Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from 3 future Grovers!

things that make you say "hmmm"

We're listening to the Mamma Mia soundtrack. When "Dancing Queen" came on, Joshua stopped playing, looked thoughtful, and commented that it "sounds like the music we sing in church." After wondering which church he's been attending, I probed to discover that he was thinking all the different voices sounded like lots of people singing in church. There are a lot of great voices in our local congregation, so I would probably enjoy hearing Norristown New Life sing "Dancing Queen." I won't hold my breath though.

be still my heart

Yesterday Peter took the kids to drop off their Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes. (As an aside, we love this program and highly recommend it for giving kids an opportunity to make a difference in a way they can understand.) While we were shopping for gifts and packing our boxes, we talked about the fact that our boxes might go to Africa or Asia or South America or some other place where kids wouldn't have any Christmas presents and need to know Jesus loves them. When they got to our local drop off point, the volunteers asked the kids where they wanted their shoe boxes to go. Joshua said Asia. Patience said Liberia. Garty said...drumroll please... France! Nothing warms this mommy's heart like knowing my 2.5 year old is already a Francophile. I don't know where he picked that up, but I'm so proud.

finicky eater

Last night I moved one of the candles from the living room to the dining room table for dinner. The kids appreciate having a "fancy" dinner when I light candles. After finishing his first plate of food, Garty surveyed the table and announced that he wanted more ravioli and green beans and peppers but no candle.

a bit upsetting

Every few months we hire Kerrie to babysit our kids so we can get out of the house together for a few hours. Our kids love her, and she loves them. We'd hire her every week if she didn't prefer to be paid with money. Last night before we were even out of the door she was asking the kids if they wanted to take a trip to outer space and visit the moon. From Joshua's report this morning, it sounds like it was quite a bumpy ride, but they were safe in their space shuttle with their space suits on. I was thrilled to hear the report from last night until I went up to get Garty out of his crib. I walked in his room expecting to hear the usual joyous, "Mommy!!" Instead, he looked up and asked, "Where's Kerrie?"

one of those moments

Says Joshua to Mommy as he gets ready for bed, "I have nipples?" as he points to his cheeks. Says Mommy to Joshua, working hard not to laugh, "No, Joshua, they're dimples."

movie worth seeing

We're anxious to see Pray the Devil Back to Hell, an award winning documentary about "the courageous Liberian women who came together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country." It's coming to Philadelphia the day before Thanksgiving, and we're planning to be there. If you're in the area, you're welcome to join us. If not, you can check to see if it's coming to a theater near you.

writing assignment

Once a week Joshua gets an assignment that requires him to draw and write about a particular topic. Tonight's topic was: "Our President elect is Barack Obama. What do you want him to do for our country when he takes office in January?" Here is Joshua's response. "I want Barack Obama to build a big church for the Liberians and Americans. I want the church to have big doors." When he was ready to draw his picture, Joshua asked Peter what Barack Obama looks like. Peter told him that Obama is tall and thin, kind of like Daddy. Joshua then drew a fancy church with nice double doors and a man as tall as the church.

more election day

The kids just went with me to cast my vote. When we finished and returned to the car, Joshua reminded us, "I voted for Obama." Patience countered with, "I voted for the little boy to come to America with his family."

election day

Our kids are vaguely aware of the presidential election, but it's not something we've really discussed with them much. Yesterday when I picked Joshua up from school he announced, "I voted for Obama. What is the other guy name?" Poor John McCain. He evidently never had a chance in first grade at Marshall Street Elementary.

take a guess

Thanks to numerous people who added their change to our Kids Walking Kids Home bucket, this was the final result. The kids and I finally made it to the bank before they closed on Wednesday to use the change machine and get a total. Peter and I were hoping for $50 or $60. I almost couldn't believe my eyes when the machine gave us the final total of $99.28! God took what seemed small in the eyes of many and multiplied it for a powerful impact. This addition brings our total raised for "our" Ethiopian boy to $470. I had personally hoped to break the $500 mark, but we are so thankful to be able to offer what we raised to a family who will change a boy's life forever. Joshua has already said several times that he wants to do this again, so we may consider making it an annual fall event. Thanks so much to all who supported us in making a difference!