Another month has gone, and while most of the pictures were pulled to other blogs, here are the ones that remain, with a few stories from this month.
Davis went with Cole to Gatlinburg. They got to do the mountain coaster at Ober Gatlingburg. They got to visit Klingman's dome and Cades Cove. They saw the mountains that I have not seen in quite a while, and it made me want to visit.
The boys and I participated in our Honduras presentation to the church. Magan grabbed some pics from the presentation. I spoke about the work we did in the schools, while the boys talked about the Old Friends that we got to see again, and the new friends we met.
Sam is now gone, but he has been good to check in with us periodically on facetime. I remember the first call, and Magan screamed to the whole house "It's Sammy! Everybody come to the living room. Sam is on the phone". So he is the current celebrity. He sent us the picture of the golden statue of Saban to which I asked "do they play music three times a day, and all must bow down at the statue". But now looking at the picture, I can see he is doing a pretty good impression of the coach. I did not see it at first, but I can definitely see it now. Magan was super excited to take Belle to her dentist this last week, because Sam met her in McCalla and they got to eat together.
In studying Genesis this quarter, I am getting to teach Ruby on Wednesday nights, and having the best time with this group of girls. We made some "Coat of Many Colors" one night, and while they did not wear them, Ruby was so proud of her coloring, that it is still hanging (for now) in her bedroom. We also were doing the human bible timeline, and I turned around to see Ruby making little timeline pieces that they could stick on each other...so she made that game much better.
"Dad, when did you get these coupons" Ruby would ask me tonight after dinner at Huddle House. Then the girls all laughed because they know that advertisements are made just for me, and the pictures quickly make me want to go there to eat. And Davis may remember this night where we thought he was going to eat with Rick May, but Rick May was not coming. I got the message incorrect, and told Davis we were going out to eat...and I never invited him, nor did I even bring him leftovers. Oh well.
The tooth fairy was late for two nights in a row one weekend, while Dad and the boys were out camping. Mom told me later about how the tooth fairy missed the first night, but she told Ruby sometimes that happens. After the second night, we assumed the tooth fairy was just confused because Ruby had actually lost the tooth. Dad was blown away because the tooth fairy typically does not miss two days in a row. But dad had a talk with Ruby and we figured it was due to the lost tooth. But that night the tooth fairy came, and left a little note about being late. The fairy even drew Ruby a cute little picture of itself, with a funny picture of someone that had lost some teeth. The fairy loved the purse that Ruby had made for her, and told Ruby she would keep looking for that lost tooth.
I came home on a Wednesday night running a little late. Me and Ruby had to rush to prep the Winn Dixie paper bags for the joseph story, and I sent her into the kitchen to make us some sandwiches. Later when we came home from church, and Magan noticed that we had not eaten the supper she cooked, she was upset. "But I never saw the supper" I told her, then looked at the crock pot that she had put cooking right next to my drawer where I keep all of my stuff. It was obviously right in front of me, and neither me nor Ruby ever saw the full dinner she made for us.
Ruby had a bad series of events that may have driven her mom mad, so I just stayed away. I made milk shakes for the girls one night, and then she accidentally spilled the whole milkshake in the living room. No more milkshakes in the living room. The next night, after a hard day at work, she was sad that she had spilt her milkshake and there was no more ice cream. Then Magan and Belle and Davis just stood mouths open jaws dropped as I jumped back in my car to get to Dollar General for my sweet girl to have a milk shake. Maybe a bit spoiled, but she is my buddy. Then on the following Sunday while getting ready for church on Sunday morning, with the difficulty of picking a dress for three girls, Ruby was telling both Belle and Mom about her plans for the day, and she does alot of motions with her hands as she describes things...then with a twirl, she knocked the coffee over into the open drawers of make-up, and continued with her twirl knocking coffee on all the dresses. I was out on the whitewater rafting trip, so I don't know what was said by Magan, but I would be surprised if she didn't have to go up front after services.
Quick story that still makes me laugh. Belle came home one day when she had not seen Davis all weekend, and she looked at him with his dark tan, and said "Oh, I thought mom had hired a worker for a minute there".
And there were many fun moments at the dinner table this month...moments that I treasure. Sam's seat will soon be empty and now is at the end of the month. It is a strange feeling. I remember just a sadness at the first Sunday, after church setting plates at Bojangles...one less. All are sad, but he is doing well, and meeting new friends, and learning how to be on his own. All of that said, there are a few moments around the dinner table that I just sat back and watched like one of those amazing tv shows, because ours to me is better than any. It is better than the Goldbergs, better than the Wonder Years, maybe not to others, but to me, in these moments towards the end of our togetherness...I watched us all laugh at Mom for banging her head into the headboard when half asleep. We all told our tales of sleeping in class, with my favorite Jay Reid story falling out of his desk in Mr. Johnson's class. All laughing around the dinner table together. I went to a Labor day gathering today with my parents and siblings, and it was there for us...so maybe we have have the same many years from now. I love every one of you guys. Yall make every day magical.
And the last story is me taking Ruby to the UV light treatments downtown for the first time. Magan kept texting me all day because she was afraid I would forget, but all was good, I checked her out of school fine, we came back home for a bit, then left to UAB. Ruby was funny in that she was blown away that I did not have Waze up to show us the way. I told her I thought I could remember, and I was pretty sure she could help me if I did not. And we did make it almost all the way there, and when we missed a turn, she told me after we missed it. At the treatment center, Ruby is a Pro, but I had no idea what was going on. The nurse at the front desk, said you guys can just go on to the room, and Ruby led me to the room. Then she told me to turn around while she got changed. Then she put on her little goggles and told me "I am going to go into this box, when I do, you press that white button on the wall". I was not a pro and asked my little girl in a panicked voice "What is going to happen when I press that button? Shouldn't a nurse come help me know what I am supposed to do?" She replied "No dad, when you press the button, the nurse will come in and set the time on the box". She looked at me with a little impatience, flipped a switch on the box that said fan, and then closed the door. So I pushed the button. And nurse came in, set timer, left, then after timer went off, ruby came out. "Turn around dad" she told me. And then she redressed, and I said what next. She said "Now we get the doctors excuse for school", and she walked out and got the excuse from the receptionist, who looked up at me and said "We had it ready, because your wife said you would not remember". Hahahaha, this trip cracked me up. I felt like the dad in all those Disney kid's shows...just the dumb guy that knows how to drive the kids, but other than that is a complete dunce. Oh well, I got a coffee at Dunkin on our way back to the car, and Ruby got her a chocolate covered donut. And then we came home...well once Ruby told me the right that took us directly back to 280.
