The Beginning of the End

This is my fifth last post of the summer - less than one week before school prep begins. Crazy how fast time flies. I'll be taking a break for the school year, with the exception of an odd post here or there, and I'll resume next summer. So, no time like the present for embracing all of those minute details that make up daily life.

As Chrissy was at work today, the mantle of HOUSE MAN once again fell upon my shoulders. Here are six photographs to give you a “snapshot” of our day.

Early morning with Katie Vance. Usually Katie scares me half to death each morning when she emerges unexpectedly from her room in the basement, but today she had an aura of happiness about her that made her seem to glide almost gracefully from the staircase. What was the occasion of this gleeful appearance? She finished school yesterday, and she is now fully qualified to perform graphical artwork on nearly all print surfaces! Congrats, Kate! (Janna is clearly impressed by this chipper disposition so early in the morning!)

Jesse’s newest obsession is the concept of the Piggy Bank. Somehow, at some point along our East Coast Vacation, he developed the notion that it was imperative for him to possess a piggy bank. He subsequently asked us every second moment for a piggy bank, to which we politely declined, repeatedly, thinking that eventually he’d forget and drop this strange impulse.

That never happened, and eventually we caved in yesterday and bought him his own piggy bank.

He now tries to carry it everywhere with him, and incessantly asks for coins to put in it. We’ve worked out a loose agreement where he cleans our bottom floor in exchange for a dime (YES!). Today, however, I was feeling generous and gave him a quarter. Here he is, carefully depositing his hard-earned cash.

We rented Pinocchio yesterday, and Jesse quickly fell in love with it. He hates the whale, and watches the whole movie in apprehension of its appearance. However, he loves the part at the end when Pinocchio is turned into a real boy. Here he is, watching just before the moment when Pinocchio becames a real boy. The excited expression stays on his face and intensifies until Pinocchio’s transformation is complete. I love watching movies with this guy!

Lunch time! Dinner today was “Cheesy Noodles” (Kraft Dinner), along with grapes and raspberries. Janna loves acting all dainty as she eats her raspberries...

...This impression is soon dispelled as she snarfs down her noodles!

Last but not least, Katie’s graduation gift to herself was a food processor. Never have I seen such excitement over kitchen equipment, but here it is! You’ve earned it, Katie!

That’s it for today. Must rest... Kids are tiring.

Until next time...