The other day I awoke to the sound of Ethan screaming. As I rolled over in my bed I see my little two year old running stark naked down the hall. Now this is not entirely unusual in our home, but since I was waking up to the scene I was a bit more concerned than normal. I jumped out of bed and ran over only to realize that it was not a pain scream 
but an Indian holler. It is then that my still groggy eyes focus and see his entire face covered in red marks. I ask him if he did this and he said, “No, Blathor.” Which when translated means, “No I didn’t do this my brother did.” I walk the naked warrior into his room and confront Gavin. As he spins around, his face also bares witness to the mighty red pen. It seems as though Gavin wanted to “paint” their faces to be Indians, and a handy red ink pen was just the thing. I sent them both to the couch and with a straight face told Gavin I was only taking a picture so he would be reminded to never do this again. The picture however, suggests that Ethan may be more responsible than previously thought.
but an Indian holler. It is then that my still groggy eyes focus and see his entire face covered in red marks. I ask him if he did this and he said, “No, Blathor.” Which when translated means, “No I didn’t do this my brother did.” I walk the naked warrior into his room and confront Gavin. As he spins around, his face also bares witness to the mighty red pen. It seems as though Gavin wanted to “paint” their faces to be Indians, and a handy red ink pen was just the thing. I sent them both to the couch and with a straight face told Gavin I was only taking a picture so he would be reminded to never do this again. The picture however, suggests that Ethan may be more responsible than previously thought. 
This week we had our very dear friends Johnny and Jenna come to visit. We took them around our little town, and even hiked into the hills to explore some great views of Jacksonville and the entire valley. Please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/richanddeeann for some photos of our hike.
It was fun having close friends spend time in our world but it was even more special to see them love our children. We have been blessed to have both family and friends take on more than just a casual role with our kids, but rather take an active roll in training and challenging their behavior. This has been one of the most important gifts people have given us. It is with a mixture of confidence and permission that people tell our boys what they should or should not be doing. As parents we cringe at having a child say or do something that is inappropriate. A typical first reaction is to ignore the situation but we have learned that a more direct and immediate correction is better in the long run. This has paid great dividends over the years. What good is our training if it is only practiced when we are nearby. We expect our boys to behave and grow not only under our supervision but from others that love them as well.
This Sunday we delivered our first batch of flyers to the neighborhood for Gavin and Ethan’s business. The boys dressed in their cowboy gear and walked the entire route with DeeAnn and I helping. It was a great family walk as we went from door to door. By the time we finished it had just started to rain so we headed home to get warm.
On Saturday I attended one of the citizen action committee meeting for the City of Jacksonville. We went through various vision statements and at one point a member said we should also consider mentioning the spiritual history of the area and recognizing its influence and importance in the values. The facilitator quickly stated that it was best to stay away from that “can of worms.” Ironically, we had already discussed this can of worms and even as he continued he brought up his own spiritual values as an example for the future. This struck me as so strange and I have not yet been able to put into words what I feel. Not my first reaction but the deeper meaning of this issue.
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