Glimpse of hubby's life

Stan and I rarely talk on the phone during the work day. He's working, and very busy, so we reserve calls for only emergencies. I recall a few of those calls ....

"I THINK GRANT BROKE HIS ARM"
another time ...
"Don't panic. Our house has been burglarized. Can you come home?"
and then ...
"I THINK GILES BROKE HIS ARM."

There have been other less hysterical (not the funny kind) calls to Daddy's work. But those three came quickly to mind. Then I realized that all three of those calls occurred within about six weeks.

Anyway, no reason for that digression to the point ... which is ... though I don't call, I do email. That's no surprise to anyone who knows me!

I fired off something to him earlier about this and that. No biggies just stuff about what he wants for dinner or what he's wearing right now!! And what he's thinking about all of my thoughts.

His reply:
"I refuse to think. I've been thinking too much today and my brain is mush! Should I apply compression dressings on wounds that don't have current arterial studies? Should home health get involved with this wound? Should the patient be on antibiotics; should the doctor be disturbed/paged from their 40 million patients to have me say "maybe you should look at this"? should I pick at that piece of black stuff or is that a cauterized artery?"

Oh dear. Happy Monday. And gross. Who said physical therapy was a glam job?

Now my big question ... what sort of cocktail should I have ready for HIM when he comes home?

New Name

When I referred to Grant as "Willis" earlier today ... as in "whatchoo talkin bout Willis?," Grant informed me that is NOT his name.

He said his name is BOB. Spelled backward with an "e" and an "s."

Roger doger. boB-es!

EIGHT




Her seventh year began with us referring to Lydia as "Nanny McPhee" with her dangling teeth.

Her eighth year begins with big teeth, shorter hair, taller and an excitement for life!

Five Seven Nine

I didn't intend to wait until the eleventh hour to shoot the last 5, 7, 9 picture of the kids. We took this on the day our middle child turned EIGHT, but technically, we had not yet marked her late night birth hour of August 18, 1999!

I remember totally partying that day like it was 1999! (not). But the day ended pretty swell!
Happy Birthday Lovie.



Today's miracle

Check out Chandy's latest blog entry if you need some hope for the day, and something exciting to pray about!

http://undergroundokc.blogspot.com/

What doesn't kill you ...

makes you stronger.

Bologna.

Who says that anyway? I say what doesn't kill you makes you want a smoke and a strong drink. Or at least a pedicure.

All right. All right. Just because I'm nice and home school and all that doesn't mean I've forsaken my sass. Because I wouldn't have put that nasty cartoon up a few entries ago about Stan's wake up habits. It was too funny to pass up for this particularly named couple, although the post probably damaged my pristine reputation! And I've felt a little naughty about it.

So, for the last four days, we've been a family of five kids. The new additions are our great nephews. I mean "great" in that they are our niece's boys, though they are great in many other ways too, especially when they're asleep!

I could not jovially post anything about this earlier today. Especially when the three year old "missed" the potty entirely, spraying most of the bathroom, soaking his last clean pair of undies and tshirt ... while his almost two year old brother grabbed Stan's water cup by his side of the bed (the door was supposed to stay closed because it also is the hideout room for Giles' guitar, Lydia's doll -- not toddler -- stroller, pictures that lined a low shelf, and a few noisy cars) and dumped it, no doubt trying to simulate the Red River from the bedside through the hall. Did I mention that was simultaneous? What do you do? Dress boy, sop up pee or sop up water trail on wood floor?

We've relearned a few things about having toddlers in the house.

... there is a proportional relationship between the height of fingerprints on the walls and door facings to the rise of breakable items (and favorite toys of the older children) to top shelves and mantles.

... manufacturers of noisy cars, vehicles, toys and "computers" should serve hard time.

... pbs is good ... even Barney

... a lapful of kids while rocking in the chair is good

... but a lapful of kids who have almost dozed off assures the phone will ring

... when you're almost two, your mission in life is to "seek and destroy"

... a toddler has never encountered a button he could not resist touching

... the top bunk is irresistible

... peek-a-boo almost always works

... a few rounds of "head shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes" will cause sore thigh muscles for the out of shape adult the next day

... the adult can still pull off watering down apple juice unbeknownst to the toddler demanding "more apple juice" .... "pleeeeeeeeese"

... part of the way a toddler builds his vocabulary is to repeat everything the adult says and repeat everything the adult says and then repeat everything the adult says while ending each phrase an octave higher

... water hose - good

... wet diapers will eventually explode after a round in the sprinkler

... when swinging high, younger brother will run behind swing and get thrown to next Tuesday (being the younger brother, he will shake it off in five seconds)

... toddlers like to share their pacifiers with cats

... the grocery store sells new pacifiers

... the grocery store is open 24 hours

... toddlers think the world revolves around them!

And once you put your heart and mind around that concept, and revolve around their every need and LOUD DEMAND (or purpose to endure the wailing), well, you just get through it and get the hang of it about the time they go home.

if it doesn't kill you.

Words from the 16th President


Cleaning out a desk drawer, I came across some quotes I collected last year when we visited the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, IL. I wrote it on a hotel notepad from the "President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center." Nice place.

Words from Abe.

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." May 19, 1849

"Writing, the art of communicating thoughts to the mind through the eyes, is the great invention ... enabling us to converse with the dead, the absent, and the unborn at all distances of time and space." Feb. 22, 1860

"Common looking people are the best in the world, that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them." Dec. 24, 1863

"Bad promises are better broken than kept." from his last speech, April 11, 1965

Photos by Grant

Grant volunteered to be the photographer at the Camp Sing-A-Lot concert last week. Here is what he captured ...





Caught



Tuesday was "Sadie Hawkins Day" at church camp. Giles' father, being a church camp aficionado, advised him not to run too fast, and maybe to actually "trip" in front of a cute girl making himself easy to catch.

Once caught, they have to hold a stick or something, then later, she makes him a hotdog that he must eat.

We saw this picture on the camp's website today. They post a roundup of pictures from the previous day's activities.

Looks like he was caught. And that leaves us wondering, how hard did he try to avoid capture?