Lord of the Flies, Naughty Names, and a Solution for the Middle East

Lord of the Flies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_of_the_Flies...suffice it to say that when adult friends get together, sometimes, SOMETIMES, kids may go...umm...er...undersupervised for short periods of time. Evidenced by the fact that almost every single kid sustained some kind of injury or illness at some point during the weekend... The list of casualties:

Jackson - lightsaber right between the eyes resulting in large gash.
Hannah - hand slammed in door multiple times - different occasions - requiring ice.
Ethan - remained elusive..? Correct me if I'm wrong, AVD.
Preston - threw up a few times and made full recovery by morning.
Taylor - hmmm...was she with Ethan or did she just not draw blood?
Mason - that kid is so sweet and mellow, I think he'd smile through anything.
Lucy - big digger coming home from church resulting in bloody, bruised up knees and elbows.
Mackey - took a chunk of skin out of his forhead on the trampoline (head wound = blood EVERYWHERE).
Calvin - looked at funny and screamed in addition to sustaining a broom trauma (or 3) to the noggin.


None of us had gone to bed any earlier than 2-3 am on any given night, so when NYE came around, I think that our judgement was a little impaired...


We - and by 'we' I actually mean 'I' - get a really good idea for New Year's...we set the clocks ahead (so that the kids think it's almost midnight [hello 9:00 pm]) and send them outside with fire. So, we gave
them all (minus the babies, of course, but I bet some of you were wondering at this point) sparklers. No one caught on fire and no one got poked in the eye. A successful party. Do notice the picture of Preston, Jackson, and Mackey: frat boys in the making...you know, in a BYU/very comfortable with his masculinity as he dons his sister's hand-me-down periwinkle full body pajamas sort of way. Also, please catch a glance at what Mason is reading so intently...
Weekend statement: The whole is more dangerous than the sum of its parts. - Mom(s)


But alas, I seem to be getting ahead of myself. The New Year's Eve party was the crowning event (notice the tiaras on the heads of all the girls)...it all started 48 hours previous. (Cue the harps that proceed a 'flashback sequence'.)

- VanDersations: Jay and Angela have this really, REALLY funny way of talking that made me laugh every time I heard it. (I'm convinced that they must work on it as a family at Family Home Evening). Unfortunately, I was not able to capture a VanDersation on
film, but suffice it to say it's a little like Fire Marshall Bill (aka Jim Carrey) from In Living Color with a lisp and cotton in his mouth. But I did catch a Jay a-juggling.

- Grocery shopping with an economist: as many of you know, Angela is an economist. As many of you may NOT know, Jodie and I are not. While merrily going about our shopping, searching out the worst possible prices (apparently) on Diet Dr. Pepper, Angela pointed out that THAT Diet Dr. Pepper (which is everywhere down here like milk and honey) is cheaper than the DDP you already put in your cart...DUH. It was like statistics domination in VanDernese: "schtatishtics".

Making a grown man cry: while my husband went MIA and eveyone else was tending to kids, Steve, the good soul that he is...or the scared soul who wanted to supervise the making of the chili, offered to help chop onions. AKA: my LEAST favorite task... A few tears and some tips from his own chili-making ways later, a pretty decent chili was born. Another worthy onion side bar? Hannah LOVES to eat raw onions. We were trying to figure out a way for her to hustle Jon for a dollar in an onion-eating contest.

Some of the things we did staying up until 2 - 3 am every night:

- determined (for the millionth time) our...uh...um...er...(whisper: porn) names - the name of the dog you had as a kid + the name of the street you grew up on = porn name. We didn't get beyond Angela's: Sparky Chokecherry. That's funny now, but it's REALLY funny at 2 am.

- contemplated how to fix the US border issues and why they need a-fixin', predicted the ins and outs of the upcoming presidential election while weighing in on each of the candidates, discussed the electability of a Mormon candidate, and came up with a pragmatic solution to Iraq specifically and the Middle East in general. Suffice it to say: Hendricks for President!

- schools, kids, education, friends, activities, change, the airforce football game that some of the menfolk attended 12/31, how we all met (hurray for spandex!), and so on...there was some A.D.D.-age in there...I can't remember everything. Besides, it probably wouldn't amuse you unless you are reading this between 2-3 am.

Some of the resultant behavior from staying up until 2-3 am:

Grown women doing gymnastics in my living room. Was it the intense work out at the gym that got our blood movin'? Don't answer that; it's rhetorical. Um, no; our collective sub-consciouses must have decided against sweat so that we could run out to peruse purses sans the shower after the gym. Besides, without the low zone, conversational workout, Angela and I could have never demonstrated what kinds of words are acceptable in everyday conversation here in TX. IE: Gaydar...minus the hushed, conspiratol whisper. I will spare you the complete list of words and phrases that are acceptable in conversation, business meetings, and over loud-speakers.

Everyone was so afraid that I was going to overshare on the blog, and ironically, I can't think of how to best chronicle this most fantastic visit. My memory is dimmed by too many late nights. What is not dimmed, however, is the feeling of privelege that I have being friends with such wonderful people. We had a great time, and we are glad you came. And






perhaps another family will visit so I can see the VDs again...