More Time With the Boys

I am at home with four out of five of my Princes - the oldest is at Cub Scouts with our Queen.

I like spending time with them - as long as I can keep my cool and just enjoy their silly behavior, I get rewarded with an ample amount of one-on-one time and many moments of kid wisdom. These boys were sent here to teach me a few things...

This is my four-year-old; he sat and visited with me several times during the last 15 minutes. He likes to give gifts and write letters to his young friends, especially the little girl around the block. He did a good job getting ready for bed, so I am letting him stay up a few minutes longer to wind down.

Over on the right here is my two-year-old. While I was getting him ready for bed, I noticed that he sort of smelled bad. So, I suggested a quick bath, and he readily agreed. He is a very happy fellow, quite talkative, and absolutely idolizes his older brothers. There are endless reenactments of various scenes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spiderman, etc, and this one is always willing to accept even the most menial roles. "And the award for best supporting actor goes to..."

I came home from the office early today so that I could take my seven-year-old to the dentist. We had simultaneous appointments for check-up and cleaning, and we both came out with a clean bill of dental health. He was excited because he found a travel chess/checkers set in the box of toys behind the reception counter. After the appointment we stopped of at the library to drop off some things, and he spent a few minutes visiting with the librarian and putting a couple of things on hold. We enjoyed a nice visit about the things that matter most to him on the way to and from. I was especially impressed with his mature understanding about the death of President Hinckley (see the other post below) and what would happen in the coming days to the leadership of the church.

Now we're full-swing into the bedtime routine, and my ten-month-old is resisting the hardest. He thinks he needs to eat hourly. When they're his age, they demand a great deal of attention. He's sitting in front of me in his portable bed, peeking over the top and occasionally fussing in an attempt to convince me to get him out and play. But I'm not falling for the ploy - the Queen says he didn't have a nap today, so he should go to sleep quickly. Perhaps if I stopped clacking away on the keyboard...

I like being a Dad - and these little Princes have me convinced that there is hope in our future, in spite of the crazy world we live in.