Game night

Gotta love the classics! There's just something about them that make them timeless and engaging and... classic. I'm talking, of course, about board games. I've been pleasantly surprised to discover just how many of my favorite childhood games are still around.

Trouble is a new favorite of AJ's. We'd given it to him for his birthday, but - with the tact of a six-year-old - he dismissed it saying, "I hate that game." He's apparently played it at Cool Kids, with other kids, none of whom know the rules. I finally convinced him to play it with me last week. Once he figured out how to play, his competitive nature took hold, and he's been loving it ever since.

Another classic, which I was amazed to find on the store shelf, was Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots. (You can see the game if you look past the dog mooching for popcorn.)

AJ looked almost confused when he saw the box. A toy that he hadn't seen advertised? What's that? Once we set it up, he instantly loved it.

*****

A side note... as the photos show, Maggie is still with us and is doing relatively well. We continue to give her various pain medication 3-4 times a day. I suspect the extra attention and treats we've been plying her with have also helped.

Looking at the ease with which she's moving around, it's hard to believe the end could be near. We have enough medicine for at least the next two weeks, and will continue to refill the prescriptions as long as they're working for her. Still, it's a very morbid thing to buy food and treats for her in smaller quantities, recognizing that she may not be around to finish it all. We've yet to tell the kids how seriously sick Maggie is, but to a certain extent I think they've noticed we're spoiling her more than usual, and have been happy to help us with that effort. Sydney asked me yesterday at least 10 times if she could give Maggie a treat.

Each day she remains with us is a gift. I wish it hadn't taken a diagnosis of cancer for me to remember that.