Bowling People

Okay, has this not been the longest March ever?

We started earlier today, heading over to the North Campus to do a bit of bowling.  This is our game segment for this weekend, where we were doing "human bowling," a process you can see below as we take a test run with Madison, our first human bowling ball:

It was a fun morning.  We had girls versus boys, and I think the end result will be pretty funny.  While we were here though, we also took advantage of this unique moment to let Madison complete an assignment she has in photography, one where she has to tell a story with pictures.  So here below is that new photo story, one taken this morning:

It was a fun morning, and it did go on into the afternoon somewhat.  Madison and Daddy went over to Lowe's to pick up a paint roller, and of course things were extreme there with the precautions concerning the spread of the virus.  Lines and marks were put on the ground where people were instructed to stand when getting in line to pay for products, each "X" on the ground marking where people could stand in line, six feet apart.

We were at the church for a tiny bit, as Daddy was picking up some material for our next series, one we'll be doing based on last year's "Miracles" series.  A lot of the video work is already done, and it goes with a series our church will be doing for the main services, a series called "Miracles In Your Home."  But Daddy is also helping out another church in Maine, sending material that way.  It's been fun watching things from down here, helping out with that online service each week.

After we got home, Madison was busy with her classwork for school (although she was technically also doing that during the bowling game!).  She also did some piano, and there was ice cream at the end of it all as well.  We were writing more cards for the senior citizens today, another eight or so.  And then there was more online taekwondo!

So we're keeping busy here, despite the plague.  Things are increasing though, and April is looming.  But at least it is finally here - again, this has been the longest March ever!

We continued our jailbreak movie series with one of the greatest jailbreaks ever.  Tonight we watched "Guardians of the Galaxy," and got hooked on a feeling right away.  I forgot how good this movie was.  It goes without saying that we'll be watching "Volume 2" tomorrow night.

It was a later night tonight, so not so much reading.  But we said our prayers, and we had a good night's rest.  Sure, we may be stranded, but we're stranded together, and that makes everything much better.

Keep On Going

Madison is even doing her piano classes online, though it's not as big an online gathering as the taekwondo classes or KidPak meetings.  As such, we're just using Skype to talk to Madison's piano teacher, who lives up in Lumpkin County.  It works out that this is now the same time as her taekwondo classes, so we're doing something online with someone else each day around this time.

This morning we were off to the oncologist as a part of Mommy's yearly update.  The bloodworm showed that everything was fine, as did all other testing, which isn't as much lately.  The atmosphere here is severe, of course.  We were at this building just about every day for chemotherapy and various appointments, and it was a life changing experience for us.  Madison and Daddy were in the parking lot, waiting for Mommy outside because we just didn't want to go in and risk exposure of this virus to anyone.  It will be easy to look back on this and explain what it was like, but up until now, it's as if we're in an outbreak movie.  People everywhere are wearing gloves and masks, something like we usually see in Asian countries.  But we may see more of that here from this point on.  Japan and Korea have already "flattened the curve," because their people have been more adapted to this sort of behavior.  Here, things are still on the increase, the number of cases statewide rising all the time.  Forsyth County has over thirty cases currently, as does Hall County.  You can never be too careful.

Madison was doing her classwork today, which again is much more work than what she normally does.  We know several people in college who are having the same experience, working harder now than they did before.  It is taking a whole lot of adapting to this odd situation.

Daddy and Mommy kept busy today, painting half the garage floor, shortly after sweeping it out and using the blower.  We used the pressure washer to clean off the front porch, and the sidewalk too.  There's a LOT of pollen out there though, and I'm sure we'll be washing off that front porch again soon.  It's just a season of yellow out there, and that's reason enough to want to stay indoors.

Daddy dropped by the martial arts studio to pick up some practice cushions, and it happened to be in the middle of an online class.  He snapped this picture and a few others just to show what it's like on this one side of the camera.  It was great hanging out during class, although I never really interrupted Mr. Edge as he led about twelve or so students in one particular older class.

We said our prayers tonight, and we joined our pastor online for a prayer meeting.  We were connecting with all our friends there online, and it was a nice moment to pray together.  We were praying for guidance through this storm, and for our leaders.  All the complaining does not help them.  We were praying for good health, and of course for this virus to go away.  Our reading tonight was shorter - we were up late.  I think that was because we were playing some games, and yes, there was the movie we saw this evening too.

Tonight we watched "Chicken Run," and it was a first viewing for Madison.  I remember this movie coming out the year Mom and I got married.  For some reason, I have a memory of this movie poster at a theater in Lahaina, Hawaii, where we went on our honeymoon.

Anyway, it was and still is a great movie.  The artistry in it is just fantastic, and the theme is a fun one as well.  Daddy was watching this for a tiny bit of research, as he's making up a new series this week, even if it is one we don't actually do at KidPak.  There's just a feeling that we're all "in prison," and that got me thinking of all the Bible stories from prison.  There are quite a few.  It's interesting how many Bible heroes found themselves in prison.  So let's close out this entry here with the latest thing I've written, a message based on our friend Peter, and his time as a jail bird!  It's still a bit raw, but it's just something still in the "idea phase."  Anyway, here it is - and goodnight!

YOU ARE FREE INDEED!

     So, you’re in prison?  What’d you do to get stuck in the joint?  Did you do something awful, like take one of those tags on your mattress that says, “Do not remove under penalty of law,” and cut it off?  Oh, that’s cold-blooded behavior right there!
     As wrong as it would be to go to prison for something as silly as that, believe it or not, we find that time and time again there are people from the Bible who found themselves in prison.  These are our heroes, people we look up to, and people who tried to do the right thing. Yet can you believe it? They were actually stuck in prison!

      Take Peter, for example.  He was doing time in prison, but what was his crime?  The answer is surprising:  he was doing some hard labor for Jesus.  He spoke out to thousands, sharing the gospel, praying for those who were sick and watching them miraculously healed.  Not long after that, he was charged with spreading the gospel, and then thrown in prison.  You’d think he was some super dangerous criminal the way they were treating him, because there were four squads of soldiers watching over Peter.  But you know something?  Angels were watching over him too.
      They are watching over each of us too.  Sure, you’re not really in prison or anything.  But what’s your rap sheet like?  Do you have a record of helping the church or telling others about Jesus? God is watching over us, and the best thing to be caught guilty of is sharing His love.
      As we read about Peter’s jail time, we see he was supposed to be stuck there in prison until after Passover.  But God had other plans!  In one of the greatest jailbreaks ever, Peter escaped, passing right over the guards, right through the iron gate, and right down the street!  There was no trial for Peter, because God is the ultimate judge, and decided Peter could take a walk!  Judgment passed over Peter, because anything he ever did wrong in the past was covered. And yes, because of what Jesus did for us, judgment will pass over us too if we ask for His forgiveness.  It’s all covered.  He who the Son sets free, is free indeed!

     What are miracle!  When Peter was thrown in prison, all his friends and family were praying.  And sure enough, the answer to that prayer came when God helped Peter bust out of jail.  It took Peter a few moments to realize what was going on, because he was having a hard time understanding what was really happening!  Even when he showed up at his friends’ house, they didn’t believe it either. They actually thought it couldn’t be Peter, but instead was his angel!  The point is this: keep on praying.  You may feel stuck going nowhere, stressed out, or in a situation you don’t think you deserve.  But God is watching, and He has an army of angels.  He can bring you through any situation, and just like with Peter, it’s going to be so incredible, you might not believe it either!

       

Bible Passage:

     Herod saw that the death of James pleased some Jews. So he arrested Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  After Herod arrested Peter, he put him in prison. Peter was placed under guard. He was watched by four groups of four soldiers each. Herod planned to put Peter on public trial. It would take place after the Passover Feast.
     So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed hard to God for him.
     It was the night before Herod was going to bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. Two chains held him there. Lookouts stood guard at the entrance.  Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared. A light shone in the prison cell. The angel struck Peter on his side. Peter woke up. “Quick!” the angel said. “Get up!” The chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
     Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” Peter did so. “Put on your coat,” the angel told him. “Follow me.”  Peter followed him out of the prison. But he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision.  They passed the first and second guards. Then they came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. They went through it. They walked the length of one street. Suddenly the angel left Peter.
     Then Peter realized what had happened. He said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent his angel. He set me free from Herod’s power. He saved me from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
     When Peter understood what had happened, he went to Mary’s house. Mary was the mother of John Mark. Many people had gathered in her home. They were praying there.  Peter knocked at the outer entrance. A servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. She recognized Peter’s voice. She was so excited that she ran back without opening the door. “Peter is at the door!” she exclaimed.
     “You’re out of your mind,” they said to her. But she kept telling them it was true. So they said, “It must be his angel.”
     Peter kept on knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.  Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet. He explained how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said. Then he went to another place.
     In the morning the soldiers were bewildered. They couldn’t figure out what had happened to Peter. 

Acts 12:3-18 NIRV

1.    What’s your record?Peter was doing time in prison, but what was his crime?  The answer is surprising:  he was doing some hard labor for Jesus.  Not long after that, he was charged with spreading the gospel.  What’s your rap sheet like?  Do you have a record of helping the church, and sharing God’s love?“I am a prisoner because of the Lord. So I am asking you to live a life worthy of what God chose you for.” Ephesians 4:1 NIRV

2.    God will bust you out! Peter was to stay in jail until after Passover, but God had other plans.  Peter passed right over the guards, right through the iron gate, and right down the street! There was no trial for Peter, because God is the ultimate judge, and decided Peter could take a walk!  Because of Jesus, judgment will pass over us if we ask for His forgiveness.  It’s all covered, and any judgment will pass right over.  We serve an awesome God that can deliver us from all kinds of trouble.^“So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free.” John 8:36 NIRV

3.    Keep on praying.  You’re not going to believe this!  It took Peter a while to realize what was happening, because he was having a hard time understanding what was really happening!  Even when he showed up at his friends’ house, they didn’t believe it either.  They actually thought it couldn’t be Peter, but instead was his angel!  So keep on praying.  God can bring you through any situation, and it’s going to be so incredible, you might not believe it either!“So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed hard to God for him.”Acts 12:5 NIRV

MEMORY VERSE

^“So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free.” John 8:36 NIRV

Ready to Fly

We started this morning out right, by going to church together.  Like last week and the week before, this new normal means watching our service online.  We started out with the main service, the one for grown-ups and family.  But then afterwards, we were watching our KidPak service as well.

As you can see here, Nerdo is back!  He came by to film.  And of course we showed the game segment we filmed with the water balloons as well.  "Faith Over Fear" is going over very well, with a pretty good audience watching, and also a big audience actually downloading the material Daddy was writing.  It's been an encouragement, and that's great to see.

Another thing that was great to see was our mourning dove, a temporary guest in our house.  Pastor Franklin was talking about a stirring of the nest this morning at our online service, and how the young birds are displaced, uncomfortable and even pushed out of the nest - all of this in order to learn how to fly, and how to use those wings, or those gifts they didn't even realize they had.  Anyway, the template was all about falling out of the nest, and learning to fly again.  It is better to try to fly, than to stay in the nest and die.  All that said, we just knew it was a good time to see if our new winged friend would be ready to fly.

Sure enough, the mourning dove flew up and towards a nearby tree branch right away.  It was very nice to see, and nice to know we helped this poor little bird out.  When we saw it yesterday, we knew there was trouble.  But this was a quick and happy ending!

Here's something else that was ready to fly!

Madison's next LEGO creation is a TIE Bomber, or a TIE Surface Assault Bomber, for you nerds.  This one actually came with a little LEGO TIE fighter pilot to go inside, and additionally a spring-loaded bomb that shoots out of the one side.  Of course, Madison has shot me several times with it.  Thank you, LEGO people!  Seriously, this one is pretty cool, and a welcome addition to our growing collection of LEGO Star Wars items on the mantle.  We'll do a group shot when we're done - we have about two left, I think.  Maybe three.

We kept busy today, doing piano practice and even taekwondo practice.  Daddy was writing, and Mommy has been catching up on sewing things that have been on a mending waiting list.  We were playing a few games today - Daddy is back doing Street Fighter again, while Madison is playing some games on her phone.  We all sat down together to finish off "The Mandalorian" tonight, three episodes in a row!  We miss Kuiil.  It's hard to watch that part, and you get all angry at the Empire wannabes again.  Down with the Empire!

We watched the service from Maine tonight also, our friends from Charleston Church and their children's ministry called Kids on the Move.

The alien on the screen behind us is named Chip, and he's become one of our favorite characters.  I really want to get one of those masks!  It's been fun to see their services from down here in Georgia, and see how we really are all in this together.  We've been working together behind the scenes a bit, sending a few things up there to Maine.  The last two weeks, they've actually been performing some of Daddy's skits up there, and using some of our videos as well.  Pretty fun!

It was a quiet day today.  We read tonight from "Thrawn," and are reading about Padme's adventures as well - it turns out this library book isn't due back until JUNE.  Yeah, the libraries are going to be closed for some time.  We have four books out, and the first due date was some time in March.  Then it was extended to April 6th, once this virus broke out.  Now, we're looking at JUNE.  So yeah, we can take our time reading this latest book!

We did hide-and-seek tonight, always funny.  And we read, and we prayed.  We had zerberts, and we had the Imperial Infuser going with the theme song that we hum when it turns red.  And we said "I love you." Because we do.  We're anxious to fly, just like that bird.  We're anxious to get out of the house and go do something.  We're anxious to go to work, go to school, or go on a big vacation.  But for now, at least we have each other.  We've seen things online about families driving each other crazy in the house, and I know they might be exaggerating some of that.  Regardless, we've been blessed with a happy home, and we're quite thankful for that.

Jail Birds

Look at this great breakfast we had this morning!  What a wonderful surprise this morning, as Mommy made some Mickey Mouse Waffles.  That's a great way to start the day.  Even though we didn't really go anywhere, we still attacked this day with a good bit of fervor.   For example, we were writing cards to seniors in the senior centers, the ones who can't have any visitors for a time.

This is the one that Madison wrote.  We've been writing a lot of these lately, as there are a lot of senior centers around us.  The two of us can't write all the cards, but we'll probably have about a hundred of them done by the time this week is over.  My fingers are sore from actually using a pen to write things - it's been ages since I've written this much!  But it's something important, and hopefully will help brighten someone's day.  We'll keep on sowing that seed.

Here's something else that Madison was doing, and it's something she's been doing a lot this week.

Even when there is not live practice, there is a page for the ATA students, and Madison visits there to do workouts and practice.  This is part of a worksheet that she keeps up with, and once it is all filled out, she starts earning stripes on her brown belt.  She's moving forward, as are all the students, despite the obstacles.  It's inspiring to see.

We were doing some work today - Daddy has the blower out there on the front lawn, and that's when I noticed something on the front porch:

It was a mourning dove!  This fledgling wasn't going anywhere, not flying at all.  He could hop away, and tried to when we were attempting to round him up.  But we couldn't just leave him there on the porch, unable to fly.  The thinking is that he's either injured, or he's just not able to fly yet.  So we had a cage that we put him in, along with some newspaper for a ground area.  And Mommy made some food with powdered oats and warm water.

It was a good sign, because the dove started to perk up throughout the day.   It was more alert, and actually eating and drinking what we were feeding it.  Still, it was later, so we opted to put a blanket over the cage, and allow the bird a good night's rest.  We figured it hadn't been asleep in a while.  It kept trying to close its eyes, but was quite nervous for a time.  It relaxed, and hopefully got some rest tonight with the blanket over the cage, and the lights down.

Madison's next project, done entirely on her own, was DARTH VADER.  That's right, we had a LEGO Darth Vader.  This one might be our favorite LEGO project so far.

Here he is, the Dark Lord of the LEGO Sith.  But we must not be too proud of our technological terror we've constructed!

He's a fairly tall LEGO construction.  Madison sat there with the pieces, patiently assembling this villain, and now she can rule the galaxy!

Madison made this after taking a picture with her cell phone.  She finds our lack of faith disturbing.  In other words... FAITH OVER FEAR!

In that Star Wars spirit, tonight we were watching a few more episodes of "The Mandolorian."  Also, we spoke with the grandparents.  We've been doing that each day, and everything seems to be well.  We didn't go anywhere today, and odds are we aren't going anywhere tomorrow.  That's "the new normal," as people like to say.

We were praying tonight for a quick end to this all.  Daddy was reading the passage about Peter escaping from jail, and how it all took place over Passover.  Looking on the calendar, Passover is coming up soon.  Anyway, the story of Peter's escape was so amazing and fast, he himself didn't initially believe it.  And neither did Rhoda, the young lady who heard him knock on the door when he returned.  That's what we're praying for:  an escape from this situation our world is trapped in, and one so miraculous and fast that nobody can believe it.

The LEGO Mandalorian

Ah!  Here's the LEGO Mandalorian, as advertised.  We finished this guy today, and in celebration, we watched another few episodes of the television show with the same name.  We also watched the next episode of "Clone Wars," another part of the Ahsoka story.  It seems to be heading in an interesting direction, although this latest episode was a bit slower.

Madison had some make-up work to do today with Language Arts, some reading there.  Also, she had a few other assignments as well.  She had plenty of time to do that.  She was also doing her taekwondo workout, and her piano practice as well.  A reward for all that?  Ice cream.  Daddy went and got ice cream from the grocery store, both for her and Mommy.  We also got enough pizza to make our freezer pretty much so full nothing else can fit into it.  Madison is ready for the Pizzapocalypse!

We saw a few online things today, a few items that were live-streamed for the word.  It's great seeing things get shared from various sources.  Even though both of these were pre-recorded, they were fun to watch together with the other fans.  The first was a Cirque du Soleil video that was made from a few of their productions, including "Kurios" and "O."  We watched the entire thing, mainly because you can't start something like that and not finish the whole thing.  The other livestream was from They Might Be Giants, which didn't have the best video, but the sound was good and it's the thought that counts.  There have been a lot of daily freebies online as everyone has been throwing out performances from their living room, or videos to share with the world.  KidPak's next video will be on Sunday, of course, and we've been working on more beyond that.

Madison is working on the Dark Lord of the Sith next, and I believe we'll see pictures of that tomorrow when it is finished.  She's got her earphones on, plugging LEGO pieces into each other, one piece at a time.  Just like we'll make it through this quarantine, one day at a time.

We've been talking with Nana and Ba-Ba each day, and they're looking good down there.  It's safe and sound for them - the farthest they go is across the street to the grocery store.  Otherwise, it's no human contact, even on the beach, which seems to be all theirs.  On FaceTime, they were showing us live footage of the beach, how unpopulated it is right now.  It's warm down there too.  There could be worse places to be quarantined...!

Daddy was fixing up the location of our future vegetable garden in the back yard, weeding it and getting the ground ready for some new plants.  Also, he was putting out the carpenter bee trap.  Those flying diggers are back, ready to make holes in the sides of houses.  The ants are back too.  We catching a lot of those visitors in our house.  The carpenter bee trap is pretty remarkable, because there's no denying it works.  I have no idea why!

Oh, here's something that happened today as well:  we were writing handwritten cards to senior citizens at their homes.  Currently, they're trapped there with no visitors, as they're the most susceptible to serious problems with this virus.  So some in our church are writing cards, and we'll have a visitor drop by tomorrow to pick them up and take them to the home.  That's very nice.  Daddy wrote about 22 so far, and Madison is going to write some as well.  That will be great.

Daddy has finished the skits for "Northern Lights" now, and is working on the next series, as it seems possible we won't have church on campus until the end of April.  That means more brainstorming for more online series.  Right now, this current one is going well though:  Faith Over Fear.

We said our prayers tonight, especially for our leaders and our country.  We're in the midst of the biggest battle we've been in since September of 2001.  We went to bed tonight, having done a good amount of work today.  Time for some rest.

A Message from Great Grandmother

Nana dropped by with this Bible for us, and it's a special one.  This is Madison's great-great grandmother's Bible, one owned by Tona Doorn, which you can see written on the first page inside here.

This was nearly a hundred years ago, which seems like forever ago  You can see the exact date this was given to her, either by her Pastor or by her actual father, back on January 25, 1922.

This was the insert that surprised us.  It was found in the middle pages of the Bible, right at the first page of the book of Obediah.

The words are hand-written on a daily devotional page, written on the back in pencil:

You are living a scripture, a chapter each day
By the things that you do, by the words that you say
Men see what you do whether kind or true
Say what is the scripture according to you

It's a message from an ancestor, and it's a good one.  It's amazing to picture her now, writing this down carefully.  It must have meant something to her, or at least she thought it would be meaningful for someone else to hear.  The latter is certainly the case, as we were pleasantly surprised to read this today.

A recent message that Daddy wrote about David at Ziklag came to mind, and how everything was lost for him and his men.  The story that follows is epic, a tale filled with complainers, schemers, weary folks, and those who battled on to get back what was stolen.  At the epicenter of it all was David, who had the wisdom to do this one thing first:  seek God.  After getting that guidance, he marched forward, and everyone else involved played their part.  Some were too tired to go on, and others complained, and even wanted to stone David.  Still others complained again once the battle was won, upset at those who did not do as much as they themselves did to win the fight.  In the end, everyone got their share of things back, as the lesson was clear:  God won them the victory.

It's a great story, but the thing that has stuck with me is the part everyone played within it.  There are those in this story that will forever be remembered as those who complained.  There are those who wanted to launch stones at their leader.  And then there are those that sought after God, and those who marched on to victory.  There are those that took from the weak, and those that were generous.  There were those that wanted to take credit for everything, and those who gave credit to God.

The lesson is obvious:  what part are we playing in today's story?  We are possibly approaching a Ziklag moment, where much has been taken from us.  The question for many is... now what?  I believe the answer is found in this story, in what David first did.  He first sought after God.  He was generous.  He was kind to those who were weaker.  And he gave all credit to God.

Just like the scripture of old, this story is being written for all to see, a permanent record of a battle that God helps us win.  What part are you playing in that story?

Today was a good day, another day under quarantine though.  Daddy did sneak over to check on Ye-Ye and Nana, dropping by some pita chips.  I went to the grocery store, and was completely paranoid, using wipes anywhere and everywhere I could.

Madison had taekwondo practice again tonight, so we set things up in the living room.  This time, we left her to do her practice, while hiding out on the front porch, reading a few books there.  It was a nice day outside, cool and not too bad.  The pollen is extreme, which makes for additional complications with the lungs.  But not too bad to be out in, at least temporarily.

Madison was doing school work for a good bit of the day again, which has been such a long process throughout the day.  It just takes so long.  She sits on the couch there, and just slogs through it all.  I think that's the right word.  Slog.  She's been slogging through her assignments.  But we've been getting some notes and emails from her teachers, and she's getting it all done.

We started re-watching "The Mandalorian" tonight, seeing the first two episodes again.  This is because we were putting together a LEGO Mandalorian figure, Jango Fett.  You'll see that picture tomorrow, I think.  We also watched a few episodes of "The Clone Wars," the ones related to another galactic pandemic, the Blue Shadow virus.  There were certainly some moments of familiarity here.  Right now, jedi knights are racing across the solar system to a planet that has a particular giant man-eating plant root that can solve all our problems.

We read tonight, and we kept everything routine, though it is clearly not.  We're stuck at home, and while that isn't as draining on us at the moment, the idea of staying here until the end of April is.  Spring Break, for example, is cancelled.  At least, the idea of going anywhere is cancelled.  It's too much to risk for Nana and Ba-Ba, and besides, they're about to put the entire state on lockdown.  In fact, that's coming soon here to Georgia, on a county-by-county basis.  It's a new and undiscovered country.  But we're going to play our part the best we can.

Water Balloons over Fear

This morning, Madison and Daddy went to the church again, after a few days of staying home, somewhat confined and doing school work.  I think "getting out of the house" was a desire of Madison's, strong enough for her to set up the alarm and get up early.  Our objective at the church was to film a game segment for the upcoming online weekend at KidPak.  One of Madison's objectives was to take photographs for her online photography class.  All these photos below were taken by Madison on her phone.

Here's a portrait of Mariah, getting ready for the water balloon game we were doing this morning.  It was a little chilly outside, but at least the sun was shining.

This is a neat photo Madison took of Bailey and Joey, or at least their reflections in the concrete.  You can see how Joey is right in the middle of a puddle jump that will get everyone a bit wet!  But that's what happened this  morning, particularly with Joey, as you'll soon see.

Here's Joey with a plastic container for the top of his head.  Both he and Bailey would have these buckets on their heads, the idea was for Mariah and Calvin to toss water balloons a certain distance, and whoever had the most water in their container at the end would be the winning team.

Just before the game, we filled up water balloons and put them in larger containers, so that teammates could grab the water balloons quickly.  Mariah and Bailey look ready to go!

So does Isaac.  He's got one of the cameras, and Daddy has the other.  Madison even filmed a bit of the preparation and the actual game itself.

Here's a shot of Josh, already a bit wet from an errant water balloon strike.  Before the game even began, there were a few of those tossed around.  And a few puddle jumps from Joey.

Speaking of which, here he is with his plastic container, and his Summer Xtreme shirt from last year.

Calvin has his Summer Xtreme shirt on as well, and he looks ready to toss some water balloons!  Once the countdown started, both Calvin and Mariah were launching balloons across the concrete towards their targets, those plastic containers on the heads of their teammates.

We'll wait until Sunday to show the winner, when we air our next online KidPak service.  We even used this segment to tell the Bible story of the day, one where the disciples were caught in the midst of a storm on the lake, and of course Jesus brought calm to the waters.

To help illustrate that, we had the contestants playing the part of the apostles, and at one point were launching water balloons at them.  And Joey bravely played the part of Peter, actually trying to walk on water.

It didn't go over so well!  For laughs, he fell right into the pool on this chilly morning, and again, he did it for the kids.  But he was pretty anxious to get out of that water afterwards.  

It should be pretty funny for the kids to see!  We hung around at the church, talking, editing, and also waiting on some palms to arrive for our Palm Sunday service.  No, we're not having a big Palm Sunday service in person - we ordered these months ago, and sadly, there won't be anyone at the church to hand them out to.  We'll just have to think of a use for 1,500 palms until then.  

There's a lot of restructuring going on right now.  There was a devastating blow today, as school was cancelled in April as well.  That was brutal news for Madison.  She's still working hard on the computer, and doing her best with school work.  We're having an online conference with one of her teachers tomorrow morning.

The pollen count is super high again, right in the midst of all these viruses that affect the lungs.  So it may be a beautiful day outside, but you still have to be careful how long you spend out there.  Pollen in the south is bad enough as it is.  You almost need to wear a mask just for the pollen!

Anyway, today was the usual kind day after the adventure at the church, with a lot of things to do at home.  Daddy has been reading "Frozen" books from the library that don't have to be returned for a long time.  There's been an extension on these books, given the current news.  The library is closed, temporarily, and we don't have to return the books until some time in April.  Daddy was reading on the front porch a bit, until the pollen drove him inside.  

We did some brainstorming for future series today, some of which have been written in the past and never used.  Others we've done before, but the thinking is, "What if we have to keep on doing online series another month?" Currently we have three weekends left of our "Faith Over Fear" series.  

We had no taekwondo or piano tonight, but Madison did help Daddy finish our "Lady and the Tramp" puzzle.

I like this one.  We love "Lady and the Tramp," of course, but this one was a nice composition, with lots of little surprising details you don't notice until all the puzzle pieces are put in place.  I think that's Sleeping Beauty's dress in a shop window.  And there's the heart being drawn in the ground at the feet of Lady and the Tramp.  Seeing Trusty there on the sidewalk brought a smile to my face.  Anyway, it's a nice image.  Maybe someday we'll have one of these as a painting itself, hanging on the wall.

Tonight we also watched a few things, some episodes of "Kickin' It," season four.  It's started out rather oddly, a completely different thing all of the sudden, and minus one character.  But it's had some laughs as well.  We loved the characters on this show when we first saw it years ago, but hadn't gotten around to seeing the last two years of it until it showed up on Disney Plus.

Afterwards, it was time for bed and prayers and reading.  None of that routine has changed.  We still do hide-and-seek, and we still read from the devotional and from "Thrawn" as well.  Madison is such a big Star Wars fan.  You'll have to see the bed now, with the covers she got for Christmas, plus the new BB-8 and Porg pillowcases.  

We said our prayers tonight, with special prayers towards our leaders, who are needing to make possibly some of the toughest decisions our governments have ever had to make in a few decades.  Faith over fear.