake and frosting, toasted to look like grilled cheese sandwiches.

A "dessert pie" made of hamburger and mashed potatoes.

And juice made of hardened Jell-O. (This year, we topped it with a layer of actual juice to throw them off.)

The kids were a little more "aware" this year, but the anticipation kinda added to the fun. (NOTE: Sorry, but Daddy forgot to charge the video camera to get their reactions "live." Photos will have to do this year.)

B-Man had no complaints about the lack of cheese ...

... while Izzy enjoyed her meat pie.

And Will fell for the Jell-O/juice AGAIN.

Overall, another successful April Fool's meal.

P.S. Mom added to the fun by packing some "wormy apples" in their lunch bags. Oh, we have fun at our house.

P.P.S. Mom and Grammy got together and sprung this nasty surprise on them that morning.

Daddy wishes he could've caught the look on Izzy's face. "But ... what if we have plans?!?"

We Had Joy, We Had Fun

Sometimes, on a cold day, you just need a little sunshine. And a warm buddy to snuggle up to.

One Man's Trash ...

Izzy's fourth-grade class assignment: Make a car/vehicle out of recycled materials. All you need is a big bin of recyclables (and make sure you catch Dad before he takes them to the big bin outside) ...

... an imaginative (and handy) brother ...

... a mom to supervise ...

... four cans, and a box.

Not bad, eh?

A Drama in One Act

"You must pay the rent."

"But I can't pay the rent!"

"You must pay the rent."

"But I can't pay the rent!"

"I'll pay the rent!"

"My hero!"

"Curses! Foiled again!"

Not Again!

Yep, again.

The garage flooded with the spring thaw, so Daddy has been parking his car on the street. That's all well and good ... until some townie decides not to scrape the frost off his windshield before driving into the sun.

Three months ago, Daddy hit a deer. That meant the front side had to be rebuilt. Now the back side will need work.

On the positive side - it's like getting a new car.

Five years

It's been five years this month since our family grew from three to six. Coming from a family of four, I never thought I'd want a family so big - and children so close together in age. (Callie always wanted a brood - the number "10" was bandied about before we got married, and I pretended not to hear it.)

When we got the kids, I heard from a lot of close friends who congratulated me but said we were crazy for taking on this kind of load, this kind of commitment. I was a nervous wreck when we told the kids' worker, a family friend, that we'd take them in. Here's what I knew was at stake:

• Free time
• Weekends
• Money
• Sanity

I lost them all, of course. Every parent does. But here is a little of what I gained:

• A four-part chorus of laughter, several times a day.
• Excited screams when I get home from work.
• Birthday gift conspirators.
• Old haunts rediscovered.
• Waking up to four children existing in perfect harmony (most of the time).
• Soccer games and concerts.
• Existence of a just and benevolent God.
• A chance to be young again, and for days at a time.

If I had known all the work I'd put into parenting these children, I might not have wanted to do it. And I would've missed out.

Michael Caine was in a movie a couple of years ago - The Weather Man - and said a line that blindsided me. I've tried to live my life by it ever since. Goes like this:

The hard thing to do and the right thing to do are usually the same thing.

Exactly.

New Furniture!

Thanks to a generous donation (i.e., a Christmas gift card from Grammy and Opa), we were able to replace our sunken, wearing, out-of-place blue couch and and chair and get a four-piece furniture set for the living room. It made our living room a little bit smaller, but we like it a lot.

Gabi and "Nini" think it's a pretty comfy place from which to play LEGO Star Wars.

Oh, and Tucker likes it, too.