A child's prayer

It is by far my favorite time of year. I am loving every minute of the longer days and warm temperatures. Our quaint little back yard offers a sanctuary from the daily grind. Our garden is leaping out of the ground and our summer flowers are starting to bloom. We have a planted, half wine barrel on our patio that is overflowing with star jasmine in a spectacular display of greens with the contrast of white, star-shaped flowers and an even more spectacular fragrance that hangs on the air as it moves about the yard. Lemons hang so abundantly from the tree in the corner of the yard that the branches are nearly touching the ground from the weight of the fruit. Bright blue Stellar's Jays, fly in and out of the fig tree checking for any fruits that are nearly ripened...they are counting the days and so are we.
  Dappled sunlight streams through the weathered 2x2 redwood slats that make up the patio cover. Our 10-month-old squeals with excitement as he races across the concrete in his "walker", trying to escape the spray of water that his 4-year-old brother "accidentally" showered him with while filling his baby blue, plastic play pool. This is the best part of the day for me. I have left work behind, and have done my best to block it out of my mind while I get to enjoy my wife and kids. It is crazy at times, the demands of parenthood, and there are times when I wonder, "What the heck was I thinking!" Were I not so enamored with my little ones and enjoying them so much, I would have lost my sanity by now.
 
  Orion is a screamer! I can't blame him. We have screaming parrots, a screaming 4-year-old, a loud teenager, and a boisterous wife and mother. (Sorry Mel) Orion was born screaming. Compared to Apollo's soft and quiet new-born cry, Orion was really loud and my first thought was, "Wow! Apollo wasn't this loud until he was over a year old." The screaming has been well developed now and encouraged by Apollo who will match him decibel for decibel. I know that I have some hearing loss, but the high pitched, shrill screams, leave my ears ringing, and my head aching. I am seriously thinking about picking up some earplugs. Orion has been cranky lately from teething and a growth spurt, so he makes his discomfort well known by exercising his rather large lungs and obnoxiously loud voice. With our windows open at night and all the time we spend outside, I am surprised that Children Services has not shown up to make sure we weren't beating him. Alas, his cuteness and sweet disposition more than make up for these trying times, and has given me the foresight to consider singing lessons when he is older...maybe opera.
  Then there is Apollo. It is challenging to convey in writing the sarcasm and timing that Apollo has. I have been laughing off and on for the last two days while driving or seated in my office, contemplating his quick wit and general irreverence. He really is a naughty little guy and although I will take credit for many of his less than favorable moments, comments, or actions, there are just as many that are all Apollo and I can not for the life of me figure out where he comes up with this stuff.
  I occasionally will come home from work to have lunch with Melanie and the little ones. Upon arriving home one day this week, I entered the house only to find that Apollo and Aden were the only ones at home. Aden was in the backyard tending to the parrots and their afternoon outing. Apollo was in the house and greeted me with a hug and then joined me for lunch. In the 30 minutes that I was at home, Apollo filled me in on all the happenings of the morning and left me in hysterics for my return trip to work.
  Seated side by side at the counter, I asked Apollo where his mom was. "She went to take Ian to the doctor," he replied. And because I am always sarcastic, I had to ask, "Are they checking out his brain?"
"No," he started, "they are checking out his body so he can go camping again." I had to chuckle at this since he was obviously listening to everyones conversations all morning; Melanie had taken Ian to the doctor to have a physical done, as a requirement for his summer job at a Boy Scout camp. About that time, Aden opened up the sliding door from the patio and peaked his head inside to check out the time. "Hi Aden. What are you doing?" I asked. "I am checking the time to see if the birds have been out for an hour yet, which they have been, so I can put them away," Aden responded. Apollo looked at me, cocked his head to the side, rolled his eyes and said, "We just got the birds out." Busted, Aden.

  The icing on the cake for my lunch time visit, came amidst the random conversation and questions. At some point, Apollo noticed a small hole on the sleeve of my shirt. He reached over, stuck his finger in it, and pulled, slightly tearing the fabric. "Apollo!" I said in a slightly stern voice with a look of disapproval on my face. He quickly retracted his hand, clasped his hands together in his lap, pursed his lips in a failed attempt to hold in a smile and said, "I don't know better." and then burst into laughter. "I was just pretending dada," he confessed. I have been laughing for two days over this.
  For an encore, Apollo out did himself tonight. We were all seated around the table for dinner when Melanie asked Ian to bless the food. As Ian started his prayer, Apollo decided that he would offer up his own prayer, and the first one that he has done unassisted, I might add. Talking over his brother, we heard; "...and bless momma and dada, especially dada because he is really naughty and he likes to say potty words. Amen!" Amen, indeed.