we have tried to keep friday nights as our "family night" for many years now.
the kids know it's family night and ask what we will be doing together.
lauren is old enough to not want to participate much anymore.
and scott is nearing that stage.
but they all still like pizza or ice cream….
this week we dropped lauren off at her softball practice and hit the sprinkler park.
it was a beautiful night for it.
a mama/towel break…
i know…it's so gross.
the love birds on the park bench saying all kinds of lovey-dovey things to each other.
(whatever your version of lovey-dovey things are you can insert them there and we'll pretend it's that…)
i love the holding the nose move by annie.
and then there was this guy.
way too cool to be there…sat at a bench across the park…until everyone else left…
and his iPod lost power.
then he came over and sat by me.
and let me scratch his back.
but no smiles or kisses.
of course.
i took this and said "oh man craig…he looks just like you"
and he does.
he's a mini-me of craig.
even his feet!
we went for ice cream.
the discussion led to obama.
they really wanted to know some actual answers about government.
it was quite something.
i had no answers…but craig had his opinions/answers.
i always just say "ask daddy what he thinks about that" when it comes to politics.
sean just burped really loud….hence the smile.
now let's all pretend that this evening ending like this.
ice cream and smiles.
everything all sunshine and rainbows…..ok?
not the reality of temper tantrums in the car….meltdowns from exhaustion…mom and dad both
yell too much…everyone lost computer privledges for saturday…NO TALKING till we get home…
"straight to bed when we get inside" and "don't you give me that look"…etc. etc. etc.
yeah….let's pretend the top thing ok?
good.
Christina - Love it. That’s how it always (doesn’t) go(es) down around here at the end. 🙂
Recently I told my kids they all lost their screen time (Wii, computer, movies) for a week. A week! That punished me a lot more than it punished them. Ahhh!
I wanted to say I would totally hold my nose in a sprinkler. And I LOVE the picture of Craig holding Annie’s hand, and that he and Scott are both wearing red shirts. I love it.
Kara - We have three kids four and under and have instilled a family game night with them. Yeah, by the end the hub and I are wanting to pull our teeth and hair out. It’s reality–and makes everyone feel normal when they hear that other families experience the same thing!
Your pics are gorgeous, as always. And…it’s the effort and the time spent together that the kids will remember–plus you’ve got the pictures to prove that they had a good time! Ha! 🙂
Charity - I so love your posts, Meg – I can’t tell you how many times a happy family time has ended in NO TALKING UNTIL WE GET HOME! :o)
nic - gorgeous post, especially the backlit photo of you and your little gal. (and thanks for keepin’ it real there at the end. ha!)
kristine - beautiful family. gorgeous night. and yeah, too bad it ended that way. but that’s why i like the nice pictures. you can just remember that part!
Jennifer - If there is no practice, is family night optional? We had family night growing up but it was mandatory. I always acted like I hated it, but secretly I kind of liked it and I loved complaining about it.
Great pictures! I love reading about your family and thanks for keeping it honest. 🙂
ann - Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Meg you make me laugh. I’m so glad my family is as normal as yours. 🙂
Tara - love the pictures of your family night….we do the same thing on Friday nights….
and ours usually ends just.like.yours.
D Gustus - Wow I love your photography! I am just starting out learning all about it! I love the cool water shots you took at the park!! one of these days I will figure it out!! Keep out the awesome work, I just ran into your blog by sheer accident!!
linda lou - what great photos of the family looked like lots of fun and you and your husband…loves birds makes a great photo for the fireplace (:
Kat - Thank goodness its not just our family where days/nights end like that,or occur many times during the day!!
Oh Meg, I just adore how real and honest you are, thats one of the things I love most about your blog.
Love the colour in your pics, the sense of fun and the magical moments you capture in each shot.
I really love the one where Craig is walking holding Annie’s hand with Scott next to him and also the shots of Scott. Beautifully captured.
What a great tradition you have of family fun night. Great stuff. 🙂
Shann - I loved the picture of the wide open mouth with braces and lots of teeth! Teeth are my thing. It was not gross in the least to me. 🙂 And, the President is in my hometown tonight speaking at a high school graduation ceremony. Kind of cool for kids. 🙂 And, I understand about the fighting and yelling and real life stuff you are talking about. I was told by a very smart woman that the kids will remember the fun stuff and forget the not so fun stuff. Oh how I am banking on that advice. 🙂 Have a wonderful night Meg!
Bryony - “ask daddy what he thinks about that”? I don’t want to sound judgemental at all, but that seems like a pretty subservient think to say, as a wife and mother. Surely you have your own opinions? Shouldn’t you teach your children that men and women’s opinions are equally valid?
Hope I don’t come off sounding too judgemental or anything, I know you are a great mother 🙂
Bryony
jasmine bailey-barfuss - Beautiful! This world needs a sprinkler park on every block in every town! How fun!! Family nights are THE best idea. I grew up with a family night and even though we fought a lot, I have so many fond memories of togetherness.
xox
Laura - what a great night! i love that you’re honest – thanks for that.
and the sprinkler park is the most amazing thing i’ve seen! i want one near us!
Ana - I just want to thank you for being real- for not hiding the ugly. 🙂 So many bloggers and blogs just seem so perfect, and I can’t relate to that at all. And if I spend time comparing myself, I can get really bummed out. I really appreciate what a breath of fresh, real air your blog is. !Muchas Gracias!
Denissa - Great pictures, of course! 🙂 My oldest son has the same trunks, the blue w/ the fish..
And I think pretty much everytime we go do something fun, it ends the same way…sigh
michelle - love how real you are.
Courtney Walsh - Aw, we do Friday Night Family Night too! Love it! 🙂 There’s a sprinkler park just like this down the road from us! I will have to get back there!! 🙂
sara's art house - Oh my word! I totally know what you mean……isn’t it especially rotten when you have done something nice for them and then they act awful?!?!? Great pictures, tho!
kristiina - Another thank you for keeping it real 😉 Looove your posts because you show the ups and the downs…makes me feel normal!
Logan - Meg, this is a strange question, but what is the brand and color of your lipstick? I’m sure it won’t look the same on me (not nearly as good), but I love it! I’ve noticed it in several pictures and finally decided I ought to just ask you what it is!
Great pictures of your family fun.
Heather - I loved the photos – how you made the water stand still – even the drops on their way to the kids’ mouths, how cool.
Keri - There always has to be a meltdown after a fun time, right? I think kids must come pre-programmed that way. Love the photo story. 🙂
Julie - Thanks for keeping it REAL!!!!!
Heather @ Cookie Mondays - Where did you get Talby’s swimsuit? Peace signs and lime green are Chloe’s whole world right now!
www.Kellyloves.wordpress.com - ahhh …. a perfect almost summer day. Love the shot with the water dropping from the bucket!
http://www.kellyloves.wordpress.com
Staci - Your kids are full of life 🙂 I see it in every picture you take 🙂 So very happy 🙂
Sandy - Do I remember Talby wearing the suit Annie has on? They sure are growing up!! Looks like loads of fun!
Heather R. - 🙂 Makes me laugh with you…not at you.
Karen Gerstenberger - Just catching up here, and wanted to tell you (again) that I love your blog.
the wild raspberry - i like living in a dream world too….
speaking of dreams~
i had a dream that we were at the washburn campus with our kids doing all sorts of fun things….then you decided to have minor surgery. while you were under anasthesia, i gathered up the ingredients to make you cocoa pebble/rice crispy treats and made them in the biology lab.
isn’t that hilarious?! were does this stuff come from?
🙂
have a great day~
with no fussing or rolling eyes~
chasity
Heather K. - I love the pictures! Sounds like a typical “family night”, ours usually end the same way. Keepin’ it real!
Dana@Bungalow'56 - You caught me by surprise at the end. It made me laugh. So nice to know you are a real family and you aren’t some version of Mrs. Cunningham. Thats why I come back every day. I can relate!
Dana
Kimberly - Yep, our fun times almost always end that way too 🙁 I love your photos and your writing and your honesty!
Sophie - Looks like such a fun time! Except for the last part. That can’t have been so fun.
And Scott really does look like Craig! Even their shirts are matching (:
Charlene - oh THANK YOU for not excluding the “reality” part about how it ended…it makes me feel normal!
Dineen - Oh Meg, I love how honest you are. My blog looks like all sunshine and roses too sometimes but I know the truth behind some of those pictures.
Melanie - Boy, have we all been there. Yelling etc. At least they had fun at the park and you took some great pictures.
I could help talk about Obama if you needed me too;-) I have plenty of opinions about that!
You wonder when does it happen that boys don’t want their mamas to hug them anymore? That has happened to me and makes me sad. Even at home when no one else is there, he stills doesn’t want me to hug up on him:( I guess that happens at 16 yrs. old.
Robyn - great photos! don’t you just love when you have a great day, night whatever… and then the meltdowns happen and you feel a smidge defeated!?!?!?!
at least it was fun while it lasted!
purejoy - water parks are so much fun and what i love about them is that all ages are engaged… not so much in a regular pool. so fun.
and ice cream. mmmmmm.
i’d wager that your family will remember the laughs and giggles more than the yelling and the loss of the computer. somehow, the sunshine always trumps the clouds.
Erin from Skoots and Cuddles - at one point every wonderful family outing goes sour. it is what it is… i guess. the kids won’t remember the crap…. so yay a great family adventure!
Julie - Sweet and Real ~ my kind of family night. Really sweet!! Don’t sweat the real stuff. The kids will remember how much fun they had, not that everyone had a meltdown afterward. 🙂
Meredith - I’m so glad you share the ugly with the wonderful. Real families are so much more beautiful than ideal ones. 🙂
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - Thanks for the peek into your family. I’m sure we can all relate to the behind the scenes stuff you mentioned. They always go hand in hand…the lovely memories with the real life *crap;)
Juli - Precious, all of it precious. Even the meltdowns at the end.
nora - Sooo… someone is too cool for sprinkler park, but not ice cream, eh? I love ‘tweens. Thanks for sharing this night with us!
Ourimperfectlife.blogspot.com - Great photos! My daughter used to have that same striped swimsuits. Miss that thing!
Nancy - Looks like a great evening. We have so many No Talking in the car days/nights. Thanks for always keeping it real, girl!
Blythe - Thanks for being so honest and real about what family night can sometimes end like. I can relate. However, good for us peeking into your life that you pictures tell a different story.
kat - I love those pictures. It looks like they all had a lovely time at the park. I can totally relate to the exhaustion meltdowns, they can go from fun to feral in 30 seconds or less.
Lisa - Bliss and tranquility, that is how i imagine your evening, ok. The rest, the reality, Im not buying it.
Cute photos