YOU CALL THIS A HAPPY FAMILY???

Well, I just thought I would share a little paragraph about my happiness at getting out and walking our loop today--it's been way too long.  The best thing about Troy being self-employed again is being able to have our own schedule most of the time.  We got a jogging stroller because Marlie has another year before she starts school and we need to be able to go out NOW!  I just heard from a friend that Kaden was SO funny at the school assembly where they are doing skits and speeches to run for the Exec. Council next year.  I didn't even remember that he was doing anything today and it doesn't help that he doesn't mention a thing about it when he gets home late from work and leaves early the next morning for Jazz Choir!!  He came to us late Sunday night and told us he needed a skit for the next morning.. . . aaaaaaargh!! Why do kids do that???  We had spent most of spring break at home together with plenty of opportunity to get something ready but I guess he wants to carry on the family tradition of working best under pressure.  Lucky for him, he has parents who are experts in this field.  We did a little Larson Kid History with he and Marlie in front of the pink castle playing with dolls.  Lyndie was Kaden's voice and Marlie played herself and was she ever herself!!! We left in all the bloopers because it was so funny when she got mad if someone took her line or told her what to do.  I was the cameraman and Troy was the director and we were so frustrated because kids CAN'T follow directions! We finally got a perfect take of one scene that we had done over and over again and I was taping and felt a sneeze coming on and couldn't do a thing about it ( it was like those movies where someone is about to sneeze and it comes and goes and comes back) and I sneezed and ruined the scene!  By this time it's 10:30 and Marlie is frowning and Lyndie is forgetting her lines and no amount of bribing is helping so we call it good.  Kaden spends hours trying to figure out how to make a disc from what we've recorded and can't so he leaves for school the next morning not knowing if he will have anything to present in front of the whole studentbody.  I'm feeling sick about it because he doesn't even have a Plan B in mind but I have learned over the years that I can't always fix things for them.  So, I say my prayers and hope he at least learns a valuable lesson from this experience.  Well, they just hooked up the camera at the school and it worked just fine and he said everybody seemed to like it so I guess this is good but no valuable lesson was learned--dang it!!  So my friend told me today that he got up on stage in a choir robe and very solemnly said, "Mawwiage is what bwings us togethew today. . ." and I guess brought down the house.  She just kept raving over how funny it was--I don't even know what else he said but I wish I had been there to tape it.  Oh well, if I caught all of his great moments on film than my other kids would be mad because I've missed so many of theirs.  Keeps 'em humble.  That's our whole parenting strategy.  This was written especially for Amy but I hope you all enjoy it.  Now it's your turn-WRITE SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!