Ride until we barf or bust

When you know people, the way I know people, you get invited to super swanky events. You know, play dates, birthday parties, and the occasional SUPER AWESOME INVITATION ONLY CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE RIVER FRONT PARK CAROUSEL. I know, it might be tough for me to reenter normal society after an event like that.

Okay, it was really cool. It was hosted by some wheelchair vendors (seriously) for all the medical facilities they provide their services to. My awesome physical therapist friend Kat is on that short list and got us invited as well. They kids had a blast. Santa was there, taking pictures and handing out candy canes. There was a mountain of super nice swanky event caliber sugar cookies, any beverage you can imagine, and most importantly, as many rides on that awesome carousel as you wanted. Or until you barfed, which ever came first. Best part for me? It was all free. The kids had a blast. A BLAST. I wonder how many awesome people I will need to know to turn this into a family tradition?

Things on this old blog will be slow and quiet over the holidays so have a very Merry Christmas and a great new year. Enjoy your friends and family and may you too do something so fun that you too do it until you barf. (Like the way my mom and I eat 70 pounds of divinity.)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!








How's that for a title?

Not for sale

At about 7:30 this morning the cars started lining up.

By 9:00 a.m. when I brought Aubrey to school they stretched all the way down my street, lining both sides. Dozens of people rushed toward our neighbors house, trying to beat out the person next to them for some treasure.

Our elderly neighbor passed away two months ago and her family is holding her estate sale today. I had no idea these things were this popular. There has been an unrelenting stream of vehicles for several hours now.

It doesn't take a brilliant philosopher to deduce that ones life, a quality life, had better be about more than the stuff one owns. One day someone could open your home to the public and allow perfect strangers to buy up all the things that you thought were important. Your furniture, the art on your walls, the dishes in your cupboards, all the tools in your garage. It all goes.

What they won't be able to take is the family you had, the friends you had, the relationships you built, the impact and influence you had on the people around you, and your faith in God.

I hope you get the opportunity today to work on building up those things that one day won't be for sale!

You know it's Christmas when...

Yikes! This was supposed to be an Elf Yourself but we are experiencing technical difficulties. Stay tuned.

Will Dane lose the first tooth in our family?

The details are still a bit hazy.

"We were playing a pillow game and he was throwing and I was catching, oh, and the bunk bed, oh and it was funny because he was using his repulsor rays but my web was more powerful and then Dane threw the pillow and WAP he hit something and I think it was his finger and and and and....."

This is what is streaming out of Nathan's mouth as I pick a sobbing Dane up off the top bunk bed, Aubrey's bed, blood and drool dripping out of his mouth.

Mouth injuries always look like they are bleeding a lot because of all the saliva but WHOA, Dane had a lot of blood in his mouth. We sat in the bathroom for five minutes just putting a wet wash cloth in his mouth and trying to figure out where the bleeding was even coming from. This of course is happening as every member of our small group Bible Study was arriving. Heck, it was Melissa who said, "Maybe you should get him a popcicle." (THANKS MELISSA, I HOPE YOUR BABY IS BORN TONIGHT IN REPAYMENT FOR YOUR KINDNESS.)

Tonight Dane is the proud owner of a nice fat lip, cut up gums, and a front tooth that has been knocked at a slight angle and is loose. Do I need to remind you that this is the kid who broke his arm at 19 months? Yeah, he did.

I called our dentist, who is so nice and chill that we first talked Gonzaga basketball and home schooling before we got around to Dane's tooth. The short answer? It's fine. Tooth at weird angle? As long as it doesn't impact his bite, no problem. Cut gums? As long as it doesn't get infected it will heal fast. If the tooth gets dark and nasty and snaggle toothish? No biggy, we pull it and wait for a grown up tooth to come in a few years. No problem. Just another normal day at the Jones house.

Aubrey will NEVER FORGIVE HIM if he loses a tooth before her.

p.s. The photo has nothing to do with this story other than it is a picture of Dane and it is cute.