Okay, so life is interfering with blogging. I'll be back soon, really I will. For your entertainment pleasure, I give you Dwayne the Canoe Guy, who has made a little commercial for class. Enjoy.

How Today Was Planned:
Take two boys to school, Spencer is staying all day today. Pick up Labels for Education and take last-chance look over school's lost and found. Come home. Read cases. Do laundry. Bible Study. Clean out a closet. Drop by the scrapbook sale. Pick up boys. Make dinner. Go to T-ball game. Bed.

How Today is Going:
Spencer isn't feeling well (super gigantic canker sore), can't go to school. Give him medicine and hold him while he sobs for 15 minutes. Send Spencer with James for 30 minutes while I take Colin to school and pick up labels and look at last-chance-lost-and-found. Today is bad hair day, so we don't fix Colin's hair. Walk into school, everyone is wearing hats. Colin starts hiding. I ask, "Why is everyone wearing hats?"

Answer: "You've got bad hair, so you wear a hat!" (Am I the only person who didn't know that?) Colin starts crying and hiding under my shirt.

His teacher says, "Its okay, Colin. At least you've got your flashlight!" (What flashlight?)

"What flashlight?"

"For camp. We're doing camp this week."

(Doh. I knew that.) "Ach! I forgot!" (the sobbing increases)

So, now I've got Spencer with James and need to go get him, but I also need to go home for a hat, a sleeping bag, a flashlight and a letter from home. Now, where are my keys?

WHERE ARE MY KEYS?

I look high. I look low. I go to security. I go to reception. I check out the table where I set my purse. I empty my purse. I search my car. I go to Colin's locker and search his backpack. (Note to self: bring a wheelbarrow to clean out his locker.) I look high. I look low. I start to cry. James has a meeting in 10 minutes. Colin is upset. Spencer is sick and MY KEYS ARE MISSING!

Back to my car again, I move the labels bag and hear the keys. Hooray!

James' meeting is cancelled so I go home for the goods. No flashlight. Call James. Yeah, it is in his car at his office. AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH.

Drive to James' office, collect Spencer, collect flashlight and head back to the school to deliver everything. Spencer sees the camp bookstore, so we stop and shop. We check out lost and found. It is 11:00.

I decided to cut my losses and take Spencer to Panera Bread to chill out with muffins.

Things are better now. We sat outside to eat and there was a sparrow on the roof above us chirping away. I said, "My, that bird has a lot to say, doesn't he?"

Spencer, "Yep."

Me, "Who do you think he's talking to?"

Spencer, "You!"

Me, " What do you suppose he is saying to me?"

Spencer, "Tweet. Tweet."

Here are some photos from our school production of The Three Trees. Each child in the chorus is a tree in the forest. This is a page I made for the yearbook.
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A little contribution I made to the school yearbook. Most of you probably know, but Dr. Seuss liked to have dinner parties, and for each party his guests were asked to wear outrageous hats. Many of them were left at his home and are still displayed there.
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1) Spencer fell asleep in my arms tonight and it was so sweet I just sat there and held him for almost 2 hours. Bliss.

2) Last night we had the Blue and Gold awards banquet for the scouts. It was, honestly, one of the most fun banquets I've ever attended. The boys were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. They were checking out that awards table! Our den did a little skit and one of the mothers suprised us with little masks she had made the night before. The masks totally transformed the boys and they were entirely proud of themselves. A young Eagle Scout led us in some camp songs and he really hammed it up. Very fun. Colin and Spencer came home with a handful of balloons and played games with them until really late at night (we were trying to wear them out so they would sleep in today, but they woke up at 6:30 anyway!!!!!).

3) Some ladies came by today to ask us to be on the neighborhood home tour in the fall. I invited them in even though the house was a mess. After they looked around they asked if we would prefer to be on the 2007 tour. I found that riotously funny (and said so). They assured me 2006 was still an option but if I needed more time... Anyway, what do you think? Have you ever put your home on tour? Should we do it? My grandparents' home was on tour often, so it seems like it should be a family tradition, but it may be too much pressure. Maybe 2008?

4) I'm kinda hooked on Top Chef.

5) Oh, and LOST. I'm TOTALLY hooked on LOST. The show is incredibly compelling and mysterious. I've never been teased so much in my life! I love the way it has become a multi-media experience. More than a year ago the first related website appeared (Oceanic Airlines) and now we have the Hanso website, the Gary Troup website, the book (Bad Twin) and a host of fan sites. There has never been anything like this. I love the show and I love the genius marketing of the show. Do you watch?

6) Spencer playing t-ball: priceless.

7) Today is our 11th wedding anniversary. James is camping with Colin's den tonight. Very romantic, no?

8) Jenna is 12.

9) Monday is "bad hair" day at school. I'm a little nervous about such things. I once went to a theme party: everyone was to dress tacky. I was the only one who looked tacky and we all went out to eat. I've never enjoyed costume events since then. Isn't that just wrong? So, I'm not sure whether to comb the boys' hairs on Monday or not.

10) We've got a team leaving for Rwanda on Monday! If you would, please pray for them. The latest update from Rwanda was posted yesterday here.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
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May.

Already.

Already!

Didn't I just put away the beach towels and swim suits?

This has been a month of busy, as most months are lately. We had a Cinco de Mayo party at school, a Mothers' Day tea, a Volunteer's Tea, Family Fun Night (Colin was part of the act!), 1st Grade Play, Boy Scouts and T-Ball games. I've also been busy trying to revive our aquarium, completing my Bible study, working, celebrating birthdays, attending a church tea, working on wallpapering my bedroom, attending plays, completing continuing legal education requirements, and doing a few loads of laundry in between. ..and it is only May 14th!

I have to tell you about the 1st grade play. Colin's class decided to put on two plays. Each was written by a student with input from the actors. Two of the students were not in the plays, but designed the sets (Colin was one of them). The teacher decided to let them do the play for an audience, so she invited the parents and a couple of other classes from the school to come Thursday morning and watch their plays. It was quite an event. Although it was kind of hard to follow what was going on, the students really did quite well considering they did EVERYTHING on their own. I commend the teacher for seeing it through; I think she gave them all a huge confidence boost. At the end of the show, Colin surprised us by standing up and doing a quick little jig, announcing that his class wanted him to do it, so he decided to do it for them. He sang: "A rig-a-jig-jig and away we go, away we go, away we go, a rig-a-jig-jig and away we go, hi-ho, hi-ho, hi-ho!"

Sunday night we attended the family fun night where we all ate together, looked at our new school building and then listened to an inspirational speaker, Tom Randall. Mr. Randall asked for a volunteer from the audience and Colin was chosen. The lesson was about the faith of a child, and Mr. Randall put Colin on his shoulders and proceeded to ride a unicycle! He flipped Colin around up there until he was hanging upside down. It was very funny. During the show, he said, "Is Colin awake or sleeping up there?" He later told me Colin was the calmest child he had ever done the show with! Mr. Randall gave Colin a T-shirt, which is now a most treasured possession. Colin said, "I'm going to take very good care of this shirt because it is very special to me."

Dear Parent: Thank you for submitting your labels to the school to help us earn points for school equipment like basketballs, art supplies, books and computers. Please remember that another parent has volunteered her precious time to organize the labels into neat stacks to send to the vendor. After that, an employee will be required to count and stack the labels. You might want to improve your methods.

That's all I'm sayin'.
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Available.
3 girls
1 boy
8 weeks old
Litter trained.
Well-fed
Playful
Love to cuddle!
Mother very nice
Father unknown, but we don't hold that against them!
FREE to good homes!

This basket shot is NOT staged. This is how they were found this morning!

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Found today.

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While convalescing in the guest bedroom this week, I had the chance to look over my baby book. It is a small leatherette book with about 90 pages (the page numbering stops at 75 but the information goes on!). There are two pages near the middle printed with local advertising, so I am guessing it was given to my mom upon my birth. Here's a little glimpse:
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Now we have "What to Expect When You're Expecting." The information for the mother in the 60s was something along these lines. Please notice: all babies should have two doses of cod liver oil per day. (Click on picture for larger view).
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There is a First for Everything...and, oddly enough, punishment and spanking are not one and the same.
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I always enjoy Mel's posts, but this one....well, just go read it.

Still down. Went out, but it made me SOOOOO tired. I've been sleeping in the guest bedroom and found some cool stuff to scan and show you when I have the energy. See Ya!

The Duck and the Devil
(from one of those emails that goes around)

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.

Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved.

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's ...he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you"

Thought for the day and every day thereafter?

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) ...whatever it is....You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing..... He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.

He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets.
..... It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.

God is at the window.