Weekend with Daddy

Melanie is in a book club that meets once a month. This month, they decided to do an "over-nighter" up at her cousin's cabin/palace in Payson. So, I got kid duty. Not a big deal, really. I like kids. I even like my kids. So, I planned a fun time for us, complete with junk food, staying up way too late, and a complete neglect of personal hygiene. I even worked from home on Friday so I wouldn't have to worry about rushing home so that Melanie could get away whenever she was ready to leave. What I didn't count on was being so completely busy with work that the kids, yes all 4 of them, just ran amok through the house for about a hour and 1/2 after Mel left before I could tend to them. Mel's dream of coming home the next day to a clean and orderly house was dashed before she even left town! Collin and Kate tore apart the loft/play room, Logan got into the pantry, and Seth came into the office and clung to my leg whilst screaming for most of that period of time. I soon got the message that the work week was now officially over.

Once I got myself organized, I decided it would be criminal to not take advantage of this opportunity to take the kids out for dinner (like I'm gonna cook at home!), so we went to In-N-Out Burger, home of the Double-Double and animal style fries. This place is akin to Mecca for those in our family, so the choice was a no-brainer; however, with all 4 kids and no adult assistance, it has its challenges.

Surprisingly, it wasn't very crowded at 6:30pm on a Friday night (did I miss something?), and we were able to actually find a place to sit. We were all quite hungry, so we all got cheeseburgers, except for the twins, as they are prohibited from eating dairy, so they got a plain burger. I did zest it up a little for them, though, and had the "chef" put some spread on it for the little guys. Cutest thing is watching those guys go through a hamburger! They love fries with ketchup as well, so I let them indulge. Melanie would be so proud!

While I was monitoring the twins' progress and trying to eat my own food before it got cold (In-N-Out is heaven, unless it gets cold, then it's something not nearly as celestial), Kate was putting all of her In-N-Out kids stickers all over my back, in places I could not reach. I had to get Collin to pull them off, and it must have looked like one of those Discovery Channel shows about gorillas where they groom each other by picking ticks and mites off each others backs. At least he wasn't eating them as he pulled them off, although judging by the amount of ketchup that was on them, they probably wouldn't have tasted half bad. Needless to say, now my white shirt had red splotches all over the back, and it must have looked like I got shot or something. Now the twins were screaming, something about their burger being on the floor and it being past their bed time. I stuffed some fries in their mouths (sans ketchup - for the screaming), then gathered up the crew and headed for the door.

Once at home, I put the babies to bed (they are so easy in that regard - PJs, a bottle, and their blankets, and they're good to go), then decided to watch a movie with Collin and Kate. Collin wanted "The Pink Panther" and Kate wanted "The Haunted Mansion". A fight ensued. Collin won, and that was a good thing, too. Ends up, as benign as "The Haunted Mansion" is, it would have kept the both of them up all night with nightmares, and I had plans to sleep in. Ends up, "The Pink Panther" is quite funny, and Collin got a real kick out of it. Kate fell asleep - she did not get a nap earlier in the day, and, frankly, I'm surprised she lasted as long as she did.

I actually got to sleep in on Saturday. One of the babies got up around 5:30 am (I was in a bit of a stupor and they kind of look the same anyway, especially in the dark, but I think it was Logan) in need of a diaper change and a new bottle, but other than that it was a peaceful night. I heard Collin & Kate whispering in the hall around 7am - something about being quiet so as to not wake Dad. Such considerate and loving children I have! I finally staggered out of bed around 9am, fed everyone some Cream of Wheat, and then we all watched "The Haunted Mansion", since it was light out and arguably a little less spooky. Well, about 1/2 way through the movie I looked over at Kate, and she was visibly shaking with fear. Something about the corpses in the crypt coming to life and chasing Eddie Murphy and his daughter didn't sit well with her. I sat with her for the rest of the movie, and we took turns peeking through the holes in the afghan and reporting to each other what was going on in the movie. That helped to ease her mind somewhat, but she's been talking about it ever since. Poor kid was freaked out!

I think Melanie expected me to be challenged somewhat by my night with the kids. I hate to disappoint, but it was a lot of fun, and it ends up I slept more than she did. She said she was up until 3am yakking with her girlfriends - not sure if the book of the month ever came up - and got up early for breakfast and antique shopping. Just goes to show you that sometimes even Dad can pull it off.

Of course, it's not really fair. I'm leaving for Prague next week, and I'll be gone all week. I'll never pay down that debt.