We have monarch caterpillars in our backyard. This was very surprising to me, because I thought all monarchs went to Mexico for the winter. Evidently, some get stuck in Florida each year, but instead of resting, they continue to breed and live normal lives. According to my sources, they will leave for the north in the Spring. But whatever the case, we have eggs and larva in our back yard! This is the best science lesson ever. So far none of the larva have lived to the chrysalis stage, but Bradford made friends with two caterpillars, letting them crawl all over his hands, and they are now living on a milkweed plant in my kitchen. There are two eggs on the milkweed, also, which are due to hatch tomorrow or the next day. I'm praying that at least one makes it to butterfly.
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Benjamin asked Mark if God ever got tired. "No," responded Mark. "God neither slumbers nor sleeps. That's the neat thing about God. Actually, that's one of the neat things about Him. There are lots."
"Could you tell them all to me?"
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Nathaniel has been walking around with his stuffed bee on the end of a stick announcing "I'm the bug man. Do you have any roaches?" The he marches around the perimeter of the inside of the house "spraying" and looking for pests. He was very excited to show me a disintegrating carpenter ant onthe windowsill and to get a 10" piece of foil to remove his decaying carcass. (Side note: if you use foil to pick up roaches, you don't hear or feel the C-R-r-r-u-n-ch.)
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Lizzy SMIRKED at me. She doesn't particularly like being jostled around in a shopping cart, and she quickly learned that I will usually take her out and carry her around a store rather than subject the shoppers to her crying. We were at Target, and she was about to cry. I made funny faces, smiled, sang, and basically made a fool of myself, but to no avail. As soon as I stopped the cart and reached for her straps, however, she stopped crying and gave me a funny little half grin. Hmmmm. Well, little manipulator, I'm on to you.
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Mark is at school tonight. Ben is at Grandma's house. Bradford and Nathaniel are (hopefully) sleeping on the bottom bunk with a quilt hanging down to make a curtain. Lizzy is sleeping. What a rare peaceful moment.
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I had planned to have an organizing party at my house tonight, but I never did get around to asking more than one person to come. I'm glad, too, because Mrs. Perazza drove up to give us a belated Christmas gift and to see if Mark could help her 5th grade daughter study for a test. Mark was not (and still isn't) here, so I ended up tutoring Amanda on the finer points of Fragments and Simple, Simple Compound Subject, and Simple Compound Verb sentences while Mrs. Perazza went grocery shopping with Bradford. He was thrilled. As a thank-you, she picked up donuts and cider, frozen lasagna, cookies, and a pizza Lunchable, all chosen by Bradford. He then offered to help her take her groceries into her house. And she paid him a dollar for doing it. He wanted to eat his pizza when he got home. I told him he may not have it tonight, but he could have it tomorrow, even for breakfast. Before bed, he let me know that if I wanted to see him eat his pizza, I'd have to get up early, because he was going to come down and eat it right away.
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I guess I should get off-line now and do some work. I see crumbs on the table.
1 comment:
How wonderful to share such a rich family evening with you. We had Samuel here for his 33rd birthday party and a good time was had by all. We are certainly at different stages of our lives, but you remind me of so much. Jen, we BOTH have much for which to be very thankful. I am enjoying your life. Deb
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