Luke was home a couple days with a fever this week. I put him to bed in his regular bed but look where I found him the next morning…
That would be the pack-n-play. I had it set up in his room for when Valor and Aiden were over earlier this week. Apparently, my baby still likes it.
I’m considering getting rid of Luke’s bed altogether. He never sleeps in it; he’s almost always on the floor or the couch or the chair.
The 3rd graders put on a Wax Museum presentation just last week. It all looked really great and the kids did a nice job preparing for their little speech. It was worth the scramble.
Wait… what scramble?
Oh yes, that scramble. Here’s my version of the scramble.
A letter comes home explaining the wax museum and how the kids need to pick a historical person that they will research and then come in character as on such and such date.
I read that as historical meaning someone from past history, like presidents and Betsy Ross and such and tell Ben so. Being the awesome kid he is, he sets aside his hopes of being David Knight or Ryan Dungey, his two favorite riders and picks Benjamin Franklin.
Research goes on and on at school. Nothing happens here because Ben tells me he doing all the work at school (but he did read one book on B.F. that we had here anyway).
The week of, Ben tells me he needs a costume. I ask you- Do you have any Ben Franklin period costumes in your dress up box? I didn’t think so or I would have called.
I call all the costume places in the area asking for a kid sized B. Franklin get up. Nope, try Amazon is what they tell me. Ha! You betcha!! Crossing fingers it will arrive in time, I hit ‘place order’.
Meanwhile, I rant on Facebook about needing a costume and how come I can’t remember who Audrey went as in 3rd grade and wondered if they even did this when she was in 3rd grade and can Ben F just come as a biker because I have all that stuff. Come to find out, no, the wax museum thing didn’t start until the year after Audrey was in 3rd grade. But then I also found that Ben COULD HAVE GONE AS DAVID KNIGHT OR RYAN DUNGEY!!!!!!!!!! Some classmates were going as football players!! So in terms of historical I totally didn’t get it. *sigh*
Thursday evening arrives. Thursday evening the UPS man arrives. Thursday evening I contemplate if it is okay to hug your UPS man.
Friday morning, I head to school to see and hear Benjamin Franklin. I get a nice comment from someone on his costume. I smile.
Luke (he was off of school for kindergarten round-up) pushes the button and Benjamin Franklin stands up to recite:
Hello. My name is Benjamin Franklin. I was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 17, 1700. When I moved to Pennsylvania I invented the first heater. I also discovered that lightning was a form of electricity. By tying a key to a kite. when the key started rattling I knew that electricity was up there and I knew that lightning was making electricity. I also earned the title of “The First American”. I invented the lightning rod, bifocal glasses and the glass harmonica. When I was about 11 my brother James started a newspaper. I placed letters under the door and signed them Mrs. Dogood. James did not know this and he put that in the newspaper. When I was 22 I wrote the Pennsylvania Gazette. It became very successful. I died on April 17, 1790. You should remember me because I invented [discovered] electricity.
I know, it’s a bit of bragging here. I was proud of him, not only for the work but because he did it willingly and thoroughly even though he knew he could have been someone else. And he was also willing to wear that vest and jabot (the white thing around his neck) and would have worn the “authentic wig and glasses” had they arrived earlier. (They were waiting on the door step when I got home.) (I KNOW!!) But still worth the scramble.
I’ll just make a quick note: If your kid attends Ballard and you need a Ben Franklin costume in 3rd grade for wax museum day, I’m here for you. I’d also like to mention that Luke will be going as Benjamin Franklin when he’s in 3rd grade and possibly they will both dress up as him for Halloween at some point and if camp ever has a famous person theme night- they are totally going as B. F. I’m going to squeeze every last penny out of that shipping cost that I can.
As I’ve previously mentioned, Audrey is in track this year. After a couple of meets where she got to run a 200, she’s now falling into stride with 800’s and 1500’s.
If you ask her, she’ll say she doesn’t like the mile; she prefers the 800. If you ask me, she still kicks it even if she doesn’t like it!
I’ve got some pictures for you of tonight’s meet. She ran the 4x800 and the open 800. It looks like from my pictures that she ran them with her eyes closed but really she didn’t.
The 4x800, running the third leg
Open 800. It’s always a pile of runners and they crowd in right away so Audrey got pinned in and couldn’t maneuver out very well. She still held her own, though.
And she’s still willing to battle it out to the end.
I’m so proud of her for going out for track!
So you all know how obsessed I seem to be lately with the Hatmaker family. The fact that I’ve talked openly with Bill about how the Ward’s and the Hatmaker’s could quite possibly be BFF’s is just a little secret between him and me.
Oookaay…
And, while I continue to make excuses or, in general, just postpone the review of both of their books, let me introduce you to a new couple- the Wrights. I’m really new into them, so I don’t know too much but what I have read has not only cracked me up but has struck some chords in my soul and I just had to share.
They are writing from Costa Rica.
I went to Costa Rica!!
They have Adventures in Missions advertised on their blog.
I went to Costa Rica with Adventures in Missions!!
They call it like they see it.
Uh, have you spent ANY time with me?!
Ok, you have, so let me re-phrase: They call it like they see it from an in-the-field Biblical perspective.
Today, I’m just going to direct you to their latest posts, which (see above) have struck some chords in my soul.
*note- I have chords in my soul, not algorithms or some other such things which might or might not strike, hit, speak or otherwise touch you in a deep way in your soul*
I really dig this chica. Now let me say right off, she swears *GASP!!!* So choose now whether you can get over that for the sake of the messages she shares. (I don’t know her stance on the swearing thing, but personally, I doubt that that is hindering her prayers or her efforts on for the kingdom.) On to more important matters- oh my good golly gracious! Her perspective on the short-term missionaries she encounters… Her take on being a missionary, a mom, a wife, a human being… she is real and oh, how I need real!!!
Finally, I love this testimony!! Sure, it doesn’t speak to ALL of us, but it speaks to some of us and maybe it speaks a little truth of just how great God’s love and forgiveness and not letting our past hinder us from our future in Him into ALL of our lives .
*note- Of all the things I could blog about, my testimony, my God story, my how I got here is still waiting to see the glow of a computer screen. If you would be willing to offer up a prayer that would guide my heart and my fingers towards sharing it, I would be grateful.*
Now don’t get me wrong- I love my daughter for who she is and my comments below shouldn’t be taken as anything but a now mom future reflecting for her daughter about this picture.
What is going on in the picture? Audrey is pointing out the obvious awesomeness of this giant pink flamingo, seated, by the way, in a giant lawn chair.
Which came first- the giant flamingo or the giant chair? ?
Where does one find such giant awesomeness? One Man’s Junk, in Ames
What is she holding in her hand? Her Ipod. It clearly indicates this moment is Iworthy.
Why the sweats? She had just come from an early morning of Easter drama rehearsal at church. Sweats are what you wear to the rehearsal when you have costume to change into.
Why the boots? Uh, what ELSE do you wear with sweats?!
Why the pursed lip look? This is the “in” photo look. All the girls are doing it. In 20 years they can all look back and be aghast laugh at themselves when their daughters ask why they look that way in every photo.
Anything else? Yes, when you are having a not happy day, just think of something ridiculous, like this giant pink flamingo, strike a pose and get awesome!
My mom sent the kids a package the week before Easter. In it were some grahams, chocolate and Peeps. It was for making Peep s’mores.
The directions she found said to make them in the microwave, but we were grilling that night so we gave them the classic s’more treatment.
*Confession- my kids had never had Peeps up until that day*
Lots of excitement as we ripped open the package and stabbed a few pink bunnies.
You know how a regular mallow will brown up on the outside but if you do it just right you can get the insides all nice and squishy too? Well, it’s not quite that way with a Peep. See the outside is coated with sugar. And what happens when you set heat to sugar? It caramelizes, turning into a burnt sugar. So what we ended up with were crème brulee bunnies!
We also found out that Peeps slide more easily off the roasting fork than a regular mallow.
What a tragic ending!
Later in the weekend, we had another fire and tried our hand again at Peep roasting and it went much better. Thanks, Mom!
Our washer broke earlier this week. Thankful Bill was actually home to figure out what was the matter and the replacement part is on it’s way.
I was left with a load of sopping wet, still unclean laundry. Thankful for a neighbor who washed my laundry and then dried and folded it.
I thought the replacement part was arriving this Friday. Instead, it’s scheduled to arrive next Friday. Thankful for a laundromat in town.
Audrey’s track meets go longer than I remembered, last night we got home at 8:30 and we left before it was done. Thankful we could go watch her and leave before it was done.
So far, Audrey runs the 800 and the mile. Thankful she doesn’t run the 4 x 400 which is always the last race.
I ran the 4 x 400. Thankful my mom stayed until forever to watch me run.
Ben’s soccer practice coincides with Audrey’s meets. Thankful for a team member’s mom to take him to and from practice.
The hard drive on my computer is almost full and I can’t put many more pictures on it. Thankful I have a computer.
I haven’t been blogging a lot lately because of this full life. Thankful you still keep reading.
My floor is strewn with puppy toys, bones, sticks.
There is nothing else on the floor or at eye level.
Unless you are okay with it being chewed on.
My counters and tables are piled high.
Doors are all shut and there is a baby gate across the stairs to the basement. I can only keep so much picked up.
She is not in love with the blender or the vacuum. They make her bark and pee.
Crying really loudly also makes her bark and pee.
She is in love with ham and peanut butter.
Ham and peanut butter are excellent training treats.
She can sit on command. We’re working on others.
A carrot stuffed in the end of a Kong toy is not a good training treat but is entertaining.
A celery stick in the end of a Kong toy is neither.
She has a stuffed octopus with a squeaker in the head. She will sit and chomp on it while it squeak, squeak, squeaks.
I’ve been outside in my pajamas more times that I can count, potty training.
I have dog treats in all my pockets. Some even make it through the wash extremely well.
I dance like a maniac and say things like “What a good widdle puppy. Yes, you are. You went potty.”, outside, in my pajamas.
Thank goodness all our neighbors have dogs, too.
Foam ear plugs come out just fine.
We observe poo now.
She gets melancholy when everyone leaves for work and school.
She gets happy when everyone comes home.
She slides on our hardwood floors. She’ll be running and try to stop and go sliding.
She also likes Ben pulling her by a toy in her mouth across the floor.
Hardwood floors are the best.
She used to hide under the couch, but can’t now.
At her last vet check, they said she on the growth rate for a big dog.
We’ve noticed.
It’s probably from too much breakfast.
You’ll find her sitting below Luke waiting for a Cheerio to drop.
I intend on this being a low post week.
With an exception or two. Such as this. Which is not even from me. It’s from, you guessed it, Jen Hatmaker.
I was going to say I’m sorry for dropping the H word again, but I’m not.
Actually, her Easter Conundrum, Part 1 is an excerpt from her book “7”.
I’m not sorry for dropping the “7” again.
While you’re at it, you might as well go over to Brandon’s blog again and catch his post which is written more specifically to their church, but also for others to see what they have done and plan to do again for this Easter.
No siento about the Brandon thing, either.
I’m amazingly unapologetic today.
