Palm Sunday

It's been a long Lent, and we are finally really close to celebrating Easter and The Risen Lord. 

But in spite of looking forward to a spiritual miracle in a matter of a few days, today we are celebrating a special feat of a more human nature.

Ally palmed the living room ceiling.

We've had a small index card taped to our 9 foot ceiling for quite some time.  In fact, I've actually blogged about it before... in a post entitled "Motivation" in October of '09. (See post here http://pbjfcs-photographicmemories.blogspot.com/2009/10/motivation.html ) 

The smudges and proof of attempts on my ceiling are numerous. But tonight after she arrived home from a strenuous practice, Ally said she knew she could do it... and to authenticate her claim, we painted her hand green. 

Well, the proof is in the picture. 

You go, girl!!!

To "make good" on the index card promise, Dad had to turn over some of the Italy savings.... a crisp Ben Franklin.... but, honestly, he was really happy to do so!

It marks the affirmation of a tremendous amount of hard work on behalf of this kid, who has spent the last year impassioned with a love for volleyball excellence and a drive to be the very best player she can be.  She has put in many hours of sweat with a club travel team, The Illini Elite, which meets for four hour practices 3-4 nights a week.  Tournament play nearly every weekend involves at least six matches over the course of two days.  In addition to maintaining excellent grades, she works at Dairy Queen to pay for her own club ball. 

We could not be more proud. 

Happy Jumping, Ally. 

Should we move the index card to the moon?  The sky's the limit for this girl.

Applause Applause

I love Facebook, if only for the opportunity to catch little snippets of people's lives.

One of my own recent status entries noted:  Andy is practicing his Christmas program songs for me this morning, and says, "MOM! We are going to sing this in front of the WHOLE school!" And he thinks about that a minute and adds, "When people clap for me, I just have to smile."

Oh, what a feeling to be applauded!

Well, that innocent sentiment stayed with me all day, and I've since thought about it several times afterward. 

I had so much anticipation the night of the program, not just for the 8th grade presentation of the Nativity, or the singing of traditional Christmas songs, or the big Flashlight Finale of "Silent Night", or even laying bets on the expected Fainter/Puker count.   

What  I really wanted was to see that smile.

When it was their turn, the little first graders entered the church, lined up in single file, hands set prayerfully in front of them.  They approached the risers, and on cue, set their hands at their sides.  The spotlight popped on, and their faces literally lit up.

During the entire first song, it looked to me like Andy was going to bust.  Kel leaned over and whispered, "He's gonna bust!"

He looked so purely and entirely HAPPY.  Down to his toes. 

Enthusiastic first graders really don't need microphones.  Like his classmates, he sang his heart out: "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem".  Despite his concerns, he remembered all the words.

I know in my head that a Christmas program is really supposed to direct our attention to the birth of a Savior.  But my heart swelled because these children are given the opportunity to shine, to have their efforts appreciated, to be applauded. 

And then, even though the singers were supposed to be looking at the director, Andy quickly stole a glance at his mom and dad.

I caught it... that blurred but memorable image of a happy happy child.

And I thought,

surely this is part of what God had in mind

when He sent His Son.

Ghost Writers

Hi.  I'm Brownie.  I'm great at creating and baking and, according to Kelly, leaving messes in the kitchen.

I dropped in with Charlie at the Krenz house about a week ago, and boy have we been having fun.  Monday night we left 24 candy canes hidden all over the house.  After the big kids left for school, Rosie and Finan found most of them, and that was their breakfast.  I wouldn't mind the sticky hands as much as Kelly does.  She's a little fussy like that.

Being a handy toymaker, Charlie is really good at technology stuff too.  He can work a GPS, any Wii game, or a computer printer/scanner/copier...like this Epson right here with the blinking green light: 

Boy, do we love this family. 

We love Brennan because he is so sincere and has lots of integrity.  We miss him when he is not around.  We love Camden because he is such a hard worker and he STILL always makes time to play.  He is such a generous person too.  We love Ally because she is so determined and focused, and she is always willing to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies or take us to McDonald's for sundaes.  We love Kieran because she sings us to sleep every night and she has taught us so many Broadway tunes we have never heard of before.  And boy, is she brave to perform like she does.  We love Maddie because she is so loving and so light-hearted and makes us laugh when she sings with her mouth closed or does splits on the living room wall.  Oh, she's a great leader too.  We love Merryn because she is such a terrific helper in the kitchen, and she will read us any story at any time.  She also plays Christmas music on the piano which we absolutely love.  We love Andy because he has the cutest dimpled smile and is so playful!  What a friend!  He is so good especially at setting up forts and towers.  He is also getting to be such a good reader and speller!  We love Finan because, well, there's no word for Finan except to say he is such a people-connector.  And when anyone visits it's an instant celebration and reason to party, and he just loves to serve others.  And we love Rosie because she is so sassy and she lights up the room with her big smile and sparkly eyes.

And, even though they think we are just here for the kids, we love Kel and Kelly.  We know how hard they work, and the big responsibilities they have, and, well, sometimes they just forget what the point of all this is... that the reason they have such a wonderful family is because LOVE and JOY are at the center of it. 

And we know where THAT comes from.

Hey, this has been fun!

I think I might be a real life writer if I click on this button labeled "Publish Post". 

I've always wanted to write something worth reading.

We Wait

Advent is a season of waiting.  What have you been waiting for?

Elf Updates? 
In the last few days, our elves have played Apples to Apples with stuffed animals, drew winter scenes on the TV using a brand new Wii Drawing Tablet (thanks Grammy!!!), and created an intricate zip line out of blue yarn in our kitchen.  It looked like a James Bond red laser security system. Impressive! 

Or maybe you have been waiting for snow plows? 
In the interim, a weather system brought blizzard conditions, closing area schools and making Route 66 virtually impassable.  High winds contributed to the zero visibility in the country.  Luckily, there were 5 gallons of milk in the fridge, and a new Wii Drawing tablet to occupy the kids.

I've been waiting too.
I'm sitting in a hospital anticipating news about my dad.  He's in an operating room, and has been for the last four hours.  We might be waiting six more.  And then there will be the wait at ICU for several days,  And the extensive recovery afterward.  A long haul.

I don't know where I'm going with this.

So I'll wait.

Home Movies

We've embraced the streaming technology of Netflix... movies not only delivered in two days to your front door, but also brought immediately to your TV via your computer and wireless router.

Kel signed us up for the free month trial, because we both wanted to watch Pillars of the Earth, the epic story by Ken Follet put on glorious film.  The novel itself is about 1000 pages (I read it, Kel listened to it on his Ipod), and even though I met the characters a few years ago, I STILL think about them, the amazing work they did, and the lives they led.  Now, that's a good book.

Each night, we would get the kids in bed, settle into the recliners in our Commons, and allow ourselves to be transported into another space and time.  It took about two weeks, but we watched the 8 episodes and loved every minute.  For people who rarely make time to watch television (not to mention falling asleep during the middle of it), this too was epic.

And with the approaching Christmas break around the corner, I'm actually looking forward to sitting down at the movies, often, in my own home.

Now, to find that remote again...

Just Because

It took a minute to realize what had transpired.

Our elves skewered snowman shaped marshmallows on sticks last night, and roasted them over an open flame.... of a candy cane candle.

Hershey miniature bar wrappers, tossed willy-nilly amongst graham cracker squares, made it crystal clear:  They made s'mores.

S'mores?  On a Thursday?
Yum.

I would never think to do that. 

I think to unload the dishwasher, check homework, return phone calls.  Those things have to get done.

But I appreciate how these elves operate... grabbing little delightful opportunities when they present themselves. It sure makes for joyful kids.

I bet it would make for a joyful mom.

Falling Temps

Our elves could not be located ANYWHERE this morning.  They've gone missing before, and turned up in some of the oddest places.  So, Andy looked in Christmas trees, on ceiling fans, and in refrigerator freezers.  No elves. 

Recalling that one of their adventures last year involved take-out pizza, he ran to the window.  Now, mind you, the average temperature this week has been about 4 degrees, but despite the cold, Andy ran outside... in socks and pajamas. 

There on our deck, seemingly frozen in time, were Brownie and Charlie in the midst of an ice skating party.  They had been drinking pop and hot chocolate (now also frozen in time). 

"And Mom!" exclaimed Andy, "They had the FAKE Santa with them too!!!"

Such resourceful little elves... and full of bright ideas.

Inspired, Andy is geared up to pull out the lumber and rebuild our own ice rink. 
Coincidentally, so is his dad.

I'm stocking up on hot chocolate.