Happy New Year 2013

We spent a lovely evening with some friends from church at a very kid-friendly New Year's Eve party. We had fireworks and sparklers and great food. The kids did several countdowns: the first one the kids popped 10 confetti filled balloons as they counted down; for the second one, they opened a pinata; the third time they released helium balloons with lists on them of what they loved about 2012 and hoped for in 2013, and the last time they toasted with cotton-candy filled soda. There were board games and lots of kid play time with toys. It was just the kind of partying we like to do!

Dennis is now halfway through the 12 Days of Christmas celebration. Today his gift was a nice pair of headphones for his tunes, kid friendly headphones with a volume limit. I've been treated to a show as he danced through the house in his underwear, listening to Christian rock for kids on his iphone.

I wonder what this year will bring. I'm hopeful for good health and much happiness for all my loved ones.

kitchen entomology

Dennis and David created an awesomely disgusting bug in Dennis' new bug maker machine. The bug has been strategically placed all over the house (because we love to hear Mommy make that noise) already today. I'll bet Dennis even sleeps with it.

I wonder what the Tooth Fairy will think tonight. He will be sleeping with a freshly minted fly AND his first lost tooth, which is already secured in an envelope under his pillow. He was completely unnerved by the tooth loss ordeal while it was loose, but he was delighted when it came out. I guess he was afraid it would hurt.

Dennis has been extremely snuggly the past few days. I wonder how we will pry him off us to return to school. He was just great at church this morning, telling his class how Santa Claus used to be a priest named Nicholas. And he wiggled his tooth for everyone at church breakfast (how appetizing!). I'm really enjoying his company. I think I'll really miss him when school starts back on Thursday!

Ladykiller

On our way home from a fabulous Christmas feast, we were talking about a single friend that brought a lady to church with him. Dennis piped up from the backseat with "well, he's not as slick as I am" and told us how he was going to buy Addison a Christmas present and ask her to be his girlfriend. Then he said "you know how on those commercials when the guy gives a girl a ring and says 'will you marry me?'". David and I exchanged a long look before asking him if he was planning to get a ring for Addison. He said no and asked "is that real? Do guys really get rings and ask like that?". I assured him it was for real and that Daddy had asked me. Then he said he'd get Addison something that girls like and then ask her if she'd like to fart on him. We tried to explain that this approach would most likely not produce the desired result.

He also informed us that he'd be buying gifts for his three favorite teachers (well, two of his favorites along with his brand new teacher) and said "because I'm super slick like that."

elusive wellness

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, usually my favorite day of the year, and I had hoped we would all be well and healthy. It doesn't look like that will be the case. Dennis seems okay but over tired. David still doesn't have his voice or energy back. And I seem to have contracted a rapid onset ear infection that HURTS. It looks like we will not be going to the mountains after all, not for a couple more weeks. Though I'm a bit disappointed (and I know Dennis will be), I'm hopeful that resting at home this week will cure all 3 of us.

Dennis was very well behaved at church this morning and answered every question I asked about the Christmas story. He made a card for Gran and Pop also that I'm hoping didn't get left behind today. He wrote them an email tonight, a short one, in response to the ones they are sending us to update us on Belize life. He gets a bit sad when he talks about them, and I'm wondering how our week will go without the trip he was excited about. He will have fabulous new things from Santa to occupy his time, and I hope that will help.

He asked us today which of our vehicles he could have when he is old enough to drive. We told him he'd probably want something a little newer when that time comes. He decided he will get a van, a little red car like Gigi's, and a red Jeep. That ought to take car of his driving needs!

Injury help

Dennis slipped in the bathroom yesterday morning. He fell onto a pile of laundry and so wasn't injured. I did have a good laugh when I heard him yell "AFLAC!" after he fell.

mad science

I got a phone call on my way to the lake--Dennis wanted me to know something. He said "Uncle Denny got me a BIG present." I asked him if he was ready to open it and he said "yes, I'm in a big hurry!". He was happy to hear that I was on my way. He was thrilled to open a box full of lab equipment! He got test tubes, beakers, flasks, a stand, a test tube brush, all of it plastic but all of it real stuff (not toys). He was so pleased that he spent the next 45 minutes setting everything out on the table and filling each piece with "regular water that needs testing" and "water of doom" and "blood for my lab" (also water). He delighted in pouring water into and out of the test tubes. After 45 minutes, he remembered that he had other gifts to open and got to it!

He asked me a question yesterday that I answered with "I have no earthly idea." This amused him, and he asked "well, do you have a Mercury idea? Or a Jupiter idea?".

where oh where is our health?

Dennis and I spent the day largely confined to the house. He went to the doctor this morning with David--the weird sore on his face is, in fact, impetigo. No school for him today. And I have pneumonia and thus have spent 20 hours in bed with chills and the worst cough ever. The doctor called in a fairly strong antibiotic for me, and I'm hoping for a fast, easy recovery. I'm glad it waited until today to strike me down since I had such a busy weekend and handled two major children's performances yesterday, but I had important things to do today that didn't get done, and who knows how I'll feel tomorrow!

Dennis is in good spirits after his wonderful choir performance last night and all the rest he got last night. I didn't even get him up for school--he was going to go to the doc anyway and I sure wasn't in any shape to drive him. I'm so thankful for a husband that took time to take care of us today.

Campfire Christmas

We spent a delightful evening with the Gallmans and Carons at Casa Gallman. Delicious dinner was followed by sitting around a campfire, roasting marshmallows for s'mores, singing Christmas songs, and listening to Dennis and Zoe tell scary stories (which begun with "on a night much like tonight, there were parents and more parents..."). This was a sort of farewell party for Gran and Pop, and they enjoyed conversation and fellowship with all. Dennis, Chloe, and Zoe had great fun making gingerbread cookie girlfriends and boyfriends, and the night just passed by too quickly!

Grief

Dennis had a rough night last night. He was asking me about our plans for Christmas morning and questioned why he wouldn't be showing Gran what Santa brought him (like he does every year). He just realized that they are actually moving away and won't be here on Christmas. He began to cry harder than I've heard him cry. I could not console him. He was practically howling in grief. He called and talked to Gran, crying pitifully the whole time, and I wasn't holding myself together too well either. I could not write about it last night. And there are tears in my eyes now just remembering how hurt he was and how I couldn't fix it.

We let him stay up way too late and set up our first ever Christmas village. He's very proud of it and we were thrilled to see his smile return before he went to bed. Today he was somewhat subdued, tired from the long day on not as much sleep as usual. He got on yellow at school for kicking a kid that was pretending to sleep under his desk. He was quite good at church, though, and managed to do an excellent job later on his reading homework. The reading coach did finally call to tell me about his transfer--he actually tested past first grade, too, but they put him in with the first graders to learn some reading rules. And since he's so far ahead, they also put him in the Accelerated Reading program through the school library. He checks out a book every day and reads it, and the following day he takes a computer test on the book and then checks out another. I'm very pleased with the lengths they are undertaking to keep him challenged! He still spends part of his day with his kindergarten class and all his friends. All that and he gets art, music, Spanish, and technology classes as well! Not too shabby for our public school. I guess we'll work on math more at home, but yesterday we discovered that he's learned his 10 times tables. Elisabeth asked him casually what ten times three is and he only paused a couple of seconds before replying "thirty". Surprised, we began asking him other ones (ten times six, ten times nine, ten times ten) and he correctly answered each. I haven't a clue where he picked it up.

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas Day and his little Reeboks are out beside his door to be filled with goodies. His elf is busily reading a Christmas book in the living room. He's loving all the Advent activities and his calendars (electronic and regular!). Maybe we won't stay sad over the upcoming departure too long. Time will fly until we're together again with Gran and Pop.

Unexpected promotion

I was making my rounds at church this morning when an acquaintance happened to say "I sure enjoyed Dennis being in my class Friday--I'm going to enjoy him being in there." I smiled at her and thanked her and then asked which class. She told me it was reading, I asked what happened, and she said "he and 2 other kids were so far ahead that they moved them--no one told you?". I said that they hadn't and asked "are you a 1st grade reading teacher?". She is, in fact. So he's moved out of Kindergarten reading. And he never told us! We are so proud.

an evening at Santa's place

We had a wonderful time with Gran & Pop today. The five of us went to Huntsville and saw Nana Gaynell and Poppa Jim. Then we spent a couple of happy hours at Santa's Village, meeting elves, seeing reindeer, decorating cookies, playing in a snow shower, hearing a story, watching a blacksmith at work, and meeting Santa. Dennis was overjoyed, of course. And I most loved the car talk with Gran & Pop, treasuring these few remaining days before they move away. Today was our gift to them, but it was more of a gift to us.

We waited in an excruciatingly long line to see Santa, but when we reached his beautifully decorated living room, I heard Dennis' sharp intake of breath followed by his reverent whisper "it's the real Santa!". Real Santa, real reindeer, real snow... Wow! What a day for a 5 year old!

Too much snot

Three days in bed. And today Dennis joined me there. And tonight David is medicating himself. I'm taking a turn for the better and will return to work tomorrow (in fact, I even went in for 3 hours today). Dennis seems to feel good after his day of rest, and David looks lots better than he did right after he got off work. We're praying for a quick recovery. And we'd love to be completely well by Saturday, as we have a fun day planned. As I think back, I remember that we are usually sick the week of the Clanton Christmas parade and tree-lighting, and that's next week. I'd like to think we'll have just gotten over it with early this year. There are benefits to this: we will enjoy the parade and tree lighting, and Dennis will not be heavily medicated at his Christmas performance at church (which means that there might not be an exciting stunt this year--2 years ago he hugged Grace in the middle of it, and last year he was waving his arms and took Caden out).

Here's to our prompt healing!

tree hugger

Dennis and Gran, Gigi, Daddy, and I had a wonderful time choosing our Christmas tree at the tree farm yesterday. Dennis picked a robust 7 footer, and he helped David cut it down and rode with it up to the barn where they shook it and wrapped it for us. We all availed ourselves of some free hot cocoa and enjoyed the company and the view. And then we brought it home and had just enough time to get it in the stand before David headed to work. Tonight we decorated it before we went to get dinner. When we returned, Dennis was so happy to see it that he ran in and announced "I love our Christmas tree so much that I'm going to hug it!". Recognizing an impending Kodak...er, Canon...moment, I grabbed the camera and caught him embracing the tree. I continued to snap as he held up mistletoe over his head and kissed the tree. Silly kid! I enjoy his sense of fun.

so thankful

What I am most thankful for: a child who observed the overfilled Walmart parking lot as we drove past on our way home and wondered about the Black Friday sale, and then said a heartfelt prayer for the safety of the workers and kindness of the shoppers. What a blessing he is!

yes, I suppose it would

Watching a Spiriva commercial, Dennis said, "Look, she has an elephant!". I then said "I wish I had an elephant." Dennis quickly replied "but it would be hard for you two to communicate." Wow. I suppose it would. Then he said "I'd like to name it Cappuccino." Funny kid.

tough wardrobe choices

He's out of school today, so I thought we'd go for breakfast together before we head to the church so I can do some work. It's very difficult to motivate him to get dressed. We've chosen pants, but when I suggested a striped shirt, he told me "that shirt's too good-looking. If I wear it, everybody will call me handsome." So the shirt search continues...

learning the ways of a man

As our day was winding down, I asked Dennis if he wanted to spend some time playing in his room. He told me "no, I really want to irritate you!". He chanted the word "lickety" because he happens to know that it sends chills of grossness down my spine. I told him I would be REALLY irritated if he went to the refrigerator and brought me a coke. He pondered that for a second before saying "that wouldn't be irritating-- that would be helpful!". But he still went and got me one, giggling as he went. I love that kid. I especially love the sweet Get Well song he made up.

I have lots to be thankful for this year! I hope I get well soon enough to enjoy the holiday.

a symphony of coughs

We checked Dennis out of school early on Friday to go to the pep rally. He was pretty excited. And we had a great time. It sure has changed since David and I attended one 20 years ago! Sadly, our school was defeated in the 2nd round of playoffs, so the season is over.

I had another ministry academy class this weekend, and David and Dennis had a Guys Night Out. Dennis saw Santa at Bass Pro Shop, and then the two of them shopped wherever Dennis wanted to look at toys. They had lots of fun together!

Now we are sick! I'm the sickest, but Dennis is getting a bit congested. I hope he's spared the cough I'm struggling with at the moment. He read me a nice long story tonight. I'm so proud of his reading! When I checked him out of school, another teacher popped out of her room and asked "is that Dennis? He's the one I've been hearing about that is so smart! I heard he is just an incredible reader." Yep. That's my boy!

the list maker

Dennis finished dictating his Christmas list by September. He's discovered a new use for his iPhone. He's composing a birthday list on the notepad. He wants ninja turtle toys, lots of them, and some line of Big Foots toys that I think are just hideous. I enjoyed collecting the Star Wars and superhero toys because they are cool, but the big foot things just look stupid to me. I think he's been subjected to a clever commercial. He still loves a good infomercial.

This is his third night to sleep in his fort. He's been telling me that Daddy is his best friend and that his Daddy is the best Dad anyone could ever have. I love hearing that!

Fortress of Fun

What an awesome day of rest and renewal this was! Dennis and I stayed home and stayed in out of the rain and cool weather. He thrived in his environment today, happily renewing relationships with toys long neglected and playing with the usual favorites. He was in a happy, fun, and delighted state all day. He played alone for long stretches of time and then would come find me for a chat and a cuddle before returning to his fun.

When David got home and I had to run out to a meeting tonight, Dennis announced his grand plan for the night: they would build a big fort out of blankets and pillows and play in it. David was exhausted after a hard day of work, so I was very pleased to talk to them on my way home and hear that they'd built a fort. Dennis greeted me in the hallway and made his important announcement and formal welcome to Fort Dennis and David before leading me to the library to see their masterpiece. The three of us sat in the fort and played Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and he shooed us out to get his fort ready for sleeping. This took many toy and pillow gathering excursions, but he'd finally created a nest for the night. We tucked him in and read his bedtime story, but he kept getting up to inform us of various fort-related business items. He intends to sleep in it every night and covert his bedroom to his lab and headquarters. The library will contain his sleeping fort and his spy office. I presume he'll stage a coup and take the kitchen and den any day now. But for now he's sleeping peacefully and happily in his fort (conveniently built around a futon).

Strep throat again

We were on our way to school Friday when Dennis said "I think my throat hurts too bad to go to school." I knew it was serious because Friday was a special day--the elementary kids were scheduled to walk over to the high school and attend the pep rally. He'd been very excited to go. We went to the doctor right away, and he told them "I feel like I have strep throat." So they swabbed his throat and found out that he does. Since Friday, he's developed a nasty cough as well. He's still cheerful and sweet, though.

Yesterday, we proceeded with his Taekwondo tournament. He clearly didn't feel his best but was okay to go. He earned 2 bronze medals. David earned a silver in one of his competitions. It was a long competition, and we were starving when we left, but after a quick lunch, we all felt pretty good, and Dennis was perked up and ready to shop.

I got to see Dennis' interview at church this morning-- he had great things to say about our church and he was so cute on camera. I'm so proud of him! This afternoon he and David had a BB gun shooting lesson (which Dennis loved) and tonight he entertained us by asking the Magic 8 Ball weird and exciting questions. I'm so glad tomorrow is a holiday! I'm looking forward to having a full day with him.

Voting

Dennis accompanied me to the polls on Tuesday, correctly reading and pointing out to me "Romney" on the ballot. He even helped me draw the line on the ballot. We were sorely disappointed to discover that our candidate did not win. I couldn't shake my sadness (and fear for Dennis' future) the following morning. Dennis agreed that we should pray for God to work in the President's heart. And then Dennis wrote me a note for my office that said "good day and good job". He said it was to cheer me up since he could tell I was having a tough day. I posted it in my office as soon as I got there after dropping him off at school.

Yesterday he got on "yellow" again at school for playing 'rock, paper, scissors, gun, bomb, and water' (I may not have the last three things exactly right). He says they just got a little too loud. He is most assuredly one hundred percent boy! But he's a kind-hearted little soul. When we went to vote, he took pocketfuls of peppermints and gave them out to the poll workers. They were delighted with his thoughtfulness, as was I.

enjoying autumn

Dennis had great fun playing outside this afternoon. The leaves are beautiful, and after this morning's rain, the air was clean and clear. I enjoyed some time with my camera, taking fall color photos and shots of Gran's and Pop's house as they are about to leave it behind.

Dennis and I tried out a new iPhone feature tonight: face time! We were playing spies and using our phones as high tech communicating devices. It was almost as funny as his chats with Siri on his phone. Who knew that a computerized personal assistant would be such great entertainment for a 5 year old? Tonight when he asked it "why?" it told him "because."

Halloween fun

He wore an Auburn football uniform to trick or treat this year. He scored plenty of candy and had fun with friends. I went to his school party and his girlfriend talked nonstop to me! It was a fabulous Halloween experience.

I'm shocked at the amount of reading homework he's had this week, but upon further consideration, it's probably a good thing. I remember worrying about him reading early and being bored at school, but it looks like his reading teacher is moving him forward as fast as she can. He'll be in the first grade levels right after Christmas if he gets to keep going at this pace. He tests brilliantly every week, and he was tested twice this week (so he advanced two levels). I'm thrilled that he's being as challenged as he is. He's not waiting for anyone to catch up, that's for sure!

Tonight I taught him how to use Siri on his iPhone. He setup a homework reminder for himself, asked for directions to the nearest McDonalds, and then it got interesting. He asked Siri how many stars are in the sky, and it replied with "here are the stars closest to you: Nail Star, Comstar...". We had a good laugh and he asked again. This time the phone Google searched the number of stars in the sky and gave him a number of visible stars in his area. He asked it what an iPhone was and it opened the apple website. We also got it to tell us how far away the moon is. Very fun.

Perfect report card!

This is day 2 of some seriously wonderful Dennis behavior. He was just perfect at church yesterday and paid attention to my lesson on watching what we say. He even prayed in front of all of children's church for God to help everyone remember to say only nice things to each other.

Tonight he sat quietly during Taekwondo for over an hour while he waited on his turn to do his form and then his turn to spar. He was so well behaved that I'm almost worried about him!

He got his report card today and got satisfactory in everything (the highest grade in Kindergarten). His teacher said he is an AMAZING reader. We are so proud! She said she had no problems with his behavior--he's just a being a boy, she said, and he always gets all his work done. I'm glad she allows some flexibility for him. We are so pleased with his elementary school experience thus far.

Dueling iPhones

Here we are, Dennis and I, sitting in the backseat of the Blazer and headed to a Halloween party! We are texting each other things like "eyeballs" and "ear wax" and other grossness. Great fun!

the joy of text

Dennis' new phone arrived yesterday. In a seriously questionable parenting move, we got him an iPhone. It was way cheaper than an iPod touch, and he can watch Netflix movies on the go (which he'd been doing on our phones). And his games and educational apps and music are on it along with the phone numbers that he needs to have. An unexpected benefit: he is learning to sound out and spell words because he loves to send me text messages. We have unlimited text (thank goodness), so he gets to type as much as possible. He loves it! We are applying strict parental guidelines to its usage, of course.

We had a very successful dental checkup again today. Dennis is doing an excellent job taking care of his teeth. When I checked him out of school today it was like a major celebrity event. People were hugging him and wishing him well as he left. Not just people in his class, but children in the halls and on the walkways were all greeting him. Lots of people know his name. I hope that's a good thing.

Batman at Bass Pro

This has been an exciting weekend. Our Family Night Out was changed from going trick-or-treating at Bass Pro Shop. We saw we were going to be a little late, and we stopped at Walmart to maybe find dinner and a distraction. What we bought? Laser Tag sets. Three of them. We came home and ran around our dark yard, shooting each other and scoring, "dying" and "respawning" and just having an excellent time. I can't imagine anything that would have thrilled him more than the 3 of us shooting each other!

Yesterday we met friends at the pumpkin patch (his 4th visit of the season) for a bit and then went to a craft show. What were we thinking? He nearly broke a dozen things and at one point picked up a tractor shaped soap and took a bite. He thought it was a cookie.

We finally did make it to Bass Pro today, and he got to participate in a scavenger hunt to win a prize. He wore his Batman costume and made a craft (a pumpkin mask) and pretended to fly through the store at top speed. He was a joy (and a bit of a menace) all weekend!

When I asked what he likes about his girlfriend, he said "it's a word, sounds something like 'ality' I think," and when I replied "personality," he said "Yes! That's it!". And he knew what it meant. Love that kid!

kindergarten woes

After almost 5 weeks of all "green" behavior, yesterday was a yellow day. He got in trouble for dancing in the lunch line. While I appreciate that the teacher must keep order, I'd like for Dennis to dance wherever he darn well wants to. He's five years old. His exuberance is part of who he is. I hope public school doesn't take that away.

Tonight in the car, he read us an entire book about the nativity story, just picked it up and said "I think I'll read this to both of you." He reads incredibly well now! We were delightedly amazed at his skill.

saying no and enforcing it

We didn't make it to the pumpkin train today. After serious misbehavior at church and worse behavior at lunch, I canceled our trip to the railroad museum. Much sadness ensued. But if I consider how he went to the pumpkin patch yesterday for a birthday party and went to a children's event last night that involved a trip to a farm where we painted pumpkins, ate hot dogs, took a hayride through the woods, and roasted marshmallows, I don't feel quite so much like I deprived him of all fun over the weekend. We needed time at home! I took 10 hours of class this weekend for the Academy for Ministries with Children. My brain is full of Methodist doctrine. I really enjoyed the class, but I'm glad to have some time to chill, or at least I will if Dennis starts behaving.

red or pink

Dennis told me this morning that he wanted school to last for only 1 minute. He very nearly got his wish. The school nurse called me after he'd been there an hour. They thought he might have pinkeye and wanted me to take him to the doctor, who thought it was more likely allergy related (especially since he was fine yesterday when we went in for a flu vaccine). He's on 2 different eye drops, and this necessitates much drama. Oh, the screaming! And his eyes are terribly red.

Dennis has to read 6 books to be eligible to enter a drawing for tickets to the Iron Bowl. He read all 6 of them tonight, and we are amazed how well he's reading. He picked a nice variety of choices to read, too. And when he was done, he wanted a bedtime Bible story and hymn. He asks for hymns every night now, and I'm inspired to teach a children's church lesson on hymns soon!

a new water skill

Dennis learned to kayak today.  He's quite good at it!  He did manage to flip it over once (and it was a cool day today), but he didn't panic.  He popped right up and swam to the steps to get out.  After he got out of his wet clothes, he was pretty amused at himself for flipping it.  I'm very pleased that I didn't flip it when it was my turn.  After our kayak fun, Dennis amused himself by taking photos, something he does amazingly well!  I just had to post this shot he set up and took to surprise me.  His little shoe is beside mine.  Love that kid!

October fun

We made TWO trips to the pumpkin patch today. This morning was a church outing with the 2, 3, and 4 year olds (and Dennis), and this afternoon we met the Gallmans there. It was a gorgeous day, sunny (a bit warm) and breezy. We have 2 pumpkins chosen by Dennis to begin our Halloween decorating. And we had a lovely dinner tonight with family and friends to conclude my birthday celebrations. I have really been spoiled this week!

Last night Dennis and I attended the high school Homecoming game, and he really had the full football experience! He was allowed to hold the game ball for a minute before the game started. He scored two of the footballs (different colors) tossed by the cheerleaders when our team scored. He saw dozens of people who know and love him, and he visited with all of them. He was on the football field as part of the human tunnel that the fans make for the players to run through as they enter the field to start the game. He got to play on the field after the game, running from and chasing, tackling and being tackled by his friends. He cheered wildly with every pass caught and every touchdown scored and tried his best to get the attention of the TV cameramen filming what was the game of the week for two different stations. He cheered for the big win. And it was difficult to get him to come down from his football-related elation! He even got to watch the Homecoming Parade a few hours before the game.

We have fully immersed ourselves in the most fun activities related to the fall season, and we plan to continue all month long. Next two weekends we're going to hayrides and bonfires!

impressions

Yesterday as Dennis stooped to clean his cake crumbs from the floor of the fellowship hall at church, he realized the magnitude of the job. He said thoughtfully "I think I'll leave this to the professionals" and got up to run and play somewhere else.

Today he told the associate pastor at church that we were coming home to watch the Big Bang Theory. I tried to let it be known that we heavily censor his viewing, saying that he liked when they dressed as superheroes. He quickly said "no, I like the things Sheldon says--they are smart and silly too." When we got home, he asked "do you want to see my Sheldon impression?". I did indeed, so he held up a finger, assumed a nerdy facial expression, and recited "According to my calculations, everything in the universe was made from nothing." That's my boy!

Doctor Mitchell

After we got home from the Blessing of the Animals service at the local Episcopal church (where Tabasco was blessed by the priest), Dennis went through his dress-up repertoire for me. He put on his police jacket and donned a number of disguises on top of it. He told me he was a master of disguise, that he was a police spy.

He soon appeared in full doctor gear. He marched in and told me he was Nurse Dennis and he gave me a flu shot with his plastic syringe. Soon he was back with a real thermometer and a Coke Zero. He told me he had to test my blood and returned with the syringe. He told me to take a drink and then he took my temperature and listened to my heart with his toy stethoscope. He shook his head sadly and said "well, you have a bad blood problem: it's called Thy-mol-nermius. It's like a bad case of throwing up and your blood is going crazy!". He held up a plastic medicine dosing syringe and said "see--crazy!" while solemnly shaking his head. He went off to get me special medicine. He returned with the dropper full of water and dosed me. He checked me again a few minutes later and said it was getting worse. Soon he was tucking me in and running off to his lab to make me a "stronger medicine". He warned me "now this might be very, very, VERY loud--I've got to set my gun to 'drugs'." When he reappeared, he was wearing his toy gas mask and saying "this medicine turned out very stinky!". He ordered me to hold my nose while I drank the "medicine" from the empty plastic Toy Story cup he offered. I complied. But sadly for him, I apparently continued to worsen. He went to get some construction paper to make me a "chart" so that he could consult with David when he got home. He wrote "3 shots, 3 doses of Dennis's (his spelling) special medicine, and then he drew a line and wrote my name on the chart. He affixed it to my bedroom door with stickers and then met his Daddy at the door to tell him they had a patient to work on. I can't remember when I've delighted in his imagination more. I had the best time being his patient! He decided I was cured before he went to bed. I sang him the hymns of his choice (every verse at his insistence) and he fell asleep after playing with his action figures in bed. We could hear them "talking" to each other from our room. The best thing we heard? "Johnny, I TOLD you not to use my password on eBay anymore!! We didn't need that new control tower. 'But it wasn't me! I didn't order it. Control's brother ordered it.' 'Okay. Control's brother is going to be in big trouble!'." it was all David and I could do to not laugh hysterically at his play scenario. Love that kid!

fair fun

Dennis had a fabulous night at the County Fair on Tuesday night. He rode rides, played a game, ate cotton candy, chatted up girls, hung out with family--all those things he loves to do. He pretended to barf on all the rides where he was riding by himself (and giggled the whole time).

Tonight we had an assignment to decorate a paper pumpkin as a family. He brought home a pattern from school with instructions to decorate it any way we wanted to. Dennis decided he wanted to make it into a Mr. Potato Head pumpkin, so the three of us worked together on his masterpiece. He's very excited to turn it in tomorrow!

First school nurse call

Dennis has his first at-school injury. He was running and fell on the concrete. Though he went on to PE afterward and played happily, we picked him up as soon as we got the phone call. He says he was tired of everyone asking him what happened. I'm glad this happened AFTER picture day if it had to happen. Poor kid!

oh, is that what that was?

"Mommy, I'm not kicking you. My feet are KISSING you!". Oh. How lovely!

Dennis found America's Funniest Videos on Netflix and we enjoyed some snuggle time watching it together. He has a great day--he got to model the Full Armor of God at church this morning. It was for the Children's Church lesson, but he was so excited about it that he wore it to breakfast as well.

Here's a picture of him admiring a rocket yesterday!

Oh, just as I finished writing all that, he announced loudly from the bathroom (where he was supposed to be brushing his teeth), "Okay--I finished my experiment!". I didn't have to wonder for long. He brought in a medicine syringe to show me his experiment: a mixture of toothpaste and water inside the syringe. He said "it turned blue!". I acted impressed. He said "I thought you'd say eureka!". So I did. Love that kid! He says he wants his very own science lab now so he can do more experiments.

Taekwondo champ, super astronaut

Our day in Huntsville couldn't have been any more fun! Dennis and David participated in the Taekwondo United Nationals and have the medals to prove it. And Dennis really enjoyed his visit to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. He climbed in simulators and space capsules and walked among giant rockets. And he got to dine with Nana Gaynell and Poppa Jim at Big Bob Gibson's before making the trip back home. He smiled and laughed all day and made jokes all the way home even though we were sure he'd sleep! He and Gran had a gross-out and scariness contest in the backseat that kept us all giggling. What a stellar day!

Four out of five

Dennis was happy to report another day of good behavior.  He's been on green every day this week, and we are very proud of him.  If he can do it again tomorrow, he gets a reward. 

Tonight he came to me to tell me that he was learning sign language and he had something to tell me.  He pointed to his open mouth, mimed holding a cup and drinking, and said "guess what I need!".  I got the message.

I'm extremely proud of him for learning and reciting 6 Bible verses last night.  He has an amazing brain and I enjoy watching it work (though I prefer when he uses his power for good and not evil).

Hints of autumn

Dennis had a great day at school today, so great that he fell asleep in the car on the way home.  It was picture day, and I can't wait to see how they turn out.  I don't think he's quite reached the point where he can leave his nap behind.  His Grandma picked him up from school last Friday and he told her "a nap isn't on my schedule today."  He was right--Friday was Uncle Denny's birthday and he went to celebrate with the family.  I have been in bed most of the time since Wednesday, having caught whatever plagues my son and husband were suffering from. 

I'd love for us to be outdoors enjoying this change in the weather, but we have to all get well first!

Green & Blue Man

I hear Dennis did fabulously well at his taekwondo testing tonight.  I missed it because I caught the crud that has affected the rest of my family and have spent the day in bed.  I also hear that he was well-behaved at school today (he's been on "green" for 2 days in a row).  His teacher told another teacher (who happens to be our pastor's wife) that he is extremely smart!  I'm glad to know that she's seen more than just his mischievous side.

I'm excited to see his new blue belt next week!

just like luggage

The highlight of my day?  Watching Dennis go for a short spin on the luggage carousel tonight at the airport when we went to pick up Gran and Pop.  We could see that he was totally planning to get on the thing, and we kept pulling him back.  He got away from us, plopped his rear down, and rode around a bend before hopping off with a big grin on his face!

snore world

Dennis felt good enough today to go to church, which is a good thing since he really didn't have the option to not go.  Tonight he's coughing a gross wet cough, and we're wondering about kindergarten tomorrow.  I suppose we will make that call in the morning.  He only has the cough at night and has no fever thus far.  David is also slowly on the mend.  I started to feel bad myself, but a nap helped tremendously!

It was a beautiful, breezy, cool day, and I sure wished we felt well enough to be out in it!

seal attack

Dennis fell asleep in the car on the way home from school.  He's always worn out by Friday, but when he hadn't gotten up two hours later, I went in to check on him and found him burning up with fever.  He started to cry when I woke him up, and the crying triggered a barking cough that sent us off to the emergency room.  He was utterly pitiful through the chest x-ray and exam, hated the blood pressure cuff, and suffered sadly through his first ever breathing treatment.  After a dose of steroid, he felt much better and commenced to adjusting and readjusting his hospital bed.  We are home now, and I'm pretty sure he might actually stay awake all night.  We apparently caught his croup early, and I'm hoping for rapid healing!

sacked

Despite Dennis' vehement protests, we left the beach yesterday. He learned to dive into and under the waves as they were crashing over him. He swam all around (in 12 inches or less of water depth) with his goggles on, looking for shells. And he absolutely did not sleep on the drive home. He did attempt to negotiate a move to Panama City Beach, saying "we could live here--I could bring all my toys. I guess that would take a million backpacks, though, to move all my toys!".

He returned to kindergarten today, not very graciously, after I denied his request for "a day to be lazy" (which I would have loved). I taught my first day of preschool for the year. Oh the crying! It's tough for a 2 year old to leave Mommy!

Tonight Dennis was planning to curl up and watch a movie on his Kindle. He plopped down in the den on the ottomans to wait for one of us to make popcorn, but he very quickly fell asleep right there. Poor, exhausted little guy!

Adventure at the beach

Today Dennis had an incredible time exploring Wonder Works and then immersing himself in the beach experience.  Oh, the sand!  I've never seen anyone so eager to roll around in sand!  I especially loved the way he just threw himself in the ocean, rolling around in the waves, jumping and giggling.  He said "I am never leaving here!".  So it was a trial to get him to go to dinner, but he loved it once we got to the restaurant.  He has said a hundred times today that he wants to move here.

Not lost

After a long, long week of work and kindergarten, Dennis and I are thrilled to be at the beach for the weekend.  He was certain that we were lost on the way here, but we made it just fine.  He announced upon arrival "I have been waiting for this day for my whole life."  He is glad we are here "so we can finally forget school and work and just relax!".  Well said!

restaurant supply

At the Arby's drive-thru last night, Dennis was dismayed to learn that they were out of chicken strips.  When we pulled up to the window, he told the cashier "there are lots of chickens that live in our driveway!  You can come get some--Mom, tell her our address!".  Then he loudly relayed my phone number and told her to call us and she could come get some so they wouldn't be out of chicken strips any more.  They had a nice laugh over his marketing of our neighbor chickens.

We heard from his daddy today, and it seems all is going well on the Belize trip.  And Dennis and I are still plugging our way through a busy week!

the week ahead

My heart is heavy this morning.  David left home for an early morning flight headed for Belize (along with my mom and dad).  They should be just about ready to take off for Atlanta.  He will be gone for a week, and Dennis isn't happy about it.  When I took him to school this morning, he sadly asked "why do I always have to go to school?" and I explained that he would get to learn.  He told me "I'm already done learning."  He left the car and walked into the school with his head tilted down and his shoulders sagging a bit, walking more slowly than I've seen him walk.  Poor little guy--he's got a big adjustment to make just with school and now he's worried about his Daddy being away for a week.

We have a big week planned ourselves.  Wednesday night the church is having a big end of summer social and I've got lots of booths and tables to set up, lots of games to prepare.  Dennis has Taekwondo tonight and Thursday.  Preschool orientation is this week, so I'll meet the parents tonight and the new students on Thursday morning.  And, depending on what the impending hurricane does, we most likely will be headed to the beach for the weekend!  I wish I could skip ahead to Friday.

green light week

Dennis did not want to go to school this morning.  He told me "I don't want to take school anymore.  It's so long, and I get in trouble all the time."  Poor fellow.  I explained that everyone has a difficult time learning new rules and that he'd be okay as long as he didn't continue to do the things that he learned were wrong.  We prayed together in the car for a better day.  I reminded him that he'd get ice cream after school if his conduct stayed on "green" all week.  He pitifully asked "can I have a toy instead?".  I stopped by Walmart after dropping him off.  He caught me in a weak moment.  He was happy when I picked him up this afternoon, still on "green" in his planner (but he told me he was on yellow for a while today before moving back to green).  And he was very pleased to get his prize when he got in the car!

art Dennis style

Dennis announced as he climbed into the car "I got in a little trouble today." Apparently he and the girl sitting across from him were trying to pick each other's noses. He told David this tonight. What he told me was "me and the girl beside me were playing and we didn't stop when Mrs. Walker told us to stop. And I was making funny faces at a girl in the lunchroom and she was making them too and the teacher told us to stop. Mrs. Walker gets kind of mean when we are being bad!". It must not have been too bad. He came home with a good conduct report.

He also said "at lunch I really liked the sliced oranges and the hot dog, but there was this really stinky brown stuff that nearly ran me and the girl next to me out of there. We didn't want to eat it." Later I deduced that the stinky brown stuff must have been hot dog chili. He said "oh, yeah, I bet that WAS hot dog chili. It smelled yuck, though."

I've enjoyed looking at his paint and crayon masterpieces each day, and today he brought home a picture of a guy driving a race car. He added racing stripes to the car and drew a helmet around the driver's head. I appreciate his creativity!

first day

When asked about his first day of Kindergarten, Dennis replied, "there was boringness.  And we learned a lot of rules.  And then more boringness.  And we played outside."  He made a new friend, he says who "wears Spiderman shoes but I don't know what his name is--we played Spiderman together."  He seems happy.  His teacher said he was a tad jumpy in the hallway but otherwise very good.  I was sad to see him go in and sit right down and get to work.  No clinging, no hug.  But I'm proud that he's confident enough to take care of himself at school! 

summer's end

I feel like this is the last night of Dennis' little-boyhood! He goes off to school officially in the morning. He's picked out his outfit and is currently playing (loudly) in the bathtub. We've snuggled together this evening and chatted, and I've so enjoyed his company! I asked him if he was at all nervous about tomorrow and he replied, "no, but you are!". He's right! I'm nervous about how our lives will change with him in real school. I'll wonder how he's doing all day. I'm sure he'll be just fine and happy, but I won't be able to go check!

Sigh. Those toddler and preschool years just flew by so fast!

back-to-school shopping

After attending our favorite twins' 3rd birthday party, we joined the Gallmans for supper and shopping. I'm happy to report that Dennis scored a great new rain jacket, so now he's pretty much gotten everything he needs. We even got a light-up bat signal, but it's actually mine and not his. He told me he hated me earlier today when I didn't buy him a Spiderman, so I told him I wasn't buying him any more toys until he learned to appreciate what's really important. And then we found a bat signal much, much later in the evening. I played with it in the car all the way home (to his torture), and I finally let him hold it when we were almost home. Oh, the agony of waiting! And not owning it himself!

flight museum fun

Dennis had a fabulous time at the Southern Museum of Flight today. He had been wanting to go back to see "the Lego room" that he remembered so well. Gran & Pop joined us and we looked at planes and played in flight simulators and watched Dennis build Lego airports. It was a nice last hurrah before school begins on Monday. Dennis chose a very cool bomber jacket to be his new fall/winter coat and insisted on striking poses and wearing it all the way home. He also asked if he could sleep in his new jacket tonight!

We took him shoe shopping and he ran laps around the store in a pair of Reeboks and again in a pair of Nikes. He told us "definitely the Nikes--they're faster!". Luckily they were also $20 cheaper!

the comics don't lie

I always loved reading Calvin & Hobbes comics. Now I'm living them. Dennis lives part of the time in an imaginary world in his mind. Ask him to stop hitting other children with a rope and he says "I'm not hitting kids--I'm just doing practice with my lasso. I'm a cowboy." Or he's Indiana Jones. Or he's a police officer--"I'm just catching bad guys!". He stalks around the church wearing sunglasses and suddenly he's a spy. I ask him not to run in church and he says "but I'm Flash. I have to move fast!". He's ever so logical. I wonder of kindergarten will insert a bigger dose of reality into his days. Possibly not. He's breezing through his reading book at an amazing clip. Here's hoping he finds a productive and well-received outlet for whatever boredom he encounters.

first concert

Dennis and I had a great time at the Go Fish Guys concert last night. He was disappointed that he didn't catch one of the Angry Birds stuffed animals they tossed into the audience at the beginning, so I should not have been surprised to see him later run up onto the stage and tug on the pant leg of the lead singer (during a song). The guy crouched down to listen to him and he soon returned to his seat beside me and said "well, they are all out of Angry Birds--he told me I should come to their next concert". Didn't matter a bit to him that there were about 1000 people watching!

After the concert we dined at McDonald's, and while Dennis was standing in line behind a rather large man at the drink machine, I heard him say "hey Roadblock, pick a lane and get in it!". I was both horrified and terribly amused. Fortunately, the man thought he was cute and funny as well!

He was just as amusing today. He described to us his dream treehouse: "a police rocket hanging from a tree one inch from the ground, but hanging by a string with NO STICKS around--it's not a piñata!". He wants it to look like it's about to crash land on the planet. I'd love to see him draw it out for me!!!

Dennis' Night Out

Dennis' Taekwondo school offered a Parents' Night Out tonight at their studio near Birmingham. We had plans to meet up with friends for Cosmic Bowling, but they couldn't make it, so David and I ate supper and shopped leisurely through the kinds of places Dennis doesn't love (electronics stores, clothes). We just picked Dennis back up, and he complained that he really wanted to spend the night. I really didn't want to make the early morning trip to retrieve him, so he was disappointed. He says he had a great time!

Earlier today David taught him to play Battleship, and before that, Dennis and I slept very late and cuddled up to watch his favorite shows. He brought me breakfast in bed (pop-tart & Coke Zero) so sweetly. I can't believe he starts kindergarten in just over a week.

It's after 11pm, and he should be tired, I think, but here we are at the gas station because "of course you know I'm hungry". I suppose the bottomless pit years might be starting early!

cave kids

We took a field trip to Rickwood Caverns State Park today. We toured the cave, mined for "gems", picnicked together, and swam in their awesome pool (complete with a high dive that the kids loved). The kids had learned about caves on Tuesday, and their lesson next week will feature rocks and gems, so this particular trip was pretty educational in regards to our God's World curriculum. And we all had an incredible time!

Dennis loved it all. He was excited to see a bat waking up in the cave and flying away. He brought in a good haul of rocks, too, that he'll add to his collection. And he enjoyed swimming and wisely chose not to do the high dive (though he did try out the lower board). His good buddy swam with him in the parts where they could touch the bottom. They also both took a nice long nap on the bus ride home. Despite his busy day, he was excellent at Taekwondo tonight, acting mature and composed--I was so proud!

cowboy or Indian?

I enjoyed seeing Dennis flit through my afternoon, alternately as Sheriff Dennis or Chief Sitting Bull. He wielded a lasso, roping chairs in the church library. And he appeared in my afternoon meeting in a large Indian headdress created from a newspaper (a real masterpiece that I suspect was created by his buddy Elisabeth). He had a fabulous time, as always. He loves my place of employment!

anatomy lesson

Dennis has been curious about body parts lately, especially those deemed private. He strolled into our room naked tonight and was pointing to himself and asking questions. He asked what the real name for the area under his penis is called, and when I told him 'testicles', he said "I just call them my acorns." I had nothing to say to that, but I enjoyed watching David immediately turn his head away to keep from cracking up in front of Dennis. This is even funnier if you consider that Uncle Denny took us to see Ice Age 4 tonight (where we watched Scrat chase his beloved acorn).

Underwear Man rides again

We never know what to expect. So when Dennis came flying into our bed clad only in his underwear, sunglasses, and his Green Lantern cape, I suppose we shouldn't have been surprised. He declared himself "Underwear Man" and waved his hands at us, ostensibly to use his magic powers to disrobe us down to our underwear. He pointed his magic hands at my shoes and announced "now you have NAKED feet!!!". It was hard getting him dressed to go to Taekwondo tonight! Somehow I think his classmates and instructor might have appreciated Underwear Man somewhat less than we did.

the official Lego Master Builder

We took Dennis to the mall today to participate in the big Lego building event. Each kid was given a base plate and turned loose to tables with bins of Legos. They built all kinds of things on their squares: skyscrapers, trees, mountains... Dennis built an air traffic control tower. He happily placed it among all the others in an area roped off in the shape of the USA. The project will look SO cool when it's done! He was thrilled to earn a Master Builder certificate when he turned in his contribution.

date with Mommy day

I spent the day with Dennis. I took him to McWane Science Center where we met up with a few of his friends, but we mostly toured it on our own. I let him go at his own pace and check out everything. I let him do the same thing at Toys R Us afterward. I didn't do any work, and I focused on him. I think he needed a day to not have to share my time and attention! I'm the one that took him to Taekwondo, and though I did go do some housework for Uncle Denny tonight, I left him in the company of some of his biggest fans (Gran, Pop, Uncle Denny, Granny). I can't believe he is so close to starting school. I'm going to miss my little office assistant! He even brought me breakfast in bed this morning!

Dennis loved the "bed of nails" exhibit, digging for dinosaur bones, the big slide--well, just about everything at the museum! It was a great day!

full nature immersion

What a great day! Field trip to the Alabama Nature Center where the kids fished, hiked, scooped up and looked at pond critters, fed catfish, pet a snake, tasted a sourwood leaf and muscadines from the vine, and played in a creek! I love this place, this full outdoor classroom. The kids learned SO much and had a great time doing it. I think Dennis liked the creek (mud) time the best!

surrealism

Dennis spent lots of time drawing this masterpiece featuring a pan in the sky cooking sausage by the heat of the sun. And the other 15 hours of the day he spent talking!

self-tattooing

Dennis came home from church today looking like he'd left a cheap tattoo parlor. When presented with a red (washable) crayola marker, he drew crosses on his arms and legs. I was in the children's service with him but was powerless to stop his self decoration! I felt pretty powerless for the whole service, actually. I think they might have taken in a Biblical truth, but the children were all a bit wild today! They did have fun, though. Our church is doing a sermon series loosely based on the Olympics, and the kids learned today about how Christianity is like running a race (with the prize being Heaven, and that you must practice, and you must run the race to win it). Then they all got to "run the race" (an obstacle course I set up) and win a gold medal. Big smiles all around. Later, at lunch, Dennis said "well, I should have gotten TWO gold medals because I am extra special!". Yes, he certainly is!

summer games 2012

We watched a bit of the opening ceremonies. As we turned it on, the countries that begin with "C" were marching by. Dennis watched dutifully for a while, and when the parade reached the "M" countries, Dennis exclaimed "this thing could last ALL NIGHT LONG." He retired to his room to play with his Star Wars toys. Enough world culture for one evening!

well that's fast

"Dennis, how fast can you put on your Taekwondo uniform?". "Faster than a bird pooping on a car!" he said. Nice.

a day in God's World

Oh what fun we had this morning! Our church has done a program called God's World for over 30 years, and the premise is that we show children God's love for them by exploring nature, by teaching them about the wonderful world He gave to us. Today was the first week of this year's program, and we had 32 children from age 3 through 6th grade. We went on a nature walk to collect leaves, learned about trees and fruits, made "fruit batteries" in science lab, made "berry ink" in crafts, and worshiped God together! What a wonderful start to this year's program. I'm particularly pleased about how well things went because I wrote the curriculum, planned the classes, picked the labs, and organized the next 3 weeks of classes and field trips! This is a marvelous way to use all that biology I studied in college! God has specially equipped me to do this work!

Dennis was happy about God's World because it's a real family event this year! Uncle Denny is our science lab scientist, and Gran helped out in crafts! He so loves being at our church, surrounded by love! Who wouldn't?

He completely exhausted himself today, playing, learning, helping the boys sneak the magnifying glasses outside to the playground so they could try to start fires... Good summer fun!

noise pollution

I'm learning why a certain comic strip Dennis was such a menace. Age five is not an easy one! There are moments of delight every day, and I'm finding that my own little menace has a rather well developed sense of humor. But he's also a part-time ninja, part-time superhero & bad-guy-fighter, and full-time boy! He's inquisitive and so smart, smart enough that he knows how to be irritating. He freely admits this ("I just love to irritate you, Mommy") and instinctively knows when he's pushed me to the breaking point. Often, at just the right time, he'll lean over and say ever so sweetly "I love you, Mommy" and offer up his most charming smile. I find his constant motion and constant chatter to be overwhelming sometimes, but the only wrong thing he does? Not listening. The rest of it is just happy, well-adjusted boy noise and activity. And oh, how I'll miss all his chatter once he's a teen!

Today at church they announced that I've been hired as full time Children's Minister, which I am thrilled about, but I cringed as I watched my child make a pyramid of hymnals on the pew and then sit on it. He and the other kids worshipped in our Traditional service today (because I wasn't able to do the children's service on account of having to speak in both church services), and the youngest ones were just so busy not listening to the message that I prayed for guidance. Next month: worship journals and pencils for each child, with an assignment to listen, write words, draw pictures, and be ready to talk about the message the following week at in the children's service. It will at least give them something more productive to do with their hands, which Dennis most especially needs! It's either that or duct tape...

the fake vomit chronicles

Oh, boy did Uncle Denny have a good surprise for Dennis tonight! He presented Dennis with his very own, umm, pile (wad? unit?) of fake vomit. Dennis was extremely delighted and instantly absorbed the concepts necessary to conduct a successful vomit gag (make the disgusting noise, quickly toss the vomit, solicit sympathy for fake illness, laugh hysterically at his joke prowess). It was quite funny the first dozen times he did it but lost a bit of its appeal as we were trying to get him to walk to the car and he fake-vomited onto the deck every other step and then picked it up to repeat the process. Oh, the giggles! He would hold the thing (stuff?) behind his back and try to act serious but kept dissolving into helpless laughter. I can't wait to see who he pranks tomorrow, though I live in fear of who he might try this out on at church next week!

battleship craft wars

While snuggled together all in our bed watching Craft Wars, Dennis took an intermission to run off and create something. I suppose he was inspired by the show, but he reappeared soon, holding a Lego creation and announcing "I won Battleship Craft Wars! I won a million dollars!". He held his Lego battle craft through the rest of the show, picked the craft he thought should win (and I agreed), made disgusted raspberry noises when the craft we didn't like (that Daddy liked) won, and then said "well, they've invited me back to build a bigger battleship in the next Battleship Craft Wars, and my fifty-hundred hours starts now, so I better hurry!" as he ran back to his room. He's really been funny today, had me laughing so many times! I so enjoy his sense of humor!

master negotiator

So here he sits on our bed after 11pm, trying to explain to us why he needs a new Anakin Skywalker toy. He promises to be good at Taekwondo and clean his whole room tomorrow. I told him he had so many toys that he couldn't play with them all! He considered this for a moment before saying "I could if I had 100 hands!". I can't imagine a bigger nightmare than a busy boy child with 100 hands.

the prankster strikes again

Dennis and Gigi had the best time with one of those add-water-and-it-grows toys. It was a bright red crab, and they snuck it into the bath tub at the lake, acting all innocent about it. Gran went in there and spied it and gave her very best (very realistic) screams and pretended to smash it flat (we could hear her stomping the tub). Dennis just cackled. And he laughed more when Ju-Ju did the same thing a while later. Steve really got him going when he came out (yelling) with the crab hanging out of his mouth, saying it was trying to pinch off his tongue, that all he did was lean over to look at it! Oh how Dennis adores a good joke, and he sure loved sharing it with Gigi!

power of prayer

Last night at the end of our Vacation Bible School evening, the pastors were on hand for any kids that wanted to pray with them. Dennis went up to the Associate Pastor and wanted to pray for his grandpa in Heaven (David's dad, who died before Dennis was born). He said he'd really been thinking about him and that he'd died of cancer, and they prayed together that he was healed and whole in Heaven. It touched my heart big time to see Dennis bow his head and close his eyes and listen to the pastor's prayer with a solemn expression on his face. I'm continually amazed by his spirituality. Tonight in line for ice cream after our closing program, Dennis tapped a preschool girl on the shoulder and told her "God is real, and He is our Lord!". There are these divine moments we get to see (interspersed among the Star Wars play and Taekwondo poses and Secret Agent missions), and they let us know that we are teaching him the important stuff and he is remembering it!

For thought

Tonight Dennis said "I guess we won't need our skeletons in Heaven, will we?". Profound! I suppose not.

blue hair and a sad face

It was Tacky Tresses night at Vacation Bible School, and Dennis sported blue hair and a headband with 2 bath puffs attached to it. His hair was wacky, sure, but not as crazy as some of the others. But it did break my heart to see him burst into tears as I awarded tonight's prizes to 4 kids that were not him. Maybe he will win the wardrobe contest tomorrow night!

Praise God for His Greatness

That was the theme of tonight's lesson at Vacation Bible School, which has become a family event for us! Gran and Gigi helped in crafts, Gran and David did LOTS of decorating, Uncle Denny helped at supper time, and David helped lead Dennis' class. And we all had FUN! As exhausted as I am, I'm almost too energized to sleep. We ministered to 110 children tonight. Dennis said his favorite part was the skit at the opening program. I loved it all!

like having a sibling

For most of the afternoon, I had the joy of listening to "I have a better life than you do"; "no, I have a better life." And "he's not sharing" followed by "she bit me!". And there was some "but that's the one I wanted to play with now" and "hey, I had that first!". And I wasn't even at work. Zoe and family spent the day at the lake with us. Dennis and Zoe are most assuredly both accustomed to their Only Child status and fought like cats all afternoon. Chloe's arrival this evening helped calm things down a bit. We are reminded how thankful we are that we don't have to referee like this all the time!

Good food, great company, gorgeous fireworks... It was a near perfect day!

a rank upgrade

We are celebrating Dennis' promotion to Ninja Camo Belt. He will be attending Vacation Bible School next week and won't get to attend the awards night, so his instructor presented him with his belt at the end of class tonight. Dennis was beaming with pride--not only did the instructor give him the belt and certificate, he also went ahead and put the new belt on him. Dennis checked himself out in the mirror and kept a big happy grin on his face!

Tonight we finished watching Star Wars Episode 2 (Attack of the Clones), and he was really checking out Padme/Amidala. I mentioned that she was very brave. Dennis said "yes, but I don't like her because she's brave--I like her because she's thoughtful." I hope he remembers this bit of wisdom when it becomes time for him to date!

freedom fun

Happy 4th! Dennis celebrated with swimming, sparklers, food, fireworks, family, and FUN (and some mid-day green bean picking)! He developed his own rating system for the fireworks, and when he saw one he particularly liked, he yelled out "that's the cherry on top!". We are tired out from all the goings on. The dogs, cat, & guineas are fed and we are all in our beds!