Annual Reveiw for S M Jones

Name: Stuart

Hair:  Blond, preferably in a mohawk style
Eyes: Gray, with a touch of green; they look absolutely radiant with olive green
 
Interests:
Books

Computer

Games

Computer Games

That pretty much sums it up.
 
Notes:Very creative, to the point that he can create an entire D&D scenario with backstory, characters, and a choreographed battle without using a guide. Is a loyal and enthusiastic Cub Scout, although has managed to skip every hike so far. Admires his older sister's writing, is nice(r) to his younger sister, and thinks his little brother is very cute except when said brother erases all his progress on a PlayStation game.

Recommendation: Outgrew current age level long ago. Upgrade recommended.

Happy birthday, Stuart! You keep things lively and geeky!

We love you -- SJ, DJ, AMJ, DMJ, PGJ

Screenshot by Stuart

Birthday Interview

On this most glorious day the eleventh of October twenty-twelve, when the most glorious Darren Jones enjoys a birthday, we've stopped a few ordinary kids on the street... living room, rather... and asked their opinion of this most glorious daddy of theirs.

Why do you love Daddy?
A: Because he's my daddy and he's nice.
S: He likes to do things with me, he plays computer often.
D: He's a very good daddy.
P: Yes

What is something Daddy does that you like?
 A: He plays D&D and lets me read Harry Potter.
S: Plays D&D with us.
D: He lets me play one of my favorite games on his smartphone.
P: Reads to me

What is something that makes Daddy happy?
A: Having healthy, obedient kids.
S: A good book from one of his favorite authors.
D: Having us kids.
P: Monster trucks

What would Daddy most like for his birthday?
 A: A crucifix made of sapphires.
S: He'd probably like a new Civilizations computer game. Or some more books.
D: I think he'd really love another really nice carrot cake.
P: Spice

An ordinary wife married to Darren Jones... no, wait, that's an oxymoron, because only a very special woman would be the person who got to be married to Darren Jones... also agreed to be interviewed.

Why do you love Darren?
SJ: His blue eyes, his beard, his kindness, his kisses, and the fantastic stir-fry he makes nearly every weekend. For starters. Want me to go on?

What does Darren do that you like?
SJ: Not everything, of course. I actually could make a list of things I don't like. It would be a lot shorter than the list of things I do like. Let's do this. Let's answer this question with: Everything, except a few things not worth mentioning.

What is something that makes Darren happy?
Spreadsheets.


What would Darren really like for his birthday?
A trip to England. Failing that, a good book and a cuddly wife.


Happy birthday, oh most glorious Darren! We love you!

-- SJ, AMJ, SMJ, DMJ, PGJ

Annual Review for D M Jones

Name: Daphne (known as Daph or Daffodil)

Hair: Short, blondish-brown, adorable

Eyes: Sparkly light blue, like her Aunt Lindsay
 

Interests: 
Playing: A magical unicorn named Horn Attack, a ninja, a kitty, or a puppy named Morning Daisy (companion to Pip's puppy named Patches-Spot).

Conversing: She's got a lot to say on every subject, and prefers an active, engaged audience. None of this passive, "Hm, that's nice, dear."

Reading - like any typical young girl, she devours science books

Visiting: The more friends, the better. The longer, the better. The more activity, the better. When bedtime comes and she's alone in her room, she's bored.

Taylor Swift: She's up for a visit and a conversation about her favorite Taylor Swift songs.


Busyness: This fall, she's starting piano, 4H, a one-day enrichment class, AWANA, and school. The prospect delights her.
 
Notes: Is ready to be a friend to everyone, with the possible exception of her older brother. Thinks that Taylor Swift has a knack for choosing really bad boyfriends, based on all the songs she writes about broken hearts. Talks a lot. Reads a lot.

Recommendation: Way too much personality to stay at current age level. Immediate upgrade recommended.

Happy sixth birthday to Daphne! We love you!

(I'm going to try to upload this picture again later, giving Blogger a second chance)

-- DJ, SJ, AMJ, SMJ, PGJ

The Sorting Hat

Addi just turned 11. What she really wanted was an acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, asking her to report to Platform 9 3/4 at the end of summer to go to school. Next best to that, though, was a Harry Potter party.

(Planning any kind of event absolutely paralyzes me. My kids are lucky that I'm friends with Deidre, who makes most of our parties happen.)

We just got a new camera, which means I have pictures of the wand-decorating, the cake and butterbeer, and yes, the Quidditch game. But first, I figured you'd want to know which of the four Hogwarts Houses you'd be sorted into, right?

(Also lucky for me, Deidre took many Teen Magazine quizzes in her youth, so this arrived through email last weekend.)

As a bonus, there are some extra acceptance letters to each House. (Lucky for me, Deidre...) So if you post your result in the comments, I'll send you your letter. But not by owl.

The Sorting Hat Quiz

Welcome to Hogwarts!  You will now be sorted into your houses.  The Sorting is a very important ceremony because while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts.  You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your common room.

The four houses are called Gryfiindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.  Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points.  At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor.  I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

Please choose the answer that best applies to you.
1. You’re in the dungeon for a test in your potions course.  You notice that one of the students is cheating by looking over your work.

A. You bravely lean over and tell him to stop cheating.

B.  It is one of your fellow housemates after all.  You wait till the end of class and tell him you saw what he did and give him a chance to change.

C.  You cast a spell that puts him in a bubble that everyone can see into but He can’t see out of so the cheating ceases. 

D.  You don’t want the teacher to think you’re helping him cheat.  You write a note exposing the cheater and fly it to your teacher’s desk.



2.  It’s Quidditch season again!  To tryout or not to tryout, that is the the question.

A.  You go for it!  No plans or hesitation, just full steam ahead!

B.  You ask some of the veteran quidditch players to help you train everyday till the tryouts.

C.  The more you think about it, you’d rather invent your own wizarding game and get it approved by the school.

D.  You shrewdly plan to be practicing your impressive quidditch skills the afternoons that you know the coaches will be around the field.  You know if they see your moves and dedication you’ll guarantee your spot.


3.  Professor Sprout gives you a herbology assignment and says that you can pick anyone you want for your partner.

A.  You ask the kid next to you who you’ve seen struggling in the class.

B.  You wait till the end and approach the one girl that no one chose.

C.  You create a chart with pluses and minuses of your top three choices to help you decide.

D.  You offer the best student in the class a chocolate frog and as he’s eating it, you suggest you two partner up.



4.  A wealthy relative has sent you some wizard gold for your birthday.

A.  You buy some robes for your poor friend who has to wear hand-me-downs and spend the rest on a feast of good foods for the two of you.

B.  You hire a tutor to help you in the classes you’ve not been doing so well in. 

C.  You spend some now and save the rest in your account at Gringots.

D.  You donate some to The Society For The Preservation of True Bloods and the rest on a new cauldron. 



5.  Because of a special trust issued to Hogwarts, each member on your quidditch team gets to pick out a brand new broom stick. 

A.  You’re not afraid of a new challenge.  So you pick the fastest model available.

B.  You suggest that everyone chose the same model so the games will be fair.

C.  You choose the base model and tweak it a bit to make it perfect for you.

D.  You research the models available before choosing, so you can be sure you’ll win your next match.



6.  There is a new movement to liberate the house elves.

A.  Join forces!

B.  Organize a counter organization.  Your loyalties lie with the wizards.

C.  You create your own secret movement to help the house elves.

D.  You use your personal house elf to keep you informed of what the organization is doing.


Add up all the A, B, C and D answers.  Whichever you have the most of is your new house!

A.  Gryffindor
B.   Hufflepuff
C.  Ravenclaw
D.  Slytherin

Birthday Girl pictures

Addi with her McLeod tam, direct from Scotland.

Addi with her freshly-pierced ear and sparkly earring.

Addi with her mama, an essential element in her original birthday.

Annual Review for AM Jones

Annual Review and Report
7/6/12

Name: Adelaide, known as Addi (or, occasionally, Addi-bug)

Hair: Short, thick, and lustrous brown

Eyes: Creek-colored, like a good many of her other McLeod-stock relatives.

Interests:
Reading - six Nancy Drew books last week

Cooking - makes a good chocolate chip cookie

Shopping - recently saved up and bought a McLeod-tartan tam from Scotland

Creating elaborate superstitions - "I can't wear that shirt! It has thirteen patterns on it!"

Climbing trees - she'd sleep in one if she could

Suffering - if circumstances don't allow her to suffer, she'll choose to believe the circumstances are different."You let him play with my music box! Now I'll ALWAYS have to let ANYBODY play with ALL MY STUFF!"

Loud, bangy music - on repeat, no less.
 
Notes: Routinely amazes her family with her varied and random knowledge base. Is willing to be in charge, but doesn't seek it out. Her love of loud music is at variance with her dislike of large gatherings and loud conversations. Enjoyable conversationalist.

Recommendation: Upgrade to Next Age Level, with honors.

Happy eleventh birthday to Addi! We love you!

-- SJ, DJ, SMJ, DMJ, PGJ

Happy Birthday Poem

My mother's birthday was yesterday, so I wrote her a poem.

I'm kind of embarrassed to post it, though. I set out to compose an ode in the grand tradition of my family, which generally contains lines like:

I'm sure glad you're my mother
Because you wouldn't be if I'd been born to another.

But I completely lost my head and ended up with something that:

1. Has no meter or rhyme
2. Is kind of a serious effort

My apologies, Mom. I'll try not to work as hard on it next year. Hope this entertains you meanwhile.

An Ideal Mother

Question:

When you were growing up,

Did your mother bake cookies?

Did she take you to a salon for a mother-daughter “spa day”?

Did she plan fun, creative activities for you?

Lucky! You must have had an ideal mother.

Answer:
Yes!

She baked cookies!

Only, it wasn’t cookies, it was food. Cooked from scratch, every day. Rice and gravy, barbecue chicken, potato salad (served warm!), red beans and rice, field peas and butterbeans, pork chops, corn on the cob, meatloaf. Cookies? Pfft, she just bought those.

She took me to a salon for a mother-daughter “spa day”!

Except not really to a salon so much. She didn’t care much about facials and manicures. Planting roses, chopping wood, and refinishing furniture does a number on painted fingernails. No, we left the Scrabble game set up all the time and played a lot. And she gave me books that she’d really liked. And we sat together and talked a lot. Spa days? That would have interfered with our visiting.

She planned fun and creative activities for me!

Or, rather, she left me alone to read, play the computer, ride my bike, swim in the creek, make up stories. That was fun. When I told her about what I was thinking of, she had lots of ideas and suggestions and laughed at my jokes. That helped me be creative. She was always there when I needed her, and not in the way when I needed time to myself.  Plan my activities? Where’s the fun in that?

 

Why, yes, I did have an ideal mother.

Thanks for noticing.

I love you, Mom! Happy Birthday!

-- SJ

Three's a Charm

A funny thing happened on our way into June this year.

Here we were, a family of five people and one extremely cute baby. That baby became a toddler. It was my fourth time through the toddler stage, and this time was I almost certain I was going to lose my mind. But I didn't, and the toddler grew in wisdom (sort of), stature (quite a bit) and favor with God and his siblings, who still consider him the cutest thing on two well-built little legs.

And then came this June -- this day, in fact -- when that cute little toddler stepped over the threshold into the world of Little Boy. He loves monster trucks, trains, sword fighting, and pizza. He's still working on his talking, but has some pretty important concepts down, like "Addi/Stuart/Daphne in Pip's room for Quiet Play?" or "No! This toy is MY job!"

He has absolutely no idea that today is in any way significant. But we think it's worth mentioning. Happy birthday to our incredibly cute three-year-old boy!

We love you, Pip!



Thanks to my sister-in-law, Jessica, for this picture, which I stole from her album on Facebook.

-- SJ, DJ, AMJ, SMJ, DMJ

Happy Birthday to my Love!

Today is a very special day, because the most wonderful person in all the world is celebrating her birthday.*

Sara makes my life special in many ways, but one of my favorite things about her is her ability to write. In the last couple years, she has taken on writing several articles for a local children's magazine, and I'm always amazed that she comes up with not only interesting topics, but new and different ways to approach them.

I love her smile, her laughs, and her company. She is a fantastic wife and a wonderful mother, and I can't wait to see her after work today!

Please take the opportunity to wish her a happy birthday, and encourage her to do more blog posts so everyone gets the chance to enjoy her writing like I do :)


* Well, actually, the celebration will be this weekend, because my adorable wife has produced adorable children who have AWANA tonight, so there won't be much time to have a party before rushing off in the car.

--DJ

2011 in Review - DJ

Questions provided by Queen of Carrots.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

Pretty much skipped my birthday, due to Sara being long-term sick and me being short-term sick.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t usually make resolutions, and I don’t remember making any specifically last year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth or get pregnant?

Not in my immediate family. Several in Sara's.

4. Did anyone close to you get married?

No one really close, although again, Sara's family and friends had some action on this front.

5. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

6. Travel?

A very fun family trip up to Maine and Nova Scotia this summer. We went by train and had a fantastic time.
Also lots of work travel, which is kind of fun for me but no fun at all for the five left at home.

7. Did you move anywhere?

No. After moving the last time (almost 10 years ago now), Sara and I decided that we didn’t ever want to move again. And that was with only one child and less than two years of marriage to accumulate stuff.

8. What was the best month?

June, with the trip North.

9. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

A healthier family.

10. What date(s) from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I really can’t think of any particular dates.

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I did a case in California from beginning to end, and won! That was a blast.

12. What was your biggest failure?

The church that we’ve been attending for 6 years had to stop renting the space we’ve had because we aren’t growing. No, it wasn’t just my failure, but as one of two families who helped start it up, it feels bad. So now we’re meeting in a home, which I’m not at all a fan of, at least long-term.

13. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Oh, my, yes. Many, many colds for everyone; Sara’s 3 week bout with fever; Stuart was sick with a fever for about 2 or 3 weeks. It was not a nice healthy year.

14. What was the best thing you bought?

Dungeons and Dragons. We’ve had a lot of fun as a family playing together.

15. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Sara, for getting several articles published and GETTING PAID FOR THEM! Yay, Sara!

16. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?

I try to avoid being political on my blog, but I’m not sure whether I’m more appalled or depressed at the current executive and legislative branches of our federal government. Probably both words apply depending on the day.

17. Where did most of your money go?

Housing and food. Not in the bank. And regarding the money that is in the 401(k) plan, thankfully not much of it went anywhere. Flat is better than plummeting.

18. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going to a worship leader conference. Winning a case.

19. What song will always remind you of 2011?

“Mean” by Taylor Swift.

20. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
ii. richer or poorer?

i. Hmmm. Good question. I would say probably sadder, due to the afore-mentioned church move.
ii. Thankfully, a little richer. Mostly due to Sara’s doing the budget. She’s really good at it.

21. What do you wish you'd done more of?

House repairs. I’m not at all good at them, so I tend to do what Dad and I call our “ostrich act” – just bury our heads in the sand and ignore them.

22. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Eating. I’m still the same weight I was last New Year’s (ok, I lost 2 whole pounds over the course of the year, but it’s basically the same).

23. How will you be spending New Year's Eve/Day?

We spent them enjoying my vacation from work. I took two whole weeks off, and that was great. And dinner with the Shaw family included homemade pasta, which is terrific.

24. What was an unexpected surprise?

Getting to go to the HSLDA National Conference for the first time in 10 years. My legal assistant leaving on short notice. The Virginia earthquake.

25. Did you fall in love in 2011?

Nope, but stayed in love with my best friend Sara. Marriage to her gets better every year.

26. What was the best concert you've been to this year?

None that I can think of, but Matt Maher is coming to this area soon, and I hope to go see him.

27. What was your favorite TV program?

Heroes, Season 1. Loved it!

28. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?

No.

29. What was the best book you read?

I think probably Spellbound by Larry Correia. David Weber’s Out of the Dark was pretty good too.
For non-fiction, Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana. Many thanks to Will Estrada for recommending it to me.

30. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Taylor Swift.

31. What did you want and get?

A new cross necklace for Christmas. Better organized at work.

32. What did you want and not get?

A new minivan. Maybe this year?

33. What was your favorite film of this year?

X-Men:First Class and Captain America were top notch. I also really liked The Three Musketeers.

34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 38, and I got sick. It was not a stellar birthday.

35. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

More time to spend with Sara.

36. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Fashion? Ha! I don't really care enough to have a "fashion concept," I'm afraid.

37. What kept you sane?

Reading and going out for drives BY MYSELF WITH NO LITTLE VOICES TALKING TO ME.

38. What political issue stirred you the most?

The national debt crisis.

39. Who did you miss?

Sara and the kids, when I was on business travels.

40. Random Memories from 2011?

Having a great time with Addi and Stuart at Virginia’s inclusive homeschool convention. Sitting in a welfare office for 2 hours waiting for my case to be called. Driving a bright yellow car called Ferdinand, listening to Modern Scholar CDs. Our tenth annual All Saints Day party. Getting to meet with some good friends in person instead of just talking over the phone. Flying to Los Angeles and then immediately coming back, because the hearing got postponed while I was in the air. Listening to a CD of "yellow songs" that my friends the Morgans made for me to listen to while driving my yellow car.

Top Nine Things to Know About Stuart

1. He was born after twelve hours of labor and a c-section. When they took him out to the nursery, Darren followed. He got to hold him and talk to him for the first half-hour of his life. When I woke up in recovery, Darren was there to tell me that our new son had blond hair and toes just like Addie's.

2. As soon as he learned to smile, he found the world very, very funny. He would sneeze, and then laugh.

3. His loud and sunny personality was the best thing that ever happened to silent, skittish Addie.

4. He has a massive gag reflex. He has been known to throw up just thinking about something gross.

5. He's a gaming geek already. He plays D&D, wants to play Warhammer, and reads up on Wizard 101 so he can coach us as to the best strategies.

6. He was disappointed in the fourth and fifth Harry Potter movies because they left out "the best parts": the Nifflers and Flobberworms and other random background creatures.

7. He can multiply two digits by two digits in his head.

8. He thinks much more deeply than his oblivious, happy-go-lucky demeanor suggests.

9. Today he turns nine years old! He's improved our Thanksgiving celebrations dramatically ever since his arrival.




We love you, Stuart!

-- SJ, DJ, AMJ, DMJ, PGJ

The World Rejoices

Thirty-eight years ago, the world rejoiced when a dark-haired little baby boy was born.

Well, okay, not the whole world. Just a few small pockets of world in Nova Scotia and various spots in the Northeast. The lucky people.

There was a young couple in the Deep South who didn't know it was a significant day. They had no idea that one day their little girl would grow up to marry that little boy. That's because the little girl wouldn't actually exist for another three-and-a-half years. So really, this Southern family doesn't have much to do with this story at this point. But I'm writing it, so we're in here anyway.

It hasn't been the most festive anniversary/birthday season we've ever had. I've been sick for twenty-three centuries, and today Darren developed a cold. But you know something about Darren? He doesn't really complain. He sees what needs to be done, and he does it. He cherishes his sick wife. Which is why, as more pockets of the world get to know him, more people rejoice for that October day 38 years ago.

And see why I'm so anxious to get a foothold in this story, even three and a half years before I actually was anybody? Who would want to miss out on a guy like this?

Happy Birthday, DJ. Love you!!

-- SJ

Top Five Things About Daphne

1. She was the baby who came after two and a half years of wondering if there would be any more babies.

2. Her first word was "blue."

3. She began reading at age 3.

4. She has sparkly blue eyes, like her Aunt Lindsay. Her daddy often succumbs to the effect of those eyes.

5. She is self-motivated, determined, and will do great things in life. Don't get in her way.

Happy birthday to Daphne -- our bright, chattery, affectionate little firecracker!


(Photo by Katie. Outfit by Addie.)

-- SJ, DJ, AMJ, SMJ, PGJ

Top Ten Things to Know About Addie

10. When she was born, we apologized to her. We had to learn how to be parents, and she was our first test subject.

9. She was a quirky baby and toddler who hated loud noises, wasn't interested in other children, and staged nuclear meltdowns over sudden changes in plans. She taught us to be gentle and careful parents.

8. She didn't talk until she was two and a half. Her first intelligible sounds were repeating the alphabet after me.

7. When she did talk, daily conversation got a whole lot weirder.

6. I spent six months teaching her to read at age 5. Then she struck off on her own and read "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

5. She enjoys the drama of being sick. It's unfortunate that she has a very robust constitution.

4. She has a powerful sweet tooth.

3. She really wants to do good and be good.

2. She has grown into a helpful young woman who mentors Daphne and helps me keep tabs on Pip.

1. Today she turns ten years old. We're celebrating!

Two Years

Two years ago, I tacked a paper up on our bulletin board, announcing a family contest. I know it's been two years ago because the paper says:

"How much will Baby weigh? Whoever gets closest will get a treat!"

Baby came into to the world as Phillip Gabriel, named for his Grandpa Phil and looking strikingly like his daddy's baby pictures. Today, our newly-minted two-year-old finds joy in big trucks, dinosaurs, the garden hose, and letting himself outside all by himself. The whole family thinks he's the living embodiment of Cute. Funny, so does he.

It's always hard to believe that a little one can go from the sleeping little lump in this slideshow to this in only two years:





We love you, little Pip!

-- SJ

P.S. Baby weighed 7lbs, 4oz. Stuart and Darren guessed it EXACTLY.

Eight Years of Stuart

2002
Arrival by c-section, looking very small, red, and serious. It was a misleading first impression.

2003
"Ba!" By which he meant "bottle," "ball," "birds," and "bear."

2004
Favorite color: Blue
"Stuart, what color is this?"
"Boo."
"No, it's red. What color is this?"
"Boo."
"No, this is yellow. What color is this?"
"Boo."
"Yes! Very good!"

2005
He'd had a very long day yesterday and was up bright and early this morning. He threw a fit when Daddy couldn't understand that "chocowon" meant "chocolate one" which meant "chocolate graham cracker. Please."

2006
"Mama, I love you, especially Daddy."

2007
"I'm an Indian Cyclops!" So much for historical accuracy. He turned to Addie. "Hey, let's go hunt some buffalo. I want some new clothes."

2008
Stuart has developed a taste for trash-talking. Fortunately he doesn't have access to any real insults, so he makes them up. He and Daphne play the Trash Talk Echo Game: "You cuckoo bird!" "You cook bird." "You lamp smasher!" "You lamp mash." "You magnet cranker!" "You magmumble ker!" Yesterday he was calling her "You Monopoly butt!" but he got in trouble for that.

2009
"Where do Biblical eggs get together? At the syn-eggnog."

2010
Stuart, when I teasingly offered him a piece of mushroom-olive pizza: "No thanks. I really don't care for plants on my pizza."

He makes us laugh, dazzles us with his mental agility, and whatsoever he does, he does with all his heart. Happy birthday to Stuart!

He Likes, He Has, He Is

Darren likes carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

He loves royal blue.

He has an extensive knowledge of WWII, Polish history, and the nine levels of angelic hierarchy.

He won't use his hands to mix up biscuit dough.

He is ridiculously ticklish.

He makes funny jokes that we can't publish on a family blog.

He is a believer who is very comfortable in his devotion to an unseen God.

He is a father whom his children respect.

He is a daddy whom his children love.

He is a son and brother who values his family above nearly everything else.

He is a husband who remembers his vow to cherish his wife.

He is thirty-seven today.

He is someone worth celebrating.

I love you, DJ!!

-- SJ

Four Years of Daphne

2006
Daphne Michele arrived. She was so tiny, sleepy, and helpless. She made up for it later.

2007
Baby Daphne observes life:
"Life is good, except when it is evil. But I know how to scream to make it good again."
(Here are the rest of her observations.)

2008
A short lesson in Daphnese:

Spoon = Poons
Star = Dars
Straw = Dwas
Sky = Kys
Stuart = Doots

Useful for translating cries such as, "Doots poons! No hit!"

2009
Daphne the news anchor:

"We're here today with Mama, who will tell us if we're going to the grocery store today. Mama? Mama? Are we going to the grocery store today? We are? Later? So there it is, we're going to the grocery store later. Is Daddy going with us, Mama? Where is Daddy? At work? So he can get money to pay for food? For those who just joined us, we're here with Mama to find out when we're going to the grocery store. When, Mama? Later. We're going later. But not Daddy, because where is Daddy? At work? To get money to pay for food? Mama, to get money to pay for food? Right. This just in: Stuart called me a cuckoo bird. Mama, Stuart called me a cuckoo bird. I'm not a cuckoo bird. Mama, I'm not a cuckoo bird. Later, we're going to the grocery store, right Mama? And Stuart called me a cuckoo bird but I'm not. Where is Daddy?"

2010
As Darren posted:

I was reading some nursery rhymes to Daphne today, and we ran across the one about sugar and spice being what little girls are made of.

Daphne wanted to know what she was made of. I told her, "Cayenne pepper and firecrackers."


Happy fourth birthday to our sparkly blue-eyed girl!



We love you!

-- SJ, DJ, AMJ, SMJ, PGJ

Nine Years of Addie

2003
Inviting her baby brother Stuart to watch a video with her: "Come on, Tutu! Videyedow!"

2004
Playing with toddler brother: "Noooo! Miiine!"

2005
"Yay! I have fifty cents! Now we can get married because it's not Halloween anymore!"

2006
"Speaking about God, baby birds go to sleep when their mamas feed them."

2007
"Excuse me, Miss, but I have enough strength to wrench that bar off your door." To a Ruby Tuesday's hostess.

2008
"This is my grandmother. She doesn't have a man with her because she's a widow."

2009
"It seems strange, in these quiet hours, to hear the snip snip and rattle rattle of paper as dolls come to form." Addie, making paper dolls with her cousin Courtney.

2010
"Frank is more my type of guy." Addie, discussing a newer, hipper series of Hardy Boys books.

When Darren asked her our bishop's favorite question, "What do you want from God?", she thought a while and replied, "For my whole family for generations and generations, for a peace of mind in answer to the question, "Is God real?" Fair request.

And what is she looking forward to this coming year, now that she's nine years old, the last year of her single-digit life? "For Mollie to come over and play."

She's nine years old, and our glimpses into her mind and heart have always been an adventure.

-- SJ and DJ, who are very very proud of their AMJ

A Few Words in Honor of Today

Tiny
Wrinkled
Sleepy
Hungry
Squawky

Impish

Dimpled
Cheerful
Cuddly
Busy

Life is better with Pip.

One whole year today! Happy birthday!

-- SJ, DJ, AMJ, SMJ, DMJ