Experiments In Communal Living

Hi there folks! (Folk? Is there more than one of you? Have I lost all of you in my neglectful absence?) We have been off galavanting around the state for a bit, up to South Lake Tahoe, out to Kirkwood ski resort and back home again. We made the trip extra exciting by driving during a huge rain/snow storm last Saturday. But it was all worth it because the friends we stayed with Saturday night had already hired a babysitter for their kids for Sunday morning (who was kind enough to accept one more) and we all got freshies (um Dad, getting freshies means skiing in fresh powdery snow...) at Heavenly until our little legs could take no more. (Which honestly was about three hours, but a very fun three hours!)



Then the Tank Family continued on to our fancy resort condo for a two night stay with another wee sporty family. Their daughter is only two months older than the Tankster, and they got along great! We took turns watching the kiddos and skiing for the next two days, enjoying lovely snow and perfect weather. It was kind of neat having four parents and two kids around. One couple could cook dinner, while the other two kid wrangled. One person could bathe both tots while the other three cleaned up from dinner, showered, or even read a book! Aside from the other tot having a terrible cold (that I hope we do not get) and not sleeping much during the three days it was perfect!



Flash through the trip home, the hurried unpack, the even more hurried rush out the door this morning, and a long day at the office, and we arrive at our third experiment in family dynamics. A close friend of ours just had her second child 6 weeks ago. For the first time since the birth her husband had to be away for two nights. I called on my way out the door from work to see if she needed anything from town. Turned out what she needed most was to get out of the house. So we all converged on our post-trip-disaster of a house. Chaos! But honestly it was giggling rollicking chaos!

Tank Boy and Train Boy had so much fun running around, bonking into each other and bouncing off the walls. The noise level was a notch or two above the regular din here at the Hoop Ranch, but it would have been criminal to squelch their fun! The new wee one was alert and cooing and scrumptiously sweet...



So the burning (and itching, can you feel it itching?) question that comes about from all of these recent experiences is this: To procreate, or not to procreate? I have heretofore been convinced that one tot was plenty for me, why would I need to make it harder on myself? But that rusty door that I thought I had sealed shut long ago is creaking open to the idea of the possibility of the potential of possibly having another kid in our lives. And I can't even believe that I'm saying that! Do you remember how miserable I was during the first six, no maybe nine, no maybe 12 months of Tankster's existence? The no sleep the sore boobies, the vulva of mashed potato! What am I thinking?

Or better yet, what are you thinking? Environmentalism, zero population growth, adoption, siblings, rivalry, heck have a whole hockey team? Lets hear it!