Wednesday started out the same way every day with my parents starts...slow. I wanted to drive them up into the Jemez mountains to the Valle Caldera and then through Los Alamos and back to town. It really is a beautiful drive. So we started out and headed into the mountains. I don't think they were as impressed as I hoped. I started to tell them that the Caldera was the crater of the volcano that created the Jemez mountains millions of years ago, but then remembered that they are "new earther's" who believe the earth is no more than 6000 years old. So I left it at being part of a volcano.
Thursday, we had planned to get a family photo taken. So we got up and of course Devin did not have clothes appropriate for a photo. So we headed to the mall to find something for him to wear. By now I am use to the delays and time it takes them to get ready to do anything. We started heading out to the photographers studio and I was hit again with my mothers form of child rearing which I consider one step away from actual abuse. Nothing has changed with her since we were kids, she still yells, screams and swears at you. Only this time, I was fed up with it. After physically removing her from the kids I gave her and my dad a piece of my mind and what I thought of their abusive ways. I was not a happy camper. Lucky for me when we got to the studio they were closed for a staff meeting. I had no desire to have a picture taken at that moment.
But, as with my family things blow over just as fast as they blew in. We had lunch and then headed to the family arcade to let the kids play for awhile. Josh drove Devin in the go carts and mom drove Joe. I am not a go cart person I took pictures. Then Devin and I rode in the bumper boats and had a water battle with my mom and Joe. After this, Devin, Josh and I hit the arcade and played for about 2 hours. It was a lot of fun. Devin is one of the most laid back kids I have ever seen. He has his moments of pitching a fit but all in all he is a good kid. As we left he was crying because he wanted his dart gun, but I told him he could not get it until we got in the car. Knowing, he would shoot someone in the arcade, this upset him and he started a very good temper tantrum. This lasted until we got outside, I sat him down, showed him where my car was parked and told him if he was still pitching a fit by the time we got to the car he would have to walk home because I do not allow crying kids in my car. He looked at me and said "okay" and stopped on the spot. Once in the car, I felt a bit guilty for being so hard on him, so I called his name and smiled at him the mirror and told him I loved him very much. He just looked up and gave me that wonderful grin he has and he was perfectly fine, his world was good. I realized he liked having boundaries and liked being told you can do this and that but you can not do this or that. It makes his life easier knowing what he can do. Kids are not as complicated as we want them to be.
Friday morning came and they all headed home. Now it was time to put my house in order again.