Week

It's been an interesting week. Jacob has been spending time down in Springfield with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Bruce. I was pretty excited to be down to one kid at home - thinking we'd spend some quality 1-1 time, and have a relaxing week. What actually keeps popping into my head is the week - several years ago - when we didn't have the dog. I don't even remember why the dog was gone, but what I do remember is picking up lots of food off the floor that I didn't even realize fell from the table during each meal.

A week sans Jacob has been much the same - though there is not significantly more food on the floor. But I didn't realize how much time the kids played with each other until I was requested to fill in the slack. I can usually count on 20-30 minutes of morning time to read the paper and eat breakfast, about 45 minutes - 1 hour around mid-day to check e-mail, contemplate my next Wordscraper move or read a chapter of whatever cheese-filled summer novel I got from the library that week.

However, this week, it isn't so. Breakfasts are filled with a girl dancing around the table asking what we're going to do today. Secret sneaks onto the computer are twarted by attempts to spin my chair around or kitchen timers buzzing in my ear, an attempt to sit on the couch this morning was greeted with a presentation of books that Allison picked out from the library and the request to read them (how can you turn that down?). Brian is bombarded as soon as he gets home with endless games of Go Fish, Crazy 8s, and Old Maid. I'm even followed into the bathroom (ok, well, that happens all the time, so I suppose it doesn't count).

I think she's lonely without her brother. (and yes, I only have time to write this because right now she's over playing with her friend Melanie).