Chip off the Ol’ Block

Here they are: The Block and the Chip.

Tonight at the dinner table, Keeve picked up a Bible Quiz card and read, “Why were Moses’ arms held up during the battle against the Amalekites?”  We all slapped the table and made the Bible Quiz buzzer noise.  (We have never participated in Bible Quiz, but we have good imaginations.)  Four of us answered at the same time, because we are a bit competitive.  The answer was: so the Israelites would win the war.  When Moses’ arms went down, the battle turned against the Israelites.

The story brought on questions.  How long did he hold his arms up before they figured out he needed help?  How do you think he held them up… straight up or in front?  How long can you hold your arms up? And thus the Crosby Competitive Spirit arose and the arm-holding-up contest began.  Five of us started… in 5 minutes, there were only two competitors left, Rick and Larisa.  After 15 minutes, Rick didn’t want to play anymore but wouldn’t put his arms down and lose.  He kept telling Larisa how stupid the game was and that she should just put her arms down.

“No!  I’m not a quitter!  YOU taught me that! Crosby’s aren’t quitters!” she emphatically answered, aiming her arms to the ceiling.

“But this is a stupid game.  It doesn’t matter if you quit stupid games,” Rick (arms in the air) tried to convince her.

“Then put your arms down,” she flatly stated, limbs pointed skyward.

“YOU put your arms down,” the mature father replied without relenting.

Rick kept complaining to me, because the game was my bright idea.  Whatever!  I put my arms down after five minutes because it was a stupid game.  Every time he complained, I answered, “Then put your arms down.”  He couldn’t do it.  My mother told me that women should let their men win at games once in a while… for their ego.  Obviously, I need to teach that truth to my daughter. 

Finally after a half hour, Rick snuck up behind Larisa and pushed her arms down, so his could go down too.  We declared Larisa the winner of the Holding Your Arms Up Contest.  And another successful family dinner goes down in the Crosby family history books.