What a Difference a Dad Makes

This is the first time I've been on my computer since yesterday afternoon -- 24 hours without touching the keyboard is really almost a record for me.

I took Salinda to a friend's for the weekend that lives in the same town as her boyfriend after days of drama. She is really sadly pathetic when it comes to coping skills but I ride the ride with her, try to teach her things along the way, and continue to love her regardless of what a mess she makes of her life. To try to change her only makes her more determined to be pathetic...




We got so much done this morning -- Bart was inside making things in the kitchen (rhubarb custard bars with rhubarb from our back yard and this amazing Hawaiian pasta salad for lunch that I couldn't stop eating). and I had the kids outside as I made several trips to the compost site and the Spring Cleanup Dump to get rid of the stuff we gathered in our yard two weeks ago. The kids were much less reluctant to get moving without their father out there to impress. But after a while we got going and made a lot of progress.

At lunch Wilson and Tim were doing a little dancing for us....




We decided to buy some spring clothes this afternoon and the kids were very excited about their outfits. Wilson and his buddy Tim helped enough to earn themselves a clearance outfit and they look quite cute. Ricardo and Leon got matching pink polos, but you know I'll probably never get them to pose for a picture. Jimmy got a couple new outfits and Sadie found a pair of pants she liked. I got a new piece of carry on luggage for my trip this week.

Sadie and Leon were busy this afternoon making treats for a missions trip fundraiser tomorrow. Tony went to a wedding with Bart this afternoon and Dominyk has surprisingly kept himself fairly busy, so it has been fun to spend time with the kids who aren't plagued with special needs. They are fun, energetic amazing kids and it's nice to just hear them speak -- they usually fall into the background and can't be heard above the din of Tony and Dominyk.

Tonight Bart's Mom and Aunt are coming and we're going to church to have supper. It's really been a nice day. I'm hoping tomorrow will be equally nice as I like to leave home feeling good about things.