Video Game Night

 Is that a GIRL infiltrating Video Game Night?!

 Tyler, Cade, Austin and a shell-shocked Grandpa

 "There's no such thing as too much at Video Game Night!"

 Jackson, Jake, Freestone, Collin

 Chase

The testosterone-driven alternative to Mother-Daughter Book Club, Video Game Night, is tonight.  As we speak, I can't hear anything except a rousing rendition of Eye of the Tiger with a hearty, if entirely innacurate drum accompaniment.  It was Freestone's idea to invite all the boy cousins over to indulge in unlimited amounts of his favorite activity, video games.  Freestone, Collin, Jackson and Jake decided one day that all the boy cousins should have a name.  Golda, Ruby and Lexie had long ago dubbed themselves "The Siskins," a combination of cousins and sisters.  Since there were four boys in the room at the time, the boys decided they would call themselves "The Fourskins."  Oh, how I wanted to let all the boys call themselves the Fourskins and laugh at how funny that is.  But I convinced them to change it to the Bro-skins to avoid confusion about - you know. 

This afternoon, I said, "Freestone, I want you to clean the basement to get ready for video game night."  Of course that didn't make any sense to him.  He said, "Mom, shouldn't I do something that has more to do with Video Game Night, like turning on the Playstation?"

Oh yeah, I forgot how easy it is to get ready to have a dozen little boys over.  Looking at Freestone's grubby shirt, I asked, "What are you wearing to video game night?"

"This."

OK, well, I guess Freestone was all set for his big night.

When I got home from guitar with Ruby and had rounded up all the girls from their activities, Video Game Night was in full swing.  No girls allowed and a "no such thing as too much" policy on treats had the boys running wild.  The Wii and the Playstation were both in full swing upstairs and down, and I thought how fun it was to see all this family togetherness, male bonding-style.  I caught Freestone in the kitchen and whispered to him, "Free, this is the most awesome idea ever!"

Without looking up from his foot-high ice cream sundae, he said, "Yeah.  But you're not invited."  With that, he turned and disappeared into the "Boy Cave." 

If two girls who planned a party together saw each other in the kitchen during the event, they would do a quick inventory of how it was going, who came, who didn't come, who was having fun, if there was enough food, if people liked the food, what to do next time...

Boys, they throw an idea out there and roll with whatever outcome takes place.  A bunch of dads and sons singing "Hungry Like a Wolf" in loud, warbling voices is a pretty successful outcome in any seven-year-old boy's book.  Scott says it's SO much fun, we'll definitely have to do it again, maybe even as soon as next year!