the decorations don't last

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These two......my monkeys in the middle.  They are the best of friends and the worst of enemies.....all day long.  So much the same, but also so different.  They amaze me in their togetherness and their individuality.....Tonight, a summer storm rolled in.  It was dark so I tried to turn on lamps in the family room and one wouldn't work.  The bulb was gone.  I replaced the bulb....it still didn't work.  I determined it had been knocked over by.....hm.....wonder who?  or whose friends?  or on whose watch?!  I calmly replaced the lamp with yet another second-hand lamp that my dad in law continues to bring home from the second hand store in Arizona where he volunteers.......and replaced yet one more bulb to get 4 working lamps in the room.  I finally,    FINALLY,     sat down in an easy chair to take a break and enjoy the storm......and turned to the lamp and saw that a hurricane vase that I have had for at least 12 years......one that I really love.....was sitting....askance.  If you don't know what that means, it was like....I tipped my head to the left to try determine if it was crooked or I was looking at it wrong.  Oh.  Oh.  Oh.  It was crooked.  I had noticed earlier the sand on the table and wondered but was too busy to investigate.  Well.  The sand was in the vase......so I asked Jeremiah what happened.  His reply was something like this.  "Oh yeah.  It broke."  "When?"  "WHO?"  "It just broke mom".  

A pact had been forged.  No one was gonna give me the details.  Whatever.  I don't have much left in this house that is worth much.  Its all getting knocked over and broken.....and peed on and ripped up....and chewed....and stained....whats left is a few wedding gifts from 19 years ago and a whole lot of sentimental collectibles from our life as a family.....and tonight.......since I don't really have a choice.  I'm ok with that.  We are raising humans not creating a shrine.  The house is trashed.  The kids are not.  

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