Its All In The Familia

On Saturday we had a gathering at my mother in laws house to celebrate the birthday of my father in law who passed away in November of last year. I imagine that he watched all of this from Heaven and had a damn good laugh. He was that type of man. So on Saturday my sister in law, Julie invited a few relatives over to join us. a few relatives and a few hundred kids of the relatives kids. okay it just SEEMED like a hundred kids. but it really must have been only 6 or 7. plus our kids. so we prayed. and it was good. we ate. and it was good. and then...something happened. something totally unanticipated. the kids of the kids....were still there. somehow...they didnt get the memo that said...after you finish eating brisket and rice and beans...its time to leave! okay...cuz like...I totally like to eat and leave. but it wouldnt have been troublesome if well...these kids werent so troublesome. it was like someone had laced their hot dogs with crack-infused mustard. they were OUTTA CONTROL! and the most disturbing part of all of this...OUR kids were behaving! the top offenders (as my husband described them that day) were quietly 'beyblading' in Josh's room. Cristian, Josh and Brandy were BEING GOOD FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! I thought perhaps the world had stopped spinning. there they were. a sea of calm. and just on the other side of the door was complete and utter chaos. MADNESS, I say! in fact, Roy was so astounded that he even payed them a dollar each for confounding us so completely. I had managed to hide myself away with Peepers for the most part. but after he had been fed, bathed, medicated, and fallen asleep in the back room...I had no choice but to fire up the baby monitor and leap into the fray. okay so what I REALLY did was make a straight bee-line for the backyard. and on my way, I passed my sister in law, Brenda and her husband, Tommy who were making a hasty exit with their two children in tow. and I thought...oh Lord it must be bad in there. if Brenda and Tommy were leaving...it must be REALLY bad in there...cuz for cripes sake...we had BEER outside! and Tommy will walk through fire to drink beer with Roy! but they were waving a frantic goodbye and hustling and bustling out the front door. I peeked in at the 'good' kids and made my way out back. I stepped over and around several small squealing children and finally the screen door was slamming behind me. and there we were. Julie, Janie, Roy, Sonia and cousin May. and myself. and we marveled over our own children. and Janie even jokingly implied that they were in the room doing taxes, they were so darn quiet. and the underlying thought here was...how bad do some kids have to be to make OUR kids look good in comparison?! and there were some murmurs of regret for the extended invites but the beer was cold and the breeze was blowing. and I'm sure that Dad was quite amused that his kids were in the backyard throwing back a cold one while Mom was inside trying to be the hostess with the mostest. we talked. and it was good. we laughed. and it was good. Roy demonstrated the Pokemon kick and the Puss In Boots kick...and it was good. and they eventually left. and it was REALLY good. and we all breathed a sigh of relief because...the Martinez family is crazy enough all on its own. throw some other Martinez into the mix and its damn insane in here! but its all Love.
Happy Birthday Dad!