Some Things Are Normal

There's a running joke in our house. I send Ger out to buy something, and he comes home with a LOT more. 

Like we'll be out of olive oil. He'll volunteer to go get more. Except he'll go to Costco and come home with something like five gallons of olive oil when we really only need (and have space for) one small bottle. 

Today, he decided that he needed slippers and would make a trip to the outlet mall near our house. I said, "Sure, but you're only going to buy slippers... right?" We also discussed a specific budget for slippers since that helps keep him focused when he's shopping.

Forty-five minutes later, he came home with a GIANT bag from Goodwill. It included a 2-foot-tall ceramic rooster. 

He had the biggest grin on his face, delighted that he'd found something so... interesting?

"We can put it outside," he said. 

"Uhhh... no, we can't," I replied. "That's not an outdoor material."

So we had to find a spot in this house for an enormous ceramic rooster. And... let's just say it doesn't exactly match the decor. 

Ger, however, was so pleased that he'd managed to come home with so much stuff while also staying on budget. Other purchases included slippers (the original shopping goal), a pair of flip flops, and two shirts for Autumn.  

We decided that the rooster needed a name (kind of like Beyoncé the Metal Chicken). We finally settled on Will Smith, since the rooster came from Goodwill.

Will Smith has been moved to our sunroom, where the kids play video games. We had a Mario Kart showdown later that evening, and anyone who lost a round had to pretend that Will Smith was pecking them on the head.

We're kind of a goofy family. There was a LOT of laughing about Will Smith, especially from my older kids.

I know that the few months after brain surgery are going to be hard. Recovery might be scary for my kids. It's certainly a scary thought for me. Things might not feel "normal" for a long time. Or perhaps we have a new normal — we've certainly done that before.