January 18 – “Waco Wars”

Chris and Christi were beside themselves all weekend.  Seems HGTV was filming an episode of Fixer Upper right down the street from where Josh and Christi live.  Christi told us she had even seen Joanna Gaines at some point in the process.  She didn’t mention Chip, though. Guess he was working inside.  We did have to drive by there.  They were setting up that huge photo on rollers of what the house used to look like before they started on their massive reno project.  Then on reveal day they roll it out of the way so the homeowners can see the new house.  I’m sure we’ll have to be on the lookout for that episode now.

We did manage to fit in our traditional Mexican food trip.  I know.  That is a weird place to have a Mexican food dinner.  But the tradition started years ago when they lived in Mansfield.  There was a Panchos near their house, so we went there every time we visited, for old time’s sake.  (When our boys were growing up, that was one of the few places we could go that they could get filled up for cheap.  Actually there’s more nostalgia than that.  Chris and I used to go there on dates when we were in college.  The full buffet back then was 99 cents.  Yep.  We’re that old).  Then they moved to San Antonio, so our options for Mexican food were a bit more varied, and they made more sense, with the hugs Mexican population there.  There was a long wait at the place we went. Didn’t bother young Luke, however.  He indicated his desire to be released on his own recognizance.  His Dad obliged with the stipulation that one hand still remain in custody at all times.  Satisfied with those terms, Luke proceeded to take his Daddy directly over to the bar to check out the babes and the football game while we waited.  They didn’t pick up any chicks, though.  Luke was way too cool for that.  And Josh?  Well, Josh knew better.

To say that Caleb was excited about his birthday party would be an understatement.  He had selected a World War II theme, so Christi, in her Masterful Mom way gathered decorations all in camoflauge.  I was worried the kids might not be able to find them, but apparently they had been well-trained to spot instruments of mass consumption and any paraphernalia that made such consumption possible.  Josh created a tank and a machine gun outpost out of some old cardboard boxes, paper, lots of duct tape, one of the clear plastic drawers from one of Christi’s shelving units (don’t tell her, though), and several old cans of spray paint. 

All the games were set to go.  Create your own dog tags.  Pass the hand grenade (a version of hot potato.  It went slow until Josh grabbed two more and literally threw them into the mix).  Paper airplane competition (And at this point the Dads began to get involved).  Find the enemy soldiers (Apparently the enemy had infiltrated the camp and 100 of the tiny green soldiers were hiding all around the room, thanks to Josh’s pre-party preparation).  Medic (During the skirmish two of our own had been injured.  Zak and his friend, both older party-goers, had to stand still while the younger ones bound up their entire bodies with toilet paper).  Target practice (Each kid was issued a created by hand, Josh V. hand gun for shooting marshmallows.  Christi had a huge bowl full of ammunition.  The object was to shoot the captured army men off the deck railing.  The action was beginning to get intense.  Here one of the Dads pulled out some of those little tiny poppers that make the shooting sound when tossed to the ground.  Gave some instnse sound effects to the target practice).  The final game was the battle royale in the back yard.  Christi set the entire bowl of marshmallows on the ground, each kid had his or her gun and the opportunity to hide in the tank or machine gun nest, and she turned them loose.  At first it was supposed to be on each other, but it soon became a battle between the short kids and the taller kids (aka Dads).  The Dads gave it their all.  Josh pulled out his machine gun version of the marshmallow gun.  Two other Dads had a secret weapon to ensure they couldn’t be found … smoke bombs.  But it was all to no avail.  The kids realized they could bypass the issued weapons and become weapons themselves.  They started grabbing handfuls of ammo and pelting the old guys with it.  The ammo was finally exhausted (as were a few Dads), so that game ended and we went back inside for presents and a piece of the amazing birthday cake.

The cake was a true work of art.  Made by (to quote Miss Kay Lynn, who warned me to never misquote her) “Caleb’s future mother-in-law,” it was a depiction of an aircraft carrier, complete with radio tower, flight lines on the deck, and the U.S.S. Caleb designation on the side.  It even had the distinctive angled-in sides.  Quite an impressive decorating job.  Oh, and it even had the kind of icing that you can actually eat, not to mention a good-tasting cake underneath.  Very good stuff.

Whew.  I think back now to that brief moment before the party began, when everything was all set up and I for one sat down to wait for the impending onslaught of young recruits, Caleb had one final word of caution for me.  “DadDad, don’t fall asleep or people will laugh at you.”  Granted, I’m pretty good at sleeping on the go, but no one could sleep through that party.  Happy birthday, Caleb.

Psalms 95:1 says, “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”

Father, thank for the fun that the Dads had at the party.  Their kids will remember that Dad was there and was laughing and playing with them long after they forget the cool tank and the marshmallow guns.  Amen.