Gather around the Fireplace

What wonderful memories gathering around the fireplace bring. When I was a little girl, some of my fondest memories were on a Sunday evening, my dad would start a fire in our fireplace. All of my brothers and sisters would get so excited! My dad would lay his big body across the floor in front of the fireplace and stretch his arms out wide. All of us kids would pile in like sardines in a can and rest our heads on a part of his arm. I can still recall the smell of his Bruit deoderant as I'd lay on my spot on his arm. He'd make "plans" with us about when we'd go on a mission to Brazil (little did he know!) or he'd tell us stories about when he and Uncle Max were little boys down in Lousianna . Those stories always started out like this: "Once upon a time in the land of...", and then all us kids would yell, "OO-PAPA-DA!!", and he tickle us and say, "I'M THE ONE WHOSE SUPPOSE TO SAY IT!!!" Such fun! So now it's our turn to create memories like that for our kids.
Yesterday it got really cold outside and started to snow softly. After we got home from church and had ourselves some lunch, Dave decided that it was the perfect night to have a fire. We got out blankets and pillows and laid around the fireplace. Dave started out by going around the family and asking the kids different questions to get them started on recalling experiences they've had in their short little childhoods. It was so fun listening to their memories from their prespectives. One of the questions was, "What was the most embarrassing things that has ever happened to you?" Oliver told how just the other day when he had to go get an x-ray for his collarbone he had an embarrassing thing happen to him. The doctors office had Chloe and I wait in the examination room while an x-ray technician took Oliver to get his x-ray. She layed him on the table and told him to hold still and not move. Then she left the room. I guess that Oliver had to go to the bathroom pretty bad but the lady was no where in sight. Oliver being the kid he is knew that he was suppose to hold still and not move. Well, you can imagine what happened! He was so embarrassed! He came into the room and explained what had happened. I said that it was ok and as soon as the doctor saw us we'd go home and give him a bath. He had a long t-shirt on that covered his pants so I told him no one was going to even see the mess. Well, the doctor came in and asked if he could take off his shirt! His eyed got as big a silver dollars as he looked over at me in panic! Poor kid! He laughed and laughed when he told us all this story!
Other questions we aked the kids were to tell us when they were the most scared, the most happy and the funnest thing they had ever done. We asked questions until we couldn't think of anything else to ask them! They didn't want the evening to end. They begged us to ask more!
We've also had a tradition of telling them Oo-papa-da stories and stories from Dave's childhood (or as they like to say "Gandpa John stories"...Dave's dad was kind of notorious for doing some crazy things!). We've had a great time as a family getting together this way. We haven't always had a fireplace in the homes we've lived in before, so we've enjoyed talking around the firepit outside or in our tent when we'd camp.
You know, sometimes what our children want most of all is our undivided time and attention. What an inexpensive, wonderful time we shared gathered around the fire!