It was one of those days for Kevin. He was out doing a bunch of errands all day today. He was so busy that he even forget to pick up Lauren on the way home from town. He was totally on auto pilot and didn’t realize it until he got home. At least he realized it!
Because he was out running around, dinner was pushed back a little later than normal. I was laying in bed watching “Princess Diaries” with the little kids, when I heard an odd noise. As soon as I tried to isolate the sound it went away. I got 
back into the movie when I heard it again.
If I was a cat I would be dead. I have to check stuff out. I looked up and I busted Matthew licking his little table that he eats snacks on!! It was thoroughly haunting. It sits low to the ground, so the 2 big dogs lick this table after Matt is done eating. And I hadn’t washed it off since the last time Matt ate. So the Lord only knows what kind of nasties were on that thing! When I told Matt to not lick the table (something I never imagined telling anyone!) he gave me a very sad look. After 11 years I no longer fall for the puppy dog eyes but he had to try. 
Even with everything that Kevin did today, he made an incredible dinner. We had pork chops, corn, ranch style beans, cottage cheese and peaches. It was delicious.
We are a HUGE supporter of all of us eating dinner around the table. Since I’ve been down, we haven’t done it routinely. Usually Kevin and the children come in my room and eat with me. But tonight we managed to all get around the table. It was so much fun. I don’t think the children have laughed so hard in a long time. At least not as a group. 
We had Lauren laughing so hard she snorted food across the table and it landed on the side of Matt’s head. 
Austin made a joke we didn’t get. After we all told him we didn’t get it, he told us that he didn’t either. He was just making stuff up. 
I love that we can make the impossible possible. Not very many families can get their teens, or their special needs kids, to share in a family meal around the table. I’m very blessed that I can get both around the table and we enjoy it. 
February 28, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Congrats on the table grouping. It is hard when they want to go in different directions. I cook almost every night, so they know its just going to happen. Some nights they only stay long enough to eat and I swear they don’t chew, but others it’s a long fun time of jokes and stories.
February 28, 2008 at 10:25 pm
The best kind of laughter is one that comes with lots of love.
Here’s a joke from Alex for your family:
Two scientists get trapped in a cave-in.
Scientist 1: We’re trapped! Qick, while we still have the chance! Let’s drink our urine!
Scientist 2: (blustering) Uh-bluh, shouldn’t we wait for rexcue to come? We …
Scientist 1: Shut up and drink your urine!
This cracked me up last night, I hope you get a smile from this too.
Lastly, got something for you at my blog (http://okasaneko.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/friendships-are-the-oscars-for-my-soul/)- a little thank you for your friendship and kindness.
Happy Day!
February 28, 2008 at 10:39 pm
You should be very proud!!!! We are not very good with the family table. Maizie is obsessed with sitting in a certain chair, in a certain way when she eats. It is not at the table. But, we do manage a few nights a week at the table. I guess we are at least all together.
I am inspired by you all. Kevin sounds like a great cook and a terrific husband. You sound so positive and happy. I am so glad that you are doing this well after your surgery. God willing you and I will both be pain free for quite a while!
February 28, 2008 at 11:03 pm
How great is that! I was laughing out loud reading your post! My mom was all about family dinner. Dinner was always made, every night and if we were at games or practice or whatever through dinner then it was waiting for us but whoever was home ate together at the table, always. It’s something I remember fondly about my childhood. I try very hard to do this too although we don’t get Doug there all that often as he works nights so he’s gone usually before David even gets home from school. David has to sit in “his” spot and the rest of us just work around him. LOL! We have a good time sometimes too, just laughing at nothing most of the time. One thing I remember from growing up is Sunday dinners because we were all always there for that and I remember we always spent more time at the table on Sundays. I remember a lot of joking around and I remember one of my brothers used to laugh so hard he’d fall out of his chair sometimes and other times, when the weather was nice we’d eat at the table outside and I remember water fights erupting between my dad and brothers with the pitcher of water on the table. Mom and the girls and I just used to kinda sit by and laugh as if we involved ourselves we would’ve gotten soaked too! But it was just as much fun to watch the 3 of them running around the back yard with cups and pitchhers of water and eventually someone got the hose or someone ended up in the pool! LOL!
February 29, 2008 at 6:05 am
This is wonderful! We never get to do this at ny house any more.
February 29, 2008 at 6:05 am
We always try to eat together as a family. I love this post! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. And, licking the table?! Too funny.
February 29, 2008 at 10:47 am
That is an incredible achievement indeed. We try and have a ‘family’ meal together every night. It’s only a very vague approximation but I’m sure we’ll keep making headway.
BEst wishes
February 29, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Well, we haven’t gotten into a consistent routine of eating around the dinner table or even eating at the same time. Hopefully by the time ours are older, we’ll be there. Growing up, we always ate dinner together.
Ian, who freaks out at higher things, especially higher things that move, wouldn’t sit long enough to try to eat at our table, which is one that is higher with the higher stool chairs. Oh, but he’ll sit long enough to ‘beg’ for food after he’s eaten his dinner!
So, we have Ian and Avery sit at their little table to eat. Sometimes Jim and I eat at the same time as them. It depends on how much ‘help’ is needed for Ian since we can’t always put all his food down at once and some of it has to be cut or he’ll way overstuff. Most of the time we prefer to eat at the same time as them because if we don’t then we have little ‘ants’ coming to get our food. Amazing, they can eat a full meal and still come looking for more. The good thing is that what they wouldn’t normally eat if we served it to them on their own plates…..you guessed it….they’ll eat it off ours!
March 1, 2008 at 6:57 am
Only in the last few months have we allowed occasional tv-tray meals, and those are always about watching some program/movie as a family, so it’s an event. We use the dinner table as a social time when people share what happened in their day (even if we have to pry it out of non-talkative Little Miss and shut down fast-talking Captain Oblivious from time to time), and we share jokes, too, to learn interchange of conversation, particularly the Knock-Knock kind. When we remember, we also talk about our Country of the day (http://awalkabout.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/a-trip-around-the-world/). Tonight I understand we’re going to Chile! Ole!