Steve and Peaches

Last Sunday night we tried something new. I ordered a Wordsmith deck of cards meant for helping writers overcome writers block.

Essentially, there are several categories of cards that can be used to inspire journal writing. In our case, we used them to spark family dinner table conversation. Quite frankly, Jamie and I are sick and tired of the nightly banter between our kids that ranges from mild teasing to blatant threats. We needed change at dinner time, regardless of how funny the threats were!

We answered several different types of questions:

Everyone did a fairly nice horrible job of taking turns, but we had fun!

Conversations like these remind us that our children are growing and developing their own world view. We are so grateful for glimpses into how the think and what they feel.

Then came the next card…

Without missing a beat Kathryn proclaimed “public execution”.

Now, this is the child we thought would be the quiet one. For years she would stand in her sister Lillian’s shadow and gladly allow Lillian to go to bat for whatever was needed. That being said, the teenaged version of our tiny baby born with a full head of jet-black hair is fierce! She will give the shirt off her back until there’s a reason not to, and then she will excommunicate better than The Godfather when someone disappoints him. She has a playlist entitled “Kill Time” that she uses to get herself charged up for swim races…which I sometimes use when running. What can I say, she comes from a long line of strong women!

Jamie and I looked at each other and then over the table to Kathryn, as the little twinkle in her eye was becoming more pronounced. We played along…

Seriously, that’s what you’re going with? Public execution?

“Yep” she said, “AND, if anyone has a problem with that they can talk to my bodyguards on either side of me…Steve and Peaches.”

Wait, your bodyguards are going to be named Steve…and…Peaches?

“Uh huh, and one of them will be Chris Evans and the other will be Chris Hemsworth” she explained.

Hahahahaha, your getting BOTH to be your bodyguards?!?! Which one gets to be Steve?

“Chris Evans.”

So, in this homicidal fantasy you’ve created so quickly right here off the cuff…you plan to call Chris Hemsworth…Peaches?!?!

“Exactly”

Maybe she’s been watching too many violent movies.

I wonder if we should have asked who she plans to publicly execute?

Wait, I don’t want to know.

At any rate, today is Kathryn’s 15th birthday.

We are thrilled to share another trip around the sun with our hilariously funny, albeit sometimes homocidal, girl with fire in her belly!

To celebrate, we are having Pad Thai with shrimp, homemade cake pops from our friend Jill, and more hearty conversations inspired by the Wordsmith deck of cards!