A Little Fishing Humor

When Evangeline Gets Into Makeup

Boy, Oh, Boy!

This little dude is 100% BOY! I told him to not jump in the mud puddles today (I was getting tired of the extra laundry, baths, etc.) so he obeyed. Instead, he thought it'd be a good idea to scoop up handfuls of mud and put it in a bucket. *sigh* I guess he can't help it- he's a boy and boys must get muddy.

I'm Not Myself These Days

Some of you who know me well know that I don't really like guns. A gun's sole function is to destroy. A gun cannot create or fix something. And while I think there's nothing wrong with owning and properly using a gun (we own a few ourselves) I'd rather have nothing to do with them.

On Saturday my father-in-law called and said he just bought the new handgun he'd been eyeing for a while. He wanted to tell Joshua about it since my dear husband gets excited about that sort of thing, too. He said he was looking forward to the spring when they could get together and do some target practice.

So what was my response when I thought of Joshua going out to needlessly shoot, mangle and destroy things?

"Ooh, maybe they'll let me have a turn!"

It's the pregnancy hormones, people. They could turn the truest hippie into a gun-toting, explosion-loving, maniacal-laughing fiend. And the only antidote is chocolate. Mmm... I could go for some chocolate now.

It's That Time Of Year

So we're not at sea, but winter in Erie has the same effect.

Warning: Learning Ahead

Warning: If you start teaching human anatomy to a four-year-old and five-year-old be prepared to hear things like: "I have to go empty my bladder now!" or "Evangeline emptied her intestines!" Or they may just start punching themselves in the head to show you how hard their skull or "bone helmet" is.

But on the plus side you'll discover how useful some parts of our body really are. For example, my kids love the fact that we wouldn't be able to stand right if we didn't have phalanges on our feet. It's a toss up whether pretending to not have toes and falling down is more fun than just saying "phalanges." Oh, and I never knew that such an uncute word such as "vertebrae" can suddenly become adorable when a four-year-old says it.

And while Lily is much more accurate than her brother when locating her femur bones, Malachi's impression of blood grabbing and soaking up oxygen from the lungs is quite a sight to be seen. At this point, I don't know if our decision to homeschool our kids is for their benefit or simply for the entertainment value. Either way, you can't get this kind of schooling anywhere other than the Gardner School of Life.

I Really Don't like Male Ob/Gyns

"A male gynecologist is like an auto mechanic who has never owned a car."

---Carrie P. Snow

Captions, Anyone?

This was a "blooper" from my portrait session with Barb, Grace and Dora. I thought Grace's expression was priceless! Here's the challenge: What do you think she's thinking? (You can click on the image to see it larger.)

A Milestone Day

Today I turned the heat on in our house for the first time since last winter. The temperature had been dipping around 56 and 57 degrees indoors for the last several days, but we stayed firm and just put on an extra sweatshirt. This morning it was down to 55. For some reason that one tiny degree made all the difference and I couldn't hold out any longer.

Sigh. It's only October. My dad usually makes it to November before giving in.

Just 'Cuz It's Silly

Too Funny To Not Share

What would happen if I took my two daughters, put 'em in a box and shook 'em:

Hmm, maybe they're cuter separate.

My Deer Little Boy

Just as we were leaving my in-laws' house yesterday, we came upon a beautiful little fawn standing in the road. We slowed the van and said to the kids, "Look at the baby deer!" We pointed out its little white spots. What a great opportunity to show the kids God's glorious handiwork!

Malachi, in his usual boyish way, said from the backseat, "When is Grandpa going to get his gun and hunt it? Deer turns into meat!"

Marriage in the Eyes of a Three-Year-Old

This evening, during family worship, Joshua thanked God that we've been married for six years. When we were done praying, Malachi said excitedly, "I'm going to marry a girl! And Lily's going to marry a boy!"

"What about Evangeline?" I asked.

Without missing a beat he answered, "She'll marry a baby."

Stop Me If You've Heard This One...

What do you get when you throw a grenade into a French kitchen?

Linoleum Blownapart.

Cheeky Quote

"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry."

It Was Just One Of Those Days

More Cuteness

Just to Make You Smile

You can't help but laugh along.

It's amazing what a little packaging tape can do.

Adiel's Words of Wisdom (For Women)

Never go bra shopping on the eve before Valentine's Day. You will encounter an absurd number of middle-aged men awkwardly browsing the lingerie section. This makes the already unpleasant task of bra shopping even worse and makes for an embarrassing time for everyone involved. The awkwardness is heightened if the middle-aged man has children with him helping him to pick out "something nice for Mommy."

Ladies, heed my words: Never go bra shopping on the eve of Valentine's Day.

I'm a Winning Loser

Yesterday I had the good fortune to be in a few arguments over money with various siblings of mine. Yes, I do think that was a good thing because, you see, they were niceness fights.

Elizabeth thought she owed me money, but I was sure she had paid me back already so we argued about it for a bit. And then I had a similar fight with Jonathan over the phone later. The upshot of it is that I lost both fights and I'm now richer for it. Not a bad resolution to the problems, if you ask me.
So anyone else want to fight me?