early evening, sun setting, cooler than it has been. dinner done and dishes washed. one in the tub, one drying, one at the computer.....I wander outside seeking the fourth.
i find him in the driveway beside the garage with a not quite pumped basketball in hand. a sheepish smile. with a ball too flat to dribble, shooting baskets into the open trashcan. a moment alone...1:1..doesn't happen much with a single momma of 4.
i grab a sweatshirt from the garage, and challenge him to a game of "piggy". (Aka horse). He grins, we start. the antics get harder and harder. Over the back. a running leap slam dunk. He graciously retrieves the ball from the "basket" when we make it. The smell doesn't bother him. We laugh. We challenge. We swagger with our "juking" moves. We oink when the other increases a letter. He wins the first round. I route him the second. Littlest sister hears the cheers of triumph and comes and joins. After another round, big sister. We graduate to a game of 3 on 1. Momma against the younguns. We cheer, we laugh, we make up our own victory dances. Big brother joins. We change up the teams...boys against the girls.
For over an hour, in darken dusk, we forget that we are a barely formed family, still adjusting to new roles and new ways...and we just enjoy. Big brothers miss (on purpose) , and triumph when little sister does a slam dunk. Sons talk it up to momma, "How does it feel to me slammed by your son!",,,when momma laughs and turns it right back around...."I don't know son, probably the same way it feels when a son is slammed by his momma". I slam in two more points. The girls win by 2, the boys all smiling, as they allowed it. (so they think.)
a good night. cold noses, and rosy cheeks smiling in the kitchen over a glass of milk and cookies.
I can't remember a time that I have had so much fun.
an almost flat basketball, a garbage can and no pictures. :)
all on my list of gifts!
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