Seven Quick Takes Friday

The end of the summer is drawing near and it has been an extremely busy one with lots of visitors and visits away from home. With all this busyness, we can only hold things together so long; consequently, the following quick takes are Seven Quick Takes of Destruction.

1. Good friends of ours came for a visit on Wednesday with their two children, Norah and Simon. Their mother, Jaclyn, brought homemade pretzels and turnovers and refreshed me with some good conversation and old friendship. Daddy Francis is a kid magnet and willingly allowed our children to use him as some sort of playground apparatus. However, as any seasoned parent knows, allowing the kids to crawl all over one's self while said parent lies on the floor is really a last ditch attempt to alleviate exhaustion while entertaining the kids. Well done, Francis. 2. Dave and I spent the day in Ottawa yesterday talking to, among other people, the world's most clueless used car salesman. (But that's another story.) My mom, sister and father watched the kids for a VERY long period while we were gone. The result was a bit of a catastrophic morning the following day. The pictures only tell part of the tale - I wish I had audio. Or maybe I'm glad I don't.

3. At one point Joseph was inside the open cabinet behind the Lazy Susan screaming for attention.

4. Both of my parents are avid users of the Internet and the breakfast table often looks like this during breakfast. Actually, this is an accurate after-dinner shot as well.

5. Jacob and Hannah mock fighting as part of the chaos.

6. Benjamin and Joseph not mock fighting. Joseph is really being squished by the gate and I am really taking a picture. The shame.

7. Me, still in pajamas, lamenting the Seven Quick Takes of Destruction.