From the Kids' Point of View

First, a few bits of fun from my dear children, then on to the others stuff:

Avery is beginning to talk for real. She still doesn't string much together, but for the most part she can make herself understood. Here's a quick lexicon:

Suh-side. (adverb) This is where you go after you put your hat and mittens on. Avery likes to go there whenever she can, unless it's too cold.

Hotch. (adjective) This describes anything, especially food, when its temperature is too high for Avery.

Pop. (noun) This refers to any contain that can hold a drink; her attempt at "cup".

Ebba. (noun) This refers to Avery's oldest brother and is usually spoken happily.

Teechee. (noun) The refers to Avery's youngest older brother and is as close as she can get to "Toby".

Cookiecookiecookiecookie. (noun) This refers to the part of the meal that Avery and her father enjoy most.

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On to Toby. An exchange with Toby this evening:

Toby: Daddy, did God make you?

Daddy: Yes, Toby. God made me.

Toby: Why?

Tara: [loud, raucous laughter]

Daddy: Did you want the textbook answer?

Toby: Yah, the textbook answer.

Daddy: God made me to glorify him and enjoy him forever.



Another moment with Toby, upon being told that he would need to turn off the movie and go to bed. Toby views bedtime as a personal insult literally every evening.

Toby: I don't like it when people tell people that they have to go to bed when there's still another episode of Diego.

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Aidan asked me to play keyboard for him this evening so he could dance. On one of the songs, I started to sing and coughed a little because I was singing. Aidan quietly slipped away to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water for me. A little later he got another glass of water and set it down next to mind. He looked at me importantly and then said, "This one's mine."

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Evan asked me to come upstairs and look at sports cards with him this afternoon. I don't recall that I ever had a professional athlete's trading card (or whatever they're called) in my entire life. I had very little interest in sports, though I did watch Twins games as a boy and knew the line-ups, etc. So we sat there looking at athletes from football, baseball, and hockey. Can someone please tell me what the appeal is? I love history, biography, and detail, but these seem pointless and repetitive. Maybe it's because I wish professional sports did not exist. Talk about a drain on a society.

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I fired up my tractor this evening and hooked the sled on behind it. It delights me to have a 55-year-old tractor that will start pretty cooperatively in 20-degree weather. We did circles around the back yard until Evan dumped Tater off the sled one too many times and Aidan started crying. Then Evan transformed into "good big brother" and helped Aidan get himself together so they could have more trips around the yard. This is an activity we all enjoy... I love driving the tractor (and having a reason to do so) and they love riding the sled behind. We usually go in the dark to make it a little more intriguing.

Did I mention that I got to preach yesterday? From most people's accounts, it went pretty well, although Bob M tells me that I need to work on my sermon prep because it put Calvin to sleep (Calvin's four, not my fault). You can hear it on line, though I'm always afraid to listen myself because when recordings of myself I feel like I just sound slow and dumb. Tara said it was energetic enough, so that's hopeful.

My dad is requesting prayer for himself. Apparently the trials of widowerhood are getting to him. So please join me in praying for him, that God would grant him peace in the midst of the howling storms of the winter of life. He was 77 last May. Know any spunky widows?