Presenting the Silent Monks Singing

My sister sent this to me. It's hilarious.....

A Day With Lucy

Just a few things that escaped Lucy's mouth today....

"Mom, will you give me a back scrub?"

Singing in the shower, "Washing away the germs. I'm a beautiful shiny girl. "

"Now all I need is a scarf so that if we go on a walk, the boys will all whistle." (Yikes! This was followed by a long talk about how we want people to like her for who she is to which she responded, "Okay, are we done now?")

"Mom, the gingersnaps are good." When I asked her why she was eating a cookie just before dinner she reminded me that I in fact told her I needed a taste tester two hours earlier. Oops.

By Lucy's request, I called her paper cell phone apparently with a lame "Thring, thring." She corrected me, "No Mom, it rings like this" and she sang a melody from the Ting Tings. Of course she wouldn't pick a boring ring tone. I should have known.

Who Knew?

Thanksgiving morning just after finishing a bowl of Lucky Charms I developed a bitter taste in my mouth. It stuck around for about 15 minutes. Ever since then every time I eat or drink anything, the bitter taste comes back. It's nasty! I've even refrained from taking a bite of something because I knew it would be followed by that taste. Okay, I haven't refrained that much but still, it's made me think twice. My other response is just to keep eating to disguise the taste. I favor that method.

So today I googled it. Five days of this nasty taste is quite enough. Come to find out, it's a common phenomenon after eating...do you want to guess? Pine nuts. Not all pine nuts. Just a few varieties of them. It takes one to three days to develop this strange side effect and it doesn't happen to everyone. It can last anywhere from five days to two weeks. Yikes! I have this linguine recipe that I love. I made it last Tuesday and snagged a handful of pine nuts while doing so. My recipe calls for 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts. I always buy them at Safeway but I decided to get them at Costco last time to save a little money. Well that back fired. Anyone want four cups of pine nuts?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

The Funeral

This is the program Emily typed up for the funeral of her beloved gerbils. She planned the whole thing. It was beautiful. At the end we all went outside and burned this drawing Emily made of them so the smoke could assend to heaven and Sugar and Cinnimin could be at rest.

A couple of explanations--these gerbils started out as Miles' pets. He named them and Emily who is a fantastic speller still chose to respect Miles' choice in the spelling of Cinnimin's name. As you may notice in the drawing above Cinnimin's tail is a bit shorter than Sugar's. This is because well-meaning Lucy pulled it off (and very diligently tried to reattach it) one day so the picture is to scale.

Now I must take a moment to share how very impressed I have been with the way Emily has dealt with this tragedy. How would your average kid feel about a stray cat that devoured his or her gerbils? Well, Emily is not your average kid. As soon as we figured out what had happened and we explained it to Emily, her response through her tears was, "It's not Boo's fault. She didn't know they were important to me." That's Emily in a nutshell. I've never met anyone who is so completely without guile.

Her reaction has not surprised me. It's just been a reminder of how blessed I am to have a daughter like her. It's a humbling expericence to see the incredible qualities of your children--qualities so much better than your own--and know that you are responsible for teaching them. Well, guess who's doing the teaching.

I love you Emily.

Funny Boy

Out-of-the-box thinking? Here's an example. Miles couldn't find the elastic for the cheese the other day so he came up with his own way to secure the plastic cover...

The Circle of Life

We've had some unexpected events recently. On October 29 as I was waiting for Lucy's and Emily's buses at the bus stop, I was enjoying the company of a very friendly stray cat. This cat decided Emily was a fun person to follow home. Of course I wouldn't let it in the house but I did do one thing. I broke one important rule.

I fed it.

The poor thing was starving! I've never seen a cat inhale food like that. Miles and Emily were not about to leave the cat outside alone and my rule of not letting it in the house was standing so the two of them did their homework outside. The cat would curl up on their laps and purr. After an hour Emily came in to use the bathroom and the cat cried and cried for her. Then Matt came home. He worried that a coyote would get the cat during the night if we just left it outside. Besides that cat's meow rivals a siren. Like any of us would get any sleep with it on the front porch.


The next day I started thinking about all the things I love about our cat Zoe that we've had for 7 years. She doesn't play in toilet water. She doesn't meow incessantly. Here's an important one...she leaves the gerbils alone.

Halloween morning I woke up to Emily in a panic. I could barely understand what the problem was. Well, during the night the new cat pushed the gerbil cage onto the floor and the gerbils were missing. Gerbils are speedy. They can hide in small places, right? I was sure we'd find them...or evidence of them. Nothing.

Matt looked up some things online about how to catch gerbils. Peanut butter. We made a trap. Peanut butter spread on a plate placed inside a bucket with books to make a stairway to the top. That should do it...as long as we get to it before the cat does.

Meanwhile the kids were trying to come up with a name for this stray cat. After my advice on refraining from such an idea, Miles mimicked me with the line from Monsters Inc. when Mike says, "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it!" Between that and the fact that it was Halloween the name had to be none other than Boo.

Sunday morning Lucy woke up with big puffy bags under her eyes. It took hours to go away. I wondered if she had had a reaction to something in the clown face paint from Halloween the night before. Weird. Oh well, it went away. Days later she had a terrible asthma attack that I worried was going to land her in the hospital again. Wednesday (don't ask why it took us so long to put this together) it hit me. The peanut butter! Lucy is allergic to peanut butter. Not terribly. She can be around it, she just can't eat it...or be exposed to the smell of it in a gerbil trap left in her room for 10 hours. All of this because of that cat!

In a side story, less than a month ago I went to feed the fish and discovered he was gone! There's a lid on the bowl so no cat got to it. It was just gone. Ironically the fish's name was Mystery. Then I remembered that Lucy's friend who is very good at catching fish with his bare hands had been here. Yup...he'd caught it...and fed it to the gerbils. Sweet Emily looked at the bright side of things saying it was a blessing since that was the same weekend we ran out of gerbil food. Now the gerbils are gone hence the title of this post.

So we now have a new cat. We've posted about her on the community website and called animal shelters. At this point we love her so much it would be heartbreaking if someone claimed her. Keep your fingers crossed for us! And no, we are not buying more gerbils.

Oh Joy

The milestone every parent looks forward to. Lucy can now count to 100. Again...and again...and again...and again....

Proud Mama

Yes I am. And here's why...

Miles had a Court of Honor last night that I unfortunately was not able to attend due to sick kids but check out those merit badges! Sixteen of them! I am now the proud mom of a Life Scout! Is this a surprise to me? No. He's a go getter and has been since birth. And he's got some great scout leaders that have provided these experiences for him. If he achieves his goal, Miles will be an Eagle Scout before his next birthday. Have you ever met a 12 year old Eagle Scout. Get ready!!

Congratulations Miles. We're so proud of you. Did I mention that?

New Occupation

For all you pet owners out there, your search for inexpensive pet care is over! Lucy is now a practicing veterinarian. A while back she approached my friend Rocio about a check up for her dog Rocky....and she was only going to charge six cents! Of course Rocio jumped at the chance for this high quality pet care and Lucy wrote it on her calendar.

For weeks Lucy would ask me, "Mom! Is today the day of Rocky's appointment?" Well, we finally made it happen. Rocky was an excellent patient, even when Lucy pulled a thermometer out of her bag. Yikes! We told Lucy it must be an axillary thermometer. Phew! She bought it.

Emily took great notes as Lucy's assistant. Rocio paid the fee and gave each of them quite a tip. I think I may jump in on this too. Maybe Lucy needs a billing department. I could do that....

Don't Ya Love 'em?

So unbelievably I've continued with my running. I love it and miss it on days I'm unable to run. I'll even be driving somewhere, hear a song that I run to, and have an insatiable desire to pull over and start running. It's a cool feeling.

Don't get me wrong. There are days when I want to plop down on the lawn of a stranger but the feeling of finishing my goal without stopping is too great to pass up.

My favorite thing lately and really my greatest motivator is my five year old little girl. No, I'm not saying my desire to be healthy for my children's future motivates me to be a better person. Are you kidding? I'm not that good of a planner. It's more about this...

After Lucy boards her midday bus I run. Since her bus has so many stops, I get about 2 miles away before it passes me. I won't let myself turn around until it does. She loves watching and waving to me! If there's a day I'm not running, she's sad. Apparently it's becoming a pastime for the other kids on the bus as well. I make a goofy face and act like I'm racing the bus...um...after I'm sure the bus driver can't see me any more;) Lucy told me yesterday that I "make each children laugh." That's enough for me.

First Day of School

So I feel terrible for not taking pictures yesterday as Miles and Emily headed off to school. Miles rode his bike to school for the first time. I still had to go by the school to make sure that his bike was there and that he'd made it safely. I walked with Emily to the bus stop and couldn't stop asking questions. Gee whiz! Was it my first day of school too? It sure felt like it. I asked every question I could think of. I couldn't stop thinking about them all day. I'm sure Lucy had her fill of my "I wonder..." thoughts.

Today was Lucy's first day of kindergarten. I'm not sure which one of us was more excited. My excitement wasn't about what I get to do with my time as I had expected. It was more about what Lucy must be feeling. Of course picking an outfit was a big deal for Lucy. A girl's got to look good on the first day, right?

BTW, the scarf was the selling point on this shirt for her. I tried to talk her into another outfit at the store but her mind was set.

Lucy wanted so badly to ride the bus so I told her I'd meet her at the school. The bag of school supplies was way heavy so I had to, right? Well, after she got off the bus she seemed wiped out! She wanted me to hold her. The flower she had picked for her teacher on the way to the bus stop was wilted. So maybe the 25 minute bus ride (it shouldn't have been that long) was too much for a girl that's used up all her energy just getting ready. As she stood in line to go into school holding her supplies she noticed the flower was missing. She'd been holding it for a half hour and just as she's about to walk in the door, it's gone. She seemed so spent, she just followed the crowd anyway.

So here I am with the much anticipated free time and all I can do is count the minutes until she comes home. I hope she has fun.

Maybe She Didn't Hear That...

Matt was listening to some political commentary online when someone used the phrase "sticking his head up his bum." Matt quickly turned it off hoping that Lucy didn't hear it. Lucy's response..."That'd be hard."

Star Sightings

When I was a kid, our annual family camping trip would sometimes include a trip to a little theater in West Yellowstone called The Playmill. I loved going there! I remember watching Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Pippin, and other great musicals. We even had a family friend who was part of the cast one year. Another year I remember standing outside the theater staring at the clouds of smoke in the sky from the infamous Yellowstone National Park fire.

This year was the first year I've been able to take my children to The Playmill. It was so much fun. During the opening acts of Footloose Lucy turned to me with excitement and exclaimed, "Mom! I think I see one of the Jonas Brothers!"

What?! How does my five year old know about the Jonas Brothers?

As chance would have it, during intermission this particular actor was assigned to our row for the selling of concessions. Lucy ran up to him and said, "You are rockin' out in this show!!" He laughed and I told him about her comment. Of course he was a little busy and I didn't think he had heard me until halfway through the second half of the show. One of the actresses brought a licorice rope with the following note for Lucy...

Words cannot express her excitement! She still has the note and is 100% convinced. Are you?

The Night the Lights Went Out...

For those of you who live here, last night may not have been one of your favorite nights--hottest day on record, no air conditioning, and listening to the immediate silence of all running fans as soon as the power went out. Well, yes...initially it felt that way...until we got creative.

My friend Rocio had joined us for dinner and we were trying to talk amidst the excitement of my girls. They absolutely love her and if you've spent five seconds with her I'm sure you understand why. Suddenly the fan turned off along with the one light in the house I had on. Hey, when it's that hot you'll do anything to keep the temperature down in the house. It was already 87 degrees inside.

After sitting on the grass outside for a while I thought, there is no way we are sleeping in that oven of a house tonight. We can camp out! Wait...Matt and Miles are camping and they have the tent. We've got bug spray! Wait...they also have the pump to the air mattresses. Who cares! We can do this!

When I was a kid I spent countless nights sleeping under the stars in the backyard. I loved it!! I remember staring a constellations, watching for shooting stars, feeling the cool breeze, and listening to the sounds of the night. Those are some of my favorite memories. Why not share that with my daughters?

I think initially Rocio thought I was crazy but guess what....

SLUMBER PARTY!!!

When she had run home around 10:00 PM to get her things there were so many people walking around to avoid their hot houses she said it was like everyone was trick-or-treating. Funny. I'm sure there were several outside sleepers but I think we had the most fun. That is as soon as we assured Lucy that shooting stars were not going to shoot her.

The next morning Lucy was still sleeping by the time the rest of us were up so I read a book for a while not wanting her to wake up outside all alone. She slept until 9:00 AM! I think I'll make her sleep out on the lawn from now on;)

Rocio and I had talked to Lucy about picking pajamas that covered her enough to help ward of mosquitos. I talked her out of a few things I thought she really would not sleep well in. The discarded items were on the patio when she went to sleep but when she stood up this morning this is what I saw...

Maybe I won't make her sleep on the lawn. I'll just make her sleep in boots.

Cousin Mallory

Back from Utah. So much to post about. Where do I begin? How about with Mallory?

Mallory is a year younger than Lucy though you'd never know it. These two cousins were inseparable during our whole vacation. They had so much fun together. I could watch them play for hours. Mallory is a crack up. She's so dramatic and that girl can dance! I was able to watch several performaces from these two divas.

Mallory knows every word to so many songs. She was singing along to the Ting Tings while we were driving through Yellowstone. She wasn't missing a beat. After something like 30 seconds of silence, I turned around to find her asleep in her car seat. Who even knew she was tired?

While in Utah, Mallory and Lucy loved dressing up together, trading pajamas, having matching hairdos, and of course eating popsicles on the picnic table at Grandma and Grandpa's house...

And for some pictures of our comedians...

Here's a picture of the two girls with their cousin Gabe, an up and coming magician. I was privileged enough to watch one of his magic shows. He's such a happy, cute kid.

During the last part of our trip, we went camping in Island Park. Mallory asked me every day to do her hair. I couldn't get enough of it! I love her naturally curly hair!! Have you ever seen such beautiful curls?

Lucy already mailed a letter to Mallory and is asking when she's coming to visit. Germany is too far away!! We're going to miss you Mally! We love you!

Toothless

It happened. Lucy lost her first tooth Thursday night. She'd spend the day being dragged around Park City with a fever of 102. I didn't know okay! I thought it was just really hot outside. No wonder she whined while I was rubbing sunscreen on her...

Anyway, Thursday night as she was going to bed she kept coming out to tell Matt her tooth was really loose. You know when it's hanging on by a thread and you can stick your tongue in the middle? That's how it was. Matt offered to pull it but she declined. Finally she decided she was brave enough and out it came. She was so excited!

Now her smile is even bigger than usual.

Our Sunday Morning

Matt: "Okay Lucy. Put your bowl in the dishwasher and go get ready for church."

Lucy: "I'm sick."

Matt: "No you're not. Put your bowl in the dishwasher."

Lucy: "I'm sick."

Matt: "No you're not. Put your bowl in the dishwasher."

Lucy: "I'm sick of church!"

My Personal Trainers

Thanks to my marathoning friends, over the past month I've developed a love...well, an enjoyment for running. I really look forward to the next time I run! I never thought I'd say that. Even when I was in track in 9th grade I hated it. I could never figure out why anyone would choose to run.

A month ago I couldn't run more than a block without stopping. Seriously. I'm embarrassed to say that but it's true. Yesterday I ran 2 1/2 miles. That's the longest stretch I've run without stopping in probably 15 years. Don't get me wrong. I love to speed walk. I'm not totally sedentary...all of the time.

My favorite thing yesterday was that Emily and Lucy wanted to go with me. We lapped our house a few times until they were done. My stride was about three inches but that's not that different than what it is without my girls.

Luckily I have Lucy to help me become my best.

Lucy: "Mom, do you know what you have to do to run fast? You put your thumbs inside your fingers and kick your legs really high."

Thanks Lucy.

The Yard Sale

Yesterday was our community's annual yard sale. This is the one day when yard sales are allowed here and we always try to take advantage of it. Matt and I have different ideas when it comes to selling our stuff. I tend to over price things and he...well, would like to give them away. As the years have progressed, we are meeting in the middle which is what marriage is all about, right?

One topic of discussion this year was whether or not to sell clothes. Okay, it wasn't really a "discussion" per say. I just started selling clothes. My silly husband thinks a yard sale with clothes is trashy. Okay, first of all it's a yard sale. Do I really need to say more than that?

At one point I looked out the window to see Matt talking with a lady holding a big stack of 3T girl clothes. She was counting out her money while she said to him, "I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for children's clothes." What was that Matt? What were you saying? I couldn't hear you?

Our children find the yard sale a fun experience as well. Here is a picture of something Lucy made and tried to sell at last year's yard sale. I can't remember exactly what she said it was. Something specific. Anyone need some clothes pins?

It always fascinates me to see what our kids bring back from their little neighborhood excursions with their friends. This year Miles decided his money needed to go toward lamps for his "room of light". I totally did a double take after walking past his room. He was about to go out again to buy more when much to his chagrin, I nixed that. He could keep the lamps that he had but NO MORE! It was a drawn out discussion that I will spare you.

Not ten minutes later, what do we see but Emily and her little posse of friends heading home with their treasures. We hear Emily exclaim, "Miles, look what I bought for you!" You guessed it. Another lamp. Miles was ecstatic and Matt and I couldn't stop laughing.

Did I mention we sold a lot of clothes?

Welcome Back Miles

Miles got back from 6th grade camp last Friday with the biggest bags under his eyes I've ever seen. He had a great time. I'm so glad we decided to send him.

Lucy and her friend Katie helped me decorate his room before we picked him up. They did a great job. Lucy was so excited to see Miles again. He's such a fun big brother. When we were taking all of his luggage back to the car, Lucy insisted on helping with the suitcase. Why is it that small children think diagonal walking is the best way to get around in a crowd?

One thing that I love about Miles is that he likes to tell us about everything. What can I say? I'm a mom--I need details. So...this fish that you see was the biggest fish caught all week. Miles calls it the biggest fish he didn't catch. Yes, it was caught by one of the counselors but...with Miles' pole. Guess who the lucky owner is?

We missed you Miles. We're glad you're back.

My Boy is Growing Up

Today Miles left for 6th grade camp. This has been surprisingly hard for me. I know he'll be fine but it's been hard for me to let go. He asked me yesterday if I went to 6th grade camp. Um, no. The first school related overnighter was when I was 17 and went to Washington, D.C. (That was also my first time on an airplane.) Now my boy is off for 5 days in the hands of his teachers.

As I was driving him to school this morning he said, "Mom, you have to promise that you won't cry and that you won't embarrass me." Well, I'm smart enough to make no such promises but I thought I'd be fine. As soon as we got his luggage loaded up in the truck he hugged me and took off at full speed to head into the school. I just stood there paralyzed. I watched him until I couldn't see him anymore.

After dropping Lucy off at preschool I drove past the school at the very same time the four buses were leaving. I wished I knew which one Miles was on. I almost came to a complete stop just watching them drive away. I couldn't believe how much I had to fight away the tears. I talked out loud to him even though he couldn't hear me, wishing him luck and hoping he was placed with good friends in his cabin group.

What's all this? This is not like me....okay, maybe it is. How in the world will I ever be able to send him on a mission? I'm going to be a basket case.

Miles--I love you. I miss you already.

Girls' Night Out

Since Matt and Miles are camping tonight, the girls and I decided--okay, I decided--we'd have a fun evening ourselves by going to a silent movie being played at the Steilacoom Museum. On the way there I explained to them what a silent movie was. I pictured an event crawling with young families and wondered if my girls would see their friends there.

My first thought upon entering--"Is it bingo night?" No, really. I guess it was exactly what I should have expected but the whole room was filled with senior citizens. Just before the movie started three young boys came in but otherwise this was not an event for expanding the horizons of young children. It was a night of reminiscing.

We loved it!

We paid our admission fee of 10 cents each (I was feeling generous so I paid 50), got our popcorn and drinks, and found a seat on the front row. First we watched a couple of Felix sketches. They were entertaining. It's so interesting to me how much can be communicated with no sound. Tonight, the sound that I heard was the laughter of my daughters. I loved that! What I couldn't believe is what they dared put in those movies! The first one ended with Felix seeing the consequence of his rendezvous with a female cat--a gazillion kittens. The next scene shows Felix sitting down, closing his eyes, and sticking a gas line in his mouth. WHAT?!!!

After watching Felix, we watched "The Man from Beyond" from 1922 starring the one and only Houdini. It was hilarious listening to the sounds from the audience during this film--"Get him!", "Watch out!", or speculations about the bad guy. It makes me laugh just thinking about it. This picture to the left is seriously turned sideways. The fight scene that it's referring to was so funny to watch. Just imagine two inexperienced old people try to wrestle. Not exactly gripping but entertaining nonetheless.

As the movie ended Lucy exclaimed with her usual statement after seeing a movie she likes, "We are totally getting that movie!"

Xanadu

When else can I use that as a title?

Last Saturday Miles and I attended our community's Mother and Son event at a rollerskating rink. We had a blast! When we arrived at the civic center I couldn't help but notice that Miles was the oldest son there. I worried that he would feel embarrassed and want to bag the event all together. Nope.

We loaded on the buses and got on our way. Miles and I had a great time talking about summer plans or whatever came to mind. When we arrived at the roller rink and put our skates on, it occurred to me how times have changed. When I was a kid, everyone had their own roller skates. Learning how to skate was like a rite of passage. I remember spending day after day on my skates in the neighborhood. I particularly remember my neighbor's driveway that had a #10 can cemented into it that we avoided for fear of ending up on our face. (I know my siblings know what I'm talking about. What was the point of that can anyway?)

It was so funny watching scores of little boys...and a few moms...on rollerskates not knowing which way was up. I must admit it's not like riding a bike. My tailbone will attest to that. Okay, that brings up another point. What company would make a roller rink out of cement and have cinderblock half-walls around it? I don't care if it's cheaper than wood and funky carpeting! Take a look at Sarah's wrists and tell me this is a good idea. (I'm still waiting for the blog post on that Sarah.)

As we left, all the boys got bags filled with gadgets and treats. Miles called Matt on our drive back and told him we were at the emergency room because I had fallen. He had that story going for a while before he starting laughing. I couldn't stop laughing at him saying, "Dang it!" while his emotions ruined the believability of his story. The whole event was exactly what I'd hoped it would be. We had a great time. I loved being with Miles. He wants to go again next year. You're on Miles!

Thank you Webster

Lucy has been very interested in doing her own make up lately. She loves her little make up kit. She does a pretty good job too--darker shadow in the crease and corner. She even does lip liner. (How does she know this already?) This morning I noticed quite a mess of powder on the little vanity in her room.

Mom: "Let's clean this up so it doesn't ruin the carpet."

Lucy: "What does ruin mean?"

She totally knows. She just likes to talk.

Mom: "You know, like to destroy."

Lucy: "Obliterated?"

Well...I Did Ask

Mom: "Goodnight Emily. Did you remember to brush your teeth?"

Emily: Nod.

Mom: "Are you sure?"

Emily: Nod.

Mom: Hmmm. Why is she not talking? "Emily, what's in your mouth?"

Emily: "It's a mouthful of minty freshness."

No! Don't Go!!

My feelings exactly. My parents left last Saturday after another fun visit. I love it when they come. I love that they love my children as much as I do. I love that they don't expect a packed calendar. It's just a time to enjoy my children with my parents, do puzzles, and take a break from all the mundane duties of running a household. I love it.

Another fun thing about this visit was the extra visitor they brought along--their dog Louis. Our kids have wanted a dog for years. We've tried to talk them out of it. I don't need to expound on the unwanted things that come with a dog. One day Miles said he thought a dog would be a lot less work than gerbils. Hmmm. I thought if my parents brought Louis with them Miles could be in charge of his care and finally see what it means to be a dog owner. The outcome...

...now the kids really want a dog....and so does Matt. WHAT?!! That didn't go as I had planned. At least there's still one that feels the same way I do.

My parents are seriously the best house guests. They are so easy to have around and fun to talk to. My mom really wanted to go to a tea room that's nearby. It's one of our favorite girly outings. Emily and Lucy love dressing up in different hats and pouring hot cocoa out of their own tea pots. My poor dad got sucked into going with us. Matt had mentioned to the girls that of course Grandpa would want to go because he loves being with his granddaughters. When that story was related to Grandpa, how could he say no? He was a good sport though. He even let Emily put hats on him...kind of.

We also went to IKEA. I haven't been there in so long and I love their lignon berry juice! We spent an evening at Chuck E. Cheese where Miles and Grandpa had an air hockey tournament. I would post the score but I wouldn't want to embarrass my dad ;)

We spent an afternoon bowling. Lucy really wanted her friend Adam to go with us. It was so funny to watch each of them with their different bowling styles--if you can call them that. Lucy would set the ball on the ground and push it during the first half of the game then she got a little adventurous and tried to copy the rest of us.

Adam's method included some serious skill I'm sure. I have no idea how to describe it but it reminded me of the motion of a cue ball in pool--only in midair. Of course Adam and Lucy really wanted to give the candy machine a try. I tried to talk them out of it telling them that those machines never really work. Well, I was wrong.

The night before my parents went home we went to one of Lucy's favorite restaurants--Red Robin. Unfortunately we did not have Gloria as a waitress but we still had a great time. My dad kept teasing Emily about taking her shake. She was pretty serious about not letting him get it.

She paid him back with a serious spoof later that night...

Thanks for coming Mom and Dad. We love you! We can't wait to see you in the summer.