dixonfamily

2011 Family Christmas Letter

2011-12-26T02:42:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve and here we are sitting down to write about our year... as per usual, we are a bit behind- still wrapping gifts, making cookies... it's funny when people ask (prior to this) if we're ready for Christmas. They're really asking if decorations are up, if gifts are bought and wrapped, etc. And, though neither parents in this house like shopping (thank you, kijiji and online shopping), we really do enjoy thinking of gifts to give people... this year, we were also busy making some of our gifts... BUT does that make us ready for Christmas? When thinking of true prep for Christmas, we're reminded of John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for Jesus. If we prepare to welcome and celebrate the Christ Child in our lives, perhaps that means repenting (as was the message of John) of all the distractions we've allowed to take His place. It's a great challenge to lead our family through this - but it's been very clear that we need to repeatedly focus on the Truth, as we've had Jordan at every turn saying, "I want...!" and "What about me?!" (Funny how the human condition seems magnified in the character of children, probably as a clearer reflection of our own selfishness). And we in turn say, "Is it YOUR birthday?!" and "What do you know about St. Nick? He loved Jesus and gave to the poor. We should do the same."

As the year draws to a close, we realize how very blessed we are. We are doing what we love: serving God in our community, and raising our family of six kids. We are constantly being challenged... in some ways, this has been a challenging year of ministry that had left us with more questions than answers , but we are in a place to grow. We are anticipating God moving and working mightily in our church and community.

Our family is, of course, a great source of joy and laughter, and of challenge, at the same time.

Caleb is 10! Can't believe we got to be so old! He is enjoying his academic subjects, reading... and robotics club this year. He is learning the value of hard work and has been our main man to take responsibility for our new dog (golden retriever), Kolbi (she is four years old - no puppy behaviour... yay! She is beautiful, loves the snow, and we love her). Back to Caleb, he is very creative and innovative - we enjoy the new discoveries and "inventions" he comes up with!

Katie is 8 - she's been busy with sewing projects, making gifts for everyone in anticipation of Christmas. She is a hard worker and very determined (usually in a positive way) . She is our little mama and takes on quite a few of the responsibilities of her younger sisters - she and Molly are the best of friends.

Reuben (6) just got "the plate" for reading his first chapter book and is quite proud of his accomplishment. He is very imaginative (plotting, sometimes) and loves to make forts and "mouse houses" - architect?

Jordan (4) is a self learner. This year, we tried to teach him to ride a 2 wheeler, but he refused to even really try. A month or two ago, he came in the house and declared that he knew how to ride his bike... sure enough, he had taught himself how to do it! (He still has quite a few crashes but he's got his balance - just have to work on the steering!)

Molly is 2 and was potty trained in the summer. She is a little imp - her smiles are contagious... but she is as determined as her older sister, perhaps more so. We've had our battles, for sure.. But as with Katie, she is a good little helper and loves her sisters. She loves the boys, too, though we've had to work through her "just girls, no boys!" motto.

Emily (15 months) is on the move! As a result, you can find Christmas ornaments (from the lower branches of the tree) from one end of the house to the other. She is a joy (with a bit of a temper and sensitivity issues and came with her red hair we believe!)… and though the most jealous of our children, she loves her brothers and sisters, and is a Daddy's girl.

We are looking forward to the ways that God will grow us in the year to come, in our ministry to church and community, and in our ministry to our own family. He can do mighty things with our feeble resources and efforts if we are faithful to put them in His hands.

"May the Lord bless and keep you. May his face shine upon you, and be gracious, and give you peace." May He also challenge, convict, and grow you in this year to come.

Merry Christmas!

Love,
the Dixons

P.S. Next year, we will be hanging one more stocking!

"Do not worry..."

2011-07-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

My oldest brother used to have a poster of Einstein with this quotation: "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater." What Einstein said about math, I say to moms everywhere, "Do not worry about your difficulties in messes. I can assure you mine are still greater." I said to Jon earlier today, "It's weird. Things around here always happen all at once." That was after Molly peed on the floor while I was trying to make soup and had grilled cheese burning in the oven. This afternoon, I was trying to make muffins and finally getting them into the oven, while the kids spread snack (popcorn and juice packs) from one end of the dining room to the other... I got distracted as I was putting them into the oven, and the whole pan landed face down on to the bottom of the oven, muffin mix everywhere!... all over the bottom of the oven, dripping to the drawer below! And as I was trying to deal with that mess, Katie runs into the kitchen, "Jordan's into the flour bag... he's eating it and it's all over the hallway!" So, I assure you, my messes are still greater. Feel free to comment if you can beat this story... the sad thing is, Jon always asks me why I don't blog about every incident that happens in our house, and it's because, at this point, it's become normative. ;)

Dixon Family Summer Challenges

2011-07-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

So, we've created daily challenges for our family so that we are intentional about doing things together- mostly fun (we hope)- there's a variety of educational, creative, skill or character developing, active ideas... we're into creating memories and we hope that these things lead to some good ones for our kids.... anyone can feel free to browse them and steal as you wish- we would encourage families to think and do whatever it is that helps you to bring your families closer together and closer to God.

Find 10 different bugs and identify them.

Go to the park, try to find 10 different leaves and then research to find out what types of plants they are from.

Measure the windows in the house.

Make a grocery list; make an educated guess as to how much each item costs, and then find out the actual cost. Compare your guess with reality.

Do a nature scavenger hunt (check out abcteach).

Make a family newspaper. Have each person contribute by writing an article, taking pictures, or creating a comic strip.

Read a combination of 100 pages, together as a family, in one day.

Make a rock collection; discover the differences between rocks.

Find Kenya on the map. Research this country to find out about the land, the people, and traditions.

Tell a story; have one person start, then stop at a certain point, where the next person will continue… and so on.

Have a family soccer blitz.

Play a game of catch, or a full fledged game of baseball.

Walk every street in the subdivision.

Have a water fight.

Create your own game/sport and play it.

Make an obstacle course and have each person try to get through it.

Play a family game of hide and seek.

Walk around the neighbourhood, armed with gloves and garbage bag. Pick up any litter that you see.

Walk/run the stairs 10 times.

Boys vs. girls: Each team hide a treasure; make a map or clues that the other team must follow to find the treasure.

Clean the car, inside and out, in 1 hour.

Make a fort, big enough to fit the whole family.

Make a chalk drawing that takes up the whole driveway.

Have a skipping competition.

Choose, and play, either Burning Bridges or Capture the Flag.

Have a potato sack race.

Have a Turn the Turtle competition.

Go on a family hike.

Make a meal together…. You can work in teams to make the main dish, a side dish, and dessert.

Try a new recipe.

Make a picnic and go to a park to eat it.

Make a meal plan for a week and follow it.

Create a menu for Restaurant Chez Dixon.

Make cookies to give away to a recipient of your choice.

Think of a way to thank some people in your community that may not receive a thank you for the jobs they do (ex. Garbage collectors); each person may pick a different person to thank.

Write a song together.

Tell a story by drawing it as it progresses.

Make puppets and perform a puppet show.

Create a picture together; have one person start it (keeping it secret), then make a fold to hide it, leaving only the very edge for the next person to add on to it, and continue in the same way, from person to person.

Pick an origami craft to learn and create it.

Get out the paints and paper; make a finger painting.

Make a miniature town, using recyclables.

Go on a prayer walk around the neighbourhood.,

Put the names of all family members in a hat. Have each person pick a name (different than their own)… each member will pray for, and write/draw encouraging notes for that person whose name they have drawn, for a week.

Have each family member do another family member’s chore for the day.

Turn on some music and have a dance party.

Have each person scavenge bits of nature to make a collage, all together.

Write a letter to Matayo, our sponsor child.

Have each person matched up with a name(s) of a cousin(s) or aunt(s) or uncle(s); write an e-mail to that/those person(s).

Build a Lego tower… how high can it go?

Have a paper airplane contest… the farthest flying plane wins.

Celebrate Christmas in the summer! Find a tree to decorate, sing carols, make gifts for each other, and read the true Christmas story!

Create a photo scavenger hunt. Boys vs. Girls Each group creates a list of 10 items.

Create a video of an Old Testament Story.

Watch a black and white comedy show.

Each person writes a letter to their best friend.

Make homemade playdoh.

Create a space ship from large cardboard boxes.

Go to the beach.

Stay up late and look for stars.

Flashlight tag.

Everyone gets their faces painted. The family decides together what to paint on each person that represents who they are,

Things That Make You Go, "Hmmm..."

2011-02-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

Random statements, all from Jordan this time:

"Mommy, Daddy is big like a giant and you're small... like Caleb."

We visited a couple, Ed and Paula James, at the hospital, having just had their third child. Asked to pray for Baby Chelsea, he started, "Dear God, Thank you for this food...."

I found him in the bathroom, where Reuben was having a bath, having just jumped into the bathtub with his pajamas on. Angrily, I got him out of the tub, stripped him down, and started putting new pjs on him. Ever so innocently, he asked me, "Mom, why can't I wear my other pajamas?"

2010 Family Christmas Letter

2010-12-20T05:05:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the 2010 Dixon Family Christmas letter,

Proceed at your own risk. Entering this zone is much like traveling to the “place where the wild things are: and sometimes we (parents) wish that we, like Max, had a boat and could “sail away through night and day, and in and out of weeks...” but, truthfully, we do love our wild things and our crazy life.

Hmmm... to bring you up to speed on the past year... perhaps we will start by sharing some things we did NOT do:

We did NOT burn the house down- Katie did, however, bake cookies 200 degrees hotter than intended and set off the smoke alarm a couple of times. She was trying to increase the time on the timer but, instead, mistakenly, increased the temperature.
We did NOT go to the zoo this year; we had our own instead. In fact, we even added to the zoo this year. Emily Ann Dixon joined the team on Sept. 27 and is a sweet little thing but can yell with the best of them. Her nickname is “Mouse” because she squeaks. Past history of nicknames: each of the kids, as babies, received nicknames (Caleb = Moose / Dino Boy, Katie = Little Bear, Reuben = Rooster, Jordan = Silly Monkey, Molly = Tiger or Duckie.
We did NOT get around to getting Reuben's Christmas (2009) kitten fixed so we had five kittens in the middle of August... and, after finding homes for three, we are now a zoo of six kids and four cats.

Things that we DID this year:

Jordan DID get potty trained: HALLELUJAH! As a result, he got to add to his “CARS” collection. One of his best friends is Lightning McQueen and many of his car friends have often been found parked in bed with him.
Reuben DID go to school this year. His favorite subject is recess. In spite of our misgivings about sending Reuben to school earlier than the other children (he didn't turn 5 until November), he has earned many “Bravos” and has traded them in for various prizes.
Katie DID lose several teeth this year, mostly by tugging on them until they became loose and fell out (though she got started on the first by a kick in the mouth from Reuben). She actually pulled one out, interrupting a speaking session while she was away at a retreat with her Dad (who was the speaker). She has been very forgiving of the Tooth Fairy, who seems to always be a night behind the times.
Caleb DID have his first paying job this year, collecting flyers for the neighbors while they were away in the summer. Consequently, he learned about tithing and added to his Lego collection. Perhaps, in the future, he will learn about saving.
Molly DID learn about being a big sister - she's loving it and doing a great job. She moved to a big bed, and she is eager to go to the potty (full training to happen in the new year). She has also developed a sense of humor.
Emily DID finally find her thumb. When we had the ultrasound about halfway through the pregnancy, she was very clearly sucking her thumb. Outside, was an entirely different matter, however, and she spent a lot of time sucking on Mommy's finger but has recently discovered that she has her own.

God has been good and has blessed us over this year. He is daily teaching us patience and humility; sometimes we are poor students but He has given us a great example in Jesus. We are looking forward to celebrating the hope He has given us in Jesus as we near Christmas; we have searched for ways to make it meaningful for our children so that we can give them more than what the world has defined as Christmas... we still have much to learn. We wish you a very Merry Christmas, filled with hope and joy.

The Lord bless you, and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine on you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Sharalyn and Jon Dixon

And, in their own words:

Dear Family and Friends,

My year was good. This year, my report card said all A's. My teacher is Ms. Carr; student teacher, Ms. Nunn. This year, I went to camp. I had a top bunk. I had a Lego birthday. I got Lego books and board games.

Farewell, friends.

Caleb

To Family and Friends,

I had a birthday in June. My name is Katie and my nickname is Little Bear. I love my sisters. We have a big house and we go to 2 camps. My mom had 9 kids in her family and I have 6, and Daddy had 2. Our Christmas tree is 7 feet. At one of the camps, I was in a cabin. My dad is a pastor and I go to New Minas Elementary School.

Katie

Reuben: I went to school and met a lot of new friends. I went to Camp Peniel and Orchard Camp.

Jordan: I got Lightning McQueen cars and played with Brock and put up a tree.

Molly (as printed verbatim by Katie): At home. Meet friends. Camps. Played games. Got a Christmas tree. Make gingerbread houses.

Merry Christmas!

Never safe from surprise...

2010-10-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a first in the Dixon household when it comes to disasters.... every day, we have some sort of calamity but usually it's nothing we haven't seen before with another child (or the same child and a repeat offense)... but this, this I hadn't seen before. Jordan and Molly were playing with their cousin, Ewan... and I thought they were in the playroom. I heard some noises that made me wonder about what was going on... and then discovered that the kids were not in the playroom, which meant they were in our bedroom. I ran up- Ewan has a liking for getting into things like Tylenol- and saw a water trail from the door to the bathroom. I went into the bathroom to discover water on the floor, Q-tips and shampoo bottles littering the floor, and the shower on, with Molly and Jordan, fully clothed, entirely drenched inside the tub. Ewan was outside the tub, pants soaked (but shirt dry?)... fun times ensued.

Cute to Boot

2010-09-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

Life isn't always in disaster mode around here... sometimes sweet/cute things happen... like today, after supper, I was clearing the table and Caleb looked at me and said, "You know, Mom, I don't know what we'd do if you didn't do all the things you do..." and proceeded to tell me that the family would probably starve without my efforts. (A bit dramatic perhaps but nice to feel appreciated).

A cute moment happened after supper as we were going to play a family game. Jon brought home the family version of "Apples to Apples" the other night, so we told the kids that we'd play that. So, after cleaning up supper, we called everybody to come play and Jordan started to make his way to the kitchen, announcing, "I'll get the apples!"

Timing

2010-09-03T05:51:00.001-07:00

There's something to be said about sleeping with one eye open when you have young children.... I was talking to my sister on the phone and lying on Katie's bed at the same time. During the conversation, Reuben asked me if he could have one marshmallow, I said that he could and to give one to the other kids, as well. As I ended my conversation, I did not get up off the bed right away and ended up dozing off for a few minutes. When I woke up, I discovered that Reuben and Jordan had eaten more than their permitted one marshmallow and there was marshmallow stuck all over the kitchen floor, plus Jordan had helped himself to some Goldfish crackers which were in crumbs all over the floor, too. As I started to clean this up, while scolding them, I discovered that Molly had a whole marshmallow smooshed into the back of her hair... to the bathtub. The boys, of course, were sent to their beds as I finished cleaning up. Jordan asked to be put in the bath which I didn't think was a bad idea... minutes later, I heard calls of distress as Molly had pooped in the bathtub. I got the kids and bathtub cleaned up.... only to have Jordan, minutes later, swallow a penny. Welcome to Dixon Family timing!

2010-08-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

For the past little while, we've been posting the kids' quotes on as facebook updates - just quicker and easier, but the blog has been somewhat neglected so here's a few tidbits from the past few days...

We were finishing our day at Upper Clements Park, I had the youngest three kids at the slides while Jon did the bigger rides with Caleb and Katie. As we finished on the slides, Reuben looked over at Jordan and said, "I just went down an incline plane... slides are incline planes." As Jordan looked confused, Reuben gave this explanation, "It's called incline because you get in the slide..." (tube slide), "... and climb because you can climb up it."

Reuben's kitty had kittens (five) this week, so we set about the task of naming them this afternoon. We're not keeping them but we thought that, since they will be here for a couple of months, they should have names. Molly named one all by herself.... she took a look at the black one with white nose and promptly pronounced it, "Duck," and immediately thereafter followed with animal sound, "Moo!" (So, we now have Ginger, Patches, Smokey, Sidney, and Duck.)

Holy Kissing

2010-04-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

If anyone has been witness to the relationship between Jon and I, it probably can't be described as overly romantic. Make no mistake, we love each other but we are very different people and express ourselves differently. For the most part, we understand each other's differences and try to be semi-accepting of them. So, Jon says that his primary love language is physical touch (not high up there for me) and my primary love language is acts of service. This is just to give context to the following conversation that happened after supper tonight.

After some playful banter and hug/kiss goodbye before he went out to a meeting, Jon remarked, "See ? If you would just do this at least once a day, I would be a happy man."

"What? I kiss you at least once every day," I protested.

"Yeah, but you kiss me like you would give a 'holy kiss' to people!"

"I don't go around 'holy kissing' people. I only kiss you."

"Well, I was hoping for less holy kisses!"

I'm afraid any real point in the conversation was lost after that as the conversation just dissolved into laughter.

A Very Merry Unbirthday

2010-04-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

`They gave it me,' Humpty Dumpty continued thoughtfully as he crossed one knee over the other and clasped his hands round it, `they gave it me -- for an un-birthday present.'

`I beg your pardon?' Alice said with a puzzled air.

`I'm not offended,' said Humpty Dumpty.

`I mean, what is an un-birthday present?'

`A present given when it isn't your birthday, of course.'

Alice considered a little. `I like birthday presents best,' she said at last.

`You don't know what you're talking about!' cried Humpty Dumpty. `How many days are there in a year?'

`Three hundred and sixty-five,' said Alice.

`And how many birthdays have you?'

`One.'

`And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five what remains?'

`Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.'

(taken from "Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll)

Tonight at the supper table:

Reuben: "I have a great decision!"

Me: "You mean 'suggestion'?"

Reuben: "Yes! After supper, we should get in the van and drive to go get me a birthday cake!"

Me: "That's a good idea, only your birthday is in November, over half a year away..."

Reuben: "I know but we should get one..."

Jon: "Maybe we should celebrate half-birthdays?"

Water, water Everywhere and Nary a Drop to Drink?

2010-03-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

Two water episodes:

The other week, as I was preparing for company in the morning, Katie ran up from the playroom, "Reuben and Jordan are pouring water all over the air hockey table and it's all over the floor!" I went to inspect the damage.... there was water pouring out of the air hockey table! They had been filling up the slots where the pucks drop down after scoring a goal and it was all just pouring out onto the floor.

The next episode occurred in the bathroom. We've been trying to encourage Jordan to use the toilet and so he was going to the bathroom. I was slightly delayed as I had to get something first and when I walked into the bathroom, there was Jordan with the cap of the toothpaste, dipping into the toilet and drinking the toilet water. Refreshing!

Baptism

2010-02-25T15:01:00.001-08:00

We'd been discussing a date for Caleb's baptism (I think he's been asking about getting baptized since he was four). Reuben overheard some of this conversation and looked over at Caleb, "We'll miss you, Caleb, when you get baptized. You'll go to heaven to be with God."

Of course, I broke into laughter and assured him that Caleb was not going to die at this point. Reuben, hating to be laughed at, insisted, "I was just joking, guys!" Laughter having subsided, though, a few moments passed, and Reuben looked at me, "Where will Caleb be when he gets baptized?"

Shower Envy

2010-02-25T14:54:00.001-08:00

Well, I went to have my shower today and told Reuben to watch Molly (okay, I get desperate to have a shower around here). I had just finished getting my clothes on after my shower when Reuben came, yelling, "Mom! Jordan and Molly are in the toilet in the bathroom!"

I ran downstairs and, obviously when they heard I was going to have a shower, they must have been inspired. Molly and Jordan were soaked from head to toe, there was a flood on he floor, and there were water streaks on all walls of the bathroom, reaching just about to the ceiling. Molly, brandishing the toilet brush, was having the time of her life.

At that point, there was nothing to do but strip them all down and put them in the bathtub while I tried to put the bathroom back to rights.

When it no longer surprises...

2010-02-25T05:38:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure it's a good thing when you are no longer surprised by anything the kids do or break. I was thinking about how we just take these things in stride now- I heard a crash this morning from the bathroom. "What did you do?" I called, knowing that Reuben was in there....

"Nothing... the towel thingy just fell off the wall!"

It's kind of funny that, as a parent, you know exactly what happened without seeing it. "You were hanging off it and that's why it fell off the wall!" I didn't even go into the bathroom.

They have also managed to pull the heater off the wall down in the play room. That's from standing on it to play "fooze ball" (sp?)- or to climb on top of the fooze ball table.

Sibling Rivalry

2010-02-24T08:38:00.001-08:00

Out of the blue, Caleb to Jon, "Dad, if I could interpret dreams, would you love me better than them?"

Reuben on Shaving

2010-02-24T08:37:00.001-08:00

Last night, Reuben noticed a big band-aid that his Aunt Deborah had on her ankle. "Why do you have that?" he asked.

"I cut myself."

"How?"

"With a razor..." she proceeded to tell him what a razor was and that women sometimes decide to shave their legs like men shave their faces.

"Aunt Debbie," he said, with an air of exasperation, "Next time you have hair on your feet, just use a brush!"

So, When Did Weight Enter into the Equation...?

2010-01-21T15:31:00.001-08:00

We started a family ritual this past fall: we have a jar filled with slips of paper and each paper has a question on it. Each person has a day where they take a turn saying grace at supper time and picking a question. Then, we go around the table as each person answers the question.

Last night's question was to name your friends and to say why these people were your friends. Caleb and Katie started to laugh at Reuben when he listed some people who are a few years older than he is... I mentioned that our neighbor, Mrs. Sherrill, is my friend even though she is older than I am. Jon saw this as an excellent opportunity to poke fun at me, "Yeah, Mommy's only 40!" I declared that I was only 32 and had only been that age for a few months... Katie piped up, "Don't worry, Mommy, you're just the right size!"

More Reubenisms

2010-01-20T00:42:00.001-08:00

"When is Jesus going to dies again because I've done lots and lots of sins?"

"A-B-C-D.... I'm singing to Piper so she'll know her alphabet."

Rookie Mistakes

2009-11-03T13:56:00.001-08:00

I made an effort to be a "good mommy" today.... which means that I made an extra effort to do something with the kids. So I decided to let the boys (Reuben and Jordan) paint pictures... I got them all set up: Reuben in an apron and Jordan stripped of his shirt (since he refuses to wear an apron), and the paints and paper all laid out. I left the room only to get a cloth for any spills... I was gone for about a minute and came back to discover Reuben had painted Jordan- black all down his side and back- because Jordan put some paint on his paper. Reuben, likewise, had white paint in his hair. It just kept getting better- and somehow, although the paint was supposed to be contained to one area, the paint made its way to be splattered all over the opposite side of the room. Two year olds and paint- rookie mistake (and I'm still making them).

It reminded me of another rookie mistake I made when Caleb and Katie were little. It was a rainy summer day and they were in need of something to do. I thought, "Hey! Why not fill up the wading pool inside in the kitchen and they can splash around and have some fun?" So, I did just that and they had a blast! However, in my lack of foresight, I neglected to consider how I might empty the wading pool after we were done!

On the topic of mistakes, Caleb made a doozy tonight. We were having company- two ladies were visiting us as a a part of the church visitation team. One of the ladies was talking about the family she grew up in and how, as the oldest child, she took care of her siblings. She mentioned that she was 12 years older than her youngest brother. Caleb asked how old her brother was (he was 46 years old) and after hearing, blurted, "Whoa! If he's that old, I can't even imagine how old you must be!"

Never a dry moment

2009-09-15T13:54:00.001-07:00

Our kids are so great with company (yes, that statement is dripping with sarcasm). We had a family over to dinner a couple of weeks ago (I did give them fair warning before coming that supper at our house was more like a circus event). We encouraged the children to get their food and then to go outside with it, being a fine evening and not having enough seats around the table. Caleb, however, decided to stay at the table with the adults and "entertain" them with stories of, I think it was, pee accidents that have happened in our family. Later on in the evening, they got a chance to witness one of these stories themselves- and more. Katie came running in to report that Reuben was peeing on the lawn- we rolled our eyes but let the matter pass as we figured it was too late now to take any preventative steps. However, moments later, Jon, who had glanced out the window, ran outside- Reuben wasn't just peeing out on the lawn, he was in the process of #2. Jon brought him in and told him to clean up in the bathroom. Within moments, Reuben was yelling for help- he had put the whole roll of toilet paper in the toilet! Never a dull moment for our guests!

It's not always so catastrophic when guests are here, though- sometimes the catastrophes occur before guests come over. Last week, in the afternoon before we had small group for the evening, Reuben was supposed to be using the bathroom. Deb was over and she noticed that water was coming out of the bathroom- I checked it out. There was 1/4 inch of water covering the bathroom floor! (I'm not sure but my suspicion is that Reuben and Jordan tried to flush a great deal of toilet paper down the toilet- Reuben had flushed a wash cloth days before this so who knows what the problem was... yes, this is the same boy who caused us to replace our toilet in our last house). Well, with Deb and I working together, we managed to get it all cleaned up- Deb mopped 1 1/2 buckets full and I used all the towels we had in that bathroom... and, thankfully, very little damage was done to the basement.

Boys

2009-07-18T07:29:00.001-07:00

Events of the last hour (was going to say "day" but we're just in early afternoon at this point):

It's quiet time which means the kids are supposed to spend time in their rooms and be quiet (and hopefully the younger ones will nap). I hear the little boys so I know they're not napping- check their room: their bookshelf is bare and all books cover beds and floor. Fine. I'll deal with it after quiet time. Emphasize that they stay in their beds. Leave. More noise. Ignore it for a bit in hopes that it will die down. Nope. Check again: their entire room is covered in baby powder;they emptied the entire container. Baths and clean up- strip one comforter (the other already in the laundry from peed on bed last night), sweep the floors, mop..... Katie reports that the bathroom is being flooded by the boys (as per usual when they have a bath). Check the bath: not only does the flood require two bath towels to mop up, but they have now emptied the entire shampoo bottle into the bath.... seriously, Jordan, thanks to Reuben's help, entirely covered in bubbles (head, face, everything...).

Well, it's been about 20 minutes.... what new "adventures" will come my way?

Boys Will Be Boys

2009-07-02T17:12:00.003-07:00

The other week, Jon and I had decided to take Caleb and Katie to the NMES grade 4/5 production of "Annie Jr." Deb was going to look after the little boys (and, of course, Molly would come with us).

Well, we were on a roll... we had supper early and I had just finished washing the dishes and had swept and mopped the floors. And then came the report: Reuben had the outside tap running and had been dragging water to make a mud hole in the middle of the yard. He and Reuben were playing in said mud and the dog decided to come and be a part of the action.

Fifteen minutes before we were supposed to leave, and here we were dragging muddied dog and boys across my freshly mopped floor, all needing baths! (Plus, we couldn't leave the bathroom in muddied condition as our small group was coming over as soon as we would be getting home from the play).

Well, what can you do?! We raced through baths, had a good laugh, and made it out the door only fifteen minutes later than planned!

Crazy!

2009-07-02T17:12:00.002-07:00

Me: Are you my handsome man, Reuben?

Reuben (adamantly): I'm not handsome; I'm crazy!