Sleepy children stumble from bed in footy pajama's wandering to the den to find Momma reading. Words like "oatmeal" and "sit-by-you" echo as rested children enter from every corner. The reading lamp is switched off and the kitchen light turned on and Momma works her magic on the oatmeal until all the little ones needs are met. Then the dead are woken (the teenagers that is), with the dreadful, and entirely too happy "Goodmorning! Goodmorning!! Goodmorning!!!!" song chirped by the chef, Momma. The day has officially begun.
Bible time for the family is set in progress. The two youngest and loudest boys begin blanket time, listening to the older siblings read God’s Word out loud. Thirty minutes later, during the ending prayer, there are whispers from Samuel, (lovingly called Sam-ul), “is it over yet? Is blanket time done?” Once given the green light, Samuel and Caden stand up and clap, then attempt to fold their blankets by wadding them into circles. The kids disperse to their assigned zones, cleaning with the help of one toddler pushing a play-school vacuum, and the other squirting and wiping everything in sight.
After all the “zones” are cleaned, lunch time comes quickly, (considering it's usually at eleven.) This is when the time of fun, whining, and sticky counters arrives. The dishes, toys, and other random objects, sprout legs and walk all by themselves to various places undoing the previous cleaning session. The result of this undoing is commonly referred to as the "disaster site." Messes are more easily created than cleaned in our family. Like stated regularly around the Bonin home, "Where there are no oxen the manger is clean" …or something like that...I forget the point of the saying altogether.
The little ones run off to the playroom where they enter their imaginary world of dinosaurs, airplanes, blocks and cars. For the middle kids the scorching 103° Texas afternoon heat is no fun, but when the trampoline, bathing suits, and cold water-hose call they answer. For two ridiculous hours this laundry-creating, wet-floor-making, frenzy continues until homemade popsicles are offered to cool down the beat red children.
Around 5 o'clock the whole neighborhood hears the good news that "Daddy's home!" as all the children, three cats, and moody dog yell "HOORAY!" Dinner has been burned black and everyone is ready to dig in. Considering no one has eaten in around half an hour (snack time was then) everyone is starving. Dinner time mess is cleaned (well, eventually). Momma and the three oldest girls don their exercise clothes and hit the neighborhood trail for an evening sweat, while Daddy and the boys workout at home with little ones jumping all around them. After showers the family is ready to wind down for bed.
Before all the lights are turned off and doors locked, the youngest four kiddos in the house climb all over Momma. In pure delight and anticipation they wait for the Dr. Suess book "Are you my Mother?" to be read to the multitude. The time finally comes for all the children to be tucked in and kissed goodnight and, FINALLY, there seems to be peace in the house... The bedrooms lights shut off and the hard working parents lay down in their room for a good night’s rest. Five seconds into the quiet however a piercing scream is heard from the youngest boy. You hear Dad yell, "Cadennnnnnn" and it is the last thing you remember before drifting off to sleep, the morning returns and the Bonin day starts over.
