Summer

Today, in an unprecendented Dykstra act of hospitality, I, Emily Dykstra, opened my heart and home to 11 wild children, one of which was my own.

Okay so I'm being a little melodramatic. But only a little. We had an amazing day of summer fun and... note this... technically it's still spring. But don't tell the children because we soaked them with a sprinkler, let them gorge themselves on juicy, messy watermelon and fed them vast amounts of mystery meat for lunch. It was a hedonism, I tell you. Preschool hedonism.

It was interesting watching our children interact. There were two schools of thought, for example, on the cleanliness of the pool. One camp believed that the pool should be free of any grass clippings or bugs. The other camp believed that not only should plant and insect life be encouraged, but that the pool should also be clouded with sand. Generally the disagreements ended quickly with a quick dash through the sprinkler or a maternal shout.

I sacrificed a watermelon to the hungry mass of children. They didn't really eat it. They inhaled it like an Electrolux vacuum hungrily sucking up unmentionables under a bed. The red juice of the fruit painted their little faces and left Fred Flintstone 5 o'clock shadows on their jowls. (See photo below.) My, were they happy.

It's summer, my friends. Welcome, summer. Stay as long as you want.