kfarrar
10-20-2003, 10:30 AM
Saturday begin like mornings. I awoke to the sound of Audrey squealing in her crib. Moments later, Abigail walked into my room, “Daddy, can you turn on my TV”. As I crawled out of bed, I stepped on, Sprocket, our dog. She let out a big yelp. Down the hall and into the girl’s room I went, still half asleep. As I turned on the light and TV I turned around to find Audrey standing naked in her crib.
I walked over to Audrey shaking my head, this is not the first time it has happen and I’m doubtful it will be the last. She felt as cold as a popsicle in my hands. I wonder to myself, “How long had she been awake.” I got her dressed, put up the gate and headed back to bed for a few more minutes of sleep. As I climbed back into bed, Kellie looked over with one eye open, “Everything OK”. “It is now, go back to sleep”.
A brief ten minutes later, after surprising falling back to sleep, I awoke once again to the sound of Audrey squealing. This squeal was different than the first. This was the noise of a child whom wanted a toy her older sister had. The fights begin.
I figured this was the last of my sleep so I got up, showered and headed downstairs to make breakfast. Not before turning all the thermostats on high. “This must be the coldest morning yet,” I thought to myself. Forty minutes later Kellie and the girls came downstairs. The girls were definitely ready for breakfast. They quickly sat down and woofed the egg dish that I had prepared up for them. Before I sat down Abigail had already requested more and Audrey followed suit.
After cleaning up from breakfast and quickly showering we were on the road to South Portland. Kellie’s grandparents were heading to Florida on Tuesday so we decide to surprise them with a visit and a trip to Newick’s for lunch. We all had a great time and they really enjoyed their brief visit with the girls. As much as one can visit with two kids who are constantly on the run. We said our goodbye’s which are always quite sad. There is the realization that we never know if we are saying goodbye for the last time. Kellie’s grandparents are in their mid 80’s and begging to show signs of slowing. Amazingly, they looked better than they had on all previous visits this summer. There is hope.
We loaded the girls in the car, gave one last wave and we were off. Kellie and I were both quietly thinking to ourselves we hope they make it through the winter. We conceded that it would be much better for her grandparents to be in Florida than suffering through the cold isolation of a New England winter.
On the way home we decided that we had not had quite enough to eat so we would stop at Shop & Safe and pick up all the fixing to make up some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sunday’s. I waited in the car with the girls as Kellie ran in to get all the fixings. This of course was going to be our dinner.
As we approached home and I fantasized about lounging around, Kellie turned to me and said, “So are you going to get a burn permit.” “Oh yeah”, I thought to myself. I had planned to get a permit thought it was getting late and lounging was a much better plan. I somehow knew that as I much as I wanted to lounge, Kellie wanted me to burn.
After getting the girls unloaded from the car, I called our friend who is the Deputy Fire Chief, he said no problem and would be over shortly with the permit. Kellie then walked in with the mail, and laid my Ski and Skiing magazines on the table in front of me. What a great afternoon I could have had catching up on some snow ****. I sadly dimissed the magazines and headed outside to begin raking debris left behind from the winds last week.
A while later Gary dropped by and delivered the permit. And so the evening of burning began. Kellie took the girls inside and prepared them for dinner and then it was off to bed. The sun quickly set and temperature cooled.
I left the fire and headed inside to kiss the girls good night and grabbed a beer. I still had some Tuckerman’s in the fridge from last weekend. The evening was starting to look good. On my way outside I noticed my skiing magazines on the counter. Campfire, beer and snow ****. “Looks like it’s going to be a great evening,” I thought to myself. I found myself a seat outside, right next to the fire on a stump of a tree that was cut in the spring.
I laid my magazine on the stump and place my beer on top of it. The fire was burning down so I stoked it to get some flames, added another log and sat down. I certainly wasn’t looking forward to a night of burning earlier in the afternoon, but this wasn’t bad, a warm fire, beer and snow ****.
A was just about ready to head in, thinking it was getting late and Kellie probably wanted her ice cream Sundays, when Kellie open the slider off our front deck and yelled, “I forgot the whipped cream, I gotta run to the store.” As she pulled out of the driveway, I headed back inside for another beer, thinking to myself. “I got another twenty minutes to myself with my fire, my beer and my snow ****.” What an evening it turned out to be.
I walked over to Audrey shaking my head, this is not the first time it has happen and I’m doubtful it will be the last. She felt as cold as a popsicle in my hands. I wonder to myself, “How long had she been awake.” I got her dressed, put up the gate and headed back to bed for a few more minutes of sleep. As I climbed back into bed, Kellie looked over with one eye open, “Everything OK”. “It is now, go back to sleep”.
A brief ten minutes later, after surprising falling back to sleep, I awoke once again to the sound of Audrey squealing. This squeal was different than the first. This was the noise of a child whom wanted a toy her older sister had. The fights begin.
I figured this was the last of my sleep so I got up, showered and headed downstairs to make breakfast. Not before turning all the thermostats on high. “This must be the coldest morning yet,” I thought to myself. Forty minutes later Kellie and the girls came downstairs. The girls were definitely ready for breakfast. They quickly sat down and woofed the egg dish that I had prepared up for them. Before I sat down Abigail had already requested more and Audrey followed suit.
After cleaning up from breakfast and quickly showering we were on the road to South Portland. Kellie’s grandparents were heading to Florida on Tuesday so we decide to surprise them with a visit and a trip to Newick’s for lunch. We all had a great time and they really enjoyed their brief visit with the girls. As much as one can visit with two kids who are constantly on the run. We said our goodbye’s which are always quite sad. There is the realization that we never know if we are saying goodbye for the last time. Kellie’s grandparents are in their mid 80’s and begging to show signs of slowing. Amazingly, they looked better than they had on all previous visits this summer. There is hope.
We loaded the girls in the car, gave one last wave and we were off. Kellie and I were both quietly thinking to ourselves we hope they make it through the winter. We conceded that it would be much better for her grandparents to be in Florida than suffering through the cold isolation of a New England winter.
On the way home we decided that we had not had quite enough to eat so we would stop at Shop & Safe and pick up all the fixing to make up some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sunday’s. I waited in the car with the girls as Kellie ran in to get all the fixings. This of course was going to be our dinner.
As we approached home and I fantasized about lounging around, Kellie turned to me and said, “So are you going to get a burn permit.” “Oh yeah”, I thought to myself. I had planned to get a permit thought it was getting late and lounging was a much better plan. I somehow knew that as I much as I wanted to lounge, Kellie wanted me to burn.
After getting the girls unloaded from the car, I called our friend who is the Deputy Fire Chief, he said no problem and would be over shortly with the permit. Kellie then walked in with the mail, and laid my Ski and Skiing magazines on the table in front of me. What a great afternoon I could have had catching up on some snow ****. I sadly dimissed the magazines and headed outside to begin raking debris left behind from the winds last week.
A while later Gary dropped by and delivered the permit. And so the evening of burning began. Kellie took the girls inside and prepared them for dinner and then it was off to bed. The sun quickly set and temperature cooled.
I left the fire and headed inside to kiss the girls good night and grabbed a beer. I still had some Tuckerman’s in the fridge from last weekend. The evening was starting to look good. On my way outside I noticed my skiing magazines on the counter. Campfire, beer and snow ****. “Looks like it’s going to be a great evening,” I thought to myself. I found myself a seat outside, right next to the fire on a stump of a tree that was cut in the spring.
I laid my magazine on the stump and place my beer on top of it. The fire was burning down so I stoked it to get some flames, added another log and sat down. I certainly wasn’t looking forward to a night of burning earlier in the afternoon, but this wasn’t bad, a warm fire, beer and snow ****.
A was just about ready to head in, thinking it was getting late and Kellie probably wanted her ice cream Sundays, when Kellie open the slider off our front deck and yelled, “I forgot the whipped cream, I gotta run to the store.” As she pulled out of the driveway, I headed back inside for another beer, thinking to myself. “I got another twenty minutes to myself with my fire, my beer and my snow ****.” What an evening it turned out to be.