Mea Familia

Latin class + Rex's brain/drawing ability = Latoons and other cool creations like this one...

(I love being his matre.)

Scott Walker vs. Mary Burke, the cartoon version

Hey, friends...check out the debut of Seth's political cartoons....there are more where this came from, and they are GOOD!  The cartoon was introduced on Monday, Nov. 3, and then today, after the election result was known, he delivered the mystery panel fill-in.

If it's not obvious, the top was drawn by hand, and the bottom was drawn on the computer.  The expressions aren't quite as crisp when drawn on the computer, but it's still pretty good.  We really might have a polital cartoonist in the making....I think these are awesome! And he had others, too--witty, creative, funny, and well-drawn.  Anybody know where I can get his work marketed?!  I think he's ready!  ;)

Jester's Corner: ALS Ice Water Bucket Challenge

Okay, friends...my creative son has been asking me to post this for awhile now--which I said I would do but just keep forgetting. Rex draws a comic strip called "Jester's Corner". (He has changed the name this time around.) Yes, we are a bit late to the party, but awhile back, one of our SITC students challenged all project staff and students to the ALS ice water bucket challenge. Rex took up the challenge in this interesting way. Comic backstory: set in medieval times, Dr. Tech is a character who is ahead of his time, kind of a gadget-guy. In this strip, Dr. Tech has accepted the ALS challenge...keep watching, as there is more to come!

Installment #2 in the Jester's Corner ALS Ice Bucket Challenge saga...straight to you from our Artist in Residence. (It should be noted that the characters involved have a Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote relationship, where they always try to "get" the other but never do.) Enjoy!

Installment #3: This is where Rex gets some of his friends in on the Challenge action. I think this one is a little easier to read than the above one, but bottom line, he is challenging M and L to give to either ALS or another great cause...

And now, for the last installment....as he says, we hope you've enjoyed!

Rex Says

"Without Internet, we're like...cavemen." -Seth

(Our home phone/internet service has been out for 1.5 weeks, and we were talking about it. Maybe you had to be there, people, but believe me, it was funny!)

Baby Lou

We've been discussing adoption (as usual) a lot recently, seeing as how we are coming up on Tom's first Gotcha Day, and the topic of "Will we adopt another child, and where will he/she come from?" was on the table.  Beth often reminds us that she wants a "little sister AND a big sister," and Rex reiterated that he is fine with us adopting an older girl, as long as she isn't older than him.

After that, the conversation went a little something like this...

"I like being the oldest, because I like teaching the little kids things.  As I told everybody last night after dinner when I was playing with [my friend, Andrea's] twins, 'They don't call me "The Baby Whisperer" for nothing!'  Then I imagined in my head that they were saying, 'They don't call you "The Baby Whisperer" at all!"

Later, he told me that he hadn't actually imagined that but was just saying it to make me laugh.  Which, of course, worked.  I laughed quite a bit, actually.  Not sure if it translates well in print, but it was funny!

Also, last night after dinner, Rex was entertaining with his antics, and somehow the topic of nursery rhymes/kids' songs came up, including "Skip to my Lou".  Rex wondered aloud, "What does that even mean, "Skip to the Loo?" as he goes skipping off....to the loo! 

(By the way, I looked up the origin of the song...fascinating!  Thank you, Google!)

Last night, a couple of our new interns were over for dinner, one of them meeting Rex for the very first time.  They were in for quite the comedy hour last night!

Smells like Dirty Laundry

I told Rex that one of Tom's medicines tastes like cloves.  And Tom obviously doesn't like the taste of cloves because of how he reacts whenever I give it to him.

Now, Rex is telling everyone that, "Tom doesn't like his medicine, because it tastes like dirty laundry."

I was confused at first, but then I got it.  Clothes.  Cloves.  Dirty Laundry.  That's funny.

I love that kid.

A conversation on the way to church today...

Rex:  When I grow up (He says this kind of thing a lot, and I always know that the creativity is brewing...), I'm going to make a Christian mini-golf course.  (At this point, I'm wondering how exactly you make a mini-golf course "Christian".)  There's going to be a waterfall that you have to walk through to get to the next hole, and in case there are any grandmas there, there will be a button that you can press that will turn the waterfall off.  (Oh, I guess that's how.  It's a mini-golf course that's nice to grandmas.)

Me:  I like that, Rex.  That's really nice.

Neil:  When I grow up, I'm going to make a Christian mini-golf course, too.  (Oh no...here we go!)  It's going to have the cross and the Garden of Gethsemene, and then it'll have the tomb, and you'll have to hit the golf ball into the tomb, and if you get it right on the first try, your ball will role down and go back to the clubhouse.  I like it when they do that.  (At this point, I'm cringing, and Rex is in the front seat with me, so he can see my face.)

Rex:  You're not so sure about the tomb, are you, Mom?

Me:  (How'd you guess?)  No, I'm not really too sure about that one...but it's very creative, Neil.  (Trying to be positive here, but, um.....no.)

Rex Says...

Mama:  "Rex, are you planning on reading that entire book?"  (Choosing to See, by Mary Beth Chapman)

Rex:  "That's my aim!"

________________________

What 8-year-old responds with, "That's my aim" when he could just say, "That's the plan" or, more simply, "Yep"?

I love that kid.

You've got a good point there...

Rex and I were driving home from violin when he blurts out, "Mom, what does the United Nations flag stand for?"  I couldn't quite figure out where it came from, but it made perfect sense to him. 

I explained.  As best I could.  And the questions ensued. 

The conclustion?  "I don't know why they are called the United Nations when we have wars all the time!  Maybe they should be called the 'Civil Nations'?"

That's good stuff.  :)