Compound Predicates and Cooperisms

Apparently compound predicate lesson in grammar was boring.  Thankfully we have Cooper to lighten things up for us.  

attention #3.

He's Melting!!

My mother used to say that we had melted somewhere if we left our clothes on the floor.  I have found myself saying the same thing.  Cooper caught on and took it to another level.

"I wonder if we should worry about Emerson.  He must be downstairs.  He took a dive through the floor but left his pants and socks behind."

Missionary Prep

 "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear."  

Preparing for his mission has taken a great deal of time.  And as for 'shall not fear'...  We began to wonder. He's had some technical difficulties with his citizenship papers.  He has had documents turned in by medical and dental both who forgot to sign the forms so we had to return.  He has had medical conditions (an ingrown toe nail), that had to be dealt with and he's been working every hour he can to earn his financial obligation.  He has also attended a year of the missionary prep class offered each week.  He has enjoyed the class, but his teacher recently told him, he's never had a prospective elder as long as Caleb... usually they are only there a few months ahead of time... not a year.  Finally once all the paperwork was turned in the only thing left was his ecclesiastical interview.  It went well, but as he returned to the van, he opened the door and managed to hit himself in the head with the corner of the door he opened himself.  It looked worse than it was and I had nothing to offer to place on the wound to mop up the blood, so he walked back into the church and grabbed some tissues.  (yes I told him to protect the new white shirt before I asked how bad the head was)  

Since we had recently been to the E.R. for his broken thumb and for Whittaker's stitches in his head we felt we were experts.  We knew that although head wounds bleed profusely, often unless they are deep, they are superficial.  We had heard from a friend that she simply superglues many of her children's cuts back together.  Once we had his face cleaned up of the blood, we have the gluing technique a try.   I'm a believer!  Forget bandaids!

Fortunately, this portion of the missionary prep has ended and with it we hope his string of bad luck!  Now to accumulate the items on his shopping list and safely send him on his way!

I received a letter from the mission office in Ohio.  'To the Parents of Elder Noble'.  It urged that we prepare him for the rigors of life away from home by being sure he knew how to prepare a few simple meals, wash a load of laundry correctly and maintain a clean environment especially a kitchen and bathroom.  It also mentioned that his mission would require him to ride a bicycle and he may wish to prepare himself physically. I read through the list and chuckled.  Just that day I had called home while out running errands and told him to start the rice and chop the veggies for the stir fry.  He surprised us by also making an apple cobbler.  I think he has the first mastered.  As for the cleaning.... I don't doubt that he knows how to clean a bathroom or a kitchen but I'm happy to allow him the opportunity to practice in the upcoming months, just to be certain.

BUT ... in all his years as my son, if he hasn't learned a thing of two about laundry.... well... I might have to disown him!

He should be capable of doing laundry in a washtub and hanging it out on a clothesline.
He should know the proper way to iron any article of clothing.
He should know how to sort by colours and by fabric type.
He should know how to pretreat a stain.
He should know how to test for colourfastness.
He should know how to mend a popped seam, reattach a button and fix a fallen hem.
He should know how to correctly hang clothing on a hangar so they don't pucker or crease.
He should know how to fold clothing so they stack neatly.
He should even know how to prewash a cloth diaper load and sunbleach them and properly fold and stuff different styles of diapers.(not likely a missionary skill needed but...)
He should even know how to make an eco friendly detergent.

As I looked back over the list of things the mission office mentioned, it dawned on me that I could simply send his cooking merit badge, his cycling merit badge and his home repairs and family life merit badge to them as my response that, yes... he is prepared for these 'rigors of life'.  

(I really ought to suggest to the BSA that they instigate a laundry merit badge.  I could be a counselor for that.)

Try it on

The line for the change room was too long to wait.   Since there wasn't a mirror available I had my paparazzi photographer snap pics while I walked down the catwalk, aisle.  I am Miles favourite person to shop with!

Did you have a date for Valentines?

I had been joking around asking people if they had a date for Valentines day and when they said no, I replied, "It's the 14th of February."  

Little did I know that when I came up with a plan to have our dinner by candlelight it would become a much bigger love fest.  From the idea of candles, grew nice dishes, a tablecloth, dessert and dressing up.  

Miles and Sarah had ballroom dance lessons and were gone all evening so I ended up feeling a little like Snow White with my 6 Valentines dates.  

As we waited for the last of supper to be ready, the 'mood' music came on and the living room became my own personal ballroom.  My partners were gracious and each took turns.  We even tried a little waltzing and cha cha.  

They were complete gentlemen, using their best manners and holding the chair for me, escorting me to the dining room, offering to refill my glass and serving me first.  

The love fest came to a screeching halt with this messiness.... and it all went down hill from there.  The 'mood' music changed to Olympics and we changed into jammies and relaxed.

Until Sarah and Miles came home.

We lit the candles and began the process again.  They let us know they had had plenty of dancing already before they came home. (the 3 hour samba class was exhausting!)

Apparently the cat was waiting patiently to be invited.  

Molino de Viento

What fond memories from a vacation of long ago.  Bailey and Caleb have grown a bit since then.

It was the trip of "Molino de Viento's".  That would be the spanish for windmill.  We did a fine job identifying every 'molino de viento' from Victoria, BC, Cananda to Dallas, TX.  

Caleb's coming.... Quick! Hide!

It began innocently enough.  Caleb worked a shift from noon until 10pm from Sept. until Jan.  Then they offered him a day position.  The first day he was off at 3 pm.  For whatever reason when I saw him pull up in the driveway I called out..."Caleb's home.... quick!.. hide!!"

So we did.

And then we did again the next day.

And the next day.

And the next day.

Even our friends would get in on it with us when they were over when he arrived home.

We were beginning to plan our spots early on in the day so we'd have time to get into position before he came home.  We were also having to be more sneaky in our hiding locations.

We even tried not hiding at all.  Instead we stayed by the front door.  As soon as we heard the back door open we made a dash out the front door and into the van and we drove off to the mailbox.  When he found us outside, we were all laughing.  Including Caleb.

One afternoon when Caleb came home at 5, he came in and found us.  Minutes later Patrick pulled in and we said.... "Back to your places!"

Patrick didn't know the game.

Patrick didn't play along too well.  Emerson was hiding in Caleb's coat in the hall.  He became stuck and began to fuss.  Patrick came into a dark house with a fussing baby stuck in a coat all alone and was baffled. He didn't consider that it could be a game.  Then Whittaker called out, "I'm in here Daddy.  I'm hiding."

From there, Patrick should have clued in.  BUT....

He said out loud to no one in particular, "Where is everyone?"

Whittaker thinking he was asking him, quickly ran to the pots and pans cupboard and flung open the door and pointed..."Here's Cooper!"  then he ran from one hiding place to another 'discovering' where everyone was for Daddy.

There were some rather disgruntled hide and seek players!


We continue to hide for Caleb.... but not for Patrick.

Oh.... and we don't let Whittaker know where we are hiding.

Let there be Light

We moved into our current house Feb. 1st, 2007.  It has been exactly 7 years.  In all that time we have had a light switch in our living room, but no light fixture.  We've had a lamp or two, but with small children crawling and climbing, lamps are not a grand plan.

Miles was working on his Family Life merit badge.  One thing he had to do was a project around the home that would benefit the family.  We brainstormed for awhile and were not sure what he could help to do that would qualify, that he either wasn't already doing or would truly benefit the family as a whole.  Then as we sat in the dark living room thinking about it..... (light bulb moment!)

We checked the outlet to be sure there was indeed power and began the project.  I had the easy part and the difficult part.  I had to select the fixture.  I also had to wait for it to be completed.  I am learning that once the decision for a project to be taken on is made I am completely impatient to see it completed!

I selected a fixture and Miles and Patrick checked the attic and the wiring.  All seemed in order.  It went up quickly.  One evening and voila!  A light fixture.

Glitch... even when we flicked the switch.. there wasn't any light.  hmmm.

A few phone calls to the experts.  Patrick and Miles tried a few things and then ....


Well  ...now there is light.

WHY DID WE WAIT 7 YEARS??                


LIGHT IS GLORIOUS!

Vigil

Vigil: a period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep, esp. to keep watch or pray...

hmm...
well, regardless.

Caleb was nominated and received an award through the scouting order of the arrow program referred to as "Vigil".  I don't think it has anything to do with sleeping though.  It's an honour bestowed typically for outstanding service within the organisation.  

As pictured,  you can see that it also came with cake.

The Sunshine Truth

What we listen to has an impact on our impressionable children.


What they hear.... is even more impressionable.


And what they hear isn't the same thing as what we hear or we think that they hear.




After he sang his version of 'Walking on sunshine... uhhh oh.. I not feel good.'  We got to the bottom of it. And I must say it's logical.

The sun is a VERY hot place.  If you walk on sunshine, you're going to burn your feet and that's not going to feel good.

Can't argue with that folks!

Whitty Remark -- Eyes

I do not have fair haired children with piercing blue eyes... so Emerson has been a bit of surprise with his dark wavy locks and his lovely blue-gray eyes.  It has caused me to truly study the eyes of my other children.

Caleb and Duncan have my eyes without question, an odd hazel/brown mix.  

Sarah's are definitely brown.

Miles are an almost indescribable colour, perhaps a brushed pewter... or green, or hazel.

(Trying to capture a photos of this boys' eyes.... practically impossible.  1. he doesn't stay still!  2. he doesn't look at the camera for more than a fraction of a second.!)

But as I looked at Whittaker's eyes..... all I could think of was that he had the deepest darkest chocolate brown eyes.  I was looking deeply into his eyes and he gave me a quizzical look.   

I asked him, "Did you know that you have beautiful chocolate eyes?"

His reply, "Yes, I drink hot cocoa and drink hot cocoa and drink, and drink, and drink (hand showing how high until he reaches his eyes), it fills my eyes all brown."

Then he asked for a cup of hot cocoa.  .... of course.