My Son, the Creative Genius

My son Keeve is eternally leaving little signs of his creative genius around the house.  It brings a smile to my face each time I find some little ditty that he has spent his energy on…. for no real reason at all.  Just because.  He is 11…. I don’t remember my older son going through the 11-year-old-creative phase… maybe this is unique to this child.  Who knows? 

Our first example above is the Trix cereal box that has been carefully altered to read Trixie….. the name of our dog.  Notice the font size and type were recreated with precision.  Wow!  Such artistic talent!  The Trix box was not complete without the editing done by my dog-loving son.  And besides, Trix are for kids.   This is the boy who has asked for Sharpie permanent pens for Christmas more than once.  He LOVES his Sharpies.  They are so useful.  And they write on practically anything, whether it is supposed to be written on or not.

Exhibit #2 is the school work/microphone station at the back picnic table.  This is not a temporary set up in the happenstance that a song breaks forth from his soul today alone.  The golf putter is taped to the stool and the table for future song outbursts in this particular math-doing seat.  So ingenious!  So creative!  So useful…. especially when he’s supposed to be doing math… right after he finds a putter in the garage, a stool from his brother’s room, the packing tape from the pantry, etc. etc. etc.

Our final exhibit, the bejeweled Bible.  I remember picking out this Bible for him in the Christian bookstore, thinking that he had out-grown the little boy Bibles and needed a grown-up, leather-covered Bible.  Within the first month, he wrote out two particularly significant verses on the cover in ball point ink (why didn’t I think of that?)…. John 3:16, one known to many.  But he also included Job 3:2…. “he said.”  That’s it.  He said.  It is a complete sentence as it contains a noun and a verb.  Keeve is fond of this verse… I’m not sure why? 

And the jewels in the shape of a cross… what can a mother say?  He did do a very careful hot gluing job because there is no trace of hot glue gun strings running from jewel to jewel.  The heart in the middle of the cross did this mother’s heart good.  The cover wouldn’t be complete in this child’s life without Sharpie pen too, of course.  What could be of more importance than his name?  Naming your belongings is why Sharpie pens were invented, right?  Right!

I love my Keeve. <3

Wonder Woman I am Not

So, if you’ve been reading along on MSJ since my husband and I were cajoled into participating in a Valentine’s Day Dinner Theater with “small speaking parts,” I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to hear how it’s going.  The participants include the youth and college age kids from our church, the youth pastor (32), Rick and I (42) and another sucker guy named Gary (54).  Why, oh why did they ask us?  I’m still not sure.  So, a muscle is pulled on the outside of my hip bone causing me to limp.  I am almost able to perform the hip-hop dances for this “small speaking part.”  I am more than sore… legs and arms… from all the dance practice.  The “Islands in the Stream” duet that Superman and I are singing is coming along fine (for our “small speaking part”) due to the fact that they cut the song in half and made up hilarious background dancier moves to distract from our singing and acting abilities. 

Superman’s costume arrived and I purchased some classy Kenneth Cole black boots that I spray painted bright red for him.  Keeve looked out the back door at the boots and sadly shook his head saying, “Dad’s going to look just like Ronald McDonald.”  Since this is a Super Hero Conference, they told me I could wear “business clothes” as long as they are Wonder Woman colors.  So I bought a tasteful red dress with white polka dots and a bright blue blazer that I’m turning into a cape.  The costume department did come up with my golden arm bands and tiara…. to go on my big, black curly wig.  I’m still in the process of making the lasso of truth and the gold belt.  Not sure what shoes I’ll be wearing yet.  I have to do karate kicks and Michael Jackson slides in them.  Goodwill, here I come.

Tomorrow night is dress rehearsal.  Then Friday night is the show. Tickets are still available!  480-367-8182 Come one.  Come all. Viewing 40 people in spandex will be worth the admission cost alone….. but they threw in dinner too.