I had to work this weekend because it was Drill. So when I come home, a little later than I had hoped, I neglected to call Michelle and tell her that I was on my way. I have a 10 year old that likes to keep tabs on me so he opened the 360 app on his mothers phone and all afternoon he watched to see when I was on the freeway. As I came down the street in my little red car I see him blasting out of the house. It's obvious that he has been anxiously engaged in my progress and he was now there to be the first to welcome me home. He ran down the hill and nearly jumped through my open window before I could even get the car stopped. If you've never had a 10 year old love you that much, I pray that you do. It is the greatest feeling in the world.
I came in, got changed and listened to David tell me all about his exciting weekend in Idaho with his mother as they helped Meema and Buhpa move into their new house. He was the only kid around as Jan and Brett, Matt, Mason and Ashlyn, Breeanne and Michelle all converged on Rigby to do good things for their parents. David works hard/plays hard and he represented me well to his aunts and uncles with his intense work ethic. He is a great kid and everything I could hope he would be at this age.
As an aside, BG and CM had gone on a scout campout to Dead Horse Point. I went to the BYU game on a date with my cousin-niece Boston and then to a hockey game in Ogden with Paul K and the Burkhardts. It's been busy and nice.
We eventually moved it into the dining room and sat down for dinner. Michelle had had a frustrating afternoon with Brigham trying to get him to do his homework instead of just looking at memes on the computer. Her heart was empty and needed a little filling. So after the prayer and a lot of haranguing to get them to behave properly at the table I asked each boy to give five compliments to their mother. They jumped at the opportunity, Chaco being the first. It was sweet to listen to. They are not dumb boys and they could see exactly what the unspoken objective was. The sincere observations and sweet nature of their affection was really nice. A couple of small tears formed on her cheek and by the end of the meal she was a different woman. It was a nice lesson for both me and the blondies on the power of kind words to your mother.
A strange thing happened at that point. We just sort of sat there and talked. The food was eaten and Brigham cleared away several of the dishes, and we just stayed and talked some more and some more. We told stories and jokes. We one upped each other in serious conversation and jovial fraternity. It was a first of it's kind in some way I have a hard time describing. This dinner conversation felt different than any other we've had, at least to me it did. It was an adult conversation. Kind of. Rarely did I have to give them a prompt or mandate that they share. The topics were various and fulfilling. We each were built up in a way unique to us and our role in the family. It was a special experience; one which I hope we have thousands of more times throughout our lives. These boys are amazing. This family is pretty great. I'm stupid lucky to even be a part of it all.
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