Surrealism

Sophie drew this picture of me yesterday. She even labeled it, though that may have been unintentional. It occurs to me that if this is how she sees me, I must appear more tired than I realized.

Brotherly Bonding

Class of '98

This weekend is my twentieth high school reunion. Sadly, I am in Pennsylvania while the reunion is in California, so I won't be there. But a friend shared this picture, one I had never seen before today, on Facebook to celebrate the weekend. 

What you can't tell from looking at this is that I had a horrible sunburn. The morning of graduation we had an outdoor rehearsal and I didn't wear sunscreen. I put lots of makeup on my face to cover it, but I couldn't do much for my arms and neck. Every hug I got that night was painful!

Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I'm still in contact with half the people in this picture. And while it's hard to believe that it's been twenty years since I finished high school, it's even harder to believe that we're only six years from a similar picture for Peter.

Formal Wear

Side by Side

The Man In the Yellow Hat

"It fits!" Sophie, after placing this hat on Topher's head.

Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda

Peter spent the last week in Palmyra, New York at Boy Scout camp. We were nervous to send him so far away for a whole week, especially since he would need to depend on others for his food. Bryan and Peter spent the two weeks leading up to camp preparing. They made sure he had all the required camping supplies, sprayed all of Peter's clothes and sleeping bag with permethrin, and stocked him up with a week's worth of canned food just in case the food in the cafeteria was not a safe option.

Last Monday, Peter came in during the wee hours of the morning to say goodbye to Topher. I got a hug too.

Then Bryan and Cooper (because he wanted to see Peter off) delivered Peter to our church building at 4:45 in the morning.

Bryan and I worried about Peter and kept telling ourselves that no news was good news. On Wednesday afternoon we got a treat. The boys spent time on their own that day, praying and pondering in the Sacred Grove. Peter specifically asked one of his leaders to send this picture to me.

We missed Peter while he was gone. On Wednesday night Cooper told me that he was having trouble remembering what Peter looked like. I pointed out the many pictures of Peter we have around the house. Then Cooper said he was also starting to forget what Peter sounded like. I certainly felt his absence. Peter has become quite helpful around the house. He's great at cleaning the kitchen, he can hold Topher if I need him to, and he's even started changing wet diapers. I hadn't realized how much I've come to rely on Peter until he wasn't here for a week. I know Bryan missed hanging out with Peter in the evenings after the other kids were in bed.

By Saturday afternoon, we were all eager to have Peter back. Bryan sent me this picture from the pickup.

Peter was exhausted (he took a rare nap after church on Sunday, proof of how tired he was even after a full night's sleep), filthy (two showers were required), and sunburned. What he was not was covered in bug bites. Apparently two of the other boys had fifty bites each. Peter, who is usually a magnet for mosquitoes, had three. The time it took to cover everything in permethrin was well worth it.

Peter had a wonderful time. He did actually eat some of the food served at camp (breakfast and hot dogs) and also ate almost the entire supply we sent with him. He was able to watch the Hill Cumorah Pagent and have some sweet spiritual experiences. He's convinced that Sophie grew taller during his six day absence, but I think he's the one that grew. He seems older, a little more mature than when he left, more of a young man than a kid.

I suspect that's the true purpose of camp.

We Didn't Start the Fire

Looking for some excitement for your Wednesday night?

May I suggest smelling an electric/plastic burning smell somewhere in your basement? Not only will it keep you and your spouse on your toes as you search for the source of the odor, but if you're really lucky and have your home office setup in the area in question, you (or your spouse) might just get to take the entire thing down and spend the next several days slowly rearranging and plugging things back in one at a time, all the while sniffing to detect if the telltale (and still hidden) scent of something burning has returned.

On second thought, don't do that.

The Good Old Days

Yesterday as the kids and I took our new stroller for its maiden voyage at a local park, I felt a strong sense of nostalgia. When the boys were little, we spent most of our summer mornings walking to and from the park or strolling the neighborhood. That was before the time of chores and piano practice and begging to play video games. It was when they woke up wanting to go play at the park.

It's comforting to know we still have days like that. 

It's the Cheesiest

Each of the big kids is in charge of lunch one day each week. The rule is that everyone needs to eat (or at least try) the meal, even if it's not something they would normally choose. Sophie decides what we eat on Tuesdays. That means we will probably eat macaroni and cheese every Tuesday from now until school starts.