play time

It's Friday. The power is out in the neighborhood for some reason. I'm tapping away at a solitaire game on the laptop while the kids have toys spread out in the living room. I start hearing bits and pieces of their playing and realize nothing could be more impossible to follow. When I start taking notes, there's something going on with Indiana Jones, Anakin Skywalker, and the Secret Service.

J:He disguises himself as a gold miner

S:Be ready for any of his tricks

J:But they don't know

S:Jane, I can play anyway I want, right mom? See?

J:I'm using this as a metal detector and also as a ghost shooter

S:Oh yeah, I have a ghost buster extreme. It can make ghosts, too. Ah, Ah, Ah.

J:What?

S:My guy has secret ammo, and he's covering it up. Look he's covering it up.

J:You said that twice you know.

S:Hey, we'll be on your team if you do one thing. Attack them

J:No, Stephen, they don't know

S:Find out where they live

J:My guys have a very odd house. No one goes up here but my guys because it was said to be haunted

S:They agreed.

J:Hi there

S:What do you want? Hey it's the kid with the freckles!

J:It's my guys

S:He attacked our place. He intruded!

J:No that's a different guy. There's another kid with freckles, he's my evil twin.

S:Get him, we'll load him in the...&*$#^@&*!!!! Get outta here you!

J:We were just going to ask you something!

S:Jane, I think your thumb is bleeding

J:No it's from my fingernail polish. We were just going to ask for passage through your lands to search for the bad guys

S:no they've joined us

J: well, can I still have passage? Stephen look...okay, pause game

silence

S:wow the game really was paused

J:okay play

S:Yaaah! Get back here!!

J:no

S:We must have more cover

Jane pretends to toss pillow onto his toys

S: Nooooooo!!!!

J: I was just joking

S: choking?

J: j-j-j-joking

S:get the police

J:we are the police

S:yeah the space police

J:well they are also the regular police

S:no!

J:I can play however I want

S:police, police someone intruded in our land! And he nearly destroyed our fort

J: (singing)do-do-do-do-do

S:do you hear me? *&^%$ aaaah, puh, kush!

J:beep beep.... no it's just a dime again

S:yo! no intruding in their land

J:according to the law you cannot arrest children

S:then I'll arrest you mom and dad

J:don't have nay

S: then I'll arrest your alien

J: he's a kid too

S: President! Can you change the law that kids can't be arrested? New law! You can arrest kids

J: That's not fair. I'm only 10

S: How old is your brother?

J:12

S:I wont' allow you todothat

J: I'm police

S: one shot of this gun can destroy your motorcycle

J: the guns are on fire!

S: Not fair!

J: yes it is

S: (shooting noises)

J:then my guys are going to the hidden mountains, and nobody else can come there

S:they'll never escape, they'll never get away with that

J: Stephen only my guys know it's not haunted

a few moments of silence

S: pretend she was stealing dinosaurs from a museum

J: tick tock...jinx! Stephen

S:Thanks. mom I have a country style clock. Guess what it says tickatockatickatocka Jinx! Jane

J: It's the government acquisition that puts me in a bad position

What else can I say?