Mystery Dinner and Crazy Kids

Derek and I recently had the pleasure of attending a Mystery Dinner. So many times we wanted to do one of these with our close friends while we were living close enough, but we never got around to it. With our crazy gang of friends, it sure would be a blast! (I see Nate, Julia, Kayla....all playing their roles to the hilt~!) Anyway, this particular function was for the "YAMS" like group in our church, though not everyone wanted to participate in anything 'dress-up'. Spoil Sports! The mystery was entitled "Mystery in the Library"; we were each assigned roles to play and given just enough info about our particular character to share in conversation facilitated by Sherlock Holmes (our Pastor); all the characters were from classic works in a library who would come out of their books after dark and interact with one another. At the end of the evening we were each given individual time to reflect on all that was revealed by the various characters, and to write down who we thought had done away with King Henry VIII. Derek and I played Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. We had a ball! I was most pleased with myself for piecing a costume together mostly from the Goodwill!:) Gotta love a bargain. Derek rented his hat and put the rest together from his closet. Here are a few pics...

As for the "crazy kids" part of this post....my children have kept me hopping in recent days. Our youngest, the beloved baby, is now crawling all over the place and into everything. My heart breaks that we have reached the constant "no-no" and hand smacking days. He's my baby! (uttered with a stifled wail.) The first time I had to do this, Lauren was horrified. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I explained that the training process had begun and she had been through it too. She remains skeptical. Speaking of Lauren, after a lunch outing with Jam the other day (my kids' name for my mom), she informed me that Rafferty's was, (and I quote) "the most horriblest place I have ever aten, and I don't ever want to go there again." After which she dutifully shuddered. Can this really be my kid? Is a DNA test required? I promise I am teaching her the rules of grammar slowly. But it's that drama queen living in her somewhere.....now where could she possibly get that from????????? (asked innocently and with all sincerity). Cameron walks up to me with an ad for a hot ticket Christmas item the other day, and asks for my phone. I ask why. He informs me there is a number for the company, and he's gonna call and ask them to send him one of their toys. This said with a HUGE smile spread on his innocent little face, and with his tell-tale lilting lisp in his voice. Ah, to be so naive! Doesn't he know if it were that simple, Mama would be spending her days curled up on the couch with all her favorite flyers in her lap and her phone permanently attached to her ear?!? Now, to share something about the Sophster. Where do I begin? She is my "one". I guess I go back to Thanksgiving week while visiting at G-pa and Nana's. Sophie had mistreated her sister, for which she was reprimanded. I noticed a few minutes later she was no longer in the room. So I go down the hall to the bedroom, door slightly ajar, and hear her just talking away. I peek in and she has the big crocodile tears streaming, and she is bemoaning her plight in life. I step inside and quietly ask her what she's doing. My heart melts when she informs me that she is talking to God. (my long-term readers may remember this trend with her speaking to God and He to her!) So I say, "Did you ask Him to forgive you, Sophie?" Tears immediately gone. Face turned up to mine, wide-eyed. Small shoulder shrug. "Ohhhhh...I FORGOT about that part!!!!!!!!"

Yep, those are my kids! :)