Burn Cream at the Ready

One evening this week Josiah asked to cook our dinner.  On the schedule was Canadian bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches.  Once Josiah indicated that he wanted to help, the other kids wanted in on the action, too.  Henry got to cracking eggs.  Caroline shredded cheese (and toasted the English muffins).  Josiah took the initiative to cook the Canadian bacon.  Cooking with one child can stretch you.  Cooking with three at the same time was a bit ridiculous.  All three talked the entire time.  The ENTIRE time.  It didn't matter if someone else was talking at the same time, on they talked.  The boys were killing me because this was the one and only place where they felt they had to look at the person with whom they were speaking instead of looking at the flaming hot pan over which they were cooking.  Despite the absolute craziness, they cooked a good meal.  It's a favorite around here.  When we sat down to eat only two out of three had their burned fingers on ice. (Josiah is wearing fake glasses that his neighbor friend gave him.  They're Harry Potter glasses and Josiah has been wearing them all the time.  When the glasses are on, Josiah calls himself Wally Wallington.  I don't know where he comes up with these things.)

Caroline's had some tough conversations about Benson.  She wanted to speak with me one night and she talked for nearly two hours about Benson.  Despite all her playfulness with him during the day, she would still rather not have a dog.  She feels he has taken her place because no one plays with her anymore.  She goes to her room and no one knocks on it to see what she's doing because we all stay downstairs with the dog.  She said that she was here first so she should be the one to stay and Benson should go.  It's been tough.  Tough conversations.  We are making it a point to play with her more upstairs, though.  Of course tonight she said that she didn't want to go to bed because she wanted to stay downstairs and play with Benson.  She can be hard to figure.
←She got a haircut this week.  (This was an Erin Special.)

The kids created a new game this week called Security.  Two kids were in the backyard and they had to make a full circle around the house without being seen.  The third kid was upstairs running around, looking out the windows trying to catch them.  At one point Josiah was the Security Detail inside.  He came to find me downstairs and said, "I don't know how it happened.  I was sticking my head out of my window and my screen fell out.  I don't know how it happened."  Do you think maybe it happened because you were sticking your head out the window?!!  I reminded him that it is currently hot as Hades around here and

we needed to keep all windows closed until December at a minimum.  The game was pure mayhem, but still a good workout because the kids were constantly running up and down the stairs.  They were covered in sweat by the end and showers were forced upon them.  These are the good things to come out of quarantine.  They got creative and made some fun (that didn't involve a screen!).

Josiah has been wanting to sleep downstairs so that he could experience taking care of Benson at night and the early morning wake up.  He and Todd had a mini-Netflix binge and stayed up til 10:00.  Todd took the couch and Josiah the cot.  When Josiah went to bed he giddily said that he couldn't wait for Benson to wake him up by licking him.  At 4:00 a.m., Josiah was not quite as excited by the licks.  He commented, "You do that every day?"  Yep.  Adulting.  Because Josiah got to sleep downstairs, Henry and Caroline wanted a special sleeping situation for themselves, so they took over our bed.  Now they are each vying for a night on the cot in the living room.

We had Hurricane Hanna hit this weekend.  It was barely a hurricane by the time it reached us and really we were looking forward to the rain.  Our yard was so dry and cracked that we were happy that it would get a good soaking.  I think I was also looking forward to the rain because in my idealistic mind I pictured sitting on our (nonexistent) screened-in porch sipping coffee while I listened to the rain.  The reality was three energetic kids running through the house and one puppy that has been holding onto the "wet dog smell" all weekend.  But we're glad for the rain anyway.

Funny meme of the week: