Slow Start

That's what we got off to this morning. I'm still moving slow. As evidenced by the fact that I'm sitting on the couch helping a kid with school (instead of at the table) while I blog, surrounded by piles of laundry. Just can't seem to get it in gear today. ~yawn~ Is it nap time yet?

The kids played outside pretty much all day on Saturday, soaking in all the glories of a non-school day. They sprayed each other down with Off! (they've finally sort of overcome their fear of "the chemicals"--spoken in the most ominous and foreboding tones they can muster) and made several trips down to the creek and back. It was decently hot that day and they were sooooo nasty and sweaty! We brought them in and made them all shower and put some fresh clothes on before we headed to town.

On our way into town James suddenly said, "What were we supposed to bring?" ~GASP!~ Sister Dudley had asked us to pick up a couple of things and I had COMPLETELY forgotten! I had asked if she needed anything else and (though she said no) had fully intended to make some snacks or finger food or desert or something to take along. Somehow I totally spaced it. ~sigh~ It worked out okay and we ended up having time to stop by the store. :-)

We had a good time fellowshipping with everybody, as always, this time in celebration of Thomas Dudley's graduation from high school, and Jacob Parker's graduation from Kindergarten to 1st Grade--something completely new to us! Ha! Sam had a good time tormenting Dudley boys while there. At one point, somebody came running inside hollering that Sam had TACKLED Joshua Dudley. I immediately felt severe conflict on the inside. "Sam--knock it off!!!" Then in proud but hushed tones to those at my table, "My son just took out a Dudley boy!!!" Ha! Turns out Sam and Zack (age 6) were working together and caught Joshua off guard. Nonetheless, it was quite an accomplishment for the rugrats. Of course, at some point in the evening I saw Sam with three teenage boys. One of them picked Sam up and threw him over his shoulder, then they all started into the men's restroom. I usually let our kids get whatever they've got coming to them and try not to get involved, but I figured it would be a really bad night for a swirly. HA! The boys were giving Sam a hard time, ACTING like they were going to dunk him but I think they'd already let him go by the time James got in there to break it up. Sam is so lucky. ;-)

Yesterday was another good Sunday for us, though we went our separate ways. James got up early and left for Anniston to cover the services there for Sister Bishop who was guest speaker at a Ladies' Retreat this past weekend. I love to go with him to visit the churches, but we also feel a pull to support our local church. And, perhaps most of all, we feel like our kids really need to feel like they've got something solid and consistent in the midst of all of these recent--and upcoming--changes. Specifically, we want them to feel like they have a home church and are part of this local Sunday School and things like that, instead of just wandering nomads. ;-) We've been to Anniston a couple of times already, so we decided the kids and I would just stay home this time and let James go it alone.

We got to church plenty early (we've made a very good habit of that, at long last) and I got my chance to teach Sunday School for the very first time, ages 3-7. I had three boys: Sam, Zach, and Devon. I was a little nervous going in, but ended up being amazed at how good they all were and how much fun we had. :-) It might have helped that I agreed to let them wrap me up in toilet paper if they could tell me everything we'd learned. Ha! (The lesson was about Lazarus, so we took turns wrapping everybody up like mummies at the end of class.) It was great fun and I think they actually knew what we'd been talking about. That's always a plus.

After service the kids and I went out to eat with the Ridlespurges and their daughter Misti, her four kids, and the Cox family. I ended up with all the boys in my van (Joe, Sam, Dalton, Michael, and Zach) and Katie ended up riding with all the girls in some other car. Fun for everybody. I enjoyed eating at a new restaurant (something different) and, of course, just hanging out with the crowd. I love spending time with everybody and feel like I get to know them better each time. It was great fun. Even though I almost had to tackle Brother Ridlespurge at the end of dinner. HA! That guy. He paid for our family last time we went out and then yesterday he grabbed my ticket and ran from the table before I had a chance to stop him. I was sure to thank him sincerely for feeding my family once more... and warn him of the repercussions if he tries it again before we have a chance to treat his family to dinner. ;-)

It was 2:?? when we left the restaurant. Church doesn't start until 6:00. What to do... what to do... Drive by "our" new house again, of course! HA! Actually, the Washburns had invited us once more to come and spend the afternoon at their house if we ran out of things to do, so I just chose the route to their house that would take us by "our" house. The quotes are in place because I realize it's not official yet. It won't be truly OURS until we close on it and we're doing our best to not count our weasels before they've popped. But... I can't help but be excited!!! We looked at the property and I tried to imagine where James wants to put the shed for the riding mower that will be one of our first purchases (!), tried to imagine the garage in place, how and where the new lane/driveway will go, visualized the house and shutters the colors that they'll be when we're finished, how the stairs will be positioned to up to the front porch... Then we thought, Well, fooey--let's just go look in all the windows again, too! ;-) I stood on the back deck and looked through the dining room window into the living room, trying to visualize where we would put stairs to the imaginary upstairs I've created in my head. Ha! James has given me no hope of our being able to finish out living area up there and I really am fine with that if it ends up being the case... but I can't get my brain to stop "seeing" it until we actually get an outrageous estimate from somebody who knows about that stuff. The estimate that makes us say, "HOW MUCH?! What, are you CRAZY?! No way--we'll just live downstairs, thank you." Until then I keep arranging and rearranging the imaginary upstairs to the house that does not yet belong to us. It's so fun. :-)

We enjoyed a nice, leisurely afternoon with the Washburns once more, visiting and teaching the kids how to play dominoes. Then they drug out the checker board. Brother Washburn beat Sam, but had no idea what he was getting himself into when he took on Joe. It's really a lose/lose situation. Sister Washburn says that he gloats something awful about his ability to beat people, but he can't be as horrible as Joe. He beat Brother Washburn in the first game and I think it surprised him a little bit. Naturally, he challeged Joe to another game. And it had the same outcome. ~sigh~ All the way to church I had to hear, "BOW to me! BOW to the King of Checkers!!!" coming from the back seat. HA!

After church last night I was telling Sister Kristal that we were just going home--I wasn't hungry and it's dumb to pay money to eat out when we can just drive the hour home and eat left-overs for free if we're hungry when we get there. I told her that, walked out the back door, and was immediately attacked by a swarm of children. They have learned that I'm the push-over. After each service, EVERYBODY'S kids come to ME to ask if we can go out--and if I'll ask their parents or grandparents for them. Ha! Last night it was Michael who got to me. His eyes were all lit up and he had this HUGE grin as he was begging, "We're going to Taco Bell--can you guys go? PLEEEEEEEEEASE???" I groaned and stuttered for a minute before caving in, at which point the huddle broke into victory whoops. About that time Sister Kristal walked outside to hear the kids yelling, "The Hornes are going! The Hornes are going!" It hadn't been 2 minutes since I'd told her we were NOT going out. Ha! She told me that I was a SUCKER. She's so right! But I can't help it--I KNOW what it's like to be the one who's dying to go out and to have your fate resting in the preference of another. I wasn't thinking of James when I wrote that, but I thought of him when I reread it. Ha! I remember being a young teenager at the Assembly and my Mom being soooooo tired after the evening service, but we would all beg and plead with her to pleeeeeeeeeeeease let us go hang out. I can still see her sitting half-asleep at a table at Shoney's, not because she wanted to be there but because she knew how much it meant to us and how important it was for us to have that fellowship and build those friendships with other church kids. How can I do any less for my kids--and all the kids at church?! These years pass way too quickly (my kids are growing up sooooo fast--it's like I can feel them slipping right through my fingers) and they NEED these friendships and memories.

And I like to go out, too. ;-)

So it ended up being the same crowd we'd had at lunchtime, minus Sister Misty. As always we had a great time, the boys at one table, the girls at another, and the adults at yet another. The girls were perfect angels (except for when one of the klutzy Katies--I'm pretty sure it was mine--knocked over a cup of soda), but the boys probably had a little too much fun over at their table! Ha! Things were especially entertaining when the very strange Taco Bell guy who took our order earlier came out to clean the floors... and was singing along with the music... and dancing with his mop while using it for a microphone... Some people are just SO COOL.

James was already home from Anniston when we got here. The kids headed straight to bed, but James and I stayed up talking way, way too late. I don't even know what we were talking about, I just know it was sometime after 2:00am before I finally fell asleep! So I'm blaming James for my total lack of productivity today:

I stripped the bed and washed the sheets... though they have yet to be put back on the bed.

Made sure the kids did school--though I haven't checked their work.

Gathered laundry. Washed one load. It's still in the washer.

Hung up dress clothes.

Sort of cleaned a bathroom, but not really.

And that's about it. Pretty sad, hu?! I'm not even cooking tonight. I've been so proficient in that area that we've got lots of left-overs on hand, so we're all set. I really ought to at least finish up on the laundry. Surely I can gather enough gumption for that.

But any minute now I'll need to go pick up the guys who are FISHING right now. :-) James and I loaded up Brother Powell's fold-up boat (the name always makes me shudder) and took it to the lake just down the road. He and the boys hopped in with all the fishing gear and James said to come pick 'em up in an hour and a half. I think we're getting close to that time now. (I obviously started this post earlier today, while still working with Sam and his school.)

Before I go, pictures! :-)

Sister Powell, I thought you'd like to see this. Or maybe not. Ha! The Charles has claimed your chair as his very own. He's too lazy to jump up there himself, so he goes and stands by it then lets out one tiny bark and looks around to see who will come running, saying, "Aaaawwwwwww! Look at him--he wants up. That's so cute, Charlie!!!" Pitiful.



And I can't remember if I've posted a picture of this or not, but this is one of my very favorite things about the Powell's house. :-) This is the view from Katie's bedroom window, thus the reflections on the glass. I didn't want to open the window and scare away the frog on that lily pad. Do you see him?! I think it's soooooo cool--I've never seen frogs actually sitting on lily pads before. :-)



Neat, hu?!

Okay, it's now a few hours later than it was before those pictures ;-) so I have pictures from the fishing trip tonight.

Here's the lake/pond. That little speck of white in the trees is a white heron that flew up there just as we arrived. It was soooo neat!







Brady can't bear to miss out on the fun. He gets sooooo excited when he hears Brother Powell's truck start up. He's used to getting rides in it, I think. We load the boat into the back and Brady tears off toward the lake, racing along side the truck all the way. He just looks SO HAPPY. Then into the water he goes, following after the boat. He's the coolest dog ever. :-)



And coming back to shore so he could follow the truck back home. Katie and I left the guys at the lake and Brady followed us home. But James said we'd only been gone a few minutes when Brady showed up again and went for another swim.



Sam had more fun splashing than fishing, it seems. :-)



And this is what Joe looked like when we arrived.



And here he is, "petting" his fish. Ha!