Neighborhood Happenings

 As we prepared for our annual drive through the best-Christmas-light-display-EVER I was piddling in the house and Clark was loading the children into the car when a neighbor boy came riding up on Henry's bike saying he wanted to return it before we left.
 Our house, in the last 4 days, has somehow become the neighborhood hangout. This I could not be happier about as I would rather the boys and their friends be hanging out in my yard rather than someone elses so that I can "monitor" the games/battles/races/etc.  From the get-go I have stated that I want to have all the best treats, drinks, video games, whatever it takes to keep the fun at my house.
 However.. And this is a big HOWEVER, this means the children, all boys aged 6 through 10, are running wild through my house...Digging in the boys' toys, having incredibly aggressive lightsaber battles, utilizing all modes of transportation we have accumlated in the garage, helping themselves to cups of water in my kitchen, and peeing on my toilet seat (oh yes he did).
 So, after the fourth day in a row of this activity, mine and Clark's patience ran a little thin when we did not even know that Henry's bike had somehow become open game regardless of his participation or presence.  Two little boys had helped themselves to the bike, which had been put away in the garage, while we were all in the house.
Clark set them straight... Letting them know he was happy to have them over to play but if this happened again he would have to contact their parents (whom we have never seen nor heard from in the aforementioned 4 days of hours of after school play) or the police.
So, now that we have entered into this stage, the stage of impromtu soccer games in the street, pickup basketball games in the driveway, tag or dodgeball, whatever suits the fancy of elementary kids, I now have to cater to the overwhelming energy, manners, behaviors, appetites and antics of all the neighborhood boys.  Yikes!