Furry Friend

One of the things Marshall & Shaylen enjoy is dog-sitting our former piano teacher's dog, Piper. Piper is with us for the month of February. She's a cute little American Dingo. She loves to watch you while you eat and makes it seem like she's never been fed. It's pretty hard to resist giving her treats.

"Are you going to eat all of that?"

2013 Men's Dessert Contest

One of the most awesome events at the church is the Annual Spaghetti Dinner & Men's Dessert Contest. They say it's a friendly competition, but these guys take it very seriously! I love the smack-talking and jabs!

Lil' Miss Smarty Pants!

Pretty soon, we're going to have to fight for our lives to beat her. She's so good and so smart! She loves playing people at checkers.

Little Guards

We've been talking with the kids about not just what they say, but how they say it. We want everything that escapes their mouths to please the Lord.

I recently talked with them about what Psalm 141:3 says, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips." In order to bring the illustration home, I talked to them about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington D.C. We watched a video on the changing of the guard too.

I think they got it! Later, when I looked outside, I saw that they were incorporating my lesson into their imaginations.

The Maine Jump & A Fun Photo Shoot

It was a rainy day on Friday, so we weren't able to really do anything outside like mini-golf, or hiking or anything. At breakfast (which was a plethora of options at the Hampton Inn in Ellsworth), we decided to ask the very friendly staff member who was attending to the breakfast feast. She was a grandma, we found out, and knew of several options for us in the area. One of the places she recommended was The Maine Jump in Bangor. This proved to be an excellent option that Marshall and Shaylen loved. They ended up hot and sweaty! It was basically a warehouse-sized room full of bouncy houses, bouncy slides, and air-filled mazes.

We had to make our way back to home. I was speaking at a ladies' banquet in Scarborough that night and I wanted time to be able to fix my hair (again), and collect my thoughts. I was taking Shaylen with me and I would need to spruce her up too.

Shaylen and I had a great time with the ladies of Cornerstone Baptist Church. They had a packed house. One thing I loved about their theme "Renewing Your Focus" was their photo booth set-up (hats, moustaches, funky glasses, etc.). I wish we had done this when this had been our theme. It was so clever. The teens, girls, and even some of the ladies' had a blast with this. I always enjoy the opportunity to come back and spend time with these dear ladies and this banquet was no exception.

Time With Friends & A Very Special Guest

We were excited to hear that our friends, the Weigles, were going to be in New England for a conference in Windham, NH. With them being so close it seemed like a crime to not have them come to the church and sing. They were with us in the fall and our church just loved them! Taigen grabbed his calendar and the phone and was able to procure them for this past Sunday. We're so glad that he did. They were a HUGE blessing. On Sunday they came over for lunch and we enjoyed a great conversation and laughter around the table. John said that Monday was Sharon's birthday, and rather than travel he wondered if we could do something together. Of course we could!

Now, I have to tell you, that my other good friend Amy Herbster loves Sharon too. She had emailed and told me how much she wished she could be up here with us. We have plans for when she's here next to go to Stonewall Kitchen & the Nubble Lighthouse. So when it was worked out that the Weigles and us could do something on Monday, I determined right then and there to take Amy along with us so she would know we were thinking of her and wishing she was with us. It turned out to be one of my better brain-childs! We had so much fun.

I greeted Sharon at her trailer with Amy's 8x10 face and proceeded to take Sharon & Amy with us to Stonewall, Nubble, and everywhere else we went. It was hilarious. We did have a great time with the Weigles and it was great to reconnect again. The kids all had fun together and we made some wonderful memories.

By the way...we tagged Amy in our photos on Facebook and she wrote us a note saying how much she loved it and appreciated us thinking of her.

Here are all three of us outside of Stonewall Kitchen.

Amy enjoyed sampling the yummy stuff there.

Amy applied for a job...

All three of us at Nubble.

We celebrated Sharon's birthday at Bugaboo Creek. They sing to you and say, "Kiss the Moose!" The kids LOVED it!

The Littles Invade the Joos Home

Some friends of ours at church loaned some books to Marshall and Shaylen to read. One of the collections was a series of books by John Peterson entitled The Littles. The twins have enjoyed them immensely. The other day I discovered that Marshall and Shaylen were pretending to be the Littles by stuffing part of their rubber snakes into the backs of their pants (ew!) so that they would have a tail. It struck me as extremely funny so I had to snap up a picture!

A Different Way to Play Chess

There's a gentleman in our church who absolutely loves to play chess. Apparently he's really good too. The other day he brought Marshall and Shaylen some chess pieces that he had found or had been given to him. The goal is to teach them to play. I've delegated this job to Taigen since I have forgotten everything I learned about chess in 6th grade. (I'm thinking that's the last time I played it too. Let's see...that would be 1986. I'm old!)

 The kids have made attempts to learn how to play, or maybe I should say that Taigen has made attempts to teach them, but I think Marshall prefers letting his imagination run wild with all of the pieces in a different way. He managed to play with his "team" one afternoon by tying up Shaylen's "team" with silly bands.

I think I can say with confidence that Marshall definitely won this match.

From the Backseat

The kids love to play with their puppets while we're in the car. They enjoy having them wave at those driving by and seeing who will wave back. Today on our way back from piano lessons, the kids were playing with King & Queen Castlehoff. Shaylen was making the queen speak in a wonderful southern drawl.

"I speak this way because I am from the South!"

Marshall made the king reply, "Well, I am from the North. I speak English."

I about busted a gut from the front seat, but because I knew it would interrupt their "royal" conversation, I refrained from bursting out with a loud guffaw. The things kids say!

April Fool's Prank - A Day Late

When we came home on Saturday from the Leadership Conference, we pulled into our driveway to see our garage plastered with painter's tape! We instantly knew who did it: our sweet and quiet friend, Amy. Remember her? She and her family were the ones who foiled Taigen's office last year and came up with the colon dough. They are hilarious. What will they think of next? It's those quiet ones you have to keep your eye on, you know. Well, April Fool's Day happens to be one of her favorite holidays and it seems that she plots and schemes all year long (at least we think she does)! You should hear of some of her antics! We laughed SO hard as we pulled into our driveway. Taigen drove through it and we got out and looked it over. We decided to leave it up for the kids to see. They were away with Auntie Janelle (who was in town from MI).  They drove down to MA to see Jason, Joni, the kids and the new baby Gianna! (Hopefully I'll get pics really soon so I can show you.) Look at the sign! I love the fact that she still got her joke done in spite of the huge snowstorm on April Fool's Day. She is hilarious!

The Multi-Tasking Instrument

Marshall got the idea of making a homemade banjo during our music unit in school. He's been waiting and watching our paper towel tube for weeks now, eagerly awaiting the end of the roll. It finally came this week and he was able to make a banjo AND a violin...and all with the same materials. Who knew that instruments could multi-task?

Speaking of instruments, Shaylen piped up today telling Marshall that "the tuba is the most hardest instrument to play." She must associate size with difficulty level. I got a great chuckle listening to her explain this to her brother who believed every word. I'm greatly relieved. I cannot imagine lugging a tuba back and forth to lessons. I'm sure our neighbors would be relieved as well since they would undoubtedly hear every note of every practice session too.

A Bit of Little Laundry

Yes, you read that right. I didn't mean to say "A Little Bit of Laundry," but "A Bit of Little Laundry." You see, that's because Mom brought an old suitcase (which happened to be my great-grandmother's overnight bag) full of old (many handmade) doll clothes. Mom used them for her Barbie doll and my sister and I used them for ours. While Shaylen's Only Hearts dolls aren't made quite the same way, some of them will still work for her. They smelled very musty, so I handwashed them. I didn't want to throw them in the dryer (didn't want them to last for 30+ years only to be destroyed by me), so I figured that I would hang them up to dry. When I got done I laughed at how funny it all looked to have itty-bitty dresses, skirts, cardigans and hats hanging on my laundry line.

My Favorite Kind of Math Equation

What do you get when you subtract television, add some great books (both audio and softbound), a pile of legos, a lego man, a Lincoln Log cowboy, two ginormous couch pillows, a dozen or so stuffed animals, a canvas storage bin and a cute little boy with a wonderful imagination? You get Marshall who entertained himself this way (see video below) for at least an hour yesterday afternoon while I worked on my devotional for this weekend's ladies' banquet down in CT.

I've talked before about how they play independently like this and provide a running commentary on what is taking place. I hear snippets of their books in their conversations, but I've never caught it on video. Sorry it's a little shaky, but I was trying to hide behind a corner so that he wouldn't see me, get embarrassed and stop.

And where was Shaylen during all of this? Lounging on the couch devouring an entire chapter book in a single afternoon (Tommy's Rocket by Sharon Hambrick, 83 pages, published by Journeyforth Books).

I love my kids!

A Mouse In the House (A Very BIG Mouse)

Knowing that the tail-end of our week was going to be busy, I tried to accomplish as much as possible within the first half. On Wednesday, I made a coffee cake and ginormous batch of cookie dough to bake later on when I would have the time.

When we went to bed that night, I was telling Taigen about my day and mentioned that I had made cookie dough. He said, "I know."

"You do? You mean, you discovered it already in the fridge?"

"I did."

I probed, "Did you eat any?"

Taigen looked sheepish. "I did. It's really good."

We laughed about it and went to bed. As I lay there, I plotted against him. I thought up a scenario and decided to play an itty bitty trick on Taigen in the morning. But first, I was going to try it out on the kids to see how they fell for it.

At breakfast the next morning, I threw on my acting skills and story-telling eyes and said to the kids, "I found out that we have a mouse in the house!"

"We do?" Their eyes were huge.

"Yes. I don't know how he did it, but he got into the house, opened the fridge and got into Mama's cookie dough. You want to see?"

"Yeeeeessss!"

I opened the fridge and peeled back the lid of the Rubbermaid container. There were the evidences from Taigen's little escapade the night before.

"Whoooooaaaa!" They believed it. Shaylen looked a little skeptical, but laughed when I told her that, no, indeed it had been Daddy. BUT, maybe, just maybe, Taigen would fall for it. After all, we have had some mice issues this past winter, but only in the garage and basement. So I sent him a brief email from my iTouch.

Subject: Mouse
"We have another one somewhere in the house."

TJ's quick reply: "Where did you see the evidence?" Tee hee! He fell for it!!!

CJ Reply: "I don't know how he got in, but I could tell he ate some cookie dough. At least he has good tastes!"

Oceans, Ships, Forts, Stairways, Rock Walls...

The possibilities are endless. It's amazing to see what the twins come up with on a Saturday morning when they are in no rush to get dressed and hop on up to the classroom. Instead of putting their noses in their curriculum, they are using their great imaginations to create worlds to visit, Olympic feats to overcome and adventures to dream up. There are sixteen couch cushions/pillows, four blankets, dozens of stuffed animals and two water bottles. I promise you, each one has been used in various and sundry ways this morning. I have proof.


And for those of you who think a pastor's home is always flawless, you are wrong. Very wrong. How can it be when creativity is at work?

Be Careful What You Eat

The kids have been learning about cowboys during their Phonics and English lessons the past week or so. They have been fascinated by their jobs, their horses, their whips, their brands (ouch!) and their hats. It's been funny. Today we learned about their diets. No, I'm not talking about Atkins for Cowboys. I'm talking about what a cowboy would eat. The kids learned about hardtack, a staple in a cowboy's diet while out on the trail. Looked more like a cracker on steroids to me, but I guess when you're tired and hungry you'll eat just about anything, right?

Tonight at dinner I was prompting the kids to tell Taigen about what they learned today. When we got to Phonics and English, I said to the kids, "Tell Daddy about some of the things that cowboys eat."

They mentioned beans, bacon, biscuits, eggs & jerky. Taigen said that possibly they might have eaten things they hunted while out on the trail. That prompted a huge discussion on bears, deer, caribou, snakes and rabbits. That was a long rabbit trail, trust me.

I wanted to round-up this conversation and get back to what we were talking about. I hinted at the hardtack. "What was that stuff that the cowboys ate that looked like a huge cracker?"

Shaylen piped up, "A heart attack."

Continuing With Our Boat Theme

Today during the Phonics and English lesson, the focus was about ferries, yachts, warships, submarines, sailboats, etc. The teacher instructed Marshall and Shaylen to write about their favorite ship that they had seen pictures of during their introductory lesson.

Shaylen wrote about ferries. I love that her rotor blades are spinning, but clearly out of the water. I hope we're not planning on getting anywhere soon. She did do a great job. She loves composition.Marshall, being Marshall, decided to write about aircraft carriers, because, of course, it has airplanes on it. Surprised? What's funny is that he proceeded to draw passenger jets on the aircraft carrier. Not sure I would want to fly those friendly skies, but hey, at least the kid is predictable. AND, just so you know, he does own a miniature aircraft carrier and yes, his diecast airplanes land and take off from it. He knows it's not supposed to work like that, but he enjoys imagining it this way.

Ever Wondered How...

On this particular day of school, Marshall and Shaylen were supposed to write out the directions for something. Shaylen decided to write about how to clean the toilet and Marshall wanted to write about how to play the piano. As I type I am laughing out loud because both of my impressionable young munchkins included one very important direction that I've given them. Can you tell which comments are from their Mommy?

Where Would YOU Kayak?

It's been a while since I posted some of the kids' compositions. I thought you would enjoy these from before our Christmas break. They are working on a boating theme during their Phonics and English class. On this particular day the focus was on kayaking.

I always crack up with their illustrations. Please notice Shaylen's comment bubble above her person kayaking (2nd picture). When I asked her who the "we" were, she said, "No, Mommy. That's me saying 'wheeeeee!'"

Colon Dough

Taigen was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis shortly before the twins were born. The doctors were able to prescribe some medicines and it's been under control until just a few months ago. Who knows why it flared up, but Taigen adjusted his meds, followed dr's orders and its now under control again. However, just as a precaution, and because he was due for it soon anyway, the doctors wanted to do a colonoscopy.

Alas, tonight is the dreaded "prep night." Taigen told one of our families last night that he was going in for this procedure tomorrow. While we think they are a terrific family, one of the best out there, there is somewhat of a risk in telling them. A risk because they are HUGE practical jokesters. When the guys go golfing, there is always lots of smack-talking. You're also always on your guard during April Fool's Day, never knowing when something is going to happen. They're just that kind of family.

Sooooo, we were wary when they called a few minutes ago asking if they could stop by with "something for Pastor." We thought, "Oh boy. What is it going to be? Rid-X? Liquid Plumber?" We were already laughing and they hadn't even showed up yet!

When he walked into the door he had a covered refrigerator dish. Affixed to the top was this lovely poem:

The Pastor went in for a simple test,
Not knowing for sure if he'd later need rest.

They drugged him and prepped him, ready to go,
So when they got started,...what would it show?

The doctors were puzzled with a look on their face,
What could be wrong, everything was in place.

Finally they asked him, "You should be empty; what did you eat",
"We are seeing some food continue feet after feet."

"Oh that," he replied, "I do think I know,
My friends gave me mounds of cookie dough."

"I just could not help it; it was calling my name,
Now I am sorry and do feel...'some'...shame."

The test was then stopped; it could not be done,
Because Pastor had cookie dough, more than a ton.

And here's what was inside the container: Colon Cookie Dough!!!