A Fast Paced Saturday

Good Grief. I have been teaching Pax to hoe the vegetable garden. He uses the hoe like a weapon to destroy and maim. I am trying to impress upon him gentleness... Eli arrives with a lacrosse stick in hand (he's 3), actually 2 of them and he and Pax practice as well as any 12 year old and 3 year old can....Pax gets the idea of a lemonade stand and we slowly move in that direction because it is only 11a.m. Damien has started the mower and he and I are working on that while Pax is working with Eli. Sienna, Kyrie and Linnea are spiraling around the house, yard and park with the camera. Damien arranges a photo shoot. Chalice has to get home from babysitting and get ready for her school's formal--everyone in gowns and tuxedos. Chalice appears from upstairs in a lavender gown and has to get to the quick shop for 2 bags of ice for the affair. I try to imagine her walking into the quick shop looking like a princess. Shoot! I remember I have to make 2 cakes by 6 p.m. Jedd, my next-to-favorite boy, joins the Howard chaos and he has brought his dog,Eli, who is much more of a bear, to the yard. The lemonade stand is now manned by 3 boys and there is a bear tied up to the telephone pole. I bring it a bucket of water. People actually stop for lemonade...mostly fathers in trucks. The very best part of this day is that Eli (the boy, not the bear) and I are FINALLY alone and calm because everyone went to see Spiderman. We are sooooooooooo glad.