December 12, 2023

(click for today's pictures)

• Keaton begged me to work together this morning at 11 so that left me a ton of time to do everything but school. I was able to do all the things this morning, and then at about 10:45, I could wait no longer and began our reading.
• If you care, we had 9 books left this morning. We finished three of those, but I did pick up one more at the library so we are back to 7. They are all picture books, but they aren't short picture books-they are long picture books. One has been about salt-did you know that most roads are build where they are now because they were trials by animals who were looking for salt? Or that the most powerful civilizations have always been the ones who control the flow of salt? That was a book that I almost left at for Robby to read as I sometimes do when a book is really interesting to me.
• Anyway, after lunch we loaded up all of the people but Reagan and went to Defy. So at the beginning of the year the kids loved going. However, it has been 91 times that we have been-yes, I have a spreadsheet, so they are now lacking in their enthusiasm. Whitman still enjoys it though, but today to leave we had to wait on the big boys who were playing dodgeball with each other.
• I think that just must be a boy thing-today while I was eating lunch and quietly reading in my room, Anderson had Graham in a choke hold on my bed. I eventually did shoo them out of my room so they continued with Graham having Anderson in a choke hold in the hallway right next to me. 
• Robby and I did leave late this afternoon to get gas in the white van and the mini van. He parked so I could ride with him in the minivan so we could run some errands before we got gas,
• As we were driving to the library, the battery light came on. Then the car started to sputter a little bit. We passed the mechanic on the way to the library, and Robby debated pulling in there. He didn't! 
• We were almost to the library-though by this time Robby didn't have much power so it took him a long time before he was brave enough to turn in front of two lanes of traffic. As I got my books, he circled the parking lot. 
• Then with little power, we puttered back to the mechanics. He was there and quickly did his thing and reassured us that it was the alternator. We had read that it could possibly be the battery or more likely the alternator-and with how our luck is going lately, we knew it was the alternator. 
• Reagan was at work so no drivers at home could come and pick us up so we called Pops and Nonna. They were there in about 10 minutes and drove us to the white van.
• We then went on to Kroger and to get gas while laughing about our car problems-we were at least thankful that it wasn't a tire! That would have just put us over the edge!
• Once we came home, we all had supper while Robby and I watched a video about financial aid. It was pointless since we didn't learn anything. However, Keaton did make some cookies tonight that we snacked on as we watched Amazing Race. I still haven't gotten my Hallmark movie yet-maybe tomorrow.