When You Least Expect It...

Sometimes a great day comes when you least expect it! Sunday was that day! We went to mass yesterday so we could have a lazy morning before heading to Eunice to see Grandma Dee & Poppa. But at the last minute plans changed and we were left with nothing to do all day Sunday. It started off pretty dull. We just laid around and played lazy. It seemed very bleak, as if we were going to stay unmotivated and get nothing accomplished. After lunch we decided to read a book Gus picked up from the library--"Grossology". (For the weak, skip this next sentence). It is a book about all natural body functions and oddities, such as saliva, boogers and vomit. And yes, these were the mildest of topics in this book (It's actually a cute and informative book). With that on the brain, the kids had rest time and so did Mom & Dad. We watched the Water Horse (the movie the boys watched last night). Good movie! Mom and I also shared a great moment with James as we dwelled on just how beautiful he is and how we could not imagine what it would be like without him. And he's just 5 months old! When rest time was over Mom came up with a great creative project--paper marche heads.

The boys put a good messy layer on their balloons and will put another layer tomorrow. A good project for Beedle especially as he is quite fond of hands-on art.

Next, the kids got to do one of their favorite things--wash the cars! The kids love to get in their bathing suits and play with suds and the hose. It's taken me a few years to realize that it doesn't matter if the cars actually get clean or not. They just want to have fun! And I've realized that the less I make it seem like tedious work, they loosen up and actually help (go figure!) wash the car.

While finishing up Mom's vehicle, I thought of an opportunity for Gus. As some of you may know, Gus is saving money to take a trip to Alaska. In an effort to help him raise some money, hopefully teach him the meaning of hard work, and tidy up the yard (the trifecta!), I offered to pay him one penny for every pine cone he picked up in the yard. He and Gracie grabbed their wagon and went to work.

To my surprise, after a little over an hour of work, Gus collected 873 pine cones! That is a lot of pine cones! Due to his diligence, we agreed to give him a 27-cent bonus, so he was paid an even nine dollars. Not bad for an hour of work, and he got paid the same day! But more than the pay, I think Gus felt very fulfilled by his hard work. I was very proud of him; he worked so hard and never once complained. He was focused on a goal and did what it took to reach it. He's such a great kid!

Gracie and Beedle helped me with dinner. Gracie was in charge of counting the fish sticks (37) and Beedle was the official salad artist. Their culinary creativity made tonight's dinner a joy!

The kids bathed, brushed teeth, said their prayers and went to bed shortly after. Most nights Mom and I feel that this doesn't come fast enough. Tonight was one of those rare nights where I wished they could have stayed awake a bit longer just to see in what other ways they could amaze us some more.