Being a play is not easy.you MUST go to many practices.And normally you must wait a while before you know what part you get.I was lucky.to me i got a good part.MONKEY#1!true,I’m not the main charterer or really even close but at least I got a part. I’ve wanted to deify gravity or have wings so two in one great!And I got to be in 3 plays! oh and in theatre practice=perfect!

Seven thirty a.m.

Sunday

Birds chirping

Clock Ticking

Children sleeping

Mother smiling

The sound of silence

(Baby Tad seems to have figured out how to sleep through the night on a fairly consistent basis. He did get up at 3:00 a.m. one night this week, and this morning is the latest he’s ever slept).

Baby Tad has developed a nasty little habit of biting the hand that feeds him … only it isn’t a hand that he bites, if you know what I mean.  I flick his nose (as I’ve heard you’re supposed to do in situations like this), and he just stares at me with his big blue eyes and smiles.

And so today, at 8 months of age, Baby Tad dined on rice cereal for the first time.

Vivi had a blast getting to help but was very discouraged when he wouldn’t make the sign for “MORE.” Although I’m a bit sad that I’m no longer his favorite source of nourishment, I am grateful that his other mother can assist.

We had to give him a bath after his meal, and I had him all shiny and smelling so good. But wouldn’t you know it.  I turned my back for 2 seconds, and the next thing I knew, he had crawled all the way INTO the fireplace and was covered in soot.  🙁

. . . but I DO know something much more important than that!

As I perused the “Family History” section of our family library the other night, I discovered a treasure–a spiral-bound, photocopied book entitled “Illustrated Children’s Stories, Vol. One.” Fifteen years ago, my Aunt Anne and Aunt Chris (my dad’s two sisters) got the younger grandchildren and great grandchildren together and had them illustrate stories about our ancestors.  Some of the tales were familiar to me, but others, even some about my own dad, were new.  What a fabulous idea to help instill in the younger kids a love for their ancestors, and what a precious treasure for subsequent generations to have these stories compiled in one place!  Thank you, thank you to my wonderful aunts and cousins who took the time to put together the fabulous volume of stories.  When is Volume II going to be published??? 🙂

Our family is still laughing about one of the stories we read the other night:

“Why I Don’t Know Who Beat the Fight”

This letter is from Uncle Tad. Dad (Grandpa Milton Hess) asked him to watch a boxing match on TV and report to him who won. Dad had to go to a church meeting and needed to miss the fight. This letter explains why Tad wasn’t allowed to watch the fight and report the score. [I will spell and punctuate just as Tad did.]

Dear Daddy,

This story I am about to tell you will explan [explain] why I don’t know who beat the fight right about you went Joeie Geamberea was winnig [winning] untill the 6th round then I asked mother where Stephen was she said down the basement with the trains. I knew that Steve should not play with the train without you there. So I went to investigate. When I got there Steve was pushing the engin around the track, and everything was unhooked. I lost my temper and Pow right across the head. he balled and came upstairs mother got after me and said “Wait till daddy heres [hears]” I don’t mind if you swat me one come and do it right now  mom turned off the t.v. and sent me to bed  I pleeded [pleaded] to try to get her to turn it back on but no. I bawled about tell now [’til] now. and prade [prayed] and prade hard, I’ve got the devil behind me now. when I was crying I told her I and her had hurt your feelings I meen [mean] it to. when you go and work for the lord you are intidld [entitled] to have a fight told to you at least. I’m awful sorry, It was all my falt [fault], I’ll find it to morrow on the sports page I don’t know why this had to happen on almost your birthday. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings you may punnish me. I remember up to the ward show once you went with us and you sent me back to the boy scouts to get some penuts [peanuts] you had your hart [heart] set on them and all they had were hard and when I todl you I felt a sick awfull inside and had a lump in my throte [throat] Just now mother came in and said I would get some kind of punnishment for being up late  I’ve got it coming. It is after ten now so I will close. I just wanted to tell you my story.

Love, Tad H.

I still love every one. And my jenerus [generous] father I love him and my jenerus mother I love her. I am thankful for you both.

(This story was illustrated by my cousin Sam, who passed away from cancer a few years ago–another reason why this book is such a special keepsake).

Thankfully, my dad (baby Tad’s namesake) “got the devil behind him” and went on to become the amazing man he is today. (You’d never believe it from muddling through all the spelling and grammar errors in his letter, but he also went on to get his PhD).

As I read this letter, I was also touched by a few other things–

• My Grandmother was holding down the fort with five or six young children while my Grandfather was away at a church meeting.
• It was 10 p.m. and my Grandfather still wasn’t home from said meeting.
• Even though she was probably sorely tempted, especially after my mouthy dad said, “I don’t mind if you come and swat me one; come and do it right now,” the letter makes no mention of my Grandmother leveling a “POW right across the head” to teach her son a lesson. Her “wait ’til your father gets home” approach seemed to have been quite effective, and sending my dad to his room was enough to evoke the feelings of remorse which ushered in the subsequent repentence process.