Q is for Queen

This is James posting - Alicia suggested I be a "guest blogger" some time ago and while I've been putting it off, this past week put me over the top.

When Alicia and I were just dating, I knew she was a princess and tried to treat her like she deserved.

Let's not get carried away though—there’s no "yes, your highness!" and "Right away, your majesty!" There's no royal turn-down service and to be honest, sometimes it's all I can do to remember to open her door for her. But let's be honest--she's something amazing and deep down, I know it.

So what happens when the princess grows up? That's right--she becomes a Queen.

This past week we have had the boys for Spring Break. I’m working full time and going to school full time also. So guess who gets to take over? The Princess. Let me tell you—it’s no small task. But Alicia understands how important this time is to me and after all, it’s Alicia: Overachiever Extraordinaire.

The Challenge:

• 2 competitive boys


• adjusting to dad’s house


• love stick swords and poking eyes out.


• Special talents: collecting bugs, spreading glorious mud, acquiring wild pets, and getting the upper hand.


• No video-games


• No TV


• No corporal punishment


• Oh yeah—and each comes with a hidden stash of candy

But wait—there’s more— how about a 3-month-old-baby, still nursing, with thrush, and she has to work one of the mornings and leave her charmingly inept prince in charge of the troops & castle while he works from home.

Princess work?

The Results:

• Each night one of us got to pick out our favorite dinner and she bought, prepared, and served it to us.


• She also fed the missionaries.


• She decided Grey could throw a party for his friends at our house on Friday and “was so cool!”


• The house stayed pretty much orderly throughout.


• The boys both had 1-on-1 time with each of us.


• Baby’s still happy and growing.


• She spent time teaching Aidan how to read


• We had a PHENOMENAL date night.


• She managed to let me sleep in till 10:00am on Saturday.


• Sunday, while I was at meetings, she got all 3 boys to church early and delivered a home-made hot sausage egg McMuffin…with cheese. Melting, dripping, cheddar cheese


• Both boys wrote in their journals and posted on this blog (their own words).


• We dyed Easter Eggs


• Family trip to Arena Sports for free!


• Cousin sleepover where the kids stayed up late partying in a tent built in our living room


• Not a single complaint about the 4 taquito-fed minnow guests which lived rent-free in her Tupperware

The background in this picture is not lost on me.

We joked after the boys left about how surprisingly well everything had gone. It wasn’t till then that I realized that all of this had been done with an amazing amount of grace.

In many of the fairy tales I love, there is a theme of the prince growing up to face his kingdom duties. Usually the luxury-laden royal child resists the royal responsibility and seeks adventure or escape, but in the very best of these tales, the prince or princess rises up and takes on the duties of the kingdom –often with grace and elegance.

When we got engaged, I hoped I had chosen a Quality princess. Alicia got this big “Q” for our wedding party and it hangs in our entry-way. I love that her last name is Quigley now and that she helps govern our little Quigley kingdom. I’m a bit proud of our Quigley name and love that she bought (and painted) the “Q”. But the more I know her, see her work, and the way she carries herself, I the more I realize that in our house, Q is for Queen.

Thanks for an awesome spring break, Darling.