1-31-10 Happy Birthday Joshua

How amazing, our precious baby is one today. What an incredibly short year. “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” We are so thankful to our God for blessing us with the miracle of Joshua Daniel.

We all went to church today!! What a nugget…we haven’t all gone (on a Sunday) since December 6. What a blessing to be there. In the morning, Dan read Leviticus 26 – it talks about blessings to the obedient and curses to the disobedient. Second reading was I Corinthians 5, which is about wickedness in the church. Dan talked about having courage and determination to overcome: BE RESOLVED, what a good thought. He mentioned the TH song, “Wonderful Grace of Jesus;” and how we CAN overcome by God’s grace. Wow, what a promise. Joshua did so good, all day, considering he hadn’t been to church for 7 weeks. I was so thankful. It was good to be there today, but even more so because Jesse was announced for baptism in 4 weeks. God is so good; we are so unworthy. In the afternoon, Chuck read Genesis 11 (Tower of Babel) and Ephesians 6 (children, obey parents; and armor of God). I had Joshua and Jewel both and couldn’t listen quite as well as morning, but still picked up a couple of nuggets. One was the song between the scriptures, ZH #191; after the prayer Chuck mentioned the last phrase that we sang: “O, truly blest are we!” The singing was just beautiful; our church singing is such a cherished part of our worship, and I was so glad to be there; those words just echoed my heart and I was glad when Chuck focused on them also. The other thing I remembered Chuck saying was that we as Christians should not say, “That’s not my job.” God will prepare us for what he asks us to do. I want us all to remember that.

After church we had a lively discussion about the day while I fed Joshua and everybody had a snack….ranch Doritos and lemonade, in some cases the one dipped into the other. Yum (???). Then Dad and I escaped the rowdies and took a walk until he got asthma and I finished solo. I’m glad spring is on its way. The boys went on another hike after chores, and Dad and the little girls and I did a walk-about the farm and enjoyed the sunshine and the blue blue sky. Tori and Kate rode the four wheeler and dirt bike. Aunt Sarah came for supper, and after dishes there was a bunch of wrestling around (surprise surprise) and Levi taught Joshua all about Craigslist.

Then Grandpa and Grandma Steiner and Grandpa and Grandma Kaiser came to help us celebrate Joshua’s birthday, and we had a fun evening playing games, texting each other, singing, snacking, and solving all the Tremont District #702 problems.

Scotcharoos from Aunt Sarah.

Birthday cookie.

Opening gifts.

Fun with technology!

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More smiles…

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Then evening chores and bedtime.

1-30-10 How Great Thou Art

As I walked after lunch, the sky was so so blue, and the day was so pretty, I just wanted to take pictures of it, to capture the beauty. How many pictures of blue skies can one take, though? What’s so special about another pretty day? It’s just another day, same walk, same road, same view as yesterday, same blue sky now as yesterday, boring, mundane, same ol’, same ol’, right? Well, the words of “How Great Thou Art” kept going through my mind as I walked: “Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed, Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art.” I don’t think blue skies can ever be boring; they are a miracle, a gift, a blessing, a nugget, because, “How great thou art.”

This morning Dad taught the boys how to replace a hot water heater. Call it “Maintenance 101” or something like that. Then they took the truck back to Mike’s Garage for more work and did other Morton errands.

The girls and I did routine Saturday jobs; life was just routine. Little ones played and helped. There’s a nugget there too…the peace, the calm, the routine of the mundane is priceless.

Joshua was SO CUTE just singing away with Tori. He’s the most music-loving babe we’ve ever had.

Just basement fun.

And………another fort….this time with a water heater box tunnel. Now we’re high class.

After lunch, I walked solo, and it was SO PRETTY outside, and so nice, that I came home and ordered all remaining insiders out. Joshua had so much fun with this cat…the cat was very patient (might have helped that Joshua’s hands were in mittens for most of the time). It rode with him for quite a while before it jumped out….I was surprised at how long it stayed in the wagon.

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Tori did rides on the fourwheeler, and then Kate and Ben had their turns driving it too. Then I took the 3 littles and did a walk-about the farm. Beautiful, beautiful day. I don’t know what the temp was, but with the sun shining it can seem much warmer than it really is. That sunshine and fresh air is wonderful.

There’s the beautiful blue sky.

And again.

Tough levee hill (that’s Sarah, Jewel, Joshua, Kate).

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Walking on Whispering Pines Path.

Tori and Kate were chasing a cat in the haymow and found this huge dead rat that they thought was pretty neat….Jacob seemed to agree. Whatever.

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While we were outside enjoying the sunshine, Dad and the older boys were inside working on their farm taxes. It’s that time of year, you know.

Well, after they got a good chunk of that done, they were free awhile; they hiked clear across Kaiser land to the orange crane on the neighbor’s land (with his permission). They called home, and we could see them (all 6!) jumping around on the crane. Pretty neat! Too bad the camera battery went dead and they couldn’t take any pics of it, but they did get some of the hike.

While Joshua napped, the older kids hiked, and Dad worked on taxes, I got to read to Sarah and Jewel awhile. When the older kids got home by 4:00, everybody raced through showers, cleaned up the house, and helped with supper. And Dad worked on taxes.

After supper then we had a wonderful evening of fellowship and Heavenly Highway Hymn singing with our friends the Wagenbachs. What a blessed way to end a beautiful day.

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Then children to bed; I’m doing this and Dad is……….yep, working on taxes [smile].

1-29-10 Attitude

I found this article in a Tazwellite newsletter, I think, many years ago.  I have no idea who wrote it. It’s another one of those gems that I want our kids to know and live:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important that the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearances, giftedness, or skill.  it will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.  We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.

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Today was a routine Friday in the morning: studying for Levi and Jesse, cleaning jobs for the rest, and catch-up jobs for me.  Joshua loves to help sweep! Anything noisy…he’s loving it.

So wonderful to see the sun shining, even though it’s still very cold (high of 15 I think).  After lunch, boys worked on hauling manure among other chores.  I walked with Karol; then sent everyone outside for some sunshine and fresh air.  After a short fourwheeler ride, Tori took them in the shed for awhile, and I took Sarah to a routine well-check with Dr. Luce.  It went fine; I was impressed because we were out of there in 30 minutes. Then we went to Kroger and picked up Papa Murphy’s Pizza on the way home.  Given the choice of going out for pizza (Pizza Ranch or Pizza Hut) or pizza in, pizza in won.  Papa Murphy’s is hard to beat.  After supper Dad & I met with Levi and Jesse, then Dad finally got warm during a wild wrestling match.  I escaped to the piano bench and played a little bit.  Dad read Rascal in the family room awhile, and everybody else did their usual except we outlawed the computers (all 3) for the evening.  We survived.  Now this is done, Dad’s working on some emails yet, the 3 littlest are in bed, and the 6 oldest are watching a WWII dvd that the younger children don’t need to see.  Joshua was up at 5:00 this morning and stayed up; therefore I’m tired and heading to bed soon, good night.

1-28-10 SUN!

When we’ve seen so little of the sun, we appreciate it so much more! The sunrise was beautiful this morning, and the sun was out all day, although it was still pretty bitter cold.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed; then sings my soul, my Saviour, God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my Saviour, God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art.

A routine school day except I was on the phone awhile talking with Sears about our water heater which has a fatal leak and is under warranty. That set me back somewhat but we still got most of our school done before lunch. Levi and Jesse were home all day but we didn’t see much of them as they were in their room studying. Levi did some studying upstairs at one point, and I guess Jewel decided his hair needed attention:

[smile]

Aunt Sarah came for lunch, and then we took a chilly walk. I would have wimped out, it was so cold, but she’s tougher than me so we did the whole 2 miles. Then put Joshua to bed and sent children out to the shed for awhile; they played play-doh out there and from all reports they had fun. After chores, everyone hit the basement for more fort fun (today Sarah and Jewel played 'Jason and Carrie'),then I read to them while I supervised supper prep from the couch. Kaitlyn made a great spaghetti supper with Jacob as her support/ pre-supper dish helper. They worked well together…and especially did a great job cleaning up. Sometimes I’m better off to stay where I can’t see it in action…gets me a little tense to see the mess. But when they clean it up and all that remains is a few spaghetti sauce spots on the wallpaper…then we’re good, I do okay with that. Sometime I’ll post pictures of the during stage though…if I can work up the courage to take them…

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Supper was delicious, and we did Bible at the table again, reading about the death angel and the Israelites leaving Egypt. Somehow we figured out that that many people would make a travel column 1 mile by 1 mile. If they traveled .1 mile wide, they would have been a mass 10 miles long. We’re just guesstimating, of course, but even if we’re way off, it was still an incredible amount of people all walking together. Interesting to contemplate.

Dad and I left right away to go to Northwoods Mall Sears to pick up our replacement water heater. We’re rather relieved because we were fearing the trickle leak upgrading to a flood leak resulting in our water being turned off until we got the new heater. Not a good scenario for a family of 11 (are we spoiled or what?). Picked it up with no problem, then stopped at Mike’s Garage to pick up the dumptruck….which coughed to a stop at the corner of Main and Jackson. Yikes! After a few nervous tries, it finally started again and we drove home without incident. Mayhap the starter needs looking at too? Evening chores, children to bed, did some emails, this, Dad’s working on his computer, now my turn for bed, another beautiful day; this is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.

1-27-10 Wednesday

After a busy day yesterday, today was a little slower.  Dad & I were up earlier than usual, as he had breakfast with a friend with whom he used to work at SFI.  We had routine school in the morning, with Levi and Jesse up early to milk. When they returned home, they had a quick brunch then took Jacob and Benjamin with them to the Reel Livestock Sale; they returned home with a nice little calf.  They were pretty pleased with their purchase.  They got back from the sale barn in time to unload the calf and put the trailer away; then they left to milk again.  I did piano lessons for both Jacob and Kaitlyn today, walked solo after lunch (pretty cold), read to the younger crowd, took a catnap, and returned some emails. I decided when I get up at 5:00, I cannot read right after lunch.…gravity hits my eyelids hard, and reading doesn’t go so well. Tomorrow I’m going to do better.  Here are 2 precious boys:

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Around choretime it started snowing again and the flakes were pretty big. By the time Dad got home for supper the snow had mostly stopped, thankfully leaving less than an inch.  The kids didn’t spend much time outside today, even in the shed. They spent most of the afternoon in the basement, doing more construction work: 

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Kaitlyn helped too with the project, and she took most of these photos.  After chores, then more basement work and supper prep. After supper, we all went to church, which was extremely nice.  We haven’t been to Wednesday night church for ever so long.  Tom preached on Psalm 145 – a wonderful scripture full of praise: v. 8 “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”  Also he read Galatians 5, focusing on the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit.  Dan finished up with this thought:  “If we work on the positive, we will avoid the negative.” (something to that effect).  Children did good at church, both sitting nice during the service and standing nice during fellowship afterward. I wasn’t sure how that was going to go since our 3 littlest haven’t been there for 3 or 4 weeks.  They did fine though, and we enjoyed a bit of fellowship after church. When we got home children went directly to bed, and we caught up with Levi and Jesse a bit.  They had gotten home around 7:15 so weren’t able to join us at church.  It’s always fun to hear about their day and touch base again. Tomorrow they should be home all day which we always enjoy, and they should be able to hit the books hard since today they did next to nothing academically.

Time for bed.

1-27-10 Another Thought From Carrie Bender

One of my goals, also posted above my kitchen sink for a frequent reminder:

“Few positions in life are so full of importunities as that of the mother of a family and mistress of a house.  She may have a dozen interruptions while writing one letter or settling an account.  What holiness, what self-control is needed to be always calm and unruffled amid these little vexations, never manifesting the slightest impatience.

“Pausing in work without apparent annoyance, replying with a smile on the lips, waiting patiently the end of a long conversation, and finally returning calmly to the yet unfinished task—all this is the sign of a recollected soul, one that waits upon God.  Oh!  What blessings are shed around them by such patient souls….but alas! how rarely we meet with them.”

1-26-10 Restmor Tuesday

On the fourth Tuesday of the month, if we are healthy, we sing with the residents at their weekly hymn sing. We are healthy as of today, so Tori and younger went. Levi and Jesse milked early and got home right before we left. They studied all day, because tomorrow they milk twice and are hoping to go to the sale barn in between. Misty and her children (except Willow who had an injured leg), Ivy and her younger 6, and LauraLee and her 7 children were also at Restmor. All the children sang enthusiastically and gave off many favorite songs. Afterwards, LauraLee and Ivy and children joined us for lunch and fellowship until naptime. The older kids headed to the shed to strip wire out there; I read to the girls and Ben, then after a catnap I talked to Elizabeth for awhile. She was planning to come to Restmor but Julia woke up with fever so her plans changed. We were disappointed, but it was very good to talk over the phone with her instead. I took a walk then; it was bitter cold, and since I was solo I only did a mile. Then supper prep, and a fussy fussy little fellow. He has about 5 white lumps, teeth showing under his gums; he just seems miserable. After a late supper (Dad got home a bit late), we did baths for little ones, and Levi went to Men’s Sing at Marv Wagenbach’s. Dad read Rascal awhile, then we did Bibletime (discussed the passover), and put kids to bed. Now Dad is teaching Jesse some Excel stuff, and I’m tired and ready for bed. A few pictures of the day:

Joshua was up at 5:30 and stayed up! Thus he was just off schedule all day.

Ever so briefly we saw the sun this morning…

…And again I saw it when I walked before supper. It was maybe out in between there but I didn’t notice it...don't think it was out long anyway.

And a few pictures of the cows and steers for Dad:

Calves in the creep feeder, north of the shed.

Steers, south of the shed.

And that’s all.

1-26-10 A Thought on Parenting

This profound thought is taped above my sink so I am daily reminded of it.  It’s from a book by Carrie Bender but I didn’t write down the title; I do know it’s from the Miriam’s Journal Series. If my children are ever blessed with children, I want them to know this.

“There is no greater task than that of being a parent. Sometimes the awesomeness of parenthood is almost overwhelming.  Such innocent little souls are entrusted to our care, souls that will live for all eternity.  Such a big responsibility!  The knowledge that I am a weak, imperfect parent is almost staggering.

“O God, give me the wisdom I need to discipline wisely, never in anger.  Help me to live so that if my children model me, they will have a beautiful character and personality.  Help me to keep their little emotional tanks filled to the brim with love, and to instill within them a sense of self-worth and belonging.

“Let me tell them Bible stories and speak of your wondrous creations of nature—birds, flowers, trees, stars.  Shape my life and words to speak of your wondrous love, so they think of you as the Giver of all good things, with infinite care and provision. Amen.

“Children need warm, outgoing affection daily.  They all need the comforting arm of love even when they do not deserve it.  In fact, they need it most of all then, as much as they need food and fresh air.

“Children need praise and appreciation, and if they do not receive it, they will search for it in odd, sometimes hurtful ways.  If we want to help others become beautiful people, we should work at it through sincere praise and encouragement.  We all need warmth and tenderness to change for the better.  Let each day be a hunting trip—hunting for something good in each child to compliment and give sincere praise for.”

1-25-10 Morning Surprise

Oh, the many blessings of being a mother! For some reason my usually-willing helpers weren’t offering to help this time…although they’re very willing to be the audience…

Today was a cold cold day…just a good day to be inside, although I was glad when Karol called to walk because I had pretty much decided that if she didn’t, I wasn’t going to walk. I’m so glad we did though. It was cold, windy, and snowy, but still not like the bitter cold snap when we walked in 7 degrees. That time, my lips were numb; today they weren’t. Anyway, getting school, a walk, and reading to the younger children done is a good day in my book; plus Tori and Kate did some other food prep when their schoolwork was done. Joshua wasn’t as happy as some days; sometimes I think he’s just bored and stir-crazy. And…Kate got her history done! She’s pretty pleased, and I am too; now with this cold and snow again, she’s more motivated than ever to tackle her science book and get that done before spring also. Jacob is working ahead now in history too, determined to be done before spring as well…and when his history is done he plans to do science ahead too. Good for them! Sarah and Jewel played so well today, and Benjamin too… sometimes the 3 of them get along wonderfully, like today, and other times it’s just a constant bickering all day. Here is their handiwork today:

Their mansion had about 4 rooms and a hallway…it was quite a maze in there. Then they thought it was quite a treat to have a picnic lunch. Just the thing to do when there is a blizzard outside!

Buddies.

View from my kitchen sink window. Looks COLD.

Jacob had the shed heated and ready for them to play after chores, but they were so busy with their mansion, and it was so cold and windy out, that they just stayed in all afternoon. Levi and Jesse milked twice, normal for Mondays, and so Tori, Jacob, and Kate did all the steer/cow chores. Ben did his usual chicken and trash chores, and he wasn’t even tempted to go to the shed…he’s the main architect on the basement construction projects and wanted to get back to his work with that. They made 2 huge forts today, and the last one is still being improved. Benjamin’s sign on the door said “1 boy, 2 girls, and Mom only.” (Big kids tend to be clumsy and knock down walls inadvertently.)(Ummm…Mom tends to be kind of clumsy too but I guess I pass anyway). After Levi tried to convince Ben to get out so he could be the 1 boy, Ben added to his sign: “Only if you’re 3, 5, or 7.” He’s pretty sharp, our Ben is.

We had supper without Levi and Jesse, and Dad and I were getting ready to take the truck to Mike’s Garage when they got home. We did a quick Kroger stop and were home a little after 8:00. Everybody put groceries away, pj’s on, Joshua to bed, and Bibletime (Exodus) in the family room….Dad and I were chilled through and wanted to be in our warmest room. Then evening chores, hugs, kisses, prayers, and beds for all. Dad’s working on taxes, and now I’m done, so good night.

1-24-10 Ted’s Bad Day

Ben came home from church with some stories he had written. They are pretty cute. I asked him why he decided to write about Ted, Fred, and Ed, and he said he was just thinking about how they rhymed and decided to write a story about them. His one story turned into six by the end of the day! Keep in mind that he’s 7 and his spelling is atrocious; I edited it for this post but will save his originals for his school notebook.

1. Ted’s Bad Day. Ted was on a farm. The cat scratched him. The horse kicked him. The dog bit him. The hen pecked him. The pig chomped his boot. The cow stepped on his toe.

2. Ted’s Bad Day. Ted went sledding. He slipped and fell on the sled. The sled went flying into a deep lake. The lake was below 0. What a bad day for Ted.

3. Ted’s Bad Day. Ted got the hiccups and burps all at the same time and he barfed all over his friends Fred and Ed. [Okay, so we need to work on graciousness in his writing.…]

4. Ted climbed a tree and he fell down and he broke all of his bones even his head.

5. Ted and Fred disobeyed their Mom and Dad and they took off in the car and they were both 6. And they took off in the woods. When they got back the tires were popped and the windows were cracked. Ed did not come.

6. Ted and Fred and Ed were skating and their Mom and Dad said not to. The ice on the lake was not thick enough to skate and it cracked and they got a spanking with a belt. [We DON’T do that; don’t know where that came from.]

For the record, here’s an original:

Ted and Fred disobade there Mom and DaD and they took of in the car and they were both 6. And they took of in the woods when they Got back the tiers were poped and windows were craced. ed did not come.

So I can see we need to work on mechanics, specifically punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. I think he’s doing fine on content and style though!

1-24-10 Sunday

Rough night with children. Up with Joshua, then Jewel, then Sarah, then Joshua again. Heard it raining more than once. Made for a short night and kind of a long day; I’m still tired so tonight will be short. I stayed home today with Sarah, Jewel, and Joshua. We’re starting to wonder if Sarah’s never-ending coughing is more asthma than cold so I’m planning to take her to dr. this week. Had a calm morning. John preached; he read Hosea 5 and John 15. He had so many good thoughts, but I’ll just grab a few nuggets. Yesterday was so foggy, and he was driving and could only see 3 or 4 car lengths in front of him. He likened that to our walk of life, how we can only see a few steps ahead of us. We have to trust God for the unknown. I hope I remember that on foggy days from now on. He encouraged us to think deeply and look at ourselves; ask, “How much do I really love Jesus?” One more thing: John spoke of there being no greater joy than that of serving Jesus. How inspiring. Do others see that joy in us? Tom finished up and focused on the blood of Jesus: “If Jesus comes tonight, is his blood in our hearts?” Always good to hear that. Joshua took an ok nap; the girls played “Duane and Alissa” pretty sweet. Their babies are Amy and Lily [Smile].

 

After lunch we listened to Curt; he read Judges 2 and 2 Corinthians 12. I was busy with children and couldn’t focus as well but I do remember he talked about v. 9, where it talks about our strength being made perfect in weakness; his grace is sufficient. Good to think about when I’m so tired. Dan then reminded us that we are to reflect Christ. Both encouraging and challenging.

After church everybody did his/her own thing, and since nobody wanted to walk with me, I walked alone. Very invigorating…I was sweating before I was done with my 1.5 mile. It was cold but not bitter cold, and kind of rainy and…..yep, gray. Tim gave me a ride in the new truck then; it was quite thrilling. After chores and supper we went to Aunt Sarah’s for the evening. The kids always like going there; she has a lot of books and toys that they enjoy. Joshua was fussy though (actually did I mention he was fussy all day?). After a snack and a few songs around the piano, we were headed home around 8:30 and Little Precious was happy to be in his bed. Everyone is quiet now and so I think I’ll head to bed too.

A good day, another safe day, Thank You Lord. We are so undeserving of all the blessings He showers on us.

1-23-10 Grayer

Here I thought last week was gray….today is the grayest day ever. Kind of a low fog combined with cold cold cold and dirty melting snow. The kind of day where the nuggets are a little harder to find. Here are a few:

Play-doh is reserved for Saturday mornings inside; it’s kind of a treat that we don’t do every day. Jewel is feeling some better, thank You, Lord. She still isn’t 100%….she just doesn’t does have the sparkle that she usually does. She’s getting there, though.

“Take a picture of me, Mom!”

Tori was trying to get a picture of Joshua onto my phone for me [smile].

Benjamin and Sarah had a good time smashing what was left of the snowfort.

The girls and I did our regular Saturday morning kitchen work (egg casserole and coffeecake) and I spent some time patching (remember Ben’s snowpants??). Otherwise, just taking care of little ones and cleaning up messes (like playdoh for example). Joshua was fussy again today; again I don’t know why. Should I blame it on teeth? He woke up too early, was fussy all morning, took an early morning nap which should have been long but wasn’t, and fussed then too. He’s fine if he’s being held, so we just took turns holding him and doing our tasks. My left arm gets quite sore; I guess that means I’m building muscle, huh? Levi, Jesse, and Jacob went to Menards for supplies, and Kaitlyn, Benjamin, and Sarah went with Dad to Morton to do errands. Tori and I worked inside; Tori worked on typing old Kaos newsletters for the history we’re compiling. After lunch, I sent everyone outside while I walked; then I took a catnap while Joshua napped. Dad and the boys worked on things in the shed and with the new truck. Then chores, supper prep, and supper. We did Bibletime at the table again, still reading about the plagues and God hardening Pharoah’s heart. I love our singing around the table after supper. I don’t know why, but in the kitchen it just sounds better or something. I wish Dad and the kids liked to sing more….they do it willingly enough, but I’m never ready to quit when they are. So…. during dishes and baths, I just sang by myself awhile, while I played piano. It’s been a long time since I did that, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Joshua played with me some then after his bath. It’s a little harder to play with a wiggle on my lap, but it was still ok, and he had fun too. Since he’s getting a littler older I might have more chances to play again; I really miss when I don’t get to play although I would never wish away Joshua’s baby days. Even on his fussy days, he just lights up our day…I can hardly believe he’ll be one in a week. Where did the time go?

I joined the others in the family room then and played Duplos with Sarah and Jewel while Dad read Rascal and everybody else did whatever else. I put Josh to bed then while the rest started watchingWhere the Red Fern Grows. I watched briefly, enough to know that I had better things to do. It’s one of my favorite books, and the movie was terrible; it just butchered the book. So I put Jewel to bed, after awhile put Sarah to bed, got myself ready for bed, and every time I stuck my nose in the family room for a few minutes my opinion was just reinforced: I wasn’t missing a thing. Afterwards, the kids agreed; the movie wasn’t nearly as good as the book.

Then, beds and this.