The Dentist

Have you ever stopped and thought about the dentist? It's one of those things that if you weren't brought up in this culture you would think was extremely strange. We're conditioned to believe that it's completely normal, but it's not. 

They drill in your mouth. Every drill I've ever handled had pictures of marred stick figures that got the drill too close to their face. This tender cartoon was intended to let those who can't read know that drills should not be used too close to your face, much less in it. They stick sharp objects in your mouth. Pretty sure my mom told me never to do that. While all of those tools are in your mouth, they ask you questions, but somehow still know what you're saying when you respond. Personal space issues seem non-existent. This is all terribly strange.

To top it all off, we pay for these things. "Yeah," we think, "you deserve compensation for this." Nice. Real Nice.

Mother's Day

Every time I keep the babies by myself I have a greater respect for what Holly does day after day. Today I kept them while she went to a Peru fundraiser for our upcoming trip in June. It's one thing to watch the babies, but she watches them, cooks, cleans, maintains herself, and looks after her man. What a woman!

Baby, I love and appreciate you more than you know! You amaze me! I realize I tell you this, but I want everyone else to know how special I believe you are. I couldn't have dreamed of a better, more perfect wife, friend, or mother. Happy Mother's Day! I love you!

I'll Ask, You Answer

How do YOU deal with disappointment?

Your thoughts...

Melting Heart

Every night we go through the same routine. After bath time, Trey and I play in the floor while Holly feeds Claire Kate. At the end of our play time, kisses abound, as do "I love you" and "night, night." It is all very sweet and beautiful. I look forward to it every day. Tonight was more of the same. I carried Trey in his room and laid him in his bed. He wanted to hold Elmo and listen to his Veggie Tales cd, which was pretty normal. As I made my exit from the room, I went over, kissed him on the forehead, and told him "I love you Big Man." When I got to the door as I began to close it I heard, "Daddy?" "Yes Buddy?" "I love you."

It was so tender and sincere. My chest swelled up, and tears filled my eyes. He meant it from the bottom of his two year old heart.

Our routine is great. I love it, and the 16 times during the day when Trey tells me, "I love you" are all very special, but there was something different about tonight at that moment. Perhaps God is similar toward us as His children. No doubt He is likely pleased with our worship, and even our "I love you" routines. But there is this part of me that just realized it's those times when we break from typical, and stop normal life to say I love you that make the Heart of a Father melt.

Rats!

I have written ad nauseam about my dislike of animals here on Pertaining to all things Robertesque, but I once again feel the need to print that my least favorite of all the animal kingdom is rats. I mean, I really hate them! Not only that, if you like them, there is something wrong with you. Pet rats? Come on!

Anyway, today one was by my feet on the sidewalk outside. Holly spotted it and I shrieked like a little girl. It was tiny, but really, is there such a thing? There's no mice, only rats... and I hate all of them. So, I grabbed the shovel and in one swift move cut off it's head. I was slightly afraid that it might somehow jump on me. Not taking any chances, I left all of its body on the sidewalk in hopes that others might see it and continue past our house realizing that sure and certain demise meet all rodents in this abode. This is not true, because at the moment I see a rat in this house we are moving, plain and simple. But I want them to really wonder if coming in the Hope residence is the best choice for their little rat lives, with their crooked big teeth and beady eyes.

Gall Bladder Update

After all my tests came back, turns out there's nothing wrong with my gall bladder. It is fit as a fiddle. The doc said to watch what I eat. Haha. That's funny. I do that anyway. Not in the sense that I monitor a strict diet, I just post statuses on twitter about every meal, so I can later examine all that has been eaten. He also told me not to eat things that upset my stomach like Papa John's Pizza. That's not happening. In the future, I'll continue to decide if what I'm eating is going to be worth the pain I'll feel later.

Nice, real nice!

My First Photo Attempt

So I was commissioned to take some city photos for my first shoot. Here's the result. Some of my photog friends, begin your critique. I would like very much to improve.