Morning Devotional

Caroline has been sick for the better part of the week.  It started out as a sore throat.  She learned, and quickly mastered, how to gargle salt water.  The sore throat lessened, while the congestion and cough increased.  Tuesday, she came downstairs at the stroke of midnight saying she didn't feel well.  She talked to me for about an hour on the living room couch.  At 1 a.m., I suggested she watch some Netflix if she still couldn't sleep. So the two of us stayed on the couch all night.  I slept while she watched Toy Story 4.  At 2:22 a.m., I awoke to heaving.  The emptying of her stomach made her feel much better and she was able to sleep the rest of the night.    Today, Sunday, she feels much better, though she still has a lingering cough.  That's good because the boys were quite concerned that she missed one day of schoolwork.  

Henry was told to keep his distance from Caroline.  Repeatedly.  You don't want to end up sick.  Don't get so close to her.  Etc.  Etc.  Henry thought he was invincible to her germs, but he is currently teary-eyed, coughing in his bed with a sore throat saying he wishes he wasn't sick.  

Then this morning, Josiah and I got in the car to go to church as a duo.  As I turned the key, he looked at me and said his throat was sore.  So, I sent him back in the house.  He had a fever this evening, so it looks like the little lady and I will be starting school this week.  It's a little sad because we were finally able to get their desks from Ikea.  We put them together this weekend during bouts of feeling well.  Each child put together their own desk.  It was a glimpse back at toddlerhood while we assembled the desks.  Lots of, "I can do it."  

Henry's Desk:  He had laser-focused intensity when he used the screwdriver.

Caroline's Desk.  We learned she is an open-mouthed hammerer.

Josiah's desk.  He wasn't feeling too well at this point, so he was a bit quieter when he assembled his.

At CC this week, Josiah had signed up to give the morning devotional for his fellow Challenge students.  All the 7th-12th graders meet for a morning assembly and the kids take turns leading.  Earlier in the week when I asked Josiah what he was going to talk about, he indicated that he did not want to write anything down, but just wanted to speak about whatever came to him.  That was a bold and courageous way to prepare, however, I encouraged him to write something down.  He humored me and said that he wanted to talk about the difference between grace and mercy.  Extemporaneously?!!  Grace is a gift that is undeserved.  Mercy is withholding a punishment that is deserved.  We typed up just one page of notes for a ten minute talk.  That morning, I was hoping to record his teaching, but they started before I realized, so I just got a picture.  He got some positive feedback from several adults, so that was very encouraging.  One told me that he was a natural with a microphone -- so comfortable talking in front of people.  Josiah really enjoys being a leader.  He likes to teach.  At lunch that same day, he came up to me and said he wanted to sign up for the devotional on week 15 as well.  That is the last day of the (CC) semester when he has a lot of things due, but he'll be ready for the spring.

In Henry's grammar class, when the director asked for volunteers, Henry's friend called out "Henry wants to do it."  So, he parsed a sentence at the board.  

In the afternoon, Henry does grammar, then math games, and writing at the end.  During math games this week, the kids did a relay race.  For one round, they were told they were doing the 9s for multiplication.  So they ran to the front, picked up a giant playing card, which they held to their forehead (not looking at it).  An adult told them the answer, and they had to say the multiple.  So, Henry was holding up a "7," the adult said "63," and Henry had to say, 9x7=63.  I think the adults were the most scared to see the Kings pop up.  Kings were "13" and none of us wanted to multiply x13 quickly.    

Caroline was sad to miss CC on Thursday.  She stayed home with Todd.  Several weeks ago, her tutor had all the kids in her class sign a commitment to learn something to be tested on by week 11.  Caroline committed to learning the definition of a preposition and the giant list of prepositions (all the English memorization for weeks 1-12).  She had spent time over the past few weeks getting it down and she was ready to go into week 11 and say them.  She was also ready to each some promised Chick-fil-a nuggets during class in celebration.  But then Caroline wasn't able to go to class.  We did video chat the next day with her tutor so she could at least say them.  Caroline wanted to make sure she would receive her certificate this week.  We also bought her congratulatory Chick-fil-a nuggets.  She was not happy that Henry got some at the same time.  He did not earn them.  (Josiah was at his Latin tutoring.)

In Benson news, he puts up with a lot from the kids.  He often eats just once a day, usually at night. (He's fed at 6 a.m., but likes to have it sit and get stale before eating it at 8 p.m.) Sometimes the kids try to encourage him to eat earlier in the day by making his food into works of art.  

And he's still jumping after those squirrels.  He's getting higher up in the tree.

We shall see what the week holds.  Prayerfully the boys will sail through this sickness quickly!