Seventeen!

"Mother, could you please make him scream somewhere else?" our eldest daughter complained, whilst I tried to wrestle the fork away from our 2 year old baby.

I shot her a look.

She was still reclining in the computer chair, watching TV and eating cake. She didn't notice.

I turned back to the task at hand.

"I . . WILL WIN . . THIS . . WRESTLING . . MATCH. . . !" I panted, fighting for breath.

Piercing, high-pitched screams split the air in our living room, echoing throughout the house. Resonating above the normal, everyday chaos, Lincoln's protests were quickly shot down again, with annoyed retorts from the big kids, and plenty of fidgeting.

The homestead is presently nearing capacity. . Fifteen or so teenagers/children are 'hanging out' over here in honor of the twins' birthday weekend. It's really pretty great. : ) They're laughing and talking, joking around, shooting the breeze, havin' a good old time. Of course we have the usual kaleidoscopic rainbow of drama, moodiness, and dynamics to deal with. . . which shouldn't be too surprising, considering the age range represented. . . .

But anyway,

Happy Birthday to Clint and Eric, Eric and Clint! Number Seventeen!