Boy in the Kitchen

David woke up while I was in the midst of my morning quiet time a couple of days ago.  Rob and I had already eaten breakfast together earlier that morning (quiche and a nonfat latte for me, cinnamon roll and mocha for the hubs from 929 Coffee Bar --the best coffee shop in town!), so I thought that it would be good for David to prepare something for himself and Aidan to eat. This would allow me to finish reading my Bible. :)

David was not interested in the options of oatmeal or scrambled eggs and toast (two things he knows how to make and prepares semi-regularly).  His lack of interest in making scrambled eggs could have resulted in the fact that he nearly caught my oven mitt on fire the day before when he forgot to turn off the gas burner before dumping the eggs onto his and Aidan's plates...that's only a guess though.  ;) His disdain for oatmeal probably stems from the fact that he tells me (all. the. time.) that he likes my oatmeal much better than his own. He really wanted apple puff pancake, but hasn't learned how to thinly slice apples yet.  Plus, the cast iron skillet we use for apple puff pancakes is full of canola oil from our homeschool cooking lesson the night before--Indian Fry Bread. After much pondering on his part, I saw him grab Hasty Pudding, Johnnycakes, and Other Good Stuff: Cooking in Colonial America.

 He told me that he was planning to make johnnycakes using the recipe from this book.  Then he proceeded to get out all of the ingredients and got to work.  My instruction was to use the griddle instead of my tortilla pan since I figured the surface would be easier to work on for my budding chef. David put everything together and only needed assistance pouring the batter for the first johnnycake.

David - waiting patiently for his johnnycakes to be ready to flip.

 He was so pleased with how they turned out, and with the fact that he read the recipe and made them all by himself. I love seeing him so happy with his accomplishment.  He had an idea, set out and followed through until he completed it.  True, his johnnycakes may not look as nice as if I had made them, but they still were good to eat.  My kitchen may have looked like a bomb blew up in it.  However, by allowing him to try, I was able to see the most awesome smile light up my 11-year-old's face. This mama is realizing that she needs to let go more often in the kitchen.  She needs to relax, let go of control and let them go and learn and grow.  Yes, the kitchen will be a disaster zone.  Yes, there will be many questions asked, and not every attempt will end up as a glowing success. But in the end, as the mama, I need to let them try.

Aidan kept Quincy occupied so David could cook in peace.

Now, to begin teaching and implementing kitchen clean-up skills! ;)

D at 9.

Holding the chocolate moose that Nana and I made for his birthday.

• You give amazing hugs!
• You aren't too big to snuggle.
• You are now tall enough to drive the go-carts at The Zone all by yourself (you come up to my collarbone).
• You have a great sense of humor and love to tell jokes!
  
• You love to read--you just devoured Chuck Black's Kingdom series, the first 3 Harry Potter books, are almost finished with My Side of the Mountain, and want to read through C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia for the 2nd time in less than a year.
• Your favorite colors are green and yellow.
• You love the Texas Rangers.
• You were a Minnesota Vikings fan, but have now moved your allegiance to the Seattle Seahawks (which has made your daddy proud).
• I often find you shooting hoops out in the driveway--especially when it is time for us to pile into the car to go somewhere! ;-)
• You love to play football too.
  
• You say that you hate math when people ask you about it, but I know better (you really do like it).
• You like to catch frogs (and probably soon will like to catch lizards too).
• You love to build with LEGO.
  
• I love the worship songs that you make up and now accompany yourself to with your guitar.
• I love how you love your little brother.
• I love your tender heart.
• I love how inquisitive and creative you are.
• I love YOU!
  

These are just a few things about you, my firstborn, my heart. Blessings to you over the next year. :)

Love,
Mama xoxoxoxo

The Adventures of Ruby, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

by David Crossler

Hi! My name is Ruby, the ruby-throated hummingbird. I live in Washington DC in the spring and summer. I like living in Washington DC, the capital of the USA. There are lots of trees and flowers that are so pretty. I live in the Washington Monument. It looks like a giant toothpick. I have a very, very good view of DC from my nest. In one direction, I can see the Lincoln Memorial, and in another, I can see the Jefferson Monument. And in yet another, I can see the Capital Building. It is a great place to live.

Right now, the month is October. It is time for me to migrate to the Gulf of Mexico, my winter home. I make this journey every year. It takes several weeks to get there. I don’t drive, swim, take an airplane or a train like people do. I fly! I am excited to go to my winter home every year. It is a very thrilling journey, and good because I am going to where the weather is warm, but all of that flying makes me tired!

My first stop on my journey is West Virginia, somewhere near Beckley. I saw the New River Gorge Bridge. I made it just in time for bridge day. There were people parachuting off of the bridge. I thought they were being silly. If people were meant to fly, they would be born with wings! The leaves on the trees in the mountains looked so pretty, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. The colors were so magnificent. My next stop was in Tennessee, somewhere around Nashville. I heard different kinds of music. My favorite kind of music was the country music I heard played there. Some other places I stopped at along the way were: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and my last stop was Texas. My final destination was South Padre Island--my winter home at last.

I am excited to be at my winter home, and am also glad that I made it safely. I may be tired from all the flying, but there is good food to eat down here and the weather is warm. I think I will enjoy it down here. Maybe I will get to relax for once, or at least until I have to migrate north next spring.

THE END