Beth

D – 27 (One tooth, three teeth)

Counting down the days until Beth’s thirteenth birthday with a few reposts from the archives. Originally posted: Jan 20, 2002, Beth’s age: 4 Title: One tooth, three teeth Beth is holding three pencil erasers in the shape of teeth. She advises me (in her typically loud fashion, as if from half way across the house) she has three toothes. Recognizing the grammatical error, I explain to her she…
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Beth

D – 28

Counting down the days until Beth’s thirteenth birthday with a few reposts from the archives. Originally posted: Jan 8, 2001, Beth’s age: 3 Title: A Lesson in Physics Beth, doing her best impersonation of Isaac Newton, reaffirmed a couple of principles this evening: mommy and daddy’s rules are for good reason, and gravity plays no favorites. Beth was in the family room when she…
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Beth

D – 29

Counting down the days until Beth’s thirteenth birthday with a few reposts from the archives. Originally posted: Aug 6, 2001, Beth’s age: 4 Title: You’re Never Too Young Beth started the day, like nearly every other weekday, at 6 am. Although this is not out of the ordinary, getting up any earlier than 8 am is inherently bad. I’m neither looking for, nor do I expect any…
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Beth

D – 30

Counting down the days until Beth’s thirteenth birthday with a few reposts from the archives. Originally posted: Feb 26, 2000, Beth’s age: 2.5 Title: Beth Finds New Ways to Get Into Trouble A little while ago, Beth decided she didn’t like having to wait on us to get her food for her. She is, as you know, a big girl now. She is capable of many things, including opening doors…
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Kitchen Sink

The ah ha moment

This is one of those posts that sounded profound and original one night at 3am… and a little less so as time passed – that, and less coherent. – – – People told me what to expect before, but I always humored them. I’m not stupid. I’d see this thing coming way before it happened to me. I wouldn’t be so easily fooled. Then a few nights ago it happened…
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Family and Friends

Joy sink

“Grandma’s coming home tomorrow right? I can’t wait!” That was Beth Wednesday night, talking to me and our pastor on the first night of confirmation class this (school) year. “So when will she be coming HOME home?” That was when Beth realized home can be a relative term. “Oh,” she replied, crestfallen. That was when I told her the truth, unvarnished…
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Family and Friends

Rocket camp

Beth is enrolled in “college for kids,” a summer program run by a local college. She spends the mornings in a full immersion spanish class. Sounds like a blast right? No, that doesn’t come until the afternoon. Rocket camp. The teacher even refers to himself as “Captain.” O.K., I think that’s a little weird, but he seems like a nice guy, and he’s a really…
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Beth

Leaving church

I reached a new low two weeks ago. My patience wore through and no amount of sympathy or understanding was going to save me. We were sitting in church and Beth’s verbal ticks were firing on all cylinders. They were loud enough that I had trouble hearing the lessons being read, so I tried asking Beth to lower her voice. We think she has some conscious control over the behavior because she…
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