Ice Pop Central

So today's temperature was roughly that of yesterday, which was roughly the temperature it needs to be in order to melt plastic.  We were all dreaming today of that moment where a cold snap comes in and we have to endure a chilly 80 degrees outside.  Seriously, think about it:  that's thirty degrees colder!

Today was Canada Day.  In the past, we've done some fun things on this day - just because we're crazy.  We're not actually from Canada, but the fun part is trying to find something Canadian to do.  One year, Mommy, Daddy and Aunt Shain threw a surprise Canada Day party for Ye-Ye and Nana.  We had Canada Dry, Clearly Canadian, Canadian Bacon - and Toronto Blue Jays hats on.  We had Gordon Lightfoot playing in the background, and someone actually went through the effort of purchasing a large Canadian Flag.  It was as weird as it is sounds - we were just having a bit of fun.  Today, however, we didn't really have that much time.  Late at night, Daddy was feeling nostalgic to do something in honor of such an important day.  So we watched the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen.

Yep, that was my great reward.  I was reminded that Ren and Stimpy was a very weird cartoon.  But I loved it back then - still like it now, actually.  Although I could see folks getting somewhat disturbed by it!

"No sir, I don't like it."
- Mr. Horse

This morning, of course, was the start of our big Olympics series, "Go the Distance." 

The set turned out fantastic, and the skit was really good too.  The message was about passing the torch, which is just one of the things Daddy got to see in 1996:  the Olympic flame was going by the road to Dahlonega, so we all went up and found a spot to watch as it went by.  Daddy even snapped a photo of it, and got a pennant of the big moment.  Of course, that is overshadowed by the Games themselves, but it still left an impression on me.  The whole skit was about a guy waiting for that flame to come by, and that's what the message was about too.  It's based on one of Daddy's favorite Newsboys songs that came out a few years ago:

"After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.” Luke 2:17-18 NIrV


     Can you see a lone shepherd running over the hills through the starry night, carrying his flaming torch?  The fire started in Bethlehem, where the shepherds first ran with the flame, carrying the message of light to everyone they could.

    Every four years, the Olympic flame ignites at Mt. Olympus and travels the whole world before arriving at the Games.  But the fiery message of God’s love has been carried for over 2,000 years!  Some time ago, Jesus told us in the Great Commission to spread His light all over the world.  And soon after the shepherds were telling others about Him, the next generation was spreading the Word as well.  Through the years, the fire of God’s Word has been spanning the globe.  And now the torch is in your hands.  Don’t drop it!

     Passing the baton in an Olympic relay is a precise thing – an entire team is doomed if it cannot be passed along correctly.  Your generation has new energy, set and ready to run!  But you can’t go without the fire, and you can’t go without the core values passed on from the previous runners.  
     

     So listen closely, stand at the ready, and burst forward with the flame:  you’ve received the light, and now it is time to carry it along, passing it to others.  Don’t drop the fire – the most important thing to do is protect it, and pass the torch.  

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Mommy did such a great job with the display case for this series.  She gathered up a lot of our old stuff, and put it together and has a great display for everyone this month:  take a look!

You can see some stuff from China in there, and of course some stuff from Atlanta as well.  To the upper right is Wenlock, who is starting to grow on me a little!

After church, we basically camped out inside.  It was simply too hot to think about doing anything outside.  We didn't even want to get in a car to drive anywhere - it was that hot.  Daddy brought an umbrella with him to church this morning and we used that to shield ourselves from the sun as we walked to our cars.  This weather is nothing to play around with.  It's amazing and fascinating - but it is also something you don't want to last that long.

Madison continued her piano practice today, and we finished up some more books from her reading program.  We all rested a bit after church - Mommy and Daddy were pretty wiped out.  Madison played with her building blocks and read some of her books on her own.  Yesterday, she got her Lego Magazine in the mail, and that's kept her happy.  It has puzzles and pictures inside, including a Lego Hulk - Madison likes the Hulk.  Don't ask me why!

One other thing that was big about today was this:

Madison learned to tie a shoe knot!  She's had this box that Mommy created for her, which helps her learn to tie a proper knot.  Well, today she managed to do it all on her own!  That's a big step for our little girl.  She's been practicing for some time, and with a lot of help from Mommy, she's been able to start doing it on her own now.  This is a huge deal for Daddy:  he's notoriously bad at tying any knot.

One way that we all beat the heat was with ice pops.  These have been in our freezer for a while, and on a day like today you've simply got to have one.  Mommy had two, Madison had two, and Daddy had two.  That's just the kind of day it was.  We kept going back to the freezer, because it was Ice Pop Central!

Fortunately, it got cooler in the evening.  Violent rain pounded much of our area, and yet it spared us.  We felt the winds, and even got a slight drizzle at one point in the night - but nothing really heavy as far as rain is concerned.  It didn't matter:  we were just all very happy to have anything but the stifling heat outside.  It's been very hot.  In fact, I think I'm going to head right now back to the freezer - I'm going to get myself another ice pop!