A fun month of busy work. The Scouts had their annual pine straw fundraiser again after a break last year due to some COVID issues. This was actually the last event in 2020 where we all attended before the next week, everything shut down. It is so weird already thinking that really happened 2 years ago. But the boys were back in business and unloaded a truckload of 1300 bales of pinestraw, and delivered it within about 7 hours.
The girls continued their leadership class at church, and had some practice leading songs and leading a short lesson. They also get many opportunities to have girl parties at Mrs. Janie's house. I think the girls also had some fun mentor gatherings below as well. The girls also did some heavy baking this month earning service hours, but also serving many of our older ladies and sick ones with some treats.
Directly after the pine straw sale, I headed down to Dothan for a week for a Cyber Inspection. And talked our team into getting some pictures with the Nuclear Peanut...I don't know what these pokemon cards were, but they looked funny, so I included them...We had a quick trip with just me and Davis and Ruby to the zoo. Ruby had not been in quite a long time to the Birmingham Zoo, so it was fun to walk around and enjoy a pretty day. I don't know if Ruby will remember, but she thought it was so funny when a family behind us kept picking on a "Ryan" when there was a horrible smell near the giraffes. So I played right along, turned and yelled "Ryan, that was terrible, DO NOT do that again, Please!" Hahaha. Ruby looked at me like I was crazy, Davis didn't think anything was abnormal, then Ruby later laughed at Daddy yelling at "Ryan". Anything for those smiles...Some small group pictures at Mrs Retha's house below...and my favorite thing to do on Sunday mornings is to snap the little ones pics when they are all in class. Now they know I will do it, and they try to catch me when I walk by.
And probably the dominate set of pictures below is our visit from Eloise. I think Marcus and Emily were at our house with her, but don't remember much of their visit, just Eloise. Ruby and I were a friend's (Kennedy) bowling birthday party, and when we got home they were at our house. Ruby told us the next day "I had a super fun day, and when we got home, ELOISE WAS THERE too!" It was a great visit, and she had us all to her attention, even riding the "roller coaster" thru the hallway.
And the only other story I had for this month was of my first visit to Ruby's school to meet her for lunch. I was very excited, and we had been talking about me coming for a while. But on this day, she knew I was coming that week, but not on this particular day. I had us both a glass bottle coca cola. I had her a happy meal from McDonalds, and I was excited to surprise her for lunch. And she has recess a little longer than the rest of her class so she was a little behind them. So when she saw me, I could see her big smile, but also that she was red faced from some running. We walked into the lunch room, and sat down at the parent table. She looked at me, then started gagging. "Run out to the hallway, right now to the bathroom" and she did. And made it to puke. Ruby has some reflux issues we are working thru, and any excitement or stress seems to trigger these episodes (or so we know now). So she came back to the lunch room, then she was scared and worried that she would be sent home because she threw up. So now I am in just console and help Ruby calm down mode...lunch just gets put to the side. So like a good dad, I tell her "Hey, I am not going to tell your teacher, and you don't have to either. We both know you are not sick, and you just got over excited"...which seems to help a bit. So basically I spent then the next 15 minutes trying to keep her calm and laughing and scored a hit asking her if she wanted to take her happy meal under her shirt to eat later. She laughed super hard, so hard, that I laughed hard too, and while it was really not that funny, we both needed some relief from this stressful lunch. So I learned a lesson that day...don't try and surprise Ruby for lunch. And she had a great happy meal snack when she got home from school that day.
And the bottom pictures are of Ruby paying for her and Ms. Lisa's meal one night at Chicken Fry'd. Lisa said she was so nervous and wanted to make sure she had the right amount before she got to the cashier. Then got hand sweaty nervous with the money and change received, but I am so glad Lisa captured this moment, because it is little moments like this where you feel so big at doing these things others may see as insignificant. Ruby and I shared a moment just a few nights ago, where I failed as a Dad because I didn't see how big other similar moments are in her life, how scary things can be for others no matter how much assurance you try to provide that all is OK. I hope I can slow down more, and recognize the "big" moments in others lives...and that last picture helps me see a joy and those inner feelings that I can often overlook.
