When Daddy Takes the Day Off...

...he just might end up playing Risk with two of his sons.

Risk isn't too advanced of a game for a three year-old and a six year-old, after all, when Daddy is the brains behind the conquest of the world.  :)  

During the game, I overheard David saying this to Jeff:  I won't be sad if he wins or you win, but I will be happy if I win!  :)

Actually, Josiah happened to be the victor in this game and proudly dated and signed his name on the game board (a tradition in our family for such games).  David, who had won a game of Candyland just before this game, then wanted to sign the Candyland board, so Jeff let him and David was thrilled.

Jeff took off Thursday of last week and Tuesday of this week, just for fun, simply to spend extra time with the family.  We have LOVED it!  Too bad he can't do that every week!  :)  Yesterday, besides the special time to play games with the boys in the afternoon, we all went out for breakfast as a family to Thomas House Restaurant in Dayton (a first for us, although Jeff had been there before)...then we went to the Children's Museum and let the boys have a ball there like they always do (and this time was even more special because Jeff used some of the face paint there to decorate their faces, David being a cat--but acting more like a tiger--and Josiah being a clown; if his face looks funny in the above photo, that's why!)...then to the barbershop for a haircut for Scooter--I mean, Tobin--who looks so different with his neatly buzzed hair style.  I love to rub the soft peach fuzz on his head now, and he tries to grab his hair like he used to; but now he can't get a handful, and he probably wonders why not!

Today, on Jeff's usual day off, he stayed home with Tobin this afternoon and evening, while Josiah, David, and I headed east to Charlottesville for a Flat Stanley play at the Paramount Theater--a beautiful old theater that I had never been to before.  One of the other moms from our homeschool co-op found out about this play and let us know about it, and it turned out to be a very fun adventure for my oldest sons and I (as well as the other co-op families there, I'm sure).  One of my favorite parts was having David want to sit on my lap the whole time we were watching the play; and even though I got a little cramped, I wouldn't have traded it for anything.  :)

Family time is a treasure!