Voldemort, Round like the Death Star, Ketchup, and Itchy Faces

The "Bird Who Would Not Be Named"

The last couple of weeks, all of our readings have revolved around pets.  From Dr. Doolittle to Henry Huggins to Little Pear.  Pets. Pets.  Pets.  The all-boy-house has been absolutely pet-less since the death of KaKaPooPoo.  The injustice! Time had come for our boys to have a pet of their own.

We learned what happened with Henry Huggins and his guppies.  Nope.  No guppies for us.

Dogs would be fun - but - we love Lacy and Metro and Paige too much.  Our hearts don't have enough room for another dog.

And mice in the piano?  Nate has enough mice at school to "play" with.

We found a pretty bird at the pet store and brought him home with us.  We tossed around names for an entire week.

I started calling the bird Voldemort, because our little feathery was turning into the "bird who must not be named."

After a week-and-a-half of deliberation, our bird has a name.

Drum roll please...

Introducing LightSaber.

Round Like the Death Star

While tossing a ball around with Colton, he looked up at me and said:

"Mom!  THIS BALL IS ROUND LIKE THE DEATH STAR."

To which I replied, "Yes.  It is."

A big debate started as to the origin of the sphere.  We know from our reading in Mathematicians are People Too, that Pythagoras and Archimedes played a huge part in the geometrical properties of the sphere... but WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?  What came first?  The ball or the Death Star?

In the end, Colton concluded that the Death Star came first.  The Dark Side, in all of it's shocking glory, created the sphere when plans for the Death Star were made.  Perhaps Darth Vader and the Emperor aren't such bad guys after all...

Ketchup

Conner has an obsession with apples and ketchup.  Together.  Who would've thought?

Itchy Faces

During prayers this week, Colton said the following:

"Thank you that I could itch my face today.  Please bless that I can itch it again tomorrow."

Sometimes I worry that I am not teaching my children to utilize the power of prayer.  Let's be honest, at night I am tired.  Meal time, I am hungry.  And in between?  Well, life with four kids is like a fire hose to the face.

But then my kids say things like "thank you that I could itch my face today," and I realize that I am the one in need of a lesson on prayer.  Isn't it amazing that God cares enough about us to listen to our daily triumphs and struggles?

And finally, I am extra grateful for my husband. He graciously jumps in to make breakfast for the boys,  makes dinner on a regular basis, and does the dishes with a smile on his face.  I married a warrior of strength and intelligence and compassion.  I am so grateful to have him by my side.

Nate often reminds me the importance of embracing my fears.  All too often, I find myself surrounded with self-doubt.  I worry that people don't like me, that my writing isn't good, and that my efforts are not enough.  My macho warrior always reminds me that it doesn't matter what the world thinks.  I can try my best, have faith in who I am, and trust that results will come.  It doesn't matter how many times I think I have failed - it only matters that I keep trying with a smile on our face.