Ouch!

I've been trying to talk the kids into playing basketball on the little court in our backyard. They all need the exercise and let's face it, most need a lot more experience with handling a ball. So for Family Home Evening, I was pleased that T-Bone chose b-ball for the activity. Beulah refused to participate--she didn't want to be seen playing with her family (and that's probably an okay thing; there were a lot of people out and I'm not sure any of us looked terribly coordinated) but the rest of us were out there. We laughed when Goose carried the ball across the court ("Traveling" the kids all yelled) and then Husband picked her up and let her dunk the ball in the basklet. We cheered when someone scored. It was pretty fun. Until the ball hit Janey's hand the wrong way and her pinky was turned at a funny angle. I called my very kind doctor neighbor and she came out and said it looked dislocated. She tried to pop the joink back into place and Janey cried and cried. When it wouldn't go, my friend said that a tendon could be damaged and we should go to an emergency room. So we went to an urgent care, got an x-ray, and learned the pinky was broken. So now Janey has a splint on. Tomorrow she'll see a sports medicine doctor and maybe get it rewrapped or set. She has earned the distinction of being the first child in our family to break a bone. Way to go!

TV, Birthdays, and Why Do We Have Any Pets?

Okay, I'm still reeling from the revelation at the end of last week's 24 episode that Tony the Tiger is indeed an Agent of Evil. We all had our worries about him. . . . The funny thing is, all the TV shows Husband and I enjoy together have these morally amibiguous characters. Are they completely evil . . . or not? When we watched Alias there were always questions about Sloane. In Heroes, there's Angela and Nathan Petrelli and the cheerleader's dad, in Lost there's Ben and Sawyer, In Smallville there was Lionel Luther and now there's Tess Mercer. A strict analysis will usually show that all these charcters are bad guys (Sawyer?), but the writers of the shows like to throw in some twists just to make everyone more interesting and challenge some of the viewers' assumptions. It works for me.

Goose's birthday celebration was great. The kids loved blowing up balloons and decorating with streamers. Even though she's three years old now, her brothers and sisters still treat her as if she's the best thing that ever happened to us. T-Bone was so excited to show her her presents and Cheeseball picked out something special for her and Janey ended up getting her two gifts.

Goose loved everything and had a great day. She received a Jessie doll which is her new favorite thing (Toy Story 2 is her current movie of choice).

The gerbils escaped the night after we returned from AZ. Janey spent around five hours trying to catch them the following day and finally did, enduring a nasty, blood-drawing bite in the process. Beulah and I helped out a bit but in the end, Janey did it herself by closing off the gerbil's path of escape from behind the dryer. She must have been frustrated because when I asked what I should make for dinner, animal-loving Janey quipped, "Gerbil Pot Pie."

Why are we considering getting chicks?

Thoughts in the Night

As we were nearing the end of our big drive, in the wee, wee hours of the night, I was listening to my mp3 player to keep me awake at the wheel. We put my U2 Singles CD on it (the CD was a very surprising and thoughtful gift from Beulah for Christmas back in 2007) and it was fun to hear Bono whispering in my ear, keeping me calm and focused. And then while listening to "Pride," I heard the words, "One man betrayed with a kiss," and I was reminded of the whole reason for Easter and of the reality of Jesus Christ's life, betrayal, atonement, death and resurrection. I felt so grateful for His sacrifice for me and I know that I need to be a better follower.

Cow Poetry

I used to have this Far Side cartoon, called "Cow Poetry," taped to my mirror. I grew up with a father in whose heart cows held a hallowed place. (He was raised on a small scale dairy farm). I also wrote terrible poetry as a teenager (I have since told Beulah that every teenager has to go through a phase of writing maudlin poems) and can't help remberering how self-important I felt writing my little thoughts. This picture makes me laugh at myself.