The Fountain Home

It's Time to Take Some Action, Boys...

2011-05-28T09:43:00.000-06:00

That statement could apply to any number of things going on in our lives right now.
There's lots of action to be... took.
Ahem. Anyway, in this particular case, I am talking about the still sad state of this blog.
So, I am resolving to post at least once a week.
And this resolution is not just for myself.
I have made it for the other (so-called) contributors to this blog, as well. They will be informed as soon as they wake up this morning.

To start, here are some video clips from our marshmallow roasting exploits last night.

Noooo... It was going to be perfect. I just wanted to melt the chocolate a teeny bit, and it slipped off and was lost forever. Until Avery thought he rescued it. And then lost it again.

^ This is why we'll never be singing sensations.

Competing in song while also terribly off key-- not a pretty thing.

hehe.

Last summer, Andrea wrote about each of our marshmallow-roasting techniques.
http://thefountainhome.blogspot.com/2009/07/smores.html
Prettty funny stuff.
Oh, wait. That was two summers ago. What in the world? Time flies.

Abigail's Adjectives

2011-05-09T19:39:00.000-06:00

I forgot about this post... I wrote it a few months ago. But it's worth posting any way. =)

I found a piece of lined paper on the counter that had all of our names listed down the side. I could tell it was Abigail's handwriting and I picked it up and started reading. Of course, I read what was written next to my name first. Buuut here's what it looked like, in it's unfinished glory:

Daddy hairy, nice, strong, tan, handsom
Mommy
Amy pretty, hard working, brown eyes, kind
stylish
Andrea nice, funny, creativ, artistick, long haired
Allen tall, creatin, helpful, hamer toed, smelly
Allison livly, helpful, screen headed
Avery
A.T

Bahahaha, Allen's. Cretin? Creating? I'm not sure...

Age Update

2011-04-07T21:40:00.004-06:00

I had to go in and edit our ages on the sidebar over there, on account of I am now TWENTY and have been for over two entire months, Allen is now SEVENTEEN, and Abigail is nine already!

We're gettin' old.

In other news, it is Spring!
We've had rain and gorrrrgeous days lately.
Today, we all went out side and played catch and hit some tennis balls with the bat. Aidan is pro. We need to get some video proof of his amazingness. Anna did really, really well, too. I just needed to do some bragging about the two little ones.
We also played a game we made up years ago called Capture, or Jail. It might also be called Cops and Robbers... In any event, during one round I was totally the last free person, and I would have gotten away with jail breaking my people, but then our dumb dog gave away my hiding place! I was captured, and the game was over.
Earlier in the day I went on a bike ride with Anna, Abby and A.T. There were lots of hills, so in the beginning I was explaining to Anna in particular that we needed to go fast on the easy parts. After making it up the hill that leads down to our driveway, the road leveled out. I noticed that Anna was already falling behind and it looked like she was going to walk with her bike again. I called back to her, "Anna, baby cake, you really need to keep up on the easy parts!" She got fully back onto her bike and came zooming up, explaining, "I had a wedgie!"

I'm so looking forward to this summer.
But you know what? I'm loving this time, this now time, too. =)

An Avery Studios Production

2011-03-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

Starring

Aidan

Anna

and Abigail

Filmed, edited and produced by Avery.

Disclaimer: Our house is not always in such disarray..

abcdefghij.......

2011-03-08T14:56:00.003-07:00

I forgot to add earilier when I posted the following,
that this was in an e-mail I received from my sister
in law.

Although things are not perfect,
Because of trial or pain,
Continue in thanksgiving
Don't even think to blame.
Even when the times are hard,
Fierce winds are bound to blow,
God is forever able
Hold on to what you know.
Imagine life without His love,
Joy would cease to be,
Keep thanking Him for all the things
Love imparts thee to see.
Move out of ' Camp Complaining ',
No weapon that is known
On earth can yield the power
Praise can do alone.
Quit worrying about the future,
Redeem the time at hand,
Start every day with prayer
To 'thank' is God's command.
Until we see Him coming,
Victorious in the sky,
We'll run the race with gratitude,
eXalting God most high.
Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...
Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

It's cracking! The ice is cracking!

2011-01-13T23:35:00.001-07:00

We had dreamt of a white Christmas...

2011-01-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

but Christmas Day in Colorado was sunny and 50 degrees outside. We should have had a Christmas picnic.
However, our New Years time was white and arctic, with the high on New Years Eve being 7 degrees. Brrr!

This year was truly one of the best holiday seasons I remember having. I was pretty bummed about the snowless Christmas, but we got to spend a ton of time together as a family and it was so enjoyable! We did a lot of the same things we do every year, and quite a few new things. We had so much fun.
We are so greatly blessed!

* * * *

This is just a verse from a song that especially struck a chord with me this year:

God rest ye merry, gentlemen,

Let nothing ye dismay!

Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day!

(It was really neat because I was thinking about how awesome those words were, and then this song was talked about at our church's Christmas service. =)
Sing the words. Think about it. We can remain strong! There's nothing to dismay about! He has come. Christ, our Savior, was born on Christmas Day!

* * * *

I had my camera on the wrong setting for most of these, aaand I can't try to fix them because of random issues we're having with our laptops... nevertheless, here are some of the few pictures I've taken this month.

Opening presents at home.

The best parents ever =)

Aidan & Andrew T. at Grandma & Grandpa's

Anna

Allison

Blurry Allen. He got a rifle.

Our family pictures 2010

This will be untitled.

2010-11-15T23:17:00.001-07:00

I think I would like to pass the family blog baton on to... someone else.

Maybe Allison.
[Help us out, woman.]

I noticed that we haven't posted since September!

This is a very pathetic state of things.

Well, Andrea turned 18 last month.
She is now my only adult sibbling.

Happy Birthday, roomie!
(Cue the confetti.)

: * : ' : * : ' : * : ' : * : ' :
: ' : * : ' : * : ' : * : ' : * :

: * : ' : * : ' : * : ' : * : ' :

[I'm sorry I missed it in the blog world, and that I'm too lazy to do a cool post now. But, I did post all your senior pictures... I think that counts for something. Plus, check out that internet confetti I just typed up.
Also, you just whacked me with a neon green pipe. That hurt a little bit. So, now we are even.]

In other news:

- Some one at Starbucks told me I look like Jessica Simpson. hahahah.
- I decided that I am not a Calvinist. Nope. I simply agree with his doctrine of grace.
- We watched the Book of Eli last night. It was thiiiis close to being great. We came up with an alternate ending that I think would be pretty awesome. If we watch it again, I'll turn it off toward the end and just play the right ending in my mind.
- I have tiny veins.
- Andrea got some awesome jeans.
- I would like to buy an 'amburger.
- (My family has a strange sense of humor.)
- Hot chocolate is good for you.
- Aidan isn't sure where he's gonna find a wife.
- Allison is good at Scrabble.
- Oh! We also watched Robin Hood with Russel Crowe. I thought I didn't like him, but now I may have a slight crush... haha. It was a pretty good movie. I'd recommend it.
- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We finally got our first snow. And I have to admit, I'm realizing that I actually love winter. There's just something about having an excuse to cuddle up inside all day surrounded by family. It just lends itself to thankfulness and contentment and. *happy sigh*

Catching Up

2010-09-21T12:59:00.001-06:00

Wellll it's been awhile, but I can say that we've been busy!
So to make up for the lack of posts on my part, here's a big one looking back at a few highlights of the last few months in the Fountain Home.

We hosted a baby shower for a sweet friend in... July? who had her 10th child just a few days ago. We got to hold the baby 3 hours after she was born. =)

Putting the finishing touches on the fruit torte.

Her friends and family. =)

Outline, outline, outline, paint, paint, cut, cut, snip, cut, cut, cut.

Daddy turned 46! We had some friends over and had a great day. Happy Birthday, again, Daddy!

One of my mom's aunts was visiting from California, and my mom's brother and his family were in town from Tulsa as well. We had everyone over and celebrated Aunt Esther's birthday.

Hehe, I love this picture. Grandma and two of her sisters telling a story from their childhood.

Like father, like son.

Aunt Esther, Grandma, Aunt Joanne, and Aunt Lorraine. Almost all the sisters. =)

I love the sky out here!

We celebrated Andrew T.'s, Allison's, and Grandpa's birthdays at our grandparents houes in August. They wouldn't slow down and let me snap a picture of anything but the cake...

And here's a lovely shot someone got of the back of our heads.

At the end of July, I ended up getting a job at Starbucks. I'm a certified barista! Soon to be a certified trainer. That's right. haha. It was neat because I wasn't even looking for a job, or really even planning on looking. The opportunity pretty much fell into my lap, and after some prayer and obvious answers from God, I decided to take it.

A quick note: This is silly, but I was hesitant at first because, despite having my own father's hearty stamp of approval, I was thinking, "What are certain people gonna think?" I know there are those who are gonna go, "Gasp! A WOMAN. Outside. The home. This is terrible. She is terrible." But then I realized, why do I even care what people like that think? Besides the blatant hypocrisy from those sources, it's obvious in Scripture that I'm not forbidden from holding a position outside the home. I could write a whole thing on this. But I won't. I'll just finish and say that I'm glad I had to overcome my "fear" of man, and just stand firm and confidently in Him. This pushed me to the point where I really don't need anyone's approval but God's! Not that I want to shirk all genuine, good authorities or anything like that, but I think too often we make our decisions based on other people, and not the true Word of God.

Anyway, it's going really well. The customers are all great, and it's fun memorizing their drinks. =) My shifts fit in perfectly with the rest of my day.

Alllsooo, a couple weeks ago, I got braces! I know what you're thinking- "But your teeth are so nice!" (haha aren't I vain?) Anyway, I went in just to get a retainer because I noticed a few years ago that my teeth were starting to shift, and I didn't want them to go further. Our family's orthodontist decided that he'd just fix my teeth all the way for just the cost of the retainer. And I only have to wear the braces for 6 weeks. Woohoo.

Check 'em out:

(I woke up from a nap (I've been sick and stuffy..) and thought, "Hm, I need some sort of record of my braces.")

More news:

A few weeks ago we became members of a really sweet church in Castle Rock that we've been attending since about May. I love it.

After that, both Anna and Aidan were baptized! I think Daddy's becoming more and more Presbyterian... =)

We also recently went to the zoo. Andrea has some new found income (she's been published a few times in our local paper, and Grandma has been selling Andrea's coloring books), so she treated the family. She had the younger children write reports on some of the animals, and that's how they earned their ticket. They were excited to point out which animals they had researched.
I didn't have my amazing camera when we went. =( But we did have other cameras, so the day was not all lost.

So huge! And I think this one was "only" 16' long.

Komodo Dragon.

Feeding the giraffes.

(A soundtrack occasionally accompanies our lives...)

The lions... We didn't get to feed them. =( But they came really close!

The budgies.

Contrary to popular belief and jokes, I overcame my fear of birds looong ago. So there. I was perfectly fine being in that cage.

(But I guess I might have had a problem if it was a bunch of crows landing on us... shudder.)

A one minute and thirty second recap of the rest of the zoo:

Now I can't decide if I would rather be an eagle or an otter if I were an animal... flight or aquatics? That is the question.

(Aaand upon further thought, I think the answer is flight.)

Oh, we also so a bear in the wild later that day. As we were packing up our picnic we were warned that a bear was heading up the creek. We finished up, put the little ones in the car and went to check it out. He was a pretty small black bear. But he was fat. So, so fat. Haha Allen said that if it wanted to hurt us, it would have had to roll over us.

Until next time!

And The World Looks On In Amazement

2010-09-18T11:32:00.000-06:00

as it discovers that a family in Colorado has invented the next Olympic sport.

Extreme Stroller Stunt Riding.

Observe these two talented young athletes.

Fun. :-)

Happy Birthday to You!

2010-08-09T18:56:00.000-06:00

Happy happy birthday

From all of us to you!

We wish it was our birthday

So we get presents too!

Happy happy birthday!

May all your dreams come true!

We wish it was our birthday

So we get wishes too!

Andrew Thomas Fountain was born on August 9, 1999 at 5:59 p.m. Since then, he has grown into a wonderful, loving, sweet, sensitive, hardworking little brother, and we all love him sooo much!

Happy birthday, A.T., and may you always have a deep and abiding love for the Lord! May He continue to bless you all the days of your life!

Andrea's Senior Pictures!

2010-07-14T21:53:00.000-06:00

Andrea and I went to a park last week and took her senior pictures.

I'm happy with how the turned out!

She is so beautiful, inside and out.
And I don't care how cliched that sounds.
Best sister I could have ever asked for!

New Pictures

2010-07-12T11:29:00.000-06:00

I finally updated that sidebar to your right. It seems like everyone's changed quite a bit!

More pics:

She. is. way. too. cute.

Bess. =)
I looove this picture.
Anna's 5 but she still has adorable, baby qualities and mannerisms. Look at that babyish excitement on her face! (And she wasn't hamming it up for the camera.)

Abigal calling for Bess.

A girl and her dog.
Abigail has such a nurturing spirit, and takes greart care of Bess. She's always making sure she has water in her bowl and food to eat. She loves giving her treats occasionally.

My little sisters. =)

Oh boy, he's cute. =)
He had that scab between his eyebrows so it looked like he had a unibrow all week. haha! I forget how he got it, but he did tell me the story. He is the most expressive little guy ever, and all his expressions were even more exaggerated with the unibrow.

Hee hee.

Silly.

Mr. Handsome.

Fun. =)

Beautiful Sisters

This is Mommy's favorite of me, so I feel a little obligated to post it...

The End.

Andrea's New Blog

2010-07-10T19:47:00.000-06:00

This is Andrea speaking, ladies and gentlemen, and I am here to inform you that I've made my own blog! (Hold your applause)
So! If you'd like, you can drop by. In fact, please do. :-)
http://www.anotherfountaingirl.blogspot.com/

A Project

2010-07-08T15:36:00.001-06:00

I took this, this, and this,

and easily made

this

(below),

and turned this clutter

into (somewhat...) decorative clutter.

haha.

Such an accomplishment! =)

It was easy and fairly inexpensive. I found the frame (with picture) for only $5 at Goodwill and the fabric was on sale at Hobby Lobby (a yard for about $4.60). The corkboard I got was $17. I didn't really shop around- I'm sure I could've found a better deal.

I popped the picture and the glass out of the frame, and trimmed the corkboard to fit. I asked Avery if he'd trim it for me.

I don't think such a large saw was exactly necessary... =)

I smeared some tacky glue on the front of the board in some spots, laid it facedown down on the wrong side of the fabric, and then folded over and glued the fabric to the back. Easy peasy!

To Our E-mail Subscribers

2010-07-08T09:55:00.000-06:00

Hi, everyone!
We just wanted to ask that when you receive an alert from us, if you would please visit the blog instead of reading it from the e-mail. That way, you can leave comments here, instead of sending them to our e-mail.
Thanks! =)
Hope you're enjoying this blog.

Sewing at Grandma's

2010-06-30T10:40:00.000-06:00

SUPRISE! It's Allison. You may not know me because I have only done one blog. Yet I am here!

The last blog I did was that lame bird blog.

Well, I hope this entertains you as much as Andrea and Amy's blogs entertain you.

The other day Mommy, Amy, Andrea and I went to Grandma's house to learn how to make a nightgown. Now you have to understand that we have never EVER read a pattern before, besides my blanket patterns.

So we had a lot to learn. Grandma was very nice to have us over and teach us. When we were all younger Grandma used to make us dresses, and little shorts and stuff. She still makes dresses for Abigail and Anna. I thought reading patterns was going to be amazingly hard, but it wasn't. I guess we picked an easy pattern or something. It was a really nice little activity.

The three Anns.
Bettty Ann,
Ann Therese,
Allison Ann.
(By the way, I was crouching. I am taller than Mommy)

Amy and I were making fun of Andrea because she was cutting really jagged lines.
Laughing made it worse.

Grandma was explaining to Mommy that since Andrea was left handed,
she needed special scissors.
Ha.

Those shorts were the weirdest things before they were put together.

Here is the sewing procces put into list form: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut,
sew, iron, cut, cut, cut, cut, sew, cut, cut, cut, cut, sew, iron, cut some more,
sew some more, and we're done.
Personally, cutting is my least favorite part.

Finishing touches.

The finished product! I don't know about you, but I think
that looks pretty cute.

All in all, I had a really fun time. Lots of laughs, learned a lot, and had a great time with my family.

The Silent Whistle

2010-06-25T17:59:00.002-06:00

A little girl in the schoolyard
Watched John get kicked and hit
And wanted to tell the teacher
But her earnest tongue she bit!
She couldn’t, for the life of her,
Speak up for poor John’s sake
So she kept her head down quiet
And watched as John’s spirit brake.
Afraid, she was, to tell the truth
And didn’t quite know why.
She’d rather watch her friend get hurt
And shut her ears to his cry.

A businessman strode down the halls
Of that thriving corporate place
And asked himself if he should tell
Of Robert’s theft from Grace
It sure was wrong— undoubtedly!
Might cause their firm to fall…
But he couldn’t open up his mouth
He couldn’t speak at all.
He should really blow the whistle—
It would be the right thing to do…
But fear and pride kept his mouth shut tight.
Would they do that to you?

A sociable man of middle-age
Sees Freddy flirt with Jane
And wonders— should he tell her
Fred will only cause her pain?
He’s seen the girls fall hard for Fred,
Watched him work his smiling arts
But he’s seen the tragic, tearful end
Those poor girls’ broken hearts
Sweet Jane, he knows, is next in line
Fred will ravage and leave her for dead
But he shakes his head and shuts his mouth
And down he puts his head.

People, all. Like you and me.
They can’t stand up and speak
Afraid to warn when they know they ought
When they should be strong, they’re weak.
Well, suppose someone labeled their courage as sin
Or someone said (wrongly), “That's bad!
You oughtn’t be gossiping like you are.”
Or talk makes the bosses get mad.
But why don’t we say what we know to be true?
Why keep our mouths shut tight?
Why hide the truth in a quiet box
And shove it far out of sight?
Sometimes, my friends, it’s better
To get up and raise a shout.
If there’s a thing that shouldn’t be
Seize it and drag it out!
Don’t let the wrong stay hidden—
I think that’s half the fight.
To tell yourself to just get up
And proclaim to the world what’s right.
Most of the trouble in this world’s
Not caused by wicked guys
It’s not the men who steal and kill
That wreck the world with their lies.
Rather, the men who see it
And won’t say a single word.
Evil’s allowed to exist in the world
When the truth ain’t allowed to be heard.

Good Times with Good Friends

2010-06-21T11:09:00.000-06:00

Allen, Amy, and I went to the CHEC conference this week. I was sitting with Rachel, who had one of the Youth Vendor tables. She was selling lovely little tissue pouches and hair ornaments, with which I was absolutely smitten. I’ve never seen such charming designs! I shared the table with her, selling coloring books. Sitting in a plastic chair at a small table for three days straight may not seem like great fun (unless, of course, one has Rachel for one’s companion), but some good friends showed up and sat there with us, and we had a grand time.

I showed up with only a dollar to my name, a crate full of coloring books, and a box of colored pencils. The dollar I promptly squandered on a pencil sharpener, which we actually put to good use coloring some books that had water damage. Hailey and I then decided to do a sociological experiment, which consisted of asking
twelve people we knew for a dime and seeing who would loosen their pockets (Amy’s idea). At the end we
decided that we could form one of two conclusions: Either: a) More than 66% of our acquaintances (you know who you are) are parsimonious weasels or b) Nobody trusts us. We went with the former. Rachel and Savannah got Gold Stars of Awesomeness because they both offered us twenty cents. Another generous fellow very obligingly presented us with a whole quarter. He insisted upon us keeping it, upon which we very cunningly slipped it back into his unsuspecting pocket. We couldn’t resist testing our ninja skills. I am not actually sure how well we executed our experiment, because we never got further than, “Can you give us a….” before bursting into paroxysms of laughter. That sort of thing tends to arouse unreasoning doubts as to one’s motives. Allen and his posse were supremely suspicious and demanded to know what we were using the money for. The injustice of their distrust was hurtful, very hurtful. I’m not sure what is going on in their lives that they can’t trust two sweet, angelic girls like us, but there it is….

We ate our meals outside the building, which did not welcome food. We sat under a tree that continually rained debris and insects upon our heads and spotted several very large and unattractive rats, one of which Whitney tried to slay by hurling a slice of apple at it. The plan, though brilliant, backfired due to the unforeseen circumstance of apples being edible. The rat was overjoyed with his “gift.” And so that episode made for more laughs, especially when Amy did an imitation of somebody bludgeoning a rodent to death with a piece of pie.

The highlight of our half-week was the discovery that we were on the news!!! Yes. The five o’clock news. Some gentlemen from 9 News came and interviewed the youth vendor whose table was directly behind ours, and their cameras accidentally captured the backs of Rachel’s, Hailey’s, and my heads. So now we are TV stars. We try not to let it go to our heads, but I found myself snapping my fingers at people and calling them “underling” the next day even more than I usually do. But fame hasn’t spoiled me. I’ve always been insufferable. All in all, we had a wonderful three days, full of giggles and good times. Come to think of it, I didn’t actually talk much. It was mostly laughing about nonsense; things like asking each other if we had a plethora of piñatas and saying, “Push out, chicken.”

It is this sort of thing that makes for marvelous friendships: good times. Good memories. It doesn’t always have to be about deep talks and important conversations, although a healthy friendship needs plenty of those. Sometimes, instead of being grave and having serious conversations, it’s better to just be friends together. Laughter and happiness brings us closer. The Bible speaks truly when it tells us that a merry spirit brings health to the bones. A heaping helping of silly is good for you! Gravity has its place, and a very large place it is, but fun is a blessing from God! He wants His children to be merry. I love my friends and family for having serious conversations with me, for making me a better and deeper person and pointing things out that I‘d never thought of before. But I think that what really seals the friendship is the laughter we share.

Footprints in the River

2010-06-16T16:43:00.002-06:00

I wrote this for some of my very best friends who I will cherish and remember always.
I love you guys. :-)

Travelling down this watery highway
Of a memory never made
Making footprints in the river
That are swiftly washed away.

Hear the whispered song of water
As it shapes the pebbles smooth
Watch the sun dance on the river
Or the white rays of the moon.

Only footprints in the river--
Is that what I'll someday be?
Only footprints in the river--
Just a memory of a dream.

I've been happy in the place I'm at
But I now must travel on
Only footprints in the river--
Here today, tomorrow gone.

Only footprints in the river--
Shifting sand of yesterday
Takes the memory that I want to leave
And washes it away.

Only footprints in the river--
I'll still know you when I'm gone.
I'll know your name and see your face
Even after I've passed on.

The footprints in the river...
They were there once, now no more
Like the time we spent together
Like the sand washed from the shore.

Only footprints in the river--
I'll remember 'til the end
I wish I could have known you always
But you'll ever be my friend.

Yes, the footprints in the river...
Though they are not there today
I'll remember how we made them
Though they now are washed away.

All those footprints in the river
Made together, hand-in-hand
Made with laughter, joy, and talking
In the river's changing sand.

Only footprints in the river--
All the time we ever shared
The world can't see our footprints
But I'll always know they're there.

Don't forget the prints I leave you
Keep them always close to heart
And I'll cherish all your footprints
Though today we have to part.

I will not forget your friendship
You'll be always dear to me
Like our footprints in a river
In a hidden summer creek.

Our Back Yard

2010-06-12T18:23:00.001-06:00

I like it. =)

Allen

K was offended I accidentally snapped this picture of his "volleyball stance!"

from the deck

Abby girl

Volley ball and badminton.
We've got a great set-up.

Badminton is the one sport that can make you look like an absolute fool! Any other sport, you just look like you're bad it it or maybe a little uncoordinated. Badminton, on the other hand, makes a person look like a blind, bumbling dummy when you flail at that little, floaty birdie. Which is why it makes an especially great family game.
=)

The Fountain Castle.
When we got this 7 years ago, my one request was that we find something tall enough for even me to use the monkey bars. And I can! Joy.
We also have one higher swing for all us older kids. Swinging is the best!

Friends.

Thank you, God!

Just A(my)'s Blog...

2010-06-12T12:45:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already, please stop by my blog! =)

www.justamysblog.blogspot.com

Leaving Neverland

2010-06-04T09:33:00.000-06:00

Avery turned thirteen recently. He has officially joined the ranks of teenager-hood, thus upping our numbers to the hideously enormous sum of five. And do you know what follows?

The majority of the Fountain children are teenagers. Not cool.

I don’t want us to grow up. When you grow up, you leave. It’s hard to realize that someday we’re not all going to be the Fountain Children any more. We won’t even be the Fountain Adults. We’re going to be “those kids of Ann and Andrew’s who all got married and have their own families now.” We won’t really be brothers and sisters any more. I mean, we will, but not every day. We won’t share bedrooms. We’re not going to eat our meals together. There’s not going to be the loud, jostling, cheerful racket around the dinner table, and we won’t be sharing silly stories about bowling last night. We won’t be tickling and teasing each other all the time. We won’t be in the same house as each other. Not even the same neighborhood, probably, and maybe not even the same state.

We’re already kind of grown up, some of us. Allison and I used to have this game we played unfailingly very single day. We were twin princesses, Ann and Anna, and people were always chasing us, so we ran into the forest and ate berries to live. Sometimes we’d have to swim through rivers and climb eighty-foot trees and commandeer large ships. Or sometimes we’d disguise ourselves as maids-of-all-work and take jobs in restaurants (those were the times we had to do our chores, and it wasn’t work at that point; it was a fairy tale adventure). I remember clearly the very last time we played Princesses, how the realization that I didn’t want to any more hit me in the stomach like a boxer’s glove. I remember how awful it was that we’d grown out of our favorite game, and how I wondered what we’d do with ourselves. Now that we’re grown-ups, Allison and I don’t play pretend any more. We have bigger things to do. But you know something? I know Allison on a much deeper level than I ever could have when I was ten, and she knows me. We’re quieter now, and we don’t play silly games, but we love each other all the more for the seriousness. The sister connection runs deeper when you’re sharing your hearts rather than your toys. The magic of childhood has pretty much vanished, but something new has replaced it, and I kind of like it. We still laugh and tease, and we are still silly sometimes. We’ll always be sisters, despite this new thing called growing up. The only thing I don’t really like is the idea that someday soon my sisters will be kidnapped by dastardly strangers who claim they love them, but at heart are nothing more than sister-poachers. I’ve got my eye on those men.

Amy’s going to be twenty soon, and I just know that on the very day of her birthday some tall, handsome, well-dressed stranger on a white horse is going to come and whisk her away, and where will I be then? A roommate short, that’s where. I will stand in the dust and watch by best friend and only older sister gallop off into the sunset. She’ll be gone. I will be the oldest. But I can’t do it like Amy. Amy knows everything. She knows what to do and when to do it, and I don’t. I don’t know who her husband is going to be, but I do know that I resent him deeply. And then Allen is going to set his eyes upon some pretty, curly-haired girl with a beautiful smile, and I’ll be bawling at his wedding. And pretty Allison has no chance. I’m going to blink and she’ll have six kids.

We’ll call each other on the phone all the time and swap stories about our new families. We’ll have dinner at each other’s houses and things. We’ll still be very close, and I am certain that parting won’t make an enormous difference in our relationships. But it will never be the same. We can’t just look across the table at each other on a summer day and yell “Water fight!” and run outside. We won’t be everything to each other any more. We won’t be immediate family; we’ll be secondary family.

New lives.

I know it is God’s plan that a man should leave his father and mother and cleave unto his wife, and that the two should become one flesh, and it’s a wonderful, beautiful, exciting plan. It truly is. I suppose that it will be even better than where I am now to have my own family someday. I just… I don’t know whether it’s bad or good to have a family so wonderful that you never ever want to leave them. All I know is that the first man who mentions the word “court” in Amy’s presence I’ll be very tempted to set the dog on. It’s selfish, I know. You would think that someone with an imagination as big as mine would be able to think up a wonderful new life for each and every one of us, and I can do it for everyone else, but somehow it doesn’t work out quite right for me without my family.

I guess I just don’t know what it’s like to love my own family. Not the family I’m in, but the family that will belong to me. I don’t know what it’s like to be married or have children. The children part I can kind of imagine, through the loud, messy, frustrating, yet delightful experience of owning a dog. I don’t know. I’m just being silly, I guess. Mommy says it’s the best thing in the world, and I’m sure it is. I know it is, else why would it be in God’s plan? Ah, there we have an inescapable argument! The God who loves us introduced it from the very beginning, so we know we’re just going to be leaping from a great place to a fantastic one. I am satisfied now. And what makes it even better is that I know I will have years and yeeeeeears to have my brothers and sisters all to myself. Most of them, anyway. Stupid Amy is walking closer and closer to the leaping point, but that can’t be helped. She will always be my older sister and my best friend, no matter how soon that tall, handsome stranger comes banging on our door. I guess things will change, but since I am certain they won’t get worse, and by definition they cannot remain the same, logically the only option that remains to us is that things will improve greatly when we’re all grown up.

Suddenly leaving Neverland isn’t looking so bad after all.

Jungle Gym

2010-05-18T21:24:00.000-06:00

We got our playset up today! Two industrious gentlemen from Rainbow Play Systems very graciously consented to be stared at by five eager children for two hours as they labored to reassemble the jungle gym. They were rewarded by a plate of chocolate chip cookies, which they mistakenly believed to be funnel cake when they smelled 'em baking.

The glorious result is pictured below.

The brave soldier scaling the wall, weapon in hand

This structure is enormous!

Our pretty Alice, who loves the playset as much as the smallest of the little people.

The view from our kitchen window

Just Some Random Pictures With A Cowboy Hat

2010-05-05T15:12:00.000-06:00

He had no idea I put the hat on him.