Good evening

We all have our moods. Sometimes they're good, like yesterday....

I picked up Jack at school, where his class was running around the tumble room. He saw me and ran over, nearly tackling me. Happy.

We went to get Kate, who was drawing on the chalkboard when we went in. Normally she runs over to hug me. Today she glanced our way, turned back to the chalkboard, drew a few more lines. Then, apparently satisfied that her picture was complete: "Daddy! Jack!" She ran over and hugged me.

We headed up to Jack's room. Kate ran down the hallway, laughing. Jack ran after her, quickly overtaking her with his longer stride. She laughed more. We went up the stairs, and again, they both ran pell-mell down the hall to Jack's room. Oh, in the stairwell, both love the echoes, so they yell: "Hello! Echo! Hi! Daddy! Hello!"

Outside, on the way to the car, it had rained. Jack used to always stop to splash in puddles, but was holding some pictures he'd drawn (a stack of Wallace and Gromit pictures, his latest fascination). Kate, however, saw the puddles with excitement. She carefully stopped at each one, planted one foot outside the puddle, and stamped with the other one. Laughter. I put her in the car, and she noticed her pants leg was soaked. "My pants!" Yes, Kate, that's what happens.

We went home, and I started making dinner. Kate found a bag of art supplies and wanted to draw. Jack did too, so I made space at the little table. They sat next to each other, her coloring with the markers and Jack drawing -- another Wallace and Gromit, using a DVD cover I'd just taken out of the library as a go-by.

Kate rushed into the kitchen. "Yook!" she said. She held up the coloring book, where she'd colored some. "I MADE this! Yook, Daddy!" I looked, gave the appropriate praise, and she dashed off again.

Jack came in with his latest picture. "Look, Daddy!" Suddenly, he noticed it fading. He'd used one of Kate's markers, which were intended for special paper. He got briefly sad, then ran back out to the living room to trace the lines before they faded completely away.

Both inhaled their dinner. Jack laughed himself silly at a few minutes of the Wallace and Gromit DVD before going to bed. Everyone slept well.