Everyone Loves a Story

Everyone loves a story.

I believe this to be true, because I know that 

all of my everyones love a story.

I love a story!

When I say "story," I don't mean only stories in book form; 

although, that is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a story.

Stories can be read. 

They can be listened to on the radio.

They can be watched on television.

Sitcom...drama...current event...

and even Super Bowl Commercials!

And yes...in the movie theater!

(insert Star Wars: The Main Theme Song)

Stories can be passed from generation to generation. 

They can be created over a period of time.

🔽

They can be made up "on the spot."

This is another one of my favorite ways to hear a story.

There is nothing like overhearing two boys creating stories while laughing until they get a case of the hiccups.

Give your boys a couple of action figures and see what happens.

Stories are important. 

Last week, when we celebrated Carrie's 21st birthday, 

I pulled her Birthday Book off the shelf.

Carrie and William both have a Birthday Book.  It's a photo album filled with their baby pictures and memories, along with the next 5 years or so of birthdays.

In my defense, I created these books, filled with mini stories, when I had two children.

In the days before I began homeschooling.

This information will be important for you to know in just a bit.

While we were sitting at the table, looking at all the pictures and reading all the captions that tell stories about Carrie, 

Matthew asked if he has his own "dictionary" like Carrie has.

Dictionary.  

😂

(This emoji is called "face with tears of joy."  

That's how I feel when Matthew talks.)

Welllll...

(This is where you remember what I said earlier about having two children and being in the days before I began homeschooling.  Thank you. Very much.)

I told him that he has something better!  

He has 2 blog books that I printed out 

during the first two years of his life.  

Stories!

Lots and lots of stories about him and Josh!

I even pulled one off the shelf and read to him 

a story from a 2008 blog post that I wrote.

He felt much better.

But I didn't.  Not quite.

I sat and realized how many stories I have missed telling.  

How many stories I haven't put into a book 

for them to just sit and read.

Their stories.

So I'm trying to do better.

I'm trying to get back into the habit of taking pictures 

so that I can tell stories.

My favorites stories.

The stories I love most.

Stories that I will share here 

so that my favorite people can read their stories.

A Funny New Year

I know that I have written a blog post like this before.  

He says the funniest things, that Matthew.

It used to be that he didn't mean to say funny things at all.  

They just popped out.

Now that he's older, he has a pretty witty sense of humor. 

So...the first blog post of the year is going to be about my youngest, Matthew.

A short post with just a few of the funnies that I have remembered to write down.

A post that is really one that I am writing for myself so that I won't forget the things that have made me laugh.

Paul was trying to decide on a name for his
Fantasy Football team.

Matthew:  "Tiny Bubbles?"  "Happy Toes?"  "Popcorn?"

I was eating Raisin Bran.

He asked if I was eating Raisin Bran.

Me:  Yeah.

Matthew:  I'd like it without the raisins.

Me:  Then it wouldn't be Raisin Bran.

Matthew:  Brand.

"If I went to Israel, I would not want to wear a loin cloth
and go barefoot."

"If I were wealthy then I wouldn't wear a tuxedo all the time, because tuxedos are really uncomfortable."

Are you familiar with "Poor Man Cookies?"

My grandma used to call them graham cracker cookies, 

but Paul's grandma, GG, called them Poor Man Cookies.

I made some yesterday, and Matthew fell in love!

He was asking Carrie's friend if he would like to try one...

"Would you like a Dead Man's Cookie?"

Wait!  

Carrie has a "he-friend?"

A story for another day.

💗💗💗

Why, Hello Brandy...

'Tis The Season

Elevensies

It's crazy.

Just crazy.

Josh turned 11 this month.

Eleven!

Our house is in a mess with some projects we are doing, 

so we decided to have our family celebrations 

at special places away from our home.

We had fun meeting our family from the north 

in Kokomo at the Hacienda.  

That's a treat that we don't often enjoy since the nearest Hacienda is the one in Kokomo.

We also celebrated with our down-here family 

at Zaharakos in Columbus.

It's an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.

I intended to give everyone a quick "Josh Quiz" 

after we ordered our food, but visiting and seating arrangements 

kept us from being able to do that.

Sooooo...here is the quiz that Josh and I prepared!

If you know Josh, see how well you know him.

If you don't know Josh very well, then it will give you 

a glimpse into his 11-year old self.

I have some pictures to go with the questions.

Don't let them fool you into answering the question 

in a certain way. 

Some of them are tricksy.

Here we go!

The Josh Quiz

Josh was born on Sunday, August 14, 2005.

What time was he born?

a) 4:36 am     

b) 1:32 pm     

c) 10:14 pm

What is Joshua's middle name?

a) Paul     

b) Robert     

c) Jose

After "dada" and "mama," what was Josh's first word?

a) duck     

b) milk     

c) doggie

If Josh could live in a house shaped like anything, 

what would it be?

a) an X-Wing     

b) the Death Star     

c) the Millennium Falcon 

 In which pattern did Josh break his arms?

a) Right, Left, Left     

b) Left, Right, Left     

c) Left, Left, Right

 What is Josh's favorite memory?

a) Getting Charlie     

b) Going to see Star Wars 7     

c) Swim lessons

If Josh could be invisible for a day, what would he do?

a) Go to the set of Star Wars Dance with 8     

b) Watch and see what William does all day     

c) Dance with Chuck E. Cheese

 What is Josh's favorite color?

a) Orange     

b) Green     

c) Blue

Where is the most wonderful place Josh has ever been?

a) Holland, Michigan

b) Holiday World

c) Sheboygan, Wisconsin

What is the most important appliance or piece of furniture in Josh's house?

a) His bed     

b) The TV     

c) The microwave

What is Josh's choice for his Birthday Supper?

a) Spaghetti     

b) Pizza     

c) Chicken fingers and fries 

How did you do?

Answers:  b,  b,  a,  c,  a,  b,  a,  c,  a,  b,  c

Now you know ten things about Josh 

that you didn't know before.

What?

You say, since he's eleven, we should know 

eleven more things about Josh.

You should know that Josh is determined, tender-hearted,

 and has a really fun sense of humor.  

He knows what he likes and what he doesn't like, 

and he has a very strong sense of what's right and what's wrong.

His life verse is Joshua 1:9...

"Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

How he got this verse is a story for another day.

A Little Boy's Heart

We have been doing some major house-clearing this summer.

Clearing out drawers.

Clearing out cabinets.

Clearing out shelves.

Clearing out all the excess.

One. Thing. At. A. Time.

It was Matthew's turn to look through his drawers.

I asked him to empty his "Lucky Drawer" 

and his "Special Drawer."

After doing this, I told him to make three piles...

Throw Away

Garage Sale

Keep

(Yeah...I've seen "Clean Sweep" once or twice.)

Here are his "keep" items.

I saw them sitting there on the table, and I got a little teary.

How precious to be able to get a glimpse 

into an 8-year old's heart...

to see what he sees as keepable.

Pocket knives from Dad, marbles, a mood ring, a wooden snake, Batman, a pet rock, a dog figurine from Rentown, 

a huge plastic paper clip, St. Patrick's Day pins, a basket from Grandma, survival bracelets from Josh, a homemade controller thingy that he made with William, a head light, a magnet ice cream scoop from GG, a water bomb ball, shoelaces, 

a magnifying glass, Joe's dagger, sunglasses from Grandma's eye doctor, and Bill's pink paper violin.

Each item has meaning.

Each item is special to that 8-year old boy in some way.

And you find that when it has meaning 

to someone you love,

it has meaning to you too.

From Beijing to Rio

 I remember sitting at the BMV quite a few years back.

I'll bet it was in 2000, because it was time 

to renew my driver's license.

I sat there waiting.  And waiting.  And waiting.  

Which gave me lots of time to think about stuff.

One of the things I remember thinking about was 

what I would be doing four years into the future 

when it was time to renew my license again.

That made me think about what I was doing four years before.

1996

I had a baby girl who was just a couple months from turning one.

Now, here I was in the year 2000 

with a 4-year old and a 2-year old.

My 1996 self didn't see that coming.

I kept on thinking...

2004

Carrie will be 8, and William will be 6.

2008

Carrie will be 12, and William will be 10. 

I think that's when I quit thinking 

and started people-watching instead.

I don't sit at the BMV and think those thoughts anymore.

Now we don't have to renew every four years.

We can do it all online.

Quick as a blink.

No thinking required.

Now what turns my thoughts to "four years from now" 

and "four years prior"are the Olympics.

I was standing at the kitchen sink, washing dishes, yesterday morning when the newscaster reminded me that the next Summer Olympics would be held in 2020 in Tokyo.

But hold up!

I remember the 2012 Olympics!

The Summer Olympics were in London.  

I remember that, because we got the London Olympics Wii game 

and felt like we were really participating with the athletes.

Especially the trampoline athletes and 

the ribbon dancing athletes.  

The kids were so young four years ago.

And how about 2008 when 

the Summer Olympics were held in Beijing?!

Matthew was just months old!

So...you really need to see what time does!

I'm only posting pictures of the kids, 

because age doesn't affect me anymore.

I always look old.

Summer Olympics 2008

Carrie...12 years old

Summer Olympics 2012

Carrie...16 years old

Summer Olympics 2016

Carrie...20 years old

Summer Olympics 2008

William...10 years old

(Seriously?!  He was younger than Josh is now!)

Summer Olympics 2012

William...14 years old

Summer Olympics 2016

William...18 years old

2008 Summer Olympic

Josh...3 years old

Summer Olympics 2012

Josh...7 years old

Summer Olympics 2016

Josh...11 years old

Summer Olympics 2008

Matthew...4 months old

(So you can probably guess that I don't 

remember the Olympics that year.

There were many other things that were a blur too.)

Summer Olympics 2012

Matthew...4 years old

Summer Olympics 2016

Matthew...8 years old

Summer Olympics 2008

Jack

Summer Olympics 2012

Charlie...2 years old

Jack ran away.

Summer Olympics 2016

Charlie...6 years old

 And in four years?

The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo.

The kids will be 24, 20, 15, and 12.

Charlie will be 10.

Paul and me?

Uhhhhh...

We won't go there.

Ugly Stuffed Animals? Ulysses S Anderson?

Have you told your 8-year old what USA stands for?

I didn't.

While watching the Olympics,
Matthew turned around, eyes wide, and said, 

"I never knew that USA means United States of America!  Wow!"

I guess learning immersion doesn't only apply
to learning a secondary language. 

This led to a conversation about other acronyms
that my kids have learned on the fly.

And that's why I'm deciding not to worry about
William today as he begins his college career.
All by himself.
On a campus of over 30,000 students.

And I'm not worrying, because,
 as I stood at the door with him this morning,
he asked me to pray with him.

And, of course, I lost it.

He will learn this college stuff by immersion.
On the fly.
With his Lord as His Guide and constant Companion.

You know what else my kids have learned on the fly?
Potty Training...Skipping...Shoe-Tying

Oh, and I blame the shoe-tying,
not on forgetfulness on my part,
but on Velcro.

I probably wouldn't have neglected shoe-tying
if their shoes would have had strings.