The situation I found myself in last night

was one that comes around each July:

the company I work for was having their annual family picnic.

I was the girl from the third floor corner office without any, um, family to bring.

I needed a date, and stat.

– — –

The good news?  I found a date.

The even better news?  I found three dates.

But the best news?  You’ve met them before.

I’m convinced that Angelina has never met a water slide she didn’t love.

The same goes for Juliana, too.

But this one… well, this one wasn’t feeling the water slides.

Ryan and I have talked a lot about Olivia and water.

She doesn’t remember being underwater before her accident,

but she knows that the reason she was so sick was because of water.

He and I have talked a lot about how we don’t want her to fear water.

But, at the same time, I didn’t want to push her.

After a few reassurances that I would be at the end to catch her,

Olivia decided it was time to slip and slide.

We took a break from the games to enjoy a sno cone.

Angelina had mixed flavors.

Juliana had the blue flavor.

And Olivia had a mess.

I had the strawberry flavor, thank you so much for asking.

It is, after all, the summer of the strawberry in my little life.

We played for a good two hours last night.

I loved watching the girls shriek and scream.

I also loved whenever one of my old professors that I had in college

would come up to me, see the three girls at my feet and look confused.

Wait, isn’t she single?  And childless?  But she has three children?  At the family picnic?

For the religion professors, I just leaned in and said, very sweetly,

“Can you believe I was able to keep them a secret for so long?”

Nervous laughs, from each of ‘em.  Is she joking?  Surely she’s joking.

But when my old economics professor came up to me, I told him the truth.

He was, after all, kind enough to let me pass his class as a freshman.

– — –

My announcement that we had to head home for bedtime

was met with disapproval from each of the girls.

Olivia, however, chose to express hers without using words.