Reality, meet Fiction

So today was a rather bizarre mix.

REALITY: At church this morning, Jeff and I toured the World Vision Tent which walks you through the experience of one child orphaned by AIDS. It was extremely moving, and I would highly recommend the experience for anyone. I walked through Steven's story which included his abduction and experience in the Lord's Resistance Army. A very heavy dose of all that a child should never have to experience. The goal of this tent is to gain sponsorship for children. A daunting and growing task.

FICTION: Then in the afternoon, Emily and I went to see Peter Pan on stage. We knew one of the girls in the play. It was outstanding. I almost forgot it was a high school performance! After the dose of reality this morning, I had a new appreciation for James Barries' insights into children's minds. His fantasy world is really a place for children to explore the scary big world and all that is in it. What a beautiful thing he created. It was fun to clap Tinker Bell back to life with Emily. Do you remember what it was like to be 8?

Happy Birthday Mi Amor!

Translation: Jeff is an older man today!

Family Beach Day

Today, we decided to take the entire day off from everything. We spent the morning together as a family just relaxing. Then around 1:30 we felt relaxed enough to pile ourselves into the car and drive to the beach (only a 40 min. drive). We took along sandcastle supplies, munchies, and a change of clothes ( one change for each of us of course, that would be funny if we all tried to ride back home in the same change of clothes). The waves were nice and big. We kept ourselves in the shallows due to rip tide warnings. However, we enjoyed watching the surfers do their thing. We built a nice respectable castle and stayed long enough to watch it meet its doom in the waves. The water was nice and warm, the breeze was gentle, and company was exceptional. As we drove home, it was decided that we should do this at least once a month. Anyone want to join us next time?

Zel called

Spending an afternoon with Eric while Jeff and Emily took in a Red Sox game at Fenway. Then to my surprise I get a call from Zel. He had just crossed into NM. He is doing well, and enjoying the drive (especially after driving through Gustav rains yesterday). It was nice to hear from him, and at such a meaningful moment. Wish I was driving along this stretch with him!

Tired baby

This is Eric's favorite spot in the house. We read books here and have special snuggles here. This is the first place he runs when he is feeling out of control. It has become his safe place. The other day, he was grumpy and climbed up to read a book to calm himself down. I came around the corner and found a sleeping baby. Looks comfy.

Mushrooms

Too much rain is apparently a good thing for growing mushrooms. Too bad we can't identify them with certainty. So we decided to bag them up to keep curious little toddler types from snacking. An entire grocery bag was filled by the time we finished.

Pure fun