The Hazard Chronicles

This week is all about Evelyn. Nobody really planned it that way- it’s just how things worked out. But hey- I can roll with that.


First of all, she had her book fair. Let’s step back a little bit though to something that happened last month. In Evelyn’s class, she is supposed to read a minimum of 300 minutes each month. There is a little calendar that gets sent home with her and we are supposed to keep track of her time, and then if she reaches this goal at the end of the month she gets a “puppy prize.” Puppy prizes are accessories that adorn little stuffed puppies that the kids get- things like nametags, toys, etc. For those kids who do exceptionally well, there is also an end of the year “puppy party” that they get to go to. Her class just started doing this last month.


Last month was crazy for us. I will be the first to admit that Evelyn’s studies were probably the last thing on my mind as we went through our practice merger, and consequentially she didn’t end up getting all of her minutes in. At the end of the month, she did not get her puppy prize. And she was devastated. She cried and cried, and even wrote an email to her teacher explaining the situation. The teacher responded and told her that it was okay, and that the future was bright for her and her puppy if she could get all her minutes in for the rest of the
school year.


Since that time, Evelyn has become a reading machine. She got almost all of her minutes for the month of November done in a single week. She reads every night for 30-60 minutes, and reads stories to the other kids whenever she gets a chance. I am very impressed with how fluid she has gotten, and it is fun to listen to her.





So, early this week I had the privilege of taking her on a daddy-daughter date to her school’s book fair. We did crafts together, played in the bounce house, looked at her book reports, and bought a few books to give to her teacher. I am one very lucky dad, that’s for sure!




Besides reading, Evelyn is very artistic. She loves drawing and coloring, and is very proud of her masterpieces. This week she decided that she was going to have an art sale in our front yard. We told her that it was pretty cold out and probably not the best season, but she was unfazed by these minor logistical difficulties.


She prepared all week, building her “portfolio,” and then on Sunday night she set up shop on a table in our driveway and started waving at cars. In all, she made $1.25- all of which came from our own family- but when it was time to come in she was still in high spirits and excited to continue the sale on other days. She sure is persistent!




Finally, it was Evelyn’s turn this week to do Sunday dessert night. She surprised me when she announced that she wanted to do cantaloupe and pineapple. I didn’t really think that was a dessert, but it was her night to choose so that is what we got. When it came time to present the dessert (after our family dance party),this is what we saw:




In short,Evelyn is awesome. I am so lucky to have a little girl like her, and it is fun to watch her grow up. I sure love her.


As for other news, there isn’t much to tell. I spent the weekend at an apologetics conference I was invited to for Evangelical Christianity. It had some pretty heavy hitters present, and it was both entertaining and interesting. I am glad I went. Just a note to Evangelicals: the open acknowledgement that a good education is the most threatening thing to your worldview ought to raises some eyebrows. The fact that it doesn’t is very disconcerting. That’s all (well, that’s not all…but that’s all I’ll say here). Anyway, Addy and Jack are loving their pre-school
and went on a field trip this week to see Seusical the Musical. Rachel and Maren really enjoy their one-on-one time during the kid’s school, and Lindsey really enjoys drenching all of her outfits in spit that smells like a mixture between vomit and rotten fish. She also really likes smiling at us, which helps to make up for the putrid throw-up all over everything. In short, life is good for us.


Have a good
week!