SUNDAY NEWS
February 1, 2009
It has been an exciting week here in Arizona with everyone gearing up and supporting the Cardinals. There is a lot of red being worn by everybody everywhere you go. All four of us went out to dinner on Saturday night dressed in Cardinal stuff. At the hospital where Lori works, employees have been allowed to wear Cardinal jerseys this week to work in. Karl was at the Phoenix Municipal Court on Friday and all the court staff were wearing jerseys and cardinal gear . . . . even while in court! Karl had never seen anything like that before. It is good to see the city getting behind the team. Karl had to teach the lesson today at church and he wore his cardinal red dress shirt and a Cardinals tie.What a football game. Nobody could breathe in our house for almost the entire second half. Lori refused to even look for the entire 4th quarter. We are proud of our Cards. What a game.
It looks like fall here in our neighborhood. It has been cold long enough now for the trees to all drop their leaves.
Very Vayden
Vayden is now eating a little cereal each day. She has added a few new sounds to her repartee. When she is starting to get upset, she will now spit and do the raspberry thing for awhile before she ever gets to crying. In fact she rarely actually cries anymore. When she wakes up in her bed and wants some attention, she mostly just yells. It is not crying, but short loud burst of disgruntled energy. She also growls. When something is going on that she is not pleased with, she growls like little bear cub. She started doing this when she was first fed cereal. She was displeased with its consistency, so she stated growling. She seems to like the sound and has expanded its use to communicate things like: “I don’t like how you are holding me.” “I don’t like this television station” “ Pay more attention to me” “Uhh, it is time to change my position, I am bored with this one.”
Vayden has reached the projectile vomit stage and is now cable of covering her shirt, her pants, the shirt and pants of the person holding her, as well as the couch and carpet in one single shot now.
Completely Christian
Christian is heartbroken about the game today, but other than that he is doing well. He gave a talk in church today. He said that his face felt like it was hot, even though it really wasn’t when he had to talk in front of everybody.
Sooooo Shelby
Shelby called several times during the big game, but with all the intensity we forgot to catch up on what she has been up to. The following story has been requested several times, so by popular demand here it is. We love you Shelby.
That Ship Has Sailed
Shelby is having her friend Melissa spend the night. We decide to go to dinner at a restaurant in our nearby Target center which is a walkable distance from our house. Shelby and Melissa ask if they can have some money and go to Wendy’s instead of where we had planned to go to dinner. We agree and drop them off at Wendy’s at about 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Wendy’s is a local hang out for their middle school crowd of friends, so we are required to drop them off at a distance so they do not suffer the embarrassment and humiliation of being dropped off by parents. They also request to walk home so as not to suffer the same embarrassment and humiliation of being picked up by parents to which we agree.
Fast forward over six hours. It is now approaching mid-night and Shelby and Melissa are nowhere to be found. Melissa’s cell phone is not ringing and appears to be turned off in an all too familiar fashion. Just as familiar will be the claim that the battery died. At Lori’s request Karl grabs a powerful flashlight and begins patrolling the neighborhood paying particular attention to the various parks where the girls have tended to be found in the past. Karl’s first 20 minute attempt fails and he reports back to Lori. Shortly thereafter Karl makes a second attempt and finds Shelby and a boy walking down the street towards the house. Melissa is nowhere to be found. Karl then instructs Shelby to get in the car to help locate Melissa. Shelby asks if the boy can come with on the search. Karl is often astonished to find that questions like these are actually serious genuine questions.
After searching the neighborhood, Shelby and Karl return home unsuccessful in finding Melissa. While Karl, Lori, and Shelby are outside the house discussing what they should do next, Melissa is spotted heading towards the house in the company of a second boy who quickly makes himself scarce. While still nearly 60 yards away Melissa and Shelby enter into a rehearsed dialogue about the loss of Melissa’s phone which she believes Shelby to have. Karl and Lori are unmoved by the performances and inform the girls that Melissa will be taken home and not spending the night. A barrage of tears and pleas for leniency begin. Melissa attempts to convince us that she will be grounded for the rest of eternity if her parents find out that she has lost her phone. The two girls begin a desperate campaign to go and look for the phone, convinced they will be able to find it at the park in the dark. The girls try to shift responsibility and convince us that it will be our fault if the phone is stolen. Shelby invokes her sacred responsibility and duty owed to her friend to find that phone.
Karl and Lori explain that Shelby can set her alarm and wake up the next morning with the first rays of sunshine to find the phone long before any phone thief is even thinking about waking up. Obvious attempts are made to stall hoping that the later the hour the less likely we will be to wake Melissa’s parents up by taking Melissa her home. When they see that no amount of tears or pleadings are going to change the inevitable, the girls request to go to the bathroom before Melissa is taken back home. The girls go up stairs and after several minutes pass, Lori and Karl follow the girls upstairs to move things along. Lori and Karl find the girls in the bathroom plotting there next moves. Their plan is flawed and easily thwarted, especially since unknown to the girls, Lori and Karl are hearing and taking note of the scheme.
During this conversation in which the two girls are attempting to hatch a plan to mitigate the consequences of their recent actions, a comment is made that Lori to this day still often quotes and finds humorous. Shelby is trying to console Melissa, attempting to convince her that she may not get grounded. Melissa’s response was a very loud. “That ship has sailed and it is in Russia!”
Story Addendum
The next day . . . was a weekday, but the kids did not have school. Lori had to work, and Karl had an early court date. As Karl was returning from court and driving through the neighborhood he spotted Christian walking down the street in his pajamas with bed-head and sleepy eyes. Karl stopped the car next to Christian and told him to get in. When asked what he was doing, Christian explained that Shelby had told him that he had to get Melissa’s phone which he had in his possession. When asked how he found the phone, Christian explained that Shelby had told him exactly where to find it. When Karl and Christian arrived home, they found Shelby feet up on the couch, snacking and watching MTV.
All Alyssa
This past Friday, Alyssa went to Pacifica’s winter formal with her life-long best friend Erika. Alyssa wore a beautiful vineyard colored dress and her hair in curls. She sent us pictures and she looked very beautiful.
Being Brittney
Brittney feels like she is stuck in a T.V. re-run. She basically does the same thing each week. Her week consists of going to work on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Brittney works at a department store called Carson’s. Mondays and Wednesdays she goes school. This past week Brittney’s hours at Carson’s were got cut down to two days a week. But Brittney is not worried because she has a plan to make up for the lost hours. Carlson's Drive-In, (not to be confused with Carson’s Department Store) where Brittney worked this past summer, is opening the beginning of February. Brittney will be working at Carson's two days a week, and Carlson's three days a week.
Brittney’s best friends are her boyfriend Josh, Emily and Marla. All three are very important to her. The three of them have not always gotten along until recently. Brittney is very happy that they have all been able to hang out as a group lately. Brittney has been supporting her friend Emily who is going through a difficult time due to her parent’s decision to divorce. She is also learning about the difference between fair weather friends and true friends with another friend she was once close with.
Brittney is glad it has stopped snowing in Michigan City. She feels she speaks for everyone when she says they are all ready for spring.
Really Roxy
Roxy went to the beauty salon this week, so she is feeling pretty. Roxy has recently cued off of Vayden. We think she has noticed that Vayden gets attention by the use of sound. Being the smart little thing that she is, Roxy has followed suit and now is much more vocal. She still doesn’t bark, but the sounds she makes these days are like none we have ever heard from a dog. Between Vayden and Roxy, the house is now filled with strange sounds. You can’t help but laugh several times a day at those two.
