Kansas City Here We Come...right back where we started from...

I am so blessed to have such great friends...some of which decided to leave we Yankees in NJ and move to Kansas City of all places. They thought they would just leave and be rid of we yankees, but we yankees are pretty stubborn and we aren't that easy to get rid of. So what do we do? Follow them right out to Kansas City. We just go where they are. And that is our plan. To stalk the Seitz'. They aren't getting rid of us that easily.

So, on August 8, we leave for Kansas City. So, I get an email from Allyson today. And it says this (and I will quote directly), "OK, I have a confession to make. I made an entry into a Kansas City contest in your name for you and your family for free tickets while you're here for your visit. And guess what? You won!"...You have to understand Allyson and Derek. They both have what I believe to be the BEST senses of humor of ANY couple I have EVER met....EVER. And I know some pretty funny couples. I read on. What she did was wrote a song about our trip to Kansas City and apparently the place loved it. I will write the lyrics then I will write the sponsor's response to "us" (really Allyson) about the entry. The song goes like this (and remember, it MUST be sung to the tune Oh Suzannah)...

THE WEATHERS HOT
THE DRIVE IS LONG
TORNADOS IN THE SKY,
BUT WE PROMISED OUR GOOD FRIENDS WE'D COME
TO KANSAS BY AND BY.

SO WE DROVE ALL DAY
WE DROVE ALL NIGHT
TILL WE'RE PULLING OUT OUR HAIR.
THE KIDS ALL ASK 'ARE WE THERE YET' AND WHAT WE'LL DO WHEN WE ARE THERE!

KC SUMMER ADVENTURE! ALL OUR HOPES RIDE ON YOU
TO SEE THE SEITZ (sights) AND HAVE SOME FUN
BEFORE OUR TRIP IS THROUGH.

WE'VE HEARD THAT UNION STATIONS GREAT
SCIENCE CITY CAN'T BE BEAT.
WHEN WE HEAR WE MIGHT SEE NARNIA WE CAN'T STAY IN OUR SEATS.

WE'D LOVE TO SEE A SUMMER SHOW
AT THEATRE IN THE PARK
AND AFTERWARDS TO REST OUR HEADS
AT CROWN CENTER AFTER DARK.

KC SUMMER ADVENTURE! ALL OUR HOPES RIDE ON YOU
TOO SEE THE SEITZ (sights) AND HAVE SOME FUN
BEFORE OUR TRIP IS THROUGH.

Now if this wasn't funny enough, I opened the response from the committee who ran the contest. I must add that when I opened these emails I was sitting in the waiting room of the dentist waiting for Raechyl to come out. I read the first one which made me laugh so hard, then when I opened the second one and read about singing it, I was howling. I laughed so long and so hard tears were streaming down my face (I just couldn't help it) and another mother in the waiting room started laughing with me. Laughter is contagious you know. Well, here is the response:

Congratulations! You are the winners of the KC Summer Adventure contest! Thank you so much for your wonderful entry. You had everyone singing along. As the winner you will recieve (a list of quite nice things including an overnight stay at an upscale hotel and tickets to a Narnia exhibition and much more)...but the part that really made me howl was this post script:

ps - We would love to do a quick video of you singing your entry while in Kansas City! Would you be up for it?

How do you say no? Eric promptly picked up the phone and said to Derek, "Lest you forget we sit in the front row at church to avoid anyone hearing Arrie sing"...the conversation went downhill from there. Raechyl has absolutely boycotted singing. ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT have anything to do with it, or us for that matter. Adam (the overachiever) is worried that he won't be able to memorize the words in time. We called the gal that ran the contest and said we would do it if our friends from Kansas City could do it with us. Her response? "Of course, we would love it if they joined you". I need to add just a few notes here. First of all, Eric and I decided we are old if we are no longer afraid someone will see us or are no longer able to be embarrassed. Secondly, our friend Derek looks JUST like Norman Gentle from last season's American Idol. We are rather sure this whole thing will be gererously shared with friends and hence make it to Facebook, Youtube and whatever other applications they can find to air our dirty laundry. But hey, who cares. Allyson was determined to win us some fun things to do, Raechyl is determined to pretend she doesn't know us, Adam will lip sync if he has to, I will sing as loud as I can and as enthusiastically as I can and Eric will sing his bass like no one else, and those Seitz...well let's just say they are BOTH muscially gifted, play all kinds of instruments and both have beautiful singing voices....maybe I should lip sync and they should carry us in this videa. Who cares. In the end, we are seeing the Seitz (sights) in Kansas City, getting to drive the two days with their precious daughter, Caroline, who we haven't seen in quite some time (we are bringing her back home from a whirlwind tour of the east coast alone) and we are going to be gone two weeks touring the US on our way back.

Again, we are so blessed to have friends like ours.

Until next time...

Weathering the Storm...

OK. I have weathered MANY storms in my life and in the end, this one will be no different. However, this storm (unfortunately) is, on one hand, not new to me...but on the other hand, so new I HATE it. You must be wondering what I am talking about. Let me clear it all up for you.

The storm that is all too familiar to me is the one where my electronics crap out. It doesn't matter if it is a phone, a calculator, my computer, my DSLR or 35mm camera....they just have things that happen. Yes, sometimes it is me who causes the storm. But other times, like with my Nikon D80 right now, they just simply crap out. I went to take pictures one day and the camera displayed an error. I took out the handy dandy user manual and did what it told me to do in order that the camera be reset. Nothing. Read on. Of course, the manual said "if this does not correct the problem, please contact a certified Nikon repair representative to have the camera repaired"...UGH. This was three weeks ago...camera still out for repair (wondering what this might cost since the camera body alone was a thousand dollars when I got it). It has also been the computer...might I be so bold as to add NEW computer. It has had problems since it's hookup at Christmas. I finally got rid of the wireless set up with mouse and keyboard because I was sick and tired of them deciding to "not recognize" each other and having to reboot my system. No problem - the fix...wires. However, that isn't the end of it. My computer, for the last two months, will periodically not allow me to log onto the Net. It has gotten worse. In the beginning it would sometimes not allow it, but eventually allow me on. Now it is consistent. It usually takes three attempt to get on the internet, but if, on the third attempt, I don't get on, my system locks up in cyber space and I have to reboot. But I found the fix (which I will try in the next week and hopefully won't have to blog about). I am going to restore the system to a date back in January to get rid of whatever has gotten in here...and YES for anyone who is thinking "why doesn't she just run virus/firewall protection"...I DO!!!! As if this isn't enough with the computer, I go to load Photoshop 7.0 professional yesterday and find that it isn't compatible with Vista...($500 program)...take Photoshop Elements (consumer version - only $100 program) and it isn't compatible with Vista...dare I go on to list the other scrapping and digital programs I have sitting next to me that are NOT ABLE TO BE LOADED ON THIS PIECE OF %$$#@#$$ COMPUTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...Boy did I get off track here. This blog isn't even about the computer...back to basics. That's right - my electronics crapping out on their own. Well this particular storm was DEFINATELY user error, much to my shame. But in order for it to have a full impact on the reader, I need to go back just about a year to preface this story with one thing that happened...

I got my first blackberry a couple of years ago (actually almost 4 I believe) and knowing my track record with electronics, I advised Eric to insure it..."We aren't spending $5 a month to insure the phone". OK. It was cool. I finally was able to get rid of my paper phone books and consolidate everything to one place. I got to explore the new phone and figure it all out and had a blast spending the entire 2 weeks to do it. It was about 3 weeks in when I had the phone plugged into a charger on the kitchen countertop to charge overnight. In the middle of the night some noise woke me up and I told Eric it sounded like something hit or fell into Willie's water dish (Willie was our dog at the time). "No, you are out of your mind - go back to sleep". Hhhmmm I thought. He was probably right. That was ridiculous - Willie was with me in my room. What could possibly have fallen into the water dish. The next morning Eric was downstairs in his office working. I came into the office and asked him to turn around. At which point he saw me holding up the not quite a month old Blackberry phone dripping with water..."Honey, something DID fall into the dog's water bowl last night - it WAS MY PHONE!". Apparently I had it set on vibrate and every time I got an email, the phone vibrated its way across the kitchen counter and dropped right into the water bowl. Now if you know my kitchen you would calculate that the chances of this happening are slim to none due to the infinite counter space I have, but honest to Pete, it really happened. That was my first lesson in several things...First, I'm always right and I am convinced someday Eric will just admit it. Second, electronic devices NEVER survive a complete soaking and should ALWAYS be insured when placed in my hands and Third, read the manual first or don't throw away your paper trail once you think you are done. I went to the Verizon store, told them what happened, spent ANOTHER $500. I asked them to copy one phone to the other (what do I know) and they told me they couldn't cause the "Sim" card was spent...BUT, they advised, IF I had 'synced' the device to my computer, all I have to do is plug the new phone into the computer and it will copy for me...."Sync?" I asked. "What does that mean". Well, I can now tell you what SYNC means cause it literally took about 2 months to resurrect all my old phone numbers and addresses. So, Eric said he would have his tech guy do something to my phone so it would automatically back up to his system at work...or something like that. All I know is that it never happened again and I didn't need to worry if it did cause Eric fixed the problem....or did he....

So, fast forward to last Friday. Now, I am on my third blackberry. I had (notice the past tense there) a Blackberry Curve. Loved it. Well, Friday I was getting out of my car with a few things in my hands and saw the hydrangea bushes with beautiful blooms on them and decided that they would look lovely in my kitchen, so I pitstopped at the garage to get scissors to cut some. I went and did my thing and sure enough they did look lovely. However, Friday night it POURED like I have never seen it pour. I went to leave Saturday and realized my phone was not where I usually leave it and I just figured I left it in the car. On my way to the car, I went to check on the hydrangea bushes, wondering what the storm had done to them and lo and behold, right on the bench in the garden was my Blackberry Curve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparently I laid it down when I started to cut the blooms and forgot it....UGH! So, once again, I walked into Eric's office with yet another blackberry dripping with water and he turned around and said something like "Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me.......(at which point I stopped listening)". I told him not to worry cause he insured this one. We both agreed the last time that we just need to insure things with me. "No, R, I didn't insure it" he advises me....Now this happens ALL THE TIME with us. Evidently I have conversations with some alien that just looks like Eric because I am SURE we agreed to insure phones the next time around. But I guess it wasn't really Eric I was talking to because he looks like a deer staring at headlights right about now. "Ok, well, we will have to suck up the cost, but at least we can recover all the stuff in it because it automatically backs up to your LAN network at work". Now if I thought he was looking lost and stupid before, you have NO idea what he looks like at this point. Almost like I was the alien. "R, I don't know what you are talking about". "Eric, I am absolutely sure you did this. You had the phone for two days and Tony did something to it to have it back up automatically. Remember, you assigned me an email address at ARS so my AOL account goes thru your company to back up???!!!" At this point, I am ready to reach across the desk and throttle him. Man oh man. I swear. ALL THE TIME this happens. It is like I make stuff up, or maybe I dream it, but it seems that I am the only one who remembers conversations that we have. "No, R. I don't think that is possible". So, in a last ditch effort to remain planted on earth and not orbit right into space, I turned around, walked out and said "I'm off to the verizon store". I get there and he was wrong, it WAS insured but I decided to upgrade for $50 to the Blackberry storm....touchscreen everything.

We have finally come full circle. I HATE THE BB STORM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HATE IT. It is like it is possessed or something. It has a mind of it's own. At times, it just does random, odd things...like keyboard not showing up when you need it, or camera firing up in the middle of me texting someone, or odd sounds starting and stopping in the middle of phone calls. SO, suffice it to say, I am NOT WEATHERING THE STORM. Nor did my Blackberry weather the storm. But like I said in the beginning, this too shall pass.

Until next time...
(oh by the way, Eric's tech guy is in today (he lives in TX) for some work and Eric took the bb storm to him to try to see if, in fact, he did set it up to back up automatically....from now on, I think I will take matters into my own hands and just sync to my computer)

Smart Alec...

"Honey, don't run over anything or into anything while I am gone". "Very funny" I answered as Eric walked out the door to go to D.C.

Now my history is a bit spotty when it comes to cars...especially the Honda I drive. I am not sure why, but I have hit a multitude of things since the day I bought it. I will list a few for your reading pleasure, then get on with the story.
1) a brick wall the fourth day I owned the car
2) Our white aluminum fence WAY more than once
3) animals galore
4) curbs (personally, I think they put curbs in just to tick people like me off)
5) my garage door - let me clarify that...I drove THROUGH the garage door
6) 3 cars on Route 80 (at the same time)
...you get the picture...

The day before Eric left for Washington, I was leaving to take the kids to camp. I hadn't even left my street when a rabbit ran out in front of me, and without even a moment to have a thought, BAM. Creamed him. I looked in my rear view mirror just in time to see his foot kick a little and his little white cotton tail flapping in the wind as he was plastered to the road. UGH. "What was that, Mommy?" I hear from the back seat..."Nothing, Adam, nothing". "Mommy, tell me. What was it". "Honey, it was a rabbit and I couldn't keep from hitting it, I'm sorry". Adam retorts, "Mom, you killed another rabbit!". "Adam, the last rabbit was not my fault, Lance killed that rabbit. I just drove him to the vet where he had the heart attack. I didn't kill him, he was scared to death" (but that's a whole other story). "Adam, don't worry about it. It is part of life.". Silence...I go to drop Raechyl off at the barn first, then go to basketball camp for Adam. I decided to stay and chat with my girlfriend. They have a turn around in their driveway and her car was in it. I parked really close to her to allow other cars dropping off kids to have room to park. I stayed the day. When it was time to leave, Adam and I get in the car and we pull out to leave and I hear "ssccrraappee" of metal to metal...

"Mom, that can't be good". "No, Adam, it isn't". So I carefully back up...."ssccrraappee" again. "Mom, you did it again". "Adam, I had to back away from the car. What was I supposed to do". He says "Are you going to get out and look at it". "No, Adam, you get out". "I'm not getting out. You did it, YOU get out". "OK, I will get out." I looked and because I was so close to her car, when I went to go around her car, my right back quarter panel hit her back fender....HOLY CRAP! It was a huge dent. I mean huge. Like the corner of the back fender collapsed. Adam gets out. "Oh man, mommy! Look at that thing". "OK, Adam, I see it. Don't make me nervous." "What are you going to do?"..."I'm gonna call Mrs. Pridmore"....who happened to still be in her driveway by her house. I yell "Hey Lynn, Come here". She starts walking toward me and says laughing "What did you hit my car?!"....."uuhh, yes I did". She was only kidding but much to her surprise, I DID hit her car. The long and short of it is a thousand dollars later, three days without my car because I insisted she drive my car while hers was being fixed and a few more dents/scratches on my car later, we are all happy campers.

Oh, except for me that is. Because now I have to listen to my family make jokes AGAIN every chance they get about me hitting things..."Honey, don't run over anything or into anything while I am away"...."Mommy, watch out, you might hit the fence"...."Mommy, did you just run over that cat"...."Mommy, are you sure you should be driving"....and so it goes. This is my life, but it is MY life and I love it. I am so blessed.

Until next time...

More Mom of the Year

I thought that I might actually take a vote at the end of the year to see if I would deserve "Mom of the Year" award. I am guessing I just might. What cracks me up is that I am so willing to tell anyone these things that might read this blog. Hopefully all know me and know I do love my children and DO care for them...honestly I do. It is just that sometimes I forget a thing here or there....like lunch...

Rae and Adam go to a private school and there is no cafeteria. They can order hot lunch but it is a month in advance so if you don't buy it, you can't decide at the last minute that you want something. Unfortunately, you go hungry. We do buy hot lunches because, even though the kids don't like EVERY lunch, we all know that - given the past - it is the better of all other options...like no lunch at all.

With all that said, Rae used to not like the Wednesday lunch. So, 4 days a week I paid for lunch in advance for both children, but on Wednesdays Rae took a lunch because she didn't like the lunch on Wednesdays...but only Rae. Now, almost all Wednesdays I did remember to send her to school with a lunch, but apparently a few times I forgot...this is how it went.

I picked her up from school one day and we walked in the house and she said, "Can I have Ramen Noodles?". "No, we are having dinner in 2 hours". "Please mommy, I am really hungry"..."Rae, look, you are being disrespectful by talking back. No is no. You may not have Ramen noodles. Have a piece of fruit to hold you over till dinner". "But mommy, I am not trying to be disrespectful, but I am RREEAALLLLYY hungry". By now, I am thinking two things. First, it is totally NOT like her to persist like this. She is totally compliant and we never have problems with her (that would be Adam's job - we are in for big trouble with him - no doubt. But that is another blog). Second, I am thinking she is NEVER this hungry when she gets home from school and she is near in tears, almost begging for food. So I say to her, "Rae, is everything allright? This isn't like you. Are you feeling ok?"....at which point she fesses up..."Mom, I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. You forgot my lunch again today. (again??!! That apparently is indicative that I forgot before!!!) This is the third time you forgot to give me a lunch on Wednesdays. The first two times it was ok because I wasn't that hungry when I got home from school because my friends shared their lunches with me. But today, I have had nothing to eat since breakfast and I am beginning to feel sick. I am really starving. I am sorry mommy, can I please have Ramen Noodles?"

UGH...

In a desperate attempt to make it all up to her, I offered whatever she wanted to eat. I told her she should have called me. She told me she didn't want to "bother" the office or me...it was really OK that she didn't have a lunch. I told her it really was NOT OK for her to not have a lunch. I asked her why she didn't call me today when she knew she would have nothing to eat all day. She told me she didn't want to hurt my feelings by letting me know I forgot to feed her.

Welp...that said it all. OK, I have forgotten school, I have forgotten camp, I have forgotten to being the kid to the doctor and show up without them, but in looking back for some things to blog about I remember that I DID forget to feed my kid as well. Now, mind you, this is NOT something I am proud of, but can look back at it and laugh now.

I am truly blessed with a daughter who is gentle, kind and has a gigantic heart for people. She didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings...(which scares me a little cause she HAS let herself be talked into something she shouldn't have done because when she tried to abstain, her friends said they would be mad if she didn't, so she did...she was way younger, but it can be a bad thing as well). But in this case, it showed me and continues to be a reminder of how blessed I am with my family.

Now, Adam on the other hand...I am blessed by him as well in more ways than I can say, but there is NO doubt, I am in for some trouble with that boy...

Until next time...

The Sights...Seitz???

"Hey, R, Let's go see the sights in Kansas City". "Why Kansas City?" Eric replies, "Because that's where the sights are". "Eric, there are plenty of sights somewhere closer I am sure". Eric, rather perplexed, replies "R, the sights are in Kansas City and I just want to go there". Now, at this point, I am hearing the infamous "Who's on first" play with Abbott and Costello. So, once again, I try to get him to understand that we don't have to drive half way across the country to see sights..."Eric, really. I understand you want to see the sights in Kansas City, but I am thinking we should probably stay closer to home, maybe upstate New York". At this point, he is rather insistant. "R, look. I know you don't want to drive half way across the country, but if we are going to see the sights, that is where we have to go". OK, in my head I am thinking this man is either drinking or has completely lost his head. I am trying to be patient but at this point I feel like I am talking to a wall. So, with a little more insistance, I say, "Eric, I am sure there are plenty of sights to see right here. I don't think we have to drive to Kansas City to see sights. I am not even sure there are any sights worth seeing in Kansas City..." at which point he starts laughing. Now, mind you, I find NOTHING funny here at all. My husband is trying to convince me to drive half way across the country with two children (and if you know the way Eric drives, you would know I will be in the back seat with sunglasses on and my ipod in my ears because I don't want to see my death coming). I ask, "What is so funny". He replies, "R, I don't mean see the sights, as in things to see, I mean see the Seitz, as in Derek, Allyson, Cara, Paige, Ben and Lily...friends of ours that moved to Kansas City two years ago.

So, On August 8, we are leaving to drive half way across the country to see the Seitz!

Until next time...

Living in a Blonde Moment....UGH

OK. Now I have humiliated myself at my church by forgetting Adam's first day of preschool then showing up for the second day an hour late. I have humiliated myself at my kids school showing up to substitute and forgetting where I need to be and when...also throwing away a students sandwhich by accident and countless others I am sure. I have humiliated myself with my friends by tripping while I was texting and falling flat on my face. I have humiliated myself at home so many times I cannot even begin to list them all, but I truly thought the doctors office would always be my safe haven. For heaven's sake, there is no place left but there. With that said...

Last night I check the calendar to make sure I have to fast for blood work today. Yup. 10 am appointment for simple fasting blood work - no biggie. OK, note on the coffee pot - NO COFFEE FOR ARRIE (my love of a husband makes coffee in the morning and brings me a cup in bed when he wakes up before me). Told my mom to remind me not to eat or drink anything this morning. Now, for any coffee lovers out there, I need not say this, but in the event someone on this earth doesn't drink coffee, I will advise them that a coffee drinker (lover) not allowed to have her coffee in the morning is a recipe for disaster even if all else goes well. OK, no coffee, no food. Now, not sure about you, but I want to eat in the morning...nothing big, but something. Anything. Not this morning...nothing for me. OK, I'll live.

9:30...gotta leave before I am late (I have blogged about that, too). I take a nice drive 35 minutes away to my doctor, making sure to stop at Dunkin Donuts to get the coffee so when I get back in my car after the appointment, it is there waiting for me. Arrive at the doctor. Walk in...(staff:) "Hi Arrie - no Adam?". (me:) "No, I left him at home with Mina". (staff:) "Isn't he coming today"? (me:) "no". (staff:) "He is supposed to get a physical today with fasting blood work". (me, still so sure of myself that I didn't even stop to think!:) "no, he's on Friday. I am today". (staff - now snickering at me:) "No, R. Today is definitely him and YOU are on Friday". (me - now any one of you would probably know to stop there, but not me - nope - I just kept going:) "Are you sure? I am sure he was Friday and I am today". (staff:) "No, we're pretty sure he was today...but we'll check"...at which point I thought, hhhmmm, maybe I should check. So, I take out my phone, check my calendar and sure enough...Adam today - ME FRIDAY! Oh, for the love of Pete! So, with my tail between my legs (and the staff at this point laughing out loud - I am SO glad I know them all personally) I ask meekly, "Well, since I fasted since last night and Adam is home eating breakfast, can you do my blood work today and I'll bring Adam in on Friday?". Which would have been fine IF THE DOCTOR WERE GOING TO BE IN ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are booked until October with physicals, so they made the exception for the sad little blonde girl who should be taken out to pasture and shot and told me to bring him in in two weeks on a day they don't do physicals. UGH.

Now, I have to face the doctor, who came in smiling and said, "So, R...how's everything?". Now, mind you I see this doc and his staff every other week due to health issues, so we are like family, but it was THE ONLY place I haven't humiliated myself at....UNTIL TODAY.

"OK, Dr. Stack...very funny. I know I blew it. My calendar is even correct. The only thing wrong is ME. I feel physically great, strong and with plenty of energy, however, this brain thing...." We all had a good laugh and I did get my blood drawn. I did get my coffee when I got in the car and I did get a reminder as I walked out to bring Adam the next time. Well, I think there is no where left for me to let people think I might actually not be a blonde. No matter what color my roots are, inside me is screaming BLONDE, BLONDE, BLONDE!

Until next time...

Passwords...

I was going to blog about Adam, but since it took me, literally, 28 minutes to figure out which email address and which password combination I used, I no longer have time to do that. I hate this. Just when I think I got it, one of the sites requires something different....like all numbers, or alpha/number combo, or a minimum of 12 digits (now, I can barely remember my kids names, much less a 12 digit password). I thought I was being smart and writing them down, but in my infinite wisdom, I forgot to write website/user name correlations. So, I have all these passwords written down so I can access them quickly, but then have to guess at which one goes with which website. Then, a frequented site, like Facebook, will add something like a user name. That happened when I sold things on Ebay. Once upon a time, it was your email address, which was good for me because I could always find myself. Then, they decided it was too public and they made email addresses private. So we had to choose a user name, which I never did. So, they assigned one to me. There is NO way I could even remember it, so that was the end of my Ebay days.

OK, now, I logged on to Blogger with my name and checked the box that says "remember me" and hopefully that will solve the problem.

Until next time...

Family Cheerleader...

I went to a friend's house yesterday for lunch. I told Karen that I haven't blogged in such a long time and that as I lay in bed thinking, I just couldn't come up with anything worth blogging about. Nothing remotely funny has happened to me of late. Now I am not sure that it is a bad thing...sometime no news is good news, but I did want to blog. So, just like any good friend would, Karen gave me something to blog about...

As we were sitting at the table outside eating, Karen brought out a roll of paper towels. We used the last one while we were eating and John, he is 4 (and a RIOT), took the empty roll and put it to his mouth as if it were a bull horn and yelled "I am the cheerleader of the family"...and laughed. I was not sure what that was all about and when I asked, he said that daddy does that. And sometimes, he adds, Daddy takes a toilet paper roll and puts it to his mouth and yells that he is the "Mini Cheerleader" of the family. Karen began laughing so hard tears were rolling down her sweet cheeks. At that point, she explained...

Our husbands are called to be family leaders both spiritually and otherwise. But with Karen and me home all day with our children, we tend to be those leaders for our children...but then who leads us? Karen said that she was telling her husband, Steve, that he needed to be the spiritual leader in their home. He agreed and said he was. They decided to ask their children. They went around the room to 3 of their 4 children (if "Ephan" could talk, I am guessing his answer would be the same). "OK, who is the spiritual leader in our home, Grace?"..."Mommy"..."Luke?"..."Mommy"..."John?"..."Mommy"...hhhhmmmm....sounds like mommy is. So, Steve decided to make it known to his family that HE is the spiritual leader in their home. And in a last ditch effort to convince him that he was, he picked up an empty paper towel roll, held it to his mouth and yelled "I am the spiritual leader of the family". He apparently even takes the toilet paper ones and yells thru them, "I am the mini spiritual leader of the family". Well to precious John, it sounds like "I am the cheerleader of the family" and that is what he says. Now, to have watched this take place was just hysterical. Karen was laughing so hard she was crying, I was literally howling and John was thinking we were both nuts!

So, there you have it. Steve THINKS he is the SPIRITUAL LEADER of the family, but in reality, his children see him as the CHEERLEADER of the family. Well, Steve, at least they love you enough to let you run around the house yelling through toilet paper tubes and papertowel tubes and still have respect for you - LOL! I would give absolutely ANYTHING to be a fly on the wall in this home. I am thinking I would NEVER be short on something to blog with the DeBeus'.

Thank you, my friend, for allowing me the privelege of sharing this wonderful child story with the world! Until next time...(and it just may be another DeBeus story...)