Josh Renaud's weblog detailing the exploits of his family in Ferguson, MO, USA. Starring Yoli, Jadzia, Ludi, Josie, and Joseph Renaud.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Ferguson offers a program called “Strings Attached” which offers students guitar lessons and the chance to earn a guitar if they stick with the program.
A spot finally opened up for Josie this year and she has worked hard. Like her older sisters, Josie often doesn’t want to practice, but she has pushed through, and performed in her first concert.
Here’s a video of Josie in action:
Josie's guitar concert from Josh Renaud on Vimeo.
Our kids attend AWANA at Grace Church. AWANA emphasizes memorizing Bible verses so that the kids can hide God’s word in their hearts.
One of their teachers, Mr. Rich, has a very unusual way to motivate the kids in the Sparks club to memorize verses.
He willingly lets the kids who complete the most book sections throw a pie in his face! He has done this for many years.
Our little Josie has long wanted to throw a pie in Mr. Rich’s face. So this year she worked hard — and she won!
And boy did she make the most of her opportunity!
See for yourself:
Josie Throws A Pie In Mr. Rich's Face from Josh Renaud on Vimeo.
Thank you, Mr. Rich, for being such a good sport.
Usually I tell Josie and Joseph bedtime stories which star two space explorers named Josie and Joseph.
Tonight I decided to change it up. They laughed so hard as I told this story that I figured I’d share it with you, too.
Continue reading “The space explorers fight over an asteroid”
Just as I began my drive to work, I noticed they were having Ferguson Sunday Parkways just down Darst from our house. This is one of many fun events Ferguson holds in different neighborhoods throughout the year.
I had forgotten it was coming up, and that it was so close to home. So, I called Yoli and let her know.
On nights when I am home from work, I tell the kids stories before bed. Because they are divided among two rooms, I usually tell two stories.
The first story is for Josie and Joseph, and usually involves me making up something about the two of them as “space explorers,” visiting new planets or meeting aliens or trying to escape from black holes.
The second story is for Jadzia and Ludi, who prefer to have an improv-style story in which they each pick a character for the story (like “a good dragon” and “a bad lamp”) and I have to make up the rest.
Occasionally, though, the older girls will overhear the younger kids’ story and ask me to repeat it for them. Tonight was one such night.
The girls first dance recital was a major production.
Don Héctor and Doña Lucila arrived late last night, and rose early this morning. Our first day together had a busy itinerary.
Here are a few fun Josie anecdotes I have collected so far this year:
Josie writes “JTL” on her DoodlePad. Then she adds an “E” at the end.
“The ‘E’ is silent,” she explains.
Joseph: “There’s a firebird! Let’s shoot it! BOOM!”
Josie: “Look, there’s a smoke pigeon!”
Josie: “I’m gonna whisper something in your ear.”
A moment later she whispers: “‘B’ is for ‘beach.’ Don’t tell anyone!”
Josie: “M. Y. … My!”
“… Like, ‘My Prreeeecioooouussssssss!!'” (in her Gollum voice)
Me: “I. Am. A. Robot.”
Josie: “Can you change your voice? I don’t like robots. I’m allergic to them.”
Yesterday we had a decent snowfall of maybe 5-6 inches in North County. It was regular snow with some sleet and rain on top. Combine that with temperatures slightly above freezing and you have a recipe for sticky snow and slick hills. Perfect for sledding and snow forts.
A weird morning. My tummy was rumbly, but I had promised to accompany Jadzia on her field trip to Little Creek. So she and Ludi and I walked together to school. When I got there, the teacher said chaperones would have to ride separately, not on the bus. Oh well. I walked back home to get my minivan.
After arriving at Little Creek I waited about 20 minutes for the kids to arrive. As a children’s ministry teacher for many years, I know that it can take a while to get them all rounded up. Just as the bus from Vogt Elementary pulled into the lot, I got a call from the school — Ludi had thrown up. So with quick apologies to Jadzia and her teacher, I drove back to Ferguson to take Ludi home.
The rest of the morning went well. Jadzia and her class learned about groups of vertebrate animals: mammals, amphibians, fish, reptiles and birds. They got to interact with real animals and do a lot of activities and games. It was a fun way to learn.
After the field trip was done, I headed home for lunch. The kids were in the backyard playing, Yoli told me. After spending some time upstairs, I was headed downstairs to do some work. As I looked out my bedroom window, there was Josie talking into the gutter extension pipe, making announcements to somebody. Across the yard, Joseph was standing at the old brick grill cooking a muddy concoction. I couldn’t resist.
I grabbed the camera and went to capture a few scenes from a lovely fall day in our backyard. Enjoy.
