Can I just freeze time?

Friday nights used to be something I looked forward to.  Tom and I would get a babysitter and the kids would play at home for a few hours while we were out.  They had more fun with the babysitter and we needed the break getting out.  Then, as the kids got older we would all rent a fun movie or play games together on Friday nights.  So fun!  Now---with two teenagers in the house, it's all about FRIENDS.  Whose house are they going to, which friends are they going with, are their parents home, who is driving, when do you need to be picked up????  It's a circus!  Even my 9 year old wants to have a "late night" with his friend so he can be entertained like his older siblings.  


As Tom and I got the older two where they wanted to be and brought a friend over for Spencer, we got out some ice cream and some cones.  We scooped ice cream and listened to these sweet kids talk about their "squishees" that they bought from the library today at school for a quarter each.  They were laughing about all of the different kinds of "squishees" they would make if they could.  (btw - squishees are tiny little rubber characters no bigger than your thumbnail)  Their innocent comments and laughter made me seriously want to freeze time and keep them like this forever.  

Here's Spencer, Hailey, and Grayson having a fun late night ice cream party (with their "squishees" on the counter!)

Don't get me wrong----there are some Friday nights that are wonderful (particularly the ones where I get to have a date with Tom!).  But that is a real reason why we take our kids away on vacations so that we can have some good old-fashioned FAMILY TIME.  Friends are awesome (especially if they are GOOD friends) but some days I just wish our kids were all little again and we could just have them stay home like little chicks under our wings. . .