Dear Ja,
Tonight the kids and I were listening to Handel's Messiah. I think they have that scripture memorized now. I could hear Liza singing it in the bathroom while brushing her teeth. Ben was so tired tonight. He called me stupid and wouldn't apologize. Liza told me I was too lenient on him. So, I stopped what I was doing and told him that was wrong and 'are you sorry?' He screamed, no he wasn't so I washed his mouth with soap until he was. I told him he could come out of the bathroom when he was sorry. He tried coming out again and again so I finally held onto the bathroom door knob to keep it closed. All 3 kids were sitting like an audience watching me, so I did what anyone would do. I started. . .singing. "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." The kids smiled and I noticed they recognized the song and started humming along. Finally, he was ready to come out and apologize. He had not one tear either. Just a stubborn, eyebrows down look that was at war during our battle of the wits. He perked up at dinner time. Of course he said he didn't want any. I told him he still had to sit at the table during dinner anyway. I told him 4 bites but then happily he told me 10. He followed through counting on his fingers with each bite up to 10. Maybe he was just hungry? I wonder if it has anything to do with you being gone? He normally doesn't do anything like that.
I don't know why Emma asked you on the phone about deployment. I haven't been talking about it at all with anyone so she couldn't have overheard anything. Maybe just having you gone now reminded her of the possibility. She's probably going to be the one to take it (consciously) the hardest. Hope you're enjoying your visit with Tyler in Texas.
Luv, me
