Sweet and Funny Boy

We got home tonight after spending the evening at my in-laws. I noticed we had several messages on the answering machine. The first was a friend returning a call. The second was from my son (he must have borrowed the phone at my in-laws).

"Mom, I just want you to know that I really, really love you."

That brings a smile to a mother's heart.

The last message was also from my son. I'm not sure what exactly he was saying, but it was obvious some creature was attacking him and not allowing him to talk. "Get away!... Ack!... No!"

That also brings a smile to a mother's heart.

Sweet, funny boy.

A Matter of Perception

We finished up and e-filed our taxes at 6:30 last night. The whole thing was a nightmare, but that's not what this is about.

We knew we were going to owe this year. In the midst of our problems with our taxes, the amount owed was always close to $800. So, we've thought for about a week now that that's what we would be paying.

When we got all the problems fixed, we only (!) owed $460.

So now, I feel like we got a tax refund! LOL

Funny

Griff went to Carraba's for lunch today with Ruth and his mom. (I was out with Robert) At the end of the meal, they all shared a Dessert Rosa.

The dessert disappeared very quickly. When it was gone, Ruth said, "Wow! Point, click, and go!"

Wild Animals in Suburbia

I was talking to the kids as they worked at the kitchen table this morning when I saw something scurrying through our yard out of the corner of my eye. It looked like...

"Kids! Look! It's a possum!"

Much excitement was to be found until he/she disappeared under our fence. The kids wondered if it would have played dead if we had run out there to see it. "Then we could have taken pictures of it!" (Yep, they're my kids.)

Ruth told her dad about it later and found out that he had seen a baby possum in the driveway as he left for work this morning.

I think we can quit wondering what's been digging around in the flower beds.

Update on Malachi and a New Prayer Request

I learned this morning that Malachi's latest biopsy shows that his blood is free from leukemia. Praise God! Please pray that this remission continues. He is currently in the hospital because of some nodules in his lungs. The doctors believe that they are some type of fungus. Pray that he can be healed from that and go home.

If you are not familiar with Amy from Amy's Humble Musings, please keep her in your prayers. She is pregnant and experiencing debilitating morning sickness. Her husband is updating her blog occasionally to keep us posted on her condition. Apparently this is typical for her pregnancies. Medications which have helped in the past are having no effect. Please pray that this passes quickly and that both she and the baby are healthy.

I hope that you and yours are having a wonderful Easter!

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Believe it or not, I'm talking about a plant.

Griff and I do not have what I would call a green thumb. Witness the fact that our azaleas put out 2 or 3 blooms this year. That was a sad, sad thing. Our neighborhood was filled with yards full of azalea blooms, except for ours. We are pitiful.

However, we have had great success with a few plants. One of them is called Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrows (we shorten it to YTTs). They are called this because of their flowers. When they first bloom, they are dark violet. The next day, they are a paler shade. The following day, they are white. Here is a picture of one of ours.


I love this plant. It will bloom repeatedly throughout the warm weather. Once winter hits, it no longer blooms, and can look kind of scraggly (is that a word?), but it quickly recovers once it warms up.

I'll be posting more pictures of "winners" for the black-thumbed among us. :)

History Notebook Pages

I have wanted the kids to make history notebook pages all year long, but haven't gotten around to it (a very common problem with me). I suddenly realized that the year was winding to a close. If I wanted to do them (and hopefully get into the habit of them for next year), I needed to start NOW.

Luckily, we were at a good place to start. We just finished studying the writing of the Declaration of Independence. I think the beginning of our country is a fine place to begin.

I got some 8.5x11 paper that is sort of patriotic (color-wise, anyway). I printed off a picture of the Declaration of Independence from the internet. I then gave the kids the option of printing the title on the computer or hand-writing it. They both chose to use the computer. They then had to write a few things about the famous document. We cut things out and glued them on the paper. Here are the final results!


Robert's is on the left. I gave him guidance on where to place things (read "told him exactly what to do"). I left Ruth free to do her own thing. I found her placement rather interesting. :)

They are nothing fancy, but they are done, and we are (hopefully!) on our way to making notebook pages on a regular basis.