Cake it On
Puck was already lobbying to attend Children’s Church that morning as I sleepily pulled his breakfast yogurt from the fridge.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mom,” he said importantly, “but I didn’t get to go in one hundred weeks.”
Early gray spritz sent us winding towards church, with Puck clutching at his stomach…
“Ug. I wish they didn’t make this road so curly.”
He marched into the sanctuary ready to work.
He was absolutely charged up to assist Francis at the sound booth throughout the service at, surprisingly, Francis’ suggestion.
“Manual labor,” Francis heckled as his eager gopher followed him down the aisle during rehearsal.
Puck hustled, toting a tub of lapel mikes. I have to say, I was impressed. Not a sound from the chubster throughout the whole hour, twenty. Even when his friends were waving to him from the front during the children’s service prayer send-off.
Carrie preparing burgers, chips, and another jumbo bag of acai-blueberry chocolates. We were short Rose [studying] and Linnea [birthday slumber party], but there were still plenty of laughs over recent news and the idea of Joe and Wally sitting behind the dugout at tomorrow’s game. We advised they write up signs reading – “Touch-down!” or “GOOOAL!”. Joe got into that idea.
As Mom and Dad napped, Carrie and I briefly discussed Joe’s future plans around the news that Elezar Moss had got himself engaged Down Under. Now finally all those grand proposal plans he reiterated to Carrie and Eve on their tour of Sydney had come true…
“This would be a great place to propose, I reckon.”
Meanwhile, Puck was a little upset because Carrie was giving him suggestions…
“Could we wrap you up like a little papoose so we can squish your little cheeks?”
“Sun. I don’t like these things that are happening.”
Puck’s sixth (question mark) birthday party invitation of the year involved a lot of boxes of Legos. He connected with a few old church friends and another lollipop while the Bear and I listened to tales of a recent evangelistic mission to Tanzania, involving the usual crazy things that come with African outreaches. Well, crazy for a Midwest city-suburb anyway. Somewhere around the Star Wars cake slapped with blue and red frosting and Lego goody bags… Everything a Missouri-based 5 year-old boy’s birthday party should be.
Puck had put in a request Saturday night…
“Nana, I just love spending the night at your house because I always get bacon for breakfast.”
That hint was enough to make his wish come true the following night, as Theodore, the Bear, Joe, and Curly started cutting up wood in the garage and other manly things. Puck joined the manliness by removing his shirt, which he never does. Not without much agony anyway.
Talking with Joe stretched out backside on the living room carpet, I realized at one point that my son was rapping Krispy Kreme in the shower. Then avoiding the return to his Chucks for the evening, he transferred his feet to a pair of Gloria’s shoes instead and plopped downstairs where Gloria prepared him his own pot of macaroni and cheese.
And we got a hint of storms again, sort of the autumn trickery so well-loved in this part of the world, that did eventually spawn rain.
The boys talked on downstairs around the table until leaving for dinner someplace yonder right after Magnus pulled by with Cassidy. As Puck presumably snoozed off in a muggy first floor, but didn’t seem to notice. And I…
…slipped another chocolate bar out of the pot holder drawer.
Then on the way home I actually missed my exit because I was watching a particularly sapphire patch of sky mixed right in the middle of a dark soup.
I guess I don’t drive too much anymore.
Crackers was also gnawing on my laptop.