Puppet Masters

This morning Annie had the brilliant idea of doing a puppet show. Jake had the grace and kindness to play along...and to do most of the work.

The results were very cute and made me feel like one of those moms who always has fresh-baked muffins and craft supplies...




The performance went well the first time through, but when the kids performed it a second time for Dad, Annie got kicked out of the show by the director for being "naughty." She pouted beside Ike and said, "I guess I'm too violent."

Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. :)

Cub Scout Camping Trip

This weekend was the annual Cub Scout camping trip for Jake's troop. Ike is sick with the plague (it's really bad, bad enough that I actually have sympathy for him), so it worked out well that Jake didn't want to spend the night on a night when the high will reach 38 degrees...

Instead the two of them went just for the day. It sounds like they both had fun, but Jake was definitely ready to come home when they were done. Maybe next year we'll all go and stay overnight (or maybe just the boys will).

I sent Ike off with the camera...

...but first I got this picture of the boys on their way (Annie's just a camera hog).


Jake concentrating on tug of war. Do they still do tug of war in school? I mean, I know they don't at a Montessori school... Tug of peace, maybe?


BB guns seem to be one of Jake's favorite Cub Scout activities. I hope his aim is better than mine...


They also did a horseshoe toss, built a fort ("with real logs!" as Jake said), and shot a giant slingshot at a house with targets all over it...

Definitely a good day for a boy.

The Magic Words

Tonight at dinner Annie stopped Ike from eating by grabbing at his hand and saying, "No, Dad! First you have to say the magic words!"

"The magic words?" Ike asked. Probably, like me, he was assuming she meant "thank you."

But this is Annie. She has a whole different take on life.

"The magic words. Like Granddaddy says them. You have to hold my hand."

Jake rolled his eyes (now that he's gone from 7 to 13 in a matter of months, he rolls his eyes a lot). "Dad, she means the prayer."

So, Ike being a good, but hungry, dad said, "Okay Annie." We all grabbed hands and Ike said, "Amen.

"Amen," Jake and I chorused.

Annie looked shocked and offended. "NOOO! You have to say ALL of the words, Daddy!"

Ike looked at me (like it was my fault). "Annie, can you say the words?"

Obviously offended again, she replied, "No, Daddy. You have to say the words like Granddaddy. You are the daddy."

So we all held hands and prayed over dinner. The Magic Words.

For anyone who is touched by this evangelic display, you should know that Annie then told Jake, "See Jake? God is words."

We're raising a daughter who is a healthy mix of belief ("Magic Words" make dinner okay) and skepticism ("God is only words, you fool"). Nice.

Jake started using air quotes while talking to me today. As in, "Well, you're 'the mom,' Mom."

Perhaps a good strict fear-of-God church is just what our kids need...