It seems to me like farmers are later getting their tobacco in this year. Since I last wrote Bill Chatman has finished cutting the tobacco on Mom’s farm and has been housing in the barn next to our house. I am also meeting a lot of combines on the road as farmers are picking corn.
GOOD ATTITUDE. I want to brag on Ben a bit here. He has always made good grades, but he’s the kind of kid who puts a lot of sweat into every point he earns. Spelling words are his biggest challenge. Jenna and Nate seem to be able to look over their spelling words a time or two and know how to spell them, but not Ben. Math is Ben’s forte.
We were really worried about school this year because doing homework with Ben last year was not a pleasant experience. He was miserable with the chore and many times did all he could to make us miserable as well. We also know that in many ways the party is over after Second Grade.
Well, Ben has pleasantly surprised us this year. His attitude is great! He’s a completely different kid. I think his attitude goes a long way toward helping him do his homework successfully. This is not to say that spelling words are his favorite thing to do though. On Sunday Jenna asked how many weeks until Fall Break. When I answered Ben said, “Oh no, three more spelling tests!”
MORNING ROUTINE. All three of our kids have been really good about getting ready for school on their own this year. I don’t think we’ve been rushing out the door to get to the bus but one time. A lot of mornings the boys are ready 10-15 minutes before it’s time to leave. This morning was no different and they were upstairs playing while I was getting ready. Hearing this Vicki decided to go down the checklist to see if they truly were ready to go.
She yelled up from downstairs, “Boys, have you eaten breakfast?”
“Yes,” in unison.
“Are you dressed?”
“Yes,” again in unison.
“Have you brushed your teeth?”
“Yes!”
“Are your backpacks ready to go?”
“YES!”
“Have you made up your beds?”
“YES!” Then Nate quickly changes his answer to “no.”
“Is your room clean?”
“Ye..,” Ben answers alone but then stops after the first syllable.
We can only assume it wasn’t.
MEN’S RETREAT. I’ve been to Coldstream Camp two weekends in a row now. Last weekend we had a men’s retreat there from our church. I had a really good time. There were fourteen of us who went. Most of us stayed at the camp, but a few commuted. We enjoyed fishing, playing cornhole and washers, and eating together. We also had some really good discussions about various aspects of manhood and what God calls us to be as men. I hope this will give our Men’s ministry at church a boost.
FUN PLAY TIME. I haven’t written about Ethan in quite a while. If you live in our community then Ethan is probably never far from your mind, but for those of you who don’t have a Cross Plains connection aside from our family I will simply remind you that Ethan is Ben’s good friend who was diagnosed with a brain tumor earlier this year. Ethan went to the hospital today for another dose of chemo so he’ll be feeling pretty rough for a few weeks, but the last two weeks have been really good for him. Tuesday afternoon Ethan called and asked if Ben could come over to play. This was the first time the boys have been able to get together in a long time and I think they both had a blast. They enjoyed two hours of playing the Wii, admiring each other’s Bakugan collection, and just being boys. Please continue to pray for Ethan and his battle with cancer.
CONFESSIONS OF A PEN THIEF. Last November I complained about my “kleptoPENiac” wife and how there is never a pen to write with at the computer desk. I will admit to being a bit anal about this. My cousin Judy even took pity on me and gave me a box of my favorite pens, the Pilot Precise V5, last Christmas. I almost always have one of these pens in my back pocket.
My wife’s habits have not changed in the last eleven months. Just a few weeks ago I caught myself complaining that I was still having to dig out a brand new pen every time I needed one at the computer desk.
Well, we got a good laugh last week. Vicki cleaned out her purse. She pulled out 22 different pens, pencils, and markers. Seven of these were my pens! Her purse is noticeably lighter now. For the time being I can sit at the desk and grab a pen any time I need one. And if I can’t find any I know all I have to do is find Vicki’s purse. Of course, she never puts her purse down in the same place twice. I think there’s a conspiracy going on here.
Joe
