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Even though this was no longer than any ordinary weekend, it seemed longer. Friday evening started out with Claire having her first sleepover at our house with a friend from her class. Claire, her friend, and Abby danced and played. After the twins went down they watched Treasure Planet.

On Saturday the kids played outside in the morning. I got the tractor all fueled up and filled the tires, preparing for it's maiden voyage of the year when I realized the key is in the "on" position. I turn the key to start and.... nothing! The Do-Bees strike again! The battery was completely dead. There went my hopes of being done before lunch so I could sneak in a nap. Since this is about the fourth time in the past year a major battery has been dead due to the kids flipping some switch I opted to drive down the street to a local auto parts store and buy a charger. I could have jump started the mower but the thought of jumper cables between the van and the tractor just seemed too funny. Eventually the tractor charged back up and I got the lawn cut.

Late Saturday afternoon I assembled a trampoline for the kids. Despite rumors my dad is trying to start, it is not so that Michelle and I could find a more creative way to conceive our next child. The trampoline assembly was finished around dinner time but the kids got to spend some time on it. I was a bit nervous because I hadn't yet had time to install the optional safety net accessory. We finished the evening off with some carry out dinner.

After Mass this morning we spent some time at the church's annual Mother's Day breakfast. Once I got home I started work on installing the safety net for the trampoline. Boy! Did I underestimate that work load! It took several hours to get that setup because a) their instructions stink and b) there is a lot of tedious rope work. Late in the afternoon we watched Moses, Prince of Egypt during which Abby fell asleep.

As we wrapped up the evening Claire and the boys played with blocks while Abby played Super Mario Advance. For months Abby was a spectator at this game. She was an expert in strategy but too timid to actually play. After she got the Gameboy version of Dora the Explorer for Easter, she got more comfortable with playing games on the Gameboy. Once she got over that fear, she became an exceptional Super Mario player. So much so that I asked her to sit next to Michelle so that Michelle could get a feeling for how much Abby has improved this past month. It's impressive to watch a five year old jump around (virtually speaking) and pick up monsters and throw them around like a seasoned pro. Abby's favorite character is Princess Peach (shown at left) because "she's a girl and she's pink". That's a five year old girl for you!

I wanted to close with two last tidbits. Earlier today one of the twins (Michael) hurt himself while playing. The other twin (Daniel) came over, gave him a long hug, and in no time the two were back to their usual activity. Definitely an "awww..." moment. I also got to hear Timothy laugh for the first time this weekend. It's like kindling wood for the soul.