Daddy, Don't Read This

Seriously, Brad, don't read this until you are home--you will ruin a surprise.

So...every once in a while my kiddos accidentally throw down a gauntlet while Daddy is travelling. It's always innocent, and I always recognize I am being absurd, but I must pick it up. Maybe it's because I take my  job of raising a strong woman so seriously, maybe it's because I don't like to admit I have weaknesses, maybe I'm just crazy. But, I always find myself knee deep in mess and unwilling to admit I might have bitten off more than I can chew. I always win, but it is not always pretty.

Last night, a gauntlet was thrown. We ordered Daddy a new desk chair, some assembly required. The box weighed roughly two million pounds, but thankfully it arrived before I got home Tuesday and Mr. Ryan carried it into the office. Last night, Evan innocently asked why it was still in the box, and Issa replied, "We have to wait for Daddy to put it together." Gauntlet. Thrown.

Granted, Daddy is clearly the superior builder and assembler, but that does not mean I can't. Five minutes later we were cutting tape and pulling pieces out of the box. Here is the astounding part, the kids were actually helpful. Usually, them helping with a project like this is akin to them holding my already hampered hands behind my back. Last night, though, I truly don't think I could have gotten the casters on without them helping to hold the base still. They held pieces at the right angles to screw them together, and had they not helped lift the assembled seat onto the piston on the base it just wouldn't have happened. It was awesome.

We are all still a little proud of ourselves, and we can't wait to show Daddy what we did!