Gone

I'm in Florida.
'nuff said.

Signs of a True Fan

Last night Steve was watching coverage of the primaries as I did some work across the room on the computer. I heard the reporter talking about how Hillary spent the majority of her childhood summers in Pennsylvania.
"Yes, she's got a real fondness for Scranton," said some unknown person in reply.

Steve chuckled.

Friends, we're that far gone. We can't even hear mention of Scranton, PA without thinking of The Office, and simply thinking of The Office makes us laugh.

Lazy Scranton

Housekeeping

Spring Cleaning 101:

1. Allow the clear blue skies of the past few days to inspire you to achieve spring freshness inside your home.
2. Meticulously hunt down and remove all dust and grime.
3. Open windows to let in fresh air.
4. Realize quickly that all previously removed dust has been replaced with a new, fresh layer of city blech, which has blown in through the open windows.
5. Without a backward glance, join the fam on a meander across the Brooklyn Bridge.
Voila!

Too bad it clouded over just as we took our first steps on the bridge.
Still, a great way to spend late Saturday afternoon.

V.I.C. (Very Important Conversation)

Jonathan picked the topic of our walk-to-school conversation this morning:
"Who can dig faster: ants or worms?"

Talk amongst yourselves.

Tuesday's Subway Reading

From Tim Keller's The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Christianity provides a firm basis for respecting people of other faiths. Jesus assumes that nonbelievers in the culture around them will gladly recognize much Christian behavior as "good" (Matthew 5:16; cf. 1 Peter 2:12). That assumes some overlap between the Christian constellation of values and those of any particular culture and of any other religion. Why would this overlap exist? Christians believe that all human beings are made in the image of God, capable of goodness and wisdom. The Biblical doctrine of the universal image of God, therefore, leads Christians to expect non-believers will be better than any of their mistaken beliefs could make them. The Biblical doctrine of universal sinfulness also leads Christians to expect believers will be worse in practice than their orthodox beliefs should make them. So there will be plenty of ground for respectful cooperation.

Christianity not only leads its members to believe that people of other faiths have goodness and wisdom to offer, it also leads them to expect that many will live lives morally superior to their own. Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven through leading a good life. Let's call this the "moral improvement" view. Christianity teaches the very opposite. In the Christian understanding, Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior.

73 and Sunny

Weather conditions such as this call for a rousing game of t-ball, preceded by a slice and some playground action.

That's some big, floppy pizza. Good thing dad is there to help ensure proper pepperoni placement.

Chloe focuses on showing the ball and bat in its best light, while Steve adjusts the tee (the kiddos have added some inches since last year).

First base, the bench (who can be blamed for taking a brief respite there?)
Second base, the crack in the sidewalk
Third base, the tree trunk (touching the low hanging branch counts as safe)

Yes, Jonathan Actually Said This

"Mama, you hurt my feelings everyday when you tell me to quit playing and that it's time to go to school!"

Parties, Princesses, and Plays

Chloe turned a magnificent 7 years old over spring break. We invited a few girlfriends to BPC, and the celebrants went to work, writing and directing their own theatrical production. Several princess quotes, sparkly dresses, and creative differences later, The Play was performed with great aplomb. I spliced some things together with my computer, and the girls went home with a DVD as a party favor.

Yes, I Actually Said This

"Chloe, the sooner you finish practicing your violin, the sooner you'll be done."

Today's Weather Forecast, by Jonathan

My computer has a little weather widget that gives a quick glimpse at the weather conditions. The widget lists current temps, the day's forecast high, and a little icon that shows if it's sunny, or cloudy, or rainy...
It's become part of our morning routine that Chloe clicks on the widget and gives me a quick idea of how to prepare to meet the elements. "It's 32 and cloudy, Mom. Supposed to get to 48," or "Right now it's 41 and sunny." That kind of thing.

Jonathan has decided that he wants in on the weatherman gig. Only, he checked the widget before the sun came up.
"Ok, Jonathan, what's the weather like?" I asked.
His answer: "42 and moony, mom."

Have a lovely, moony morning.