I don't remember it being cold like this in May. It feels more like March. I know it probably has been this cool but it is so infrequent I just don't remember it. Aunt Mar calls it Locust Winter which is a new one on me. We have also had a lot of rain.
ALL SETTLED IN. Jenna is one happy girl. We finished painting the upstairs last week and had the room ready for her by Friday night. Her room is purple and Vicki has found all kinds of stuff to decorate it with and make it look really cute. Jenna is really proud of it and I think any little girl would be proud to have a room like it. She is really happy to not have a messy roommate any more (and so far she has kept it immaculate). Vicki has confessed that she is jealous of Jenna and her room.
It stormed for Jenna's first night in her new room. We wondered if it would bother her but she said she wasn't scared.
FORCING OUR HAND? When we bought paint for the study and Jenna's room we also got paint for our bedroom. The plan is to get these three rooms squared away by the end of June and then tackle the living room, foyer and the boys room later this summer or in the fall.
This morning, as I was sitting at the table eating and talking to Vicki I heard the sound of paper being torn. Then Nate comes into the kitchen holding a large piece of paper and proudly exclaiming, "My picture!" His picture was a section of wall paper he ripped off the wall in the foyer. It was about half as tall as he is. Our living room and foyer may be getting a makeover sooner than we planned.
A BIG BOY BED. Call us brave or stupid but we promoted Nate to Jenna's old bed. He has done pretty well but he has gotten up and aggravated Ben a couple of times after we put them down to bed. He is also starting to catch on to the fact that he is not supposed to get up in the morning before Vicki's alarm goes off. I think we'll finally be able to pack the baby bed away to save for future grandchildren.
PLAYING CATCH UP. With all the painting, rainy weather and a dead battery in the mower we let all the yards go for about two weeks. So, they became our focus on Monday and Tuesday. It really works out pretty well. Pauline keeps the kids while Vicki and I team up to mow her yard, our yard and Aunt Mar's yard. Fortunately, with all the trees, we rarely need to mow all of Aunt Mar's yard at one time.
Every year about this time the daisies start to sprout on the bank in front of Aunt Mar's house. They aren't thick but they do cover almost the entire length of the bank (about 200 feet). They all got started about 20 years ago when we let a small clump of daisies grow near the water meter. They'll be really pretty in a week or so.
LOOKING FOR JUICE. The other morning I poured Nate a sippy cup of juice. When breakfast was ready he came to the table without his cup. I asked him where it was but he just looked at me and grinned. Then I told him to go find it and he ran off. A bit later I heard him calling, "Juice, juice, are you?"
Nate is a little confused on names as he thinks Ben's name is Nate. He will even point to Ben's picture and say, "Nate!" It is really funny to hear him look for Ben ("Nate, Nate, are you?!").
VOLLEYBALL BLUES. Vicki's team finished their season with a win last week. This week all the teams are playing in a single elimination tournament. They were eliminated after their first game. They were ranked 6 out of 13 before the tournament. Vicki is already looking forward to next year's season.
A VISIT WITH AUNT HELEN. We went to see Aunt Helen last weekend. I think she was glad to see us. She is living in an assisted living home in Halltown. (Where's Halltown? Why, its next to New Deal!) It is a very nice facility (one of the nicest I've seen) and she was eager to take us on a tour. All the folks there enjoyed our three entertainers. She seems to be very happy there.
A NIGHT IN THE E.R. Mom called me last night after she got home from choir practice. Her knee was swelling up again like it did back on November. The good thing was that she wasn't in as much pain as the last time. We both felt it would be wise to head to the Emergency Room so we left for NorthCrest. When they finally got to Mom (they'd had 7 chest pain patients among the others there seeking treatment) the doctor drew off 50 cc of blood. This is about half the amount that was removed in November which is probably why she wasn't in a lot of pain.
This time they sent her home in a leg brace and told her to wear it for 48 hours. If she doesn't kill herself trying to walk in that thing I think she'll be back to normal by this weekend.
A COOL CHURCH. Our associate pastor, David Jennings, sent this to me in an email with pictures. Made of more than 75,000 LEGOs it is about 7 feet by 5 1/2 feet by 30" (2.2 m x 1.7 m x .76 m) and seats 1372 LEGO people. It has 3976 windows and features a balcony, a narthex, stairs to the balcony, restrooms, coat rooms, several mosaics, a nave, a baptistry, an alter, a crucifix, a pulpit and an elaborate pipe organ. It took about a year and a half of planning, building and photographing. The woman who made it calls it the Abston Church of Christ's and her web site is worth a visit.
Joe
