what a dad!

 If I lived my life over again, I'd take more pictures.  Way back when, before cellphones, photos were taken with regular cameras, those things we had before digital cameras.  When I started the blog, I had to hook that cable to my little digital camera, and upload the pics.  When I was a kid, my parents had a camera that used flashcubes.  When I was a teenager, I got a cool little Kodak, you put film in it, and it's built in flash was battery operated, and wow, you sent that film to be developed, and pictures came in the mail!  Even my older kids dropped their film at the kiosks in Walmart, then picked it up in the store...their big luxury was when I let them get double prints, so they could share pics with their friends.

Anyway.  I don't have pics of Paul with all of his babies, like the new parents do these days.  But he has been a good dad.  Last evening, Margaret was here with her two little boys, Evelyn was here, and two of the girls' friends were here, as well as Charlotte Claire and Camille.  They were talking after dinner (grilled chicken, pasta salad, cherries, on the deck...)about cake.  They suddenly wanted cake.  I said I could make one, it would be ready in no time.  But turned out that I was no fun, they wanted STORE BOUGHT cake, like a graduation cake.  Paul went to the store and bought frozen Pepperidge Farms cake, and ice cream.  (Our kids have always called these cakes "heater cakes", because of the layers looking like heat registers, I know, strange.)

Those girls were pretty thrilled, and Paul was pleased with himself, because they were so happy.

He went fishing this morning, I always push him to do those things he likes, these days.  He gave them up for years and years and years.

Sonja K. and I woke up at 4:45 this morning and drove Molly to the airport.  She's going out to visit Aaron and Riley in California, all by her lonesome!  If Josh drove her, they would have had to wake up the kids, so we did it.  Sonja was none too thrilled that I wanted to stop into the grocery store at 6 am, she just wanted to get back home to go back to bed.  But I needed stuff!  Some of the kids are coming over today for Father's Day, and I wasn't properly prepared.

Yesterday, we went to the thrift store...

Sonja K.

Evelyn Joy

Wulf...

Margaret wearing Tennyson, and Charlotte Claire

Camille Anaya...

They had too much fun.  I found a few nice trucks for Wulf, and not much else.  We went into Marshall's and found too much good stuff, then home...ah home.  The pool was nice and refreshing on such a warm day.  

Today we are having hamburgers and hot dogs, (coneys!), fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes and those fresh picked strawberries,  broccoli salad, and a pasta salad.  And I bought a dozen donuts this morning, because they were fresh from the oven.   

Summer is just starting, and the days are filling up already.  I hope the younger girls still feel that hopeful thrill of endless days of spontaneity.  We never do half the things we aspire to do, but we still start the summer with our dreams....