Project: Fort - Day 2 and The First Injury

My dad had to leave after lunch to drive back to Corpus but they were able to cross off a few more items on the fort to-do list.  They put up another wall and a half and measured and remeasured, cut and remeasured and cut again (repeat many times) to get the ladder just right.  

David advised his dad and grandpa on the placement of the ladder.

All the guys worked hard all morning!

Time to stop for lunch and say goodbye to Grandpa! 

And the first injury goes to ....... David!  But its nothing that a little ice pop can't help. 

 And some silly brotherly time had him back to normal!

Project: Fort - Day 1

My dad came in town on Thursday to help Paul work on the boys' fort this weekend.  We started off with a chilly morning but Gabriel and David were ready to get started!

It warmed up quite a bit that afternoon and the boys were excited to see how their fort had "grown" during nap time! 

Gabriel had some tools and wood to work on some of his own "projects".

David wanted to snack and hammer in the middle of the action.

Tinker Bell found an almost peaceful corner of the yard and watched from a distance.

Break time!

Gabriel was a busy little worker with nails and a real hammer!

Daddy's saw was REALLY loud.

The extent of my manual labor today was climbing the 8 foot ladder while holding my fancy camera for this shot.  We all survived.

The boys got a chance to check out their fort.  I think they like it so far.

At 5pm they ran out of screws so we (I mean Paul and Dad) called it a day and turned on the grill for some burgers, hot dogs and chicken.  

The boys wanted to sit at their table.....in their fort......with Grandpa.  So Paul moved the table in and Grandpa didn't say no.

More to come: walls, railing,  doorway, awning, window, peepholes, ladder, trapdoor, rock climbing wall and roof!  And Papa John comes next weekend to help with the fun project!

Hide and Seek

Since Mother Nature feels deprived by not being able to give us a real winter this year, she seems to be acting out by giving many beautiful days of warm sunshine in February followed by rain and cold temps in March.

So while she throws her pity party, the boys and I stayed warm and cozy in our pj's (photo - David likes to eat a big apple like Bubba.  No slices!).  Gabriel and I did puzzles and played Sequence for Kids while I handed David games that he couldn't bend or break (UNO Moo, an extra set of tokens from our game, Hungry Hippo, etc.).   Then Gabriel asked to play Hide and Seek.

Gabriel's Hide and Seek Rules:
1) Everyone must hide (even the counter)
2) You must count to 15
3) Little brother David must help Gabriel find Mommy
4) A great hiding spot should be used EVERY TIME

After hiding in David's closet (straightened the shoes on the shelves while I waited to be found) and the boys' tub (put away some bath toys as quietly as possible) I found the best place for a mommy to hide.  The bed.  I laid alongside the headboard and was perfectly hidden by the pillows.  Seriously the best hiding place.  Ever.  I smiled to myself as I listened to Gabriel say "Nope!  She's not in here David."  "Come here David.  Let's look together."  "No, we already looked there."  "Hold my hand David."  David called out "Mama!" intermittently.  Then Gabriel gave up.  "Mom!" he called out.  "Come here!  Come here to us!".   Rest time was over.  I called his name loudly and then more softly as he came back down the hall.  David sat down on the dog's bed and then he spotted me peeking out of the pillows, "Mama!!!"  Gabriel said, "Mommy!!!  Hide there again!  We'll go count!".

The Justification for Dishonesty

Two days ago my facebook news feed blew up with KONY this and that.  It was a very emotionally provoking video put together by the nonprofit organization, Invisible Children.  Later that night I began to see postings that argued the legitimacy of the video's claims (read this link).  As skeptics posted these links others promptly provided the ICN's response (read this link) in the organization's defense.  The ICN's response is a well played and necessary PR move to save face by clarifying the situation in Central Africa.  They do not address all of the confusing matters but now we're just splitting hairs.

From what I  have read it seems that Invisible Children has a worthy and necessary cause. But I have to say that regardless of what good your organization does, it does not justify half-truths and misleading information.  Lets call it what it is:  Dishonesty.  Every generation  seeks to paint a broader grey area between truth and lies.  "Lies is such a harsh word.  Can't we call it something else?"  Argue for all the good the organization does and defend your position to those who want to fully understand what is ACTUALLY going on.  Argue for the justification of dishonesty. 

I hold no judgement on those who are advocates for what the organization pursues - striving to stop the violence in Central Africa.  I am not disappointed in the choice to donate to Invisible Children.  If you understand the situation and desire to donate, that is fantastic.   My disappointment lies with the organization - the editors of the film and the management of the organization that chose to let this misrepresentation of the facts in essence represent THEIR organization. 

Just as no one is perfect, an organization made up of imperfect people will also be imperfect.  I just hope that the large influx of funding they are receiving as a result of their video does not encourage more of the same.  There should be an accountability for truth.

But as I've said before, I do not condone finger pointing and evading personal responsibility.  Opting out of giving to charitable causes for every reason under the sun does not exempt you from the responsibility you have (as an American and/or Christian) to give.  While I hesitate to walk the fine line of justification, I do empathize with why an organization may feel that speaking to emotions seems necessary.  Why does it take such a provoking video to prompt us into action?  I'm not saying you aren't giving at all, but did you miss the $10 you donated that day?  Probably not.  Maybe you can do that every week - without waiting for something to anger, scare or sadden you.  Give.  Give more.  Give thoughtfully.  Just give.