Hamilton's New Obsession

A few mornings ago I went in the nursery to get Hamilton out of his crib, and he was sticking out his tongue. He continued to play with his tongue all day, sticking it in and out of his mouth--like he'd just discovered that he could do that. Maybe he did.

Claire's Favorite Part

During Claire's birthday week at school, she received letters from each of the kids in her class and the teacher. Claire has been talking about these letters for months now, especially as she's seen other kids getting their letters on their birthdays. The kids write letters telling the birthday student what they like or admire about him; they also write about what books they're reading and what they're currently learning in school. Thinking about what nice things will be written about her has been so exciting for Claire.

Last Sunday evening at dinner Claire read the letters to us: You are awesome, You are such a great friend, You are a smart student, You are fun and entergetic, and on and on the letters went. I can see why she was so excited to receive them. We laughed at the crazy things some kids wrote, enjoying especially Max's letter.Dear Claire, I think you are very nice, funny, and athetec. I have two dogs a yorky Poodle, and a Shit-zu yes Shit-zu. That is a weard name Max is to. I am reading the book the Battle of the labrith. I have learned laten stems this week. Your friend Max.

I guess Max is accustomed to reiterating the name of his dog's breed.

Claire's Birthday Party

For Claire's 10th birthday party, we decided a low-key party would be best. We invited three school chums to join us for a few hours at Blackbeard's Cove. The girls picked outdoor laser tag as one of their activities, and Mr. Morgan and I joined in the game, too. I was struck by how different laser tag would have been if we'd been playing with four 10-year-old boys instead of girls. The highlight of the day was playing arcade games and winning tickets, enabling them to redeem the tickets for overpriced, imported toys. This game is a kids version of roulette where the girls pick a color they think the ball will land on. If the ball lands in their colored spot, they win tickets.Claire was so excited that her friend Maggie could come to the party, since Maggie is no longer at Claire's school. (She's homeschooled now.)After several hours of fun and arcade food, the girls, (from left) Chandler, Maggie, Claire, and Samantha, reluctantly loaded in the car to head home.

Haiti

Our good friend John Eckley (in the green shirt) is currently serving with Water Missions International in Haiti, providing clean drinking water to the earthquake victims. He's been there over a week now, and they've made tremendous progress setting up ten water treatment systems. These specially designed systems take just an hour to set up, and they provide clean drinking water for 5,000 people per day.

If you're interested in donating any money for the cause, donate through Haiti Renewal who will match any donation amount.

Sweet, Little, Naked Boy

When I'm changing Hamilton's clothes, I like to sing a song I made up called, "Sweet, Little, Naked Boy." And those are the words. It's a silly song, but he loves it. While I'll spare you my rendition, here's a video of our sweet, little, naked boy.