Bee Understanding
After a bee sting on the inner upper thigh our five-year-old son, Stephen, has had quite and interest in the creatures. We pulled out three books on bees and have read all about the queen, drone and worker bees, how the hive functions, and the parts of the bee. The stinger full of poison positioned on the head of the worker bee has quite captured Stevie's attention as the mud seller business continues...
"Do bees have brains? Yes they must think about who they are going to sting next. Bees are into people and they are so stingy. I put some more stuff [baking soda] on my bee sting. Do I still have bee poison in me? When I was making mud the bee came back. I heard him buzz by. I don't know if bees like mud. I think bees like water. I think I saw that bee take a drink out of my bucket. If I see another bee coming at me I will be ready with mud balls. Mud balls are great to throw at bees. I will have some big mud balls so I won't miss. When we went camping the bees there liked the soda and sweet things like that. I had some black soda and some green soda. Oh and I've had orange soda before. I think the bee knew there is something yummy inside of me."

The Questioning Atheist
Our third born, our son David, is almost 16. He works part time with a Christian man doing remodeling on a restaurant. He told us he not only likes David’s work he likes working with David. We have watched our son blossom. He is enjoying an ongoing conversation with a questioning atheist. The atheist told David he should get away from his parents to find out their faith is hogwash. David said, "I know what I believe and no matter where I go I can stand on my own." What a joy to know this is true!

Manipulative Math

Mama, "David, did you do your math today?"
David, "Well I did some math. When my alarm went off this morning I figured out how many more minutes of sleep I had before I had to get up."
Mama, "Did you also figure out you have two lessons of math to do tomorrow?"

Reminiscent of Chariots

After his first cross country meet David was asked by a younger brother, "Did you win?"

David's response: "It is not about winning. It is about learning to run and running my best."

David ran, on an average, a twelve minute mile. (Three miles total on uneven terrain!) My "brisk" two mile walk in the morning takes me about an hour. Oh to be 16 again! (Ha! Don't kid yourself Jenny--you couldn't run that fast no matter what your age.)

'Notherworld Awareness

Comment by David, (age 16 end of Sept.) on the way to Sequim High School for his first cross country meet: "Sequim High School students live in a whole 'nother world."

Trusting in Sovereignty

We are going to see another loan officer today. One that supposedly helps people like us with low credit scores.

God's sovereignty is a comfort. Either we begin to pay a mortgage here, or come November we will be moving. There is a third option actually. Some how the Lord God could provide 170,000 dollars for a debt free home.

I am peacefully singing that ol' Doris Day song (with a one line substitution by yours truly).
Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
We're trusting in Sovereignty.
Que sera, sera.

It will be a glad day when we know we are settled in our own home--not someone else's. With twenty years experience I can tell you it is not a good idea to live in a borrowed house with seven children.

I think we will celebrate by eliminating the required rental landscaping--you know those hardy gas station plants called junipers?

Subjective Reality
After being turned down for a house loan yesterday I read _Eeyore Has A Birthday_ for a bedtime story for Stephen and Luke (and me.) I could completely relate to A.A. Milne's delightful scenario of Piglet running pel mel with a big red balloon.
"Piglet had gone back to his own house to get Eeyore's balloon. He held it very tightly against himself, so that is shouldn't blow away, and he ran as fast as he could so as to get to Eeyore before Pooh did; for he thought that he would like to be the first one to give a present, just as if he had thought of it without being told by anybody. And running along, and thinking how pleased Eeyore would be, he didn't look where he was going and suddenly he put his foot in a rabbit hole, and fell down flat on his face. BANG!!!???***!!! Piglet lay there, wondering what had happened. At first he thought that the whole world had blown up; and then he thought that perhaps only the Forest part of it had; and then he thought that perhaps only he had, and he was now alone in the moon or somewhere, and would never see Christopher Robin or Pooh or Eeyore again. And then he thought, 'Well, even if I'm in the moon, I needn't be face downwards all the time,' so he got cautiously up and looked about him. He was still in the Forest! 'Well, that's funny,' he thought. 'I wonder what that bang was. I couldn't have made such a noise just falling down. And where's my balloon?'

Muddy Dreams
So, the question is, where does Stephen's mud selling dreams come from? No, I've had no dreams or aspirations to sell mud. Soap I could see myself selling, but not mud. I actually enjoy selling from the small experience I've had at garage sales and a few craft fairs. However, I don't know how Stephen got into mud so deep. He must get that from Daddy.