JWalking: The Blog

W e have been preparing in these last two weeks for the departure of RJ2's top middle tooth. We've been reading lots of books on the subject, featuring many favorite characters. Although RJ2 has lost two teeth, we have had problems with holding on to them for any length of time. (Tooth #1 was lost under the sofa for a while. Tooth #2 went 15 miles down the alimentary canal.) We pondered when the day would come, as the tooth had bucked out about as much as one can. Well.... Today was the day, and she wasn't happy about it! "Her tooth came out!!!!!" yelled CJ, from upstairs. We all ran up and started to ask where it was (and to look on the ground, figuring it was going to be lost on the floor). Fortunately, CJ had been playing with RJ2 at the time and noticed that she ran into the upstairs bathroom. RJ2 only uses the upstairs bathroom for her shower, these days, so she clearly had another agenda. Sure enough, RJ2 had thrown the tooth in the trash. Those storybook au...

" M y tooth is loose." From the picture above, you'd think that RJ2 had already lost a tooth. But, no. That is the gap in between her loose tooth--the middle right one--and the one next to it. That gap continues to widen, and that middle tooth can't be holding on by much. What do you do when your tooth is loose? Plenty! When she's not in extended-school year, RJ2 has enjoyed playing the electronic keyboard. She knows the tuba part to the "Veggietales Theme Song" but she won't let me play the Larry the Cucumber's vocal line on top of that. I'm sure she'd rather do it herself, and, with enough time, she will play that by ear, too. She also enjoys listening to the "built-in" songs (at fast tempos!) and setting the "voice" to all percussion instruments . It has been fun to listen to her sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" this summer, because she learned what it was like to sing it in a round. When Grandma and Grandpa...

S ummer can often be a time of relaxation. I discovered a bit of that during the family beach trip this year. But, since we've come home, it seems we're on a faster pace than maybe even during the school year. RJ2 is in extended school year, mornings, Monday through Thursday. CJ is in afternoon theater camp Monday through Thursday. We get 40 minutes for lunch in between travel time, and that zooms by. When we all do get home, there's an hour or so of wind-down time before dinner prep and the close-of-day activities. I'm really glad to have the time to spend with each of the girls individually. But it does go fast! At the start of the week, CJ had requested to play Monopoly. She loves Monopoly in all forms. Started with the Junior version. Advanced to the "regular" version last year. Played Pokemon Monopoly at the beach house. She even designed "Summeropoly" herself (which highlights activities she loves to do with her cousins in the summer) and trans...

S ummer days bring the opportunity for special mornings out. RJ2 is in extended school year and CJ now has mornings free. (Afternoons are filled with theater camp--this week, writing and producing a TV commercial!) This morning, I had to visit the dermatologist for a quarterly checkup. (Good news is that I'll be moving to 6-month visits in October instead of quarterly visits. Woo-hoo!) As CJ and I waited outside the opening elevator doors at the doctors' office building, a man was inside the elevator waiting to exit. When he saw CJ, he smiled and said something to the effect of, "I'm the father of all girls. Those were great days." I'm sure he was referring to her tie-dyed shirt and freshly washed hair at 8:30 in the morning, escorting mom on her summer outing. Making up for the stay in the waiting room (CJ even got the boot from her seat at the fish tank when the tank cleaner came to do his job!), we headed off to Krispy Kreme. It's always a good time, es...

T here's just something about going to the beach. This was the 9th year my folks hosted the reunion at the beach at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The girls can only think "When?" as in When do cousins arrive? When do we leave? When can we walk to the beach? When can we swim in the pool? I always anticipate the first journey to the water's edge: making the short walk from our beach house, onto the boardwalk, and up and over the bridge on the dune to the hot sand and that first dip in the Atlantic. This year, it was a warm welcome! The surf was quite lively, which made for great times for the kids and slightly tense times for those life-guarding on the coast. It wasn't all that long ago when they were so afraid of the ocean that they wouldn't venture in at all! Now, with board fastened to wrist, it's hard to get them out. (Note CJ's new profile picture.) But, the temperature of the water did change for the cooler. My niece appears to be smiling, b...

H ello! Announcing the "new" blog: " JWalking : The Blog" For almost two decades, I have sent out a family Christmas newsletter under the title JWalking . As with most family newsletters sent out around the holidays, JWalking features the happenings of the family over the course of the year. Folks have enjoyed it; we produce over 100 a year, now. (Taxes our printer every December. ) My blog in this place has needed a major jump-start for a while. (We've gone from moldy to downright rancid!) My pondering has led to the decision to make this a family blog rather than the mixed-up writing blog that it has been for more than two years. So, if you continue to want to read about happenings at the J household--in the sporadic fashion that things tend to get posted here--this is the blog for you! (Followers, feel free to leave if it's not for you. No offense taken.) My Bible study blog continues at In-Between Time for those of you who wish to follow me there inste...