The room was filled with music and chatter and food.
Quick played the piano – like only he can — while he was waiting for With-a-Why to take a turn in the chess game they were playing, With-a-Why’s new birthday chess board set up on the living room floor. Skater Boy and his girlfriend, whom I was meeting for the first time, talked quietly on the couch. FirstExtra, whom we’ve barely seen this semester because he’s having a busy senior year, joined Boy in Black in mocking me for owning a MacIntosh computer. (“You’ve never had a virus? Apparently, you don’t need one. The Mac deleted all your files without a virus.”)
Blue-eyed Ultimate Player ate a piece of my homemade pie and talked about the party he’d been to. Philosophical Boy and my husband watched the chess game unfolding on the living floor. Shaggy Hair Boy snagged a second piece of pie while Beautiful Smart Wonderful Daughter, home from grad school for a weekend with her family, poured a mug of tea.
It was my favourite kind of Saturday night — all my kids home, and a bunch of extras too.
4 comments:
your family / extended family seems amazing...the type of family i always wanted as a kid. the type of family i hope i have once i find that magical mr. right. with my own family dissolved and broken, it's nice to be reminded that good ones are still out there.
You made me smile.
Hi Jo(e) -
I've been reading your blog for a while now and I love these stories of all the kids hanging out at your house and I wonder if you could give me some advice. My twins are five and we are just getting into having friends over. How did your house get to be "the" house to hang out? I don't think you have cable (or even a TV). You're a vegan so I'm guessing you don't have lots of junk food there. Is part of it the piano and other instruments set up in the living room?
Did you do anything purposefully to facilitate the hanging out? Just curious if you have any insights as I would love my kids and their friends to feel that comfortable out my house. Thanks!
Kris: That's a good question. I guess I did consciously choose to have my household be the place where kids hang out. A big part of it, I think, is being willing to put up with noise, spills, clutter, and all that comes with having a gang of children in your living room. Luckily, I'm not a neat freak and I don't mind noise at all.
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