Our visit to Moon Marble Company

Last fall my mom and brother and I went to moon marble company. 

We had a lot of fun, and we saw marbles. Lots of marbles. 

There was a wall of marbles. They were all different colors and sizes. 

We got to watch someone make a marble.
He chose one of these color sticks, and he uses these to melt it down to make a marble. 

He had this little tool that he used to help make it round.

He used fire to melt it and shape it. 

It turned red. 

It looks like a lollipop. 

I think he heats it here. I am not sure. 

But then he breaks it off the stick and it turns into this! 

After we watched him make a marble, we looked all over the store. It had tons of toys.
Some were weird. I think my hand is stuck in his mouth. 

And mom said some of you would want one of these: 

Until next time, mom and I are in outer space....

Turning this over to Stephen now...

Back when I began writing this blog for Stephen, I had such fun writing his stories and they were very popular. Then Jerry got sick, and I found less and less time to write, so eventually this fell by the wayside. I will admit that I very much missed writing Stephen's little adventures. They were so fun! Many people commented that I should become a writer. If only... but then.. you know?

So, sigh, life has gone on and on. I no longer spend every waking moment with my son because I work full time. I sent Stephen to public school for Kindergarten thinking that I "couldn't do it all". I have worked in the past while homeschooling but not such a young child. As the year went along, Stephen was showing signs of stress... stuttering again, nightmares, etc. As soon as summer hit, we could almost see the stress fall from his little shoulders, so the decision was made that no matter what, I would find the time to work full time AND homeschool my boy.

Well, we are almost at the end of his first grade year and he's already moved on to second grade work in many subject areas. He's happy, and I LOVE being able to spend my days off with him. (I work retail, days off are not usually on the weekend and I actually prefer to work the weekends. ) We spend much time outdoors on our days off, doing nature studies, or roam schooling to various places of interest. This school year we've been to Moon Marble, Fantastic Caverns,  a small military museum, as well as other places.

I have decided that this blog would be a good way to develop Stephen's writing skills. So at first, I will load the photos and coach him using questions... asking him what he thinks might be good to write. We will take turns typing, as he gets tired of it, I'll take over, by typing his words.

Slowly over time, I'll turn all typing over to him, and eventually as he grows older, I'll leave more and more of the blog to him to write.

He has chosen the theme, colors, etc. It's time for me to let my baby grow up a little. But I'll still hold his hand...

Please enjoy his writings, please share if you see something you like because it is his dream to Vlog someday (video blog on YouTube), and this is a first step. (Yes, truly that is a HUGE dream of his...he really really wants to Vlog someday so we are testing the waters here. )

And I'll step away now.
-Tonya

Going to St. Petersburg (part one)

Mommy and I decided to go on a road trip.
She said we are going to Hannibal, but I keep telling her the name of the town is St. Petersburg.

That is because, on the way, she let us listen to this story in the car:

And if you read the story, you will know that the name of the place is St. Petersburg. Not Hannibal.

The first place we went to is the Train Museum. 

It had little buttons all over the shop. When you pushed them, trains started going, or the gate would move or things like that. 

There was a collection of trains that was so cool and so old.
My favorites were trains that carried helicopters and airplanes. 

This is a fake conductor man because he is not real and he doesn't work. He just stays like that forever. 

After we left the train museum we went to the Tom Sawyer museum. It had stuff from the book in there.
Plus this stagecoach. 

It had a scary cave. It had Injun Joe. He was scary too.
I made Momma leave when I saw that because I thought he was real.
I like Injun Joe I guess. Well, I didn't like him when we went in there. But I liked him when mommy explained how the real one was good and stuff.

Tomorrow I will tell you about some other things we did in Hannibal only I call it St. Petersburg.
Or St. Petersburger when I am being funny. 

a note to Stephen fans

Ever since Stephen's daddy got sick, I (mom) have let the blogs (all of them) just fall by the wayside. I have to be very choosy with my time. But with Stephen growing up I have been thinking one of the best learning tools he will have is this blog.

 Starting with the next post, the words to the blog will no longer be from inside my head but rather I will load all the photos in a story order and let Stephen tell his own stories. In his words. I might have to prompt..especially the first few...but over time I want him to learn to tell his story, and I want him to love telling it as much as I do.

I have changed his little blog button. It almost brings me to tears to think how fast he is growing.
You are welcome to share the button around. You will have to link it back to here on your own as I am not up on that stuff. We don't hide from the world like a lot of people concerning the internet. Rather, we share our blessed life with all in hopes that others will finding the blessings in every day.

Fishy fishy in the brook..

When I was just a baby momma used to tell me that little story:

"Fishy fishy in the brook, 

Daddy catch him on a hook, 

Mommy fry him in the pan, 

Baby eat him fast as he can."

Well, as I grow older, I am noticing some things. Like how parents tell you lies they think are cute. I,  for one, have NEVER seen Daddy catch a fish in any ol' brook and I for sure can tell you that as long as I have lived Mommy hasn't fried one in a pan. So, as usual, I took matters into my own hands. And, as usual, I just picked up the phone, called my sissy and told her to help me out with the situation. Sissy is good about doing that. She, and that guy she hangs around, Blake, they are always ready for a good time.

I grabbed Blake and off we went. As you can see, I have my own fishing pole because this is serious business.

Its wiggling!
Coco is right there ready to help catch it too.

Let me help!
Let me help!

Um, well, I'll let you do that part because I am so generous.

Here I'll even smile for the camera with our big catch of the day!

No, I didnt say I would TOUCH it and smile for the camera.
You ask too much of me.

This reminds me of another fish tale.
I'll share that story with you in a day or two.
Maybe I can go call Sissy and see if she'll take me fishing today.
Mommy says it would be ice fishing.
Sounds good to me!

Growing up is hard to do.

I mean, I love growing up and everything. The hard part is having to take on the responsibilities of the world. Mainly that means the responsibilities of getting my mom's act together and keeping her in line. I had to sit her down and have a little talk with her. I told her how we only have a month to go and then she's wasted a whole 'nother year of my story tellings. I think she listened this time. So we are going to start right away and I might be wearing her fingers out and your ears out with all my story telling but it's got to be done so I can make my daddy a blog book at the end of the year!

Hold on: here we go!

The weirdest woods, EVER!

Today my Mommy took me to the woods. When we got there, we met some very strange people. 

We were barely a few feet down the trail when I met a strange man.

 I stopped. 

I stared. 

Then I wanted to know who cut the guy in half. 

Bubba held me up so I could get a closer look. Someone took half Roman soldier and half a Samurai and tried to make them into one man. It didn't work so well I am thinking. 

I decided we better just walk on down the trail.

Then I found the green people and the shiny people.

Momma, did we go to the moon when I wasn't looking?

I mean, these things just don't look human.

Bubba thinks he's like...Mr Strongman I think.

Ya, well just wait til you see where Momma and I caught Bubba next!
Ha! We were fast and got a photo of him trying to run away.
I am not sure why there was a naked lady in the middle of the woods.
Bubba didn't seem to mind as much as I did.

I sat in this old man's lap.

He was hard as stone or something.

Weird.

But the most HORRIFIC thing I saw was this poor little baby boy.

I asked Mommy all kinds of questions about him.

Why did his mommy leave him there in that?

Where is his daddy?

Why doesnt he have underwear on?

and the most important question of all....

What is that bird going to do to his um... er... well momma wont let me say the word on the internet.

But, really I am very concerned.

OUCH!

Seeing as how this was the "International Statuary Garden"

...(didn't I learn big words there?) ...

they did have some American statues.

Well two of them anyway.

Mr. Lincoln had a hole in his tummy.

I am not sure why, but my head fit nicely.

And the only other American statue was this.

Mommy said you would know who it is.

I thought he was a girl.

Bubba said he's a boy. Ok, if you say so Bubba.

Anyway, I think he was before my time.

( Mommy randomly starting singing "Just beat it, beat it..."

I didn't see anyone scrambling eggs.

I think the woods is doing strange things to her mind.)

As we were leaving I found two little children to play with.

They were all sad and lonely and had no parents that I could see.

I told Mommy that she could just take them home cuz she's always raising kids.

She said the thought makes her tired.

Now we did some other things at these Botanical Gardens but it's past my bedtime so I'll have to tell you another one day.

I need to go see if Mommy ever got to beat her eggs.

A long long time ago

Hey! Do you remember me? Last time we met I was a cute little boy doing things like cooking up bugs and ridin' in big rigs. Now I hope you dont think my adventures ended there. I just have been busy growing up from a little boy to a helpful young man. My daddy had to go away for awhile so I had to take control of the situation at home, you know? Of course this meant taking care of my daddy because those hospitals just dont give the personal care like I do:

I had to make sure his leg poofy air things stayed working good.

Ignore that thing on the side table in the photo below.

 I would love to help with that but daddy wouldnt let me.

The best care a daddy can get are little boy hugs

Lollipop licks too.

Of course when I wasnt helping my daddy get better I was tending to things at home:

I am the worlds youngest interior decorator. 

Mommy said that I am really really good at my job.

Keeping Mommy out of trouble is always a huge task.

Sometimes just taking a dorky photo with a ridiculous hat does the job.

As you know, I have so many other jobs as well.

I am a conductor on the weekends:

It pays well:

And I work for the fire department in my spare time:

(Bubba likes to think he is helping me; we just let him think that)

Of course, when I am all done tending to Daddy,

decorating and posing for Mommy,

 train conducting and putting out fires,

I have to save the rest of the world.

                                                         

Yes, I am one busy, big little boy.

Sometimes it just wears me out!

                                          

I have many adventures to tell. I just thought I better catch up first since the last time we talked was a long long time ago!