Autumn is here! The grass and weeds are starting to look; well, tired. Almost all of the tobacco is in and the farmers around here are in the middle of picking corn. Everywhere you look you see signs of another growing season coming to a close.
A LITTLE SELF EXAMINATION. I had to stay late at church Sunday night for a meeting which put Vicki doing bedtime by herself. Ben was being slow about everything which was an irritation to Vicki. Vicki went to get Ben's toothbrush and it was not in its usual spot. When asked where he had put the toothbrush Ben said, "I don't know." Vicki shot back, "Fine then. You can just got to bed with dirty teeth." This prompted him to scramble up onto the counter and look in the bathroom closet for it, which he found hidden on another shelf.
Vicki reprimanded Ben by tapping where the toothbrush should go and saying, "Benton, you know your toothbrush lives right here. You are not supposed to put it anywhere else. Do you hear me?" Ben thoughtfully replied, "I don't know why Bentons do that. It makes Mommies mad." He knows just what to say to melt his mom's heart.
KEEP OUT. Jenna asked me to write up a sign for her the other day which she taped to her bedroom door. It reads, "Don't come in there. You can only come in there at night. -Jenna." This was directed at me and Vicki.
PASSING ALONG SOME NEWS. I heard from Virginia Ellen Hanks, a cousin of mine on Mom's side of the family, in response to getting this newsletter. She reports that her mother, Mary Rose Meador, is not doing well. I'm sure they would appreciate your keeping her in your prayers. She is in her mid 80s.
Another bit of news Virginia Ellen reported was that her grandson is into racing and recently came in first at the Nashville Speedway. If you are interested you can check out his site at www.keetonhanksracing.com. Who knows, we may see Keeton's name on the NASCAR circuit in a few years.
GONE BACK HOME. Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob left for Florida on Monday. We sure do miss them.
I am glad to have Vicki at home in the evenings though. After the kids were in bed she would go over to Aunt Mar's to play Spades until after midnight.
ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS. For the last 6 weeks I have been teaching a class at church on Sunday evenings to train people to use the sound system and A/V equipment. I'm glad we did this because it has added to our A/V team and will make things easier on the rest of us. Starting tomorrow evening I will be leading a study on Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Vicki and I have really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for whenever you are looking for something new to study.
RAISING BOYS. Vicki and I have both read the James Dobson book Bringing Up Boys and have found it very useful. She is currently attending a class focusing on that book on Sunday nights at church. I think she is enjoying the class a whole lot.
IMMORTALITY ISN'T ALL IT'S CRACKED UP TO BE. At least according to Angus Tuck it's not. But Vicki and I will give Tuck Everlasting four thumbs up. It was a very clean movie. I even got the point of this story!
GONE TO NASHVILLE. Nashville, Indiana, that is. Mom and Aunt Mar went there on an overnight trip with the seniors at church. They left on Thursday and came back yesterday. I haven't had a chance to talk to them about it much but they seemed to have had a great time. The important thing was that they found a Russell Stover outlet on the way home.
A VISIT FROM CAMDEN. Pauline entertained four high school friends who had driven up from Camden yesterday. She says they really liked her house and that they had a nice visit. Upon leaving they said they'd have to try out the beds next time.
A BIT OF HISTORY. The Cross Plains Heritage Commission met on Thursday evening. We had a really interesting program on the Bowen House that is located in Moss-Wright Park in Goodlettsville, TN.
LOST AT THE PLAYGROUND. We went back to the park at White House last night. They have some really nice playground equipment there. Jenna took one look at the fireman's pole and passed right on by. Ben, after watching another girl use it, jumps over to it, grabs on and slides down, much to Vicki's surprise. When he hit the ground he came up shouting, "I DID IT! I GOTTA TO GO TELL MY MOMMY!" After reporting in he goes back to slide again but this time he can't find the top of the pole. Vicki and I were sitting on the bench cracking up as we watched this perplexed child running around the little elevated walkways searching for pole he had somehow lost. Finally, he looks over at us and says "I can't find where is it."
NOT ONE BUT TWO. Nate's two front teeth are in! The left one popped through on Thursday and the other came in today. He'll grin at anyone wanting to check them out.
YOU KNOW YOU'RE A REDNECK when your three year old kids make up their own party games throwing dirt clods at a grain bin. When Vicki and Lori discovered Ben and Wilson they were filthy but having tremendous fun. We were at Wilson Swann's third birthday party this evening. It was over at Kenny and Lori's barn. We had a whole lot of fun just relaxing and enjoying each other's company.
Joe
