Family Dinner

There is evidence that sitting around the dinner table at the end of the day will bring a family closer together. I do know that it's something our kids will remember all their lives. Whether it's a fond memory or a repressed memory is yet to be determined. It's all Micah's fault.

Micah adds so much color to our lives.

The boy is way more comfortable in his underpants than he is dressed, so he brings his tidy whities clad self to the dinner table. This is good to keep in mind as I give you a glimpse of our evening meal together.

Once the family is gathered, we hold hands and pray for our meal. Things get interesting right up front when Becky feels the need to comment on the state of her brothers' hands. "Why do we have to hold hands? It's so gross. When is the last time you even washed, Luke?" (Luke's hands are visibly dirty, and we send him to the sink to wash up before proceeding on.)

Someone is designated to pray. If it's Micah, he'll either pray for the food, or be funny. Funny is when he chooses to elaborately bow his head, close his eyes, pause dramatically, then utter a single word while laughing hysterically. Because it was funny the first time, we laughed. It's quickly becoming his standard, and we don't consider it a real Thank You For The Food prayer. Someone else is then designated to pray. Halfway through this prayer Micah raises his hand and starts with the Ooooh! Oooh! Oooh!ing until the prayer is done and we call on him. He then insists that he gets another turn.

Once we pray, we begin dishing out food. Generally people pick up a dish that's near them, help themselves, and pass it on. We never pass everything in one direction. You'd think that after years of family dinners we'd have this down to a science. You'd think wrong. We are still struggling with Which Direction Do You Pass 101. Micah is Mr. Independence Personified, and insists on helping himself to everything. In triplicate. He will, however accept help from Josh, who sits on his right, but never from Luke, who sits on his left. If Luke attempts to help he will get a tongue lashing (OOOOOKKK!!!!!) and a finger wagging. This happens approximately five dozen times per meal, mostly for things that Micah imagines in his head.

We discuss all sorts of various things during the meal. Micah needs to be part of each conversation, of course. Up goes the hand and out come the Ooooh! Oooooh! Oooooh!s. By about the third contribution to our dinnertime conversation, Micah is now standing in his chair for more emphasis. (In his underwear, of course.)  The boy is incapable of talking without pulling a Michael Jackson crotch grab move. He's just not. So Micah is standing on his chair, in his underwear, playing with his junk, and elaborating on a story of some sort or other. After uncountable reminders to sit down and finish eating, the command comes out that nobody else would think of saying around the dinner table. "Put that thing away!"

I'll let that up to your imagination, but yes, it's probably what you're thinking.

Life at our house is never dull. Ever.