A sleep-over???

Okay, let's face it, when your child has someone come to "sleep-over" shouldn't we just call it what it really is? We all know that it is really a "wake-over." Between playing yesterday, staying up late, being awakened early (aren't younger siblings great?), and staying busy all day long, DS#1 was more than willing to go to bed early tonight. DS#2 has kept busy running around the neighborhood and playing too. DD was exhausted this evening as well. Isn't the Christmas break a wonderful thing? I mean, think of all the rest these kids are going to get ;).

It is nice to see the kids playing with their friends and having a good time. It is also scary to see how much DS#1 and DS#2 have grown. I decided to take DS#1, the friend that slept over, and another friend from the neighborhood out to Schlotzkey's (a sandwich shop for those that don't know of it) for lunch before taking DS#1's buddy to meet his parents. Let's just say that the boys ate a frightening amount of food. The first person complaining about hunger this evening? Yup, DS#1. He not only finished a full rack of ribs but he actually ate most of the sides (we tease him that he only eats meat and 'encourage' the eating of other food as well). If this wasn't frightening enough, DS#2 was snacking and eating all day long. It seemed like every time I turned around he was having another snack. I already make at least one trip a week to Costco for simple things like milk and DS#2 hasn't even started his major growth spurt yet!

Today hit the mid-upper 70's but a cold front is coming through tonight. Tomorrow evening it is supposed to be colder than when we get up in the morning. We are having some friends over for dinner, and my folks will be coming to stay with us through Christmas, so I decided to make chili tomorrow. I make some "Texas-style" chili that pretty much consists of meat, tomatoes, peppers, spices, and, well, meat. During graduate school my good friend Jim Bone and I held Super Bowl parties where he and I basically spent the day making chili (okay, and drinking beer) until the game started. I haven't held a Super Bowl party for years now, but everyone always seems happy to have me make chili. My wife has been hoping I would make some again soon so I guess tomorrow is the day. Oh, on a quick added note, you have to know that one of the reasons I don't make chili often is that the only way I know how to make is in a really large batch. The way the older boys have started eating lately, hmm, soon that will become the standard size batch for everything.