We’ll know in a few weeks if March went out like a lion but it sure came in with pretty weather. I got an email from Dianna Cotter saying they are going camping this week. Pretty weather or no, it’s still a bit too cold for that here in Tennessee.
FLEXIBLE AND TOTALLY DISGUSTING. We try to have a family devotion time every night before sending the kids to bed. The normal routine is to read a Bible story and pray together. The other night as I was reading I kept hearing this nibbling sound next to me. My curiosity finally got the best of me and I stopped to see what it was. As I turned my head I discovered Ben biting his nails--his toe nails that is! A sheepish grin spread across his face and everyone broke out in a giggling fit.
UPWARD AWARD NIGHT. With the last basketball game behind us we went to the awards night to celebrate the end of the season. One of the highlights of the evening was the performance of Christian illusionists David and Teesha Laflin. They did some really cool tricks and used their illusions to teach about Jesus. It was a fun evening.
NATEISMS. It is always amazing to hear how kids choose to express what’s on their mind. Sometimes you wonder where they heard a particular word or phrase. For example, the other morning we had pancakes for breakfast. He complimented the meal by saying, “Mmm, that’s tasty!” None of the rest of us ever say “tasty.” Of course, we always appreciate it when he says “You’re the best dad” or “You’re the best mom.”
Pauline told us about a cute prayer of his when he spent the night with her the other night. He said, “God, God, We go to church and I’m sooo happy. Amen.”
LIFE WITH BEN. Ben does have his own “isms” but it seems they are fewer and further between. The other day he told us he wanted to play “Guns and Ladders.” We were pretty confused with that one until he went and got the “Chutes and Ladders” game.
Ben likes to wrestle. We usually do this on the bed so I won’t hurt him when I body slam him. It doesn’t matter how many times I put him down he just keeps coming back for more. The sad thing is that I am the one who usually gets hurt. I try to be a little careful because I really don’t want to make a trip to the ER. Ben has none of these concerns on his mind. He is out for blood. Once, when Nate was in on a wrestling session with us I looked up to see Ben flying through the air. I rolled to push Nate out of the way only to have Ben land with his knees right on my kidneys. I wasn’t quite the same for a while after that.
OVERRULED. Jenna, at this stage in her life, is a really easy going kid. She keeps her room picked up. She gets herself ready for school. And in general she goes with the flow of life in our family with little complaint. But Jenna wants long hair. So far her genes have seen fit to only produce thin, stringy hair. It looks really good when it is short but this changes as it get longer and longer. This doesn’t help much when most of her friends have long hair. It wasn’t a fun ride for Vicki when she informed Jenna that she was getting her hair cut the other afternoon. So if you see Jenna keep in mind that the hair is a touchy subject.
(Vicki told Jenna she could relate as Grandma Jones styled her hair with “horns” on the sides at one point. I’ll have to admit that after seeing Vicki’s 3rd grade picture I’ve never seen hair styled like this before or since. Jenna smiled at this story when Vicki said, “At least I can go to your school and find other girls with hair like yours unlike me when no one on the planet had my hairstyle.”
RESCHEDULED. Pauline’s surgery has been pushed back one day to Wednesday, March 15. She is keeping really busy to keep her mind occupied. She finished up the curtains for our foyer today.
Joe
