"Come on, Ded!

It's always nice to have something special to look forward to after a day of conjugating verbs. So, after throwing together spaghetti and a salad with tonight's "Set and Serve" crew, James, I decided we'd take in the basketball game at 5:00. Dad would join us straight from work.

On the way in, the boys said hello to new friends, Kevin and Seth, and a couple adults who wanted to welcome the new boys. On the way up the bleachers, we stopped and greeted the headmistress, whom the boys call the Dee-rec-tor of the school. We found our seats and settled in to watch the game.

It is something of a culture shock attending a highschool game, when you look at it through their eyes. What with fans cheering, two sets of bouncy cheerleaders doing cartwheels, music blaring, buzzers buzzing, and whistles blowing, it is good that the boys have each other. A friend commented that tonight they looked a little less like deer in headlights, but, still, both sat a little close to me at first, and Peter even took my hand for a minute.

James is 12 and slightly more cool that his younger brother of 11, so he is the one who explains the ins and outs of life in America. If they are with me, I remind them that they are talking in front of someone else, and would they please speak in English. Lately they are doing increasingly well at that.

While James and I cheered for Rob and the home team, "Go Flames!" Peter soulfully gazed at the door and said, "Come on, Ded!" It turned out that 'Ded' was later than he expected at work and went straight home, but he made up for it by reading Calvin and Hobb's, squashed into the fat chair with one son, and another hanging over each shoulder.

Tonight at supper Bob read the story of the blind man whose sight Jesus restored and Rob looked it up in the Russian Bible for James to read, while Peter searched for it in the Children's Picture Bible.

At bedtime all three boys teased me because this morning, forgetting that they had rotated beds last evening, I came in early and kissed James awake, thinking it was Rob. So as soon as the light was out, they switched on me again. Then on top of that, when I went to kiss them, I got the feet of one and the back end of the other.

Finally when we all simmered down, Peter listed all the people to be prayed for. I suggested some things we could be thankful for. James added Dad and Mom and relatives and Peter added socks and shoes and washrooms.

It's not really hard to please them. They just are really happy with socks and shoes and a washroom in a house with a mom, and a dad who reads Calvin and Hobbs, and a big brother who shows them how to play Chinese Checkers and load the dishwasher right. They just want to be tickled and teased, to be understood even if they speak half in Russian, and to kiss their dog goodnight several times, and get tucked in.