Random Thoughts

You know you’re a blogger when:  you photograph everything, you know, for the blog!

  Guess what I did this week?  I took ALL four of my boys OUT……..by myself.  :  )

   I printed their reading list certificates, and I took them to the library to get their prize.  Yep, not only did I take all four of them out in public by myself,  but I chose the one “kid friendly” place in town where they are supposed to be quiet, and none of us are quiet people!

   And we did it!  Not only did I survive, but I would say we excelled.  Joshua and Caleb went straight to their favorite sections:  super hero and Spongebob, pulled out about six books each, came over and quietly sat down at a table and read and read and read.  Once Daniel took a trip to the restroom, he did the same.  (Daniel is one of those kids that has to use every public restroom he encounters).

  Daniel picked out a “choo-choo” book (Thomas the Train), and sat at the table with his brothers.   I told him it was his job to hold his book, and he took that assignment very seriously, holding onto it for our entire visit, a good 30 minutes!

  At one point, I just looked at the marvel that was my three little boys, sitting quietly looking at books, and thought, “Huh.”

   No need to spoil a good thing.  Some sort of special kids’ program was starting up, and kids were beginning to arrive, so I gathered my chicks, handed each of them their award coupon books, and ushered them right out of there before things could go south…. Judge all you want, but when you have an infant, a toddler, and two school aged boys, the threat of public humiliation lurks around every corner!

   That went so well that I’m thinking I may take them to the library again tomorrow.

Event of the Week:

  My mom arrived this afternoon.  I was horribly late to pick her up (sorry Mom).  Joshua did warm my heart in the process of getting ready to go get her though.  I told the boys (J & C) to put their shoes on while I fed the baby.   Then I went upstairs, and I heard Joshua reminding Caleb to put his shoes on (love his responsible nature and leadership skills!).  Then Joshua said, “I cannot wait to see her [Nana].”  Isn’t it great when you overhear your children just being “good people”?  This parenting gig has been pretty overwhelming this summer, so I just really need moments like these!!

Food Recommendation:

  Sherry and I had lunch at the Hospital Cafeteria again today.  Laugh all you want, but they have the most delicious tuna salad sandwiches in town.  Plus it’s affordable.  I got the sandwich and a Cranberry Juice for $4!  I’m telling you, you’ve gotta try it!

Caleb:

  We have joked before about Caleb’s “prophecies” and “dreams.”  He talks about his dreams all. the. time.   We call him “Joseph the dreamer”.  Occasionally, he makes prophetic-sounding statements, and one time it came true, so we do get a kick out of this, while not letting on to him that what he’s saying is unusual, of course.  Today in the van he proclaimed that Nicholas B.’s birthday is not going to be good because there’s going to be a hurricane in his new state, on his birthday.   ……Great.  Nicholas B.’s birthday does happen to be in August, which is during hurricane season.  Now I feel an absurd need to write to Nicholas B.’s parents and give them a  heads up, just in case, and I am aware that this is a completely ridiculous thing to say!!

      Another unusual quality about Caleb is that he is a Charmer.  It fascinates and puzzles me a bit to watch him at work.  I have always felt completely uncomfortable around charmers.  Sure, they are nice, but I guess I just never knew how to handle that kind of person, and I admit I always questioned their sincerity….. I had better pause here and explain that I do, of course, find Alan to be very charming.  However, the day (12 years ago) I watched him tell a friend of ours that he would not be her partner at the “hoe-down” repeatedly, I definitely put him in the non-charmer category.  See, a charmer would have promised her that he’d love to, danced with her once, and then danced with everyone else.  Alan didn’t do that because he thought I would be his partner…..but I ended up skipping the hoe-down and taking a trip to the beach with Jennings.  I guess Alan and I were both “hard to get.”
I’ve watched Caleb recently with his friends that are girls, and I will say that while he is seriously charming, he is quite sincere.  Not only is he sincere, but he doesn’t charm all the girls, only the ones he decides to befriend.  That’s good to see too, because I swore off dating charmers as a young woman because I figured if they charmed me, they were probably charming all of the girls they knew!  At least with Caleb, that does not seem to be the case.  However, in general, he is kind and gentle to almost all little girls, a genuinely sweet, charming little gentleman.  He seems to have no fear of them whatsoever.  I must admit I am interested to see how this all plays out.

   I think I will learn a lot from these boys!