They Called My Name

Last time I wrote, I was visiting my parents in California.  So let's pick up from there.

My parents drove me to the airport, I checked in, and went to Gate 5.  About ten minutes later I heard, "Paging Southwest passenger Stacey Spenard.  Stacey Spenard.  Please somethingsomethingsomething."  I don't remember what they said because I was so giddy that my name was being called on the P.A. system.

Turns out my flight was being delayed indefinitely and I was going to miss my connection in Denver.  "So you'll have to reschedule and fly out tomorrow.  Here's a voucher to keep you happy."  Here comes my second favorite part.

I asked the Southwest lady behind the counter, "Can I use your phone to call my Mom and have her come pick me up?"  I felt like I was five years old.  It was funny.

So my parents turned around and came to retrieve me.  One more day in Cali, but at that point I was mentally geared up to go home and see my boys.  Flew out the next morning and here I am.

In other news...

• Paul submitted his resignation this week, giving the church sixty days notice.  Really, he gave them verbal notice two years ago that we would be leaving about this time.  Many were surprised when it became official.  The first weekend in March will be his last.  We've been here eight years.

• We are moving overseas in March.  You could call it a job transfer.

• Charlie celebrated his first time-out this week:

• Paul and I have a trip planned to go to an International T. Networking conference in Arizona next month.  It's totally focused on our future move.  Bonus that it's in Arizona in the midst of winter.  And double bonus that we paid for our plane tickets with Paul's voucher from flying in November and my voucher that I got this last trip when I had to fly out the next day.

• The upstairs' back room needed to be painted, so as a family we tackled this task.  The person who painted this room many moons ago, painted over striped wallpaper that we could see through the paint.  So we decided to strip the wallpaper and then paint the wall anew.

 Removing old wallpaper is fun!

 Reuben enjoyed using the scraper.

 Charlie took initiative to get a trash bag and pick up all the wallpaper bits.

I love intiative-takers.

 Hello Paul.

 Later that day.

The wall still has not been painted because...

like every 'easy' project we've attempted in this 1800's home,

the project always has an unexpected surprise that complicates our efforts.

The bare wall behind the wallpaper has cracks and divots and mega-unevenness that is going to require mudding.

Which is probably why the people just painted over the wallpaper.

• In our history lessons recently, we reenacted the Great Fire of London:

 In just a few days, four-fifths of the city burned because

the homes were so close together and made of wood.

 Poor London.

•  We've had lots of snow.  Peter & Bros. Snow Removal has made lots of dollars this winter.

 After a long morning of scooping snow,

Pete and Reuben went to play on this pile.

See Peter reclining on the mound?

•  Charlie, like his older brothers of yore, climbed his way into the snack cupboard.

 He's answering our question, "Where's Charlie?"

Apparently, he doesn't know.

• The kids go to youth group on Sunday nights.  Here's one of their very spiritual lessons:

 They wrapped Reuben in toilet paper.

 Looks like a piggy snowman.

•  Earlier this week I was tricked into going camping.  They said we'd be staying in a cabin.  They said we'd take turns preparing meals.  They said it would be lots of fun family time.  And I believed them.  'Camping' never came to mind... until I started packing.  The problem with camping is all the prep (work!) and all the cold (cold!).  I know, I'm a whiner.  Poor me, had to go stay in a cabin in the woods and hang out with family.  It was a really nice time.  Paul's parents and his sister's family came too, and we stayed in two large cabins.  With the cabins came arm bands to get into the indoor waterpark.  Three days of water play for the cousins, board games, and down time.

 Know this game?

Settlers of Catan with Papa, Peter, Paul, and cousin Benen.

And Nana keeping watch on the couch.

 Fascinated by the popcorn popper.

With Aunt Anna.

 Popcorn Party on the cabin floor.

With cousin Cecily.

• And I have a fun video demonstrating Charlie's organization skills.  But it won't load.  So maybe tomorrow.

How One Loses His Transportation

Have you ever done it?  Lost your transportation?  I have to pause to laugh...

This afternoon the boys and I went to the garage to mount our bikes and strollers for an excursion uptown.  Peter declares, "I can't find my bike.  My bike's not here."  Hmm.  He's totally right.  Bike gone.

My first thought was that someone stole it.  But then I remembered that he is his father's son.  So I asked him, "Did you ride it somewhere recently and leave it there?"

He thinks for a moment then replays yesterday's solo trip to the market.  "I rode my bike to the market to buy meat for dinner...  And then I walked home."  I smiled hugely in disbelief that he actually did this.  Because...

More than once, Paul has been out and about driving somewhere and he ends up at the local cafe, which is a two minute walk away from our house.  After spending hours solving the world's problems with the farmers, he heads out and, forgetting that he drove the car, he walks home.  Then later in the day one of us goes to use the car and we don't know where it is.

"Oh, heh heh, I left it at the cafe."

See how funny and ridiculous this is?  It brought great humor into my life that Peter, never knowing that Paul is also prone to losing his transportation, took a one-way trip on his bike.

The truly sad part of the story is that his bike is gone.  It was not at the market when we went to retrieve it today.  I'm hoping that it will magically reappear, but I imagine one of the nocturnal youth who traverse our town in the darkness of night took it for a joy ride.

Cue Reuben's act of mind-blowing kindness.  He told Peter that he could ride his bike any time he wanted and that he would ride his scooter.  Yes, Reuben.  You're amazing too.

Carolına and Me

The drive to South Carolina was so pretty.  I really liked driving through the Appalacia Mountains.  We drove there Thursday, met with folks all day and night on Friday, met with more folks on Saturday and drove home.  I brought my camera and here are the only pictures I took...

I only took them because Paul was so excited about it.  The guy driving the car was munching on a snack and looked quite bored.  We smiled and waved at his cameras.  So look for us on Google maps.

We didn't get to experience much of the S. Carolına culture ın our short tıme there (and my keyboard just swıtched over to typıng ın Turkısh so the dots on the letter ı have dısappeared).  But here ıs what I know - ıt was humıd and we were warned about scurryıng cockroaches and we had breakfast at a place called The Lızard Thatch or somethıng lıke that.  And I learned that USC ıs not a cool college ın So Cal but the Unıversıty of South Carolına and they play good football.  Oh!  And all theır tea ıs sweet tea - the kınd that ıs thıck lıke syrup and makes you say Whoo!  And they stıll talk about how they lost The War.  Whıch made me thankful that I grew up ın Calıfornıa and do not have to claım allegıance to the North or South - the Cıvıl War was somethıng that happened Over There.  But serıously I cannot understand the Southern mındframe of racısm and whıte supremacy and realızed I have always just consıdered myself on the Northern Team.  Thıs opınıon I just kept to myself whılst there.

But the purpose of our trıp...  We met wıth an organızatıon that helps pastors start churches around the world ın places where there are no churches.  We have already joıned an org that does thıs but ıt ıs now mergıng wıth thıs S. Carolına org so we are checkıng out thıs new org to see ıf we want to merge too.  The conclusıon- we are not so sure.  Whıch ıs frustratıng.  So we are prayıng.

Now lets talk about my haır.  I lıke ıt.  I can style ıt on Monday, freshen ıt wıth the flat ıron on Tuesday and agaın on Wednesday.  Who loves a cute low maıntenance haırstyle?  I do.  Here ıs the pıcture you have been waıtıng for.  It was taken whıle I was at the Malıbu Soap Awards thıs afternoon.  I really lıke how my wardrobe attendant matched my dress to my eyeshadow.  She ıs so good.

Cute rıght?

To bed now so that tomorrow we can traverse Turkey Run - do scıence experıments wıth Paul (who has taken over scıence for me thıs year!!!) - shop for grocerıes all by myself - and accomplısh some ıtems on my to-do lıst lıke add Charlıe to our wıll to make sure he gets hıs part of our mıllıons and maybe get passport pıcs for Reuben and Charlıe.  Whoo!

Our Twelfth Anniversary

Back on May 6th...

(I realized as I organized this post that...

if one is blogging about a date then...

she's not going on enough dates,

youknowwhatI'msaying?)

In our driveway, headed out.

Giddy to be going out with an empty back seat.

Where to?

Turkey Run...

 Getting ready to hike trail nine.

It's the farthest out and we only hike it without kids.

Which is twice now.

 Surprise waterfall

 Trying to take a self-portrait with the waterfall,

but we keep blocking it.

Everybody to the left.

There.

 Cute in grey.

Lunch at the Inn.

I'd like another pot roast melt please.

 After lunch and lounging in the lodge

we found this shelter house and watched the rain.

 Here's a tour of the little shelter house in the big woods.

 Trying to start a fire with our car lighter.

No go.

But you could imagine.

 Cheers with our elder-approved bubbly, Martinelli's.

Thanks again to Debbie for giving us a day together.

I love my man

and love spending time with him.

He is my favorite.

I think it's amazing that there is a person who knows me really well...and likes me, you know?

Like, he wants to be with me always and forever.

That's a lot of overlooking my long list of faults.

I can trust him

and talk about whatever with him

and be all different kinds of personalities around him

and he likes my sass
(Sass.  With an "S")

and he's patient when I'm an emotional mess.

And look at his smile.

And his eyes.

I love his hands.

He has good hands.

Hi sweet man.

I love you.

So Paul's out helping a drunk woman whose husband has kicked her out.  He's been gone about an hour and I just heard a police car siren.  So maybe he'll be home soon.

I, on the other hand, just enjoyed a cup of ice cream with chocolate chunks and am ready to share some recent happenings.

We've got The Naked Ladies at the Art Museum, or The Bloody Pool, or The Sweaty Drive.

I know, The Naked Ladies.

We went to St. Louis last weekend for a family reunion, during which we spent a day doing touristy things like visiting their free zoo and equally free art museum.

*Tip - Even though you'll be tempted to go to the zoo when it opens at 8am to avoid the heat and holiday crowds, don't.  All we saw for 2 hours were the zookeepers cleaning out the habitats.  Bummer.

So Charlie fell asleep on our way to the art museum.  He snoozed on a lovely leather couch in the foyer while the other boys toured the museum.  To quench my boredom of sitting next to a sleeping child, I read a brochure about the museum.  It listed several famous artists and their paintings that were housed in this building.  One was Henri Matisse's work called Bathers and Turtle.  Do you see where this is going?  No?  Let's continue.

After a while, the boys return and I ask Peter if he saw the VanGogh or the Monet or the Matisse one about some bathers.  He said he had and he wanted to show me.

So Paul stayed with Charlie while Peter led me through rooms.  "Here it is, Mom."  Yep they are definitely bathers with a turtle.  A large painting of three large naked female bathers looking at a turtle.  Here...

So my nine-year-old son and I stood there to take in this early 1900s work of art.  Of naked women.  There was no shame or embarrassment, except the giggling I was hiding inside.

Then I turned around and Paul, Charlie, and Reuben had joined us and Paul pointed out another Matisse.  A sculpture.  Of a naked woman.  So our sweet little conservative family encircled the piece to gaze at its artistic wonder.  "What is it?" Reuben asked.  "A woman," I said.  "Oh."  Uh-huh.

And then I took a moment to look around the room.  All paintings of naked women.

I had sent my son on a hunt for naked women.

I could see this being a fun game when he's a teen.  I'll say, "Hey, Pete, did you see that one by So-and-So called Swaying In the Wind?"  And then he'll take me on a hunt for it and he'll get all embarrassed when it ends up being naked women.  And he'll say something like, "Ah Mom, not naked women again" and turn all red and then I'll giggle.

But for now, it's all art and we're all mature about it.


Paul's back.  The sirens weren't for him.  He said it was trippy and after much screaming, all is apparently well for the evening.

The other stories shall come henceforth another day.

A Dreamy Day

Happy Anniversary to my main man and me.  We were romantically betrothed twelve years ago.  It was sweet.

Today was sweet too.

My dear, dear mother-in-law gave us the day to go.  To go away and be just us while she spent the day with three high-energy boys.  It's a strange feeling to just be he and me.  And we loved it.

We went to Turkey Run State Park and hiked trail 3 to trail 10 to trail 5 to trail 9.  It sprinkled a bit, but the thick forest worked as our umbrella.  Two hours of talking and holding hands and just being he and me.

Then we went to the inn there for lunch.  Pot Roast Melt.  So yum.  Tender beef, swiss cheese, grilled onions, rye bread.  With mint M&Ms Debbie gave us just before we left.

Part three was spent in the lodge.  We, being uberly nerdly, sat on a couch with our shoulders snuggling... and read.  No one was trying to crawl up on our laps, or pull us into another room, or need... anything from us.  We could just be, you know?  Parenting is great.  It's special and fulfilling.  But a break from parenting is also great and special and fulfilling.

So on to part four of our dreamy day...  As we left the lodge it started to rain so we drove to a shelter house with a picnic table to share our annual bottle of Martinelli's.  The rain turned into a thunder storm, but we were very dry and snug in the shelter.  Paul tried to use the cigarette lighter from our car to start a fire in the fireplace, but it wasn't hot enough.  But you could imagine how cozy that would have been.  We sat on the table sipping from wine glasses we brought from home and enjoyed the sound of the rain and the little peeks of sunshine that came and went.

And then we drove home.  Charlie and Reuben, who had not seen us for seven whole hours, came running and squealing to us at the door.  Sweet boys.

And sweet Debbie for caring for them.

And sweet man who loves me abundantly.

Water

I've got boys who love to play with water.

Another day

Another day

Mixing colored water

Hair design by Paul

Five Dollar Sausages

Reuben - "I gave you a 'sauge so now you can give me five dollars."

Paul - "You gave me a sausage and you want five dollars?"

R - "No, Dad.  A 'sauge.  I gave you a 'sauge so now you give me five dollars."

P - thinking... "You gave me a MAssage.  And I'm not giving you five dollars."

R - "But Dad."

P - "I'd give you five cents, but not five dollars."

R - "But I want dollars."


I overheard a conversation that went something like this and I was cracking up.  Reuben is really into this entrepreneur business.  (Was that use of 'business' a pun?  And why do writers always apologize for using puns?  Just use the pun and let the readers enjoy the humor, I say.)

As to businessman Reuben...  He needs to learn to set up his deals before doing the work.  Although it reminds me of crossing the Mexican border back into San Diego and while one is waiting for the border patrol dogs to sniff her car, Mexican men come around and clean her windshield then expect payment.  You know what I'm talking about?

Happened in Belize City too.  When this local guy came across some tourists (us, for instance) he would tell some dramatic, entertaining story about something;  I can't remember, but Paul probably does.  So then the tourists would clap or laugh or somehow acknowledge the greatness of his storytelling and turn to leave when Prince Charles, as he called himself, would become pushy and declare his deservedness of significant payment for his efforts.  Meanwhile, locals look on, shaking their heads.

Dear Reuben, don't become a tricky businessman.  It's irritating.  Thank you.

The Family Business

Mr. Reuben has quickly learned that work = money.  He likes having money.  So he doesn't mind the work.

"I get to go shovel snow!"

 Fresh out of bed into the snow pants.

Bright orange hat keeps them visible.

 Scary man who always goes out with them.

Paul is so good about supporting and guiding

Peter and Reuben with their business.

He's teaching them about customer service,

work ethic, and money management.

He's so great.

 While the big boys are out...

...Charlie discovered that all the Wookie Cookies were gone.

(He needed his coat on too

since everyone else was putting theirs on.)

 So we moved on to his usual breakfast of yogurt.

Today it is mixed with pumpkin and applesauce.

And I baked pumpkin scones.

 

 Charlie's first stage of training.

Observation.

 Rube comes in after two or three jobs

while Paul and Peter finish the rest.

Pumpkin scone and warm tea for him.

 Peter's back and writes up his bills to keep track.

They'll go back out later to collect their earnings.

Then Paul will help them divide it and separate it into

Saving, Giving, and Spending jars.

Reuben currently has five 1 dollars in his Spending

and he looks at them a lot.

He is wanting to buy a metal detector,

which he always calls a smoke detector.

The Nightly Read

Here they are.  All my boys enjoying their evening read.

But watch Charlie in these next photos

to see how he got settled...

 to the right

 back to the left

 up and over the dad

back up and squat

here's a good comfy spot

ahh

cute