WHY GOD MADE MOMS (Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions: )

(I found this on a bulletin board that I read and thought it was priceless. I just had to share it here.)

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the be st spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time. 2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside, she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Dye it. You know, her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Sweet Reunion

For the past month Josiah has been wanting to know when he can see his friend Nathan. We told him we would be there in October. On Oct 1st he came home form school and asked if we could go to Nathan's house when Daddy got home. So, for the past few weeks we have been crossing off the days on the calendar. Thursday last week finally arrived and off to Wisconsin we went. All day Josiah kept saying things like, "I don't need to go potty now, I will do it when I get to Nathan's house" and "I will eat when I get to Nathan's house!" We had a long day in the car. We got to Wisconsin about 5 minutes before Nathan's school bus arrived so we walked to the stop and met him when he got off the bus. The two boys ran up to each other and hugged. They had the most fun all weekend.

The rest of the weekend was filled with wedding plans, decorating, dinners and lots of baby sitting for Greg. The wedding was beautiful. Debbie looked wonderful and Peter is a great guy. I am so glad we finally got to meet him. We look forward to seeing them in Boston in December.

A day off for having fun!

Yesterday and today Jefferson county schools had the day off so we took the opportunity to go to the Louisville Science Center for the morning. My friend Amy and 3 of her kids, Nate, Emory and Audrey went with Josiah and I. We got there at 10am and the place was empty. The kids had so much fun running around looking at all the fun exhibits. At 10:45 we went to the Kids Zone, a fun place for smaller children to play and explore. We stayed there until lunch time and then met Greg for lunch at Humana. Here are some pictures from our day.

The Apple of my Eye....Picking Apples

WOW! We had a ton of fun today. We got up at the usual time and we were out the door by the crack of 9:30am. We drove up to Starlight, IN to Huber's Farm. Josiah was a little grumpy about going since he wanted to play at home. As soon as we got there he had changed his mind and was loving it. Last year when we went, we spent the day at the farm and family restaurant section. Today we went to the winery section.

Once there we bought tickets to the children's petting farm. We spent most of the morning there. So, we drive all the way to Huber's and the first thing Josiah wants to do is play on the playground. It took us about 20 minutes to convince him that he really did want to look at the animals. After he chased the ducks right out of the farm, we went over to see the goats. Josiah thought that it was too cool to feed them and have them lick his hands. He laughed and giggled so much that it was fun just watching him. After the goats we saw the rabbits and lamas. We petted the donkeys and looked at the cows. Josiah and I had fun racing across the fields to see the next animal. He always won because he would get in front of me and then zigzag while calling out, "serpentine, serpentine!". He says he learned that from Lightning McQueen.
We spent some time in the corn maze. While in the maze we got some much needed relief from the sun and a cool breeze. Josiah is very much into super heroes these days so he thought it was fun to run through the maze pretending to get the "bad guys". After finding our way through the maze we stopped at the giant jumping pillows. First time up, Josiah got bounced a little too much. After several of the BIG kids got off he tried again and liked it much better the second time around. The big slide was next for Daddy and Josiah while I took pictures. Before lunch Josiah rode the little tractor. I had to help him steer a little or he would still be riding in circles.
We had a very expensive hot dog and brat with fries lunch. Josiah was so thirsty he drank an entire bottle of water by himself and then 1/2 the bottle Greg and I were supposed to share. We bought several more bottles of water and some slushy lemonade. Boy were my boys happy campers! We finished off lunch with some very yummy pumpkin donuts.
After lunch we rode the wagon out to the apple orchard to pick apples. If you could pick a highlight of the day for Josiah I think the wagon ride would be it. Once in the orchard we filled our bag with apples and then sat under one of the apple trees to wait for the wagon ride back. Josiah ate an apple while we sat waiting. He has had so many apples today I thought he would get a stomach ache. The wagon picked us up. We went back to the farmers market, paid for our apples and then off to the car.
Before we left Huber's, Josiah did the pledge of Allegiance for us so I could video it. He had been practicing all the way to Huber's in the car and was finally ready for his video session. See the link under videos. We were all exhausted. I was convinced that Josiah and myself would drift off to sleep in the car. No! Josiah has sworn off naps. He stayed awake all the way home and then watched Cars movie on my bed for his quiet rest time. We had a fun family day. We should have more like this one.


P.S. Greg just informed me that the three things that made it into Josiah's prayers tonight were:

• pumpkin donuts
• riding on the wagon behind the tractor
• picking apples

Old Friends

Yesterday we got up bright and early and were on the road by 8am to go to a college Campus Crusade for Christ reunion. After 2 1/2 long hours in the car we arrived at Mary Jo's house. We were the first there even though we had the furthest drive. It was good to see Mary Jo again after about 10 years. It is funny how so often we think that people are going to look and be so different than when we knew them and yet they aren't.

Second to arrive was Jim. He is married with 3 children and is an Indian State Trooper. Josiah was so excited to see the police car and ran out to meet Jim. He asked him very nicely if he could take a look at the car. Jim said that before we left he would show Josiah his police car. Mike and Angie with their two children arrived next, followed shortly by Kyle, Laura and their three children. The crowd was growing exponentially. Sherry, my really good friend, and her daughter soon came. Her husband and 2 sons were at a men's conference having some bonding time. Julie came later and so did Paul. This was most of our core group of friends when we were in college attending Campus Crusade for Christ. It had been about 10 years since many of us had seen each other and for others it was even longer than that. We did miss seeing Jo Ann and her family though.

We had so much fun. After eating hamburgers, hotdogs and lots of yummy desserts we sat around reminiscing about the "old days" while the children ran circles around the house. Josiah thought Caleb, Kyle and Laura's oldest son, was just the best. He chased him around all day. Caleb eventually just had to hide from Josiah to get some peace. Cheyenne, Sherry's daughter, said she was going to take Josiah home with her because he was, "so cute!"

It was interesting to see what each of us had been doing for the last 15 years and also to see how our personalities were just the same as they were then, just toned down slightly. Sherry was just as bubbly and crazy as she has always been. In fact before her and Cheyenne got there, Cheyenne had asked her to please not be too crazy and embarrass her. Don't we all feel that way about our parents at some point, and isn't it a relief to think we all get over it at some point too.Julie brought a bunch of old pictures for us to look at and laugh at. Several of the girls agreed that they liked the "big hair" days and secretly wished that was still "in".
At about 4pm we all decided that we needed to round up the kiddos and pack up for our trips home. Jim stayed true to his word and we all went outside to take a look at the police car. I think this was the highlight of Josiah's day. He got to sit in the car and turn the lights on. He got out and went to look at all the lights that he had turned on. Right before we left, Jim showed us the big take down and cuffed several of the boys. Josiah watched and then said he wanted a turn. He walked up to Jim, turned around and looked down as if he had really done something deserving of handcuffs. It was too funny. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get a shot of that, but I did get a picture of him being cuffed. Josiah's hands were a little small and he could easily just slip out of them.

A grand day was had by all. We agreed that we would do this again soon and try to track down more people next time. Should be fun!

Lessons Never Learned

I spent a long time today thinking about what I was gong to write about. I considered writing more about my Women's Bible study on the Tabernacle and what I have been learning. I thought about writing about the thoughts I have had about our new baby who's face we will see very soon, but none of these seemed quite appropriate after Josiah helped me realize that there are some lessons in life we just never learn quite as well as we should.
Let me take you back in time to the "I do not like Green Marker Stains" post. One I am sure none of you have forgotten!
So, right after Josiah colored his bedroom green I called my mother. My mother's initial response was much like many of yours ...... laughter. She said, "my child - been there.... done that - 4 times!" I said, "Well, that's not very encouraging!" To which she replied, "Oh! Wait! The fun has just begun. Next it will be your make-up. "
Which brings us to today!
I went downstairs for no more than ten minutes to get dinner started while Josiah innocently sat on my bed watching Mary Poppins. WhenI came upstairs to check on him it was far too quiet. When he saw me enter the room he let out a shriek and took off running. I on the other hand, had to do everything in my power not to burst out laughing and give my child ammunition to use at a later time. My mother's words came flooding back. How could I have been so dense as to not heed the warning.
There in front of my eyes was foundation make-up all over my dressing table and anything that had gotten in the way of the portrait my dear son was painting with it. Several of his cars were also a beautiful shade of "skin tone". I could hardly even be upset with him, after all my Mom had warned me and I had not listened and put my make-up away.
We chastise our children for not listening when we, ourselves, have not learned this valuable lesson. I desperately wanted to call my Mom and tell her I was sorry for all the times I had disobeyed her and to thank her for still looking out for me. Too bad it was already after 10pm in South Africa when this happened and I know my parents are going to be up early tomorrow to leave for a mini vacation. I guess they will have to wait until Monday to see that their dear child is still learning lessons about listening. Too bad I didn't pay more attention to what Mom had to say that green day.

Balloons and Bands

We had such a fun weekend. We started off Friday night by going to Skyview park in J'Town to the Gaslight Festival's balloon glow. We had been to one before and Josiah talked about it for months afterward. We got there around 7:30pm and the balloonist were just starting to set up. We told Greg's parents that we would meet them at the funnel cake stand which we did. After gorging ourselves on fried batter and sugar we went over to the field where the hot air balloons were.
We watched as one of the balloonists set up and filled the balloon with air. The wind was up and so they had a really difficult time keeping the balloon filled. after about 15 minutes of really hard work they decided the wind was too strong and brought to balloon down.












The event was cancelled at that point, but we still had a grand time looking at the the baskets and playing baseball on the diamond.

Saturday morning Greg and a friend of his got up bright and early and took the kayak out for a couple of hours while Josiah and I went to breakfast and then walked around the neighborhood. We spent the day playing and working around the house. Josiah is in that stage where he is thinking it is a good idea to give up nap time or quiet rest time as we call it. He played in his room quietly during rest time and then we met Greg's parents for dinner at Pizza Hut. After Pizza Hut we went to a marching band competition held at Eastern High School. We arrived at 6:42pm just in time to see the first final at 6:45pm.
There were some mediocre bands and there were some good bands. At about 7:30pm Josiah crashed from his no nap, busy day and slept until it was time to leave at about 9:30pm. We had so much fun being outside, listening to good music and watching the bands. We even realised that if we stay in our home for another 11 years, Josiah will be in High School right here at Eastern. Oh, boy to think that far ahead is scary.