Toofless

Sophie lost not one, not two, but three teeth this week. Well, maybe lost isn't quite the right word, since what happened is that I reached into her mouth with a tissue, stuck a finger between each tooth and the surrounding gum area, and yanked those suckers out.

People, it was time. They'd been loose for months, and she had a little row of teeth growing in behind them just like a shark. And those silly teeth. Just. Would. Not. Fall. Out.

So now she has a little broken picket fence smile. It's quite endearing.

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We may have settled into a church for the time being. We've started attending Beaches Vineyard pretty regularly. The vibe is a little bit surfer, a little bit aging hippie, in part thanks to its location in a converted movie theater by the beach. (Finally! Enough stalls in the women's bathroom!) It's a little strange sitting at barstools and tables instead of pews, but it's very nice to be able to sip coffee during the service. We like the no-frills, earnest worship and laid-back, very Scriptural preaching, and we've just started attending a Tuesday night class on spiritual gifts. Daniel is head over heels with his Sunday School teacher, Gus, and Sophie appreciates being able to earn candy with reward tickets.

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About a year ago, I asked Daniel if he wanted Jesus to live in his heart, and his answer was, "No, I want Jesus to live in my tummy."

Or another time: "Daniel, do you love Jesus?"

Answer (nonchalantly): "No, I like ducks."

Whoever said "All theologies are heresies" definitely had our boy in mind.

But last week at lunch, when I asked him again if he wanted Jesus to live in his heart and forgive his sins, he said "yes." So we prayed together and were very happy. We found out later that Darcy accepted Jesus at the same age! It is of course beyond fine with us if Daniel continues to grow up just like his Uncle.

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On a slightly less exalted note, Daniel introduced a new funny face into his repertoire. He calls it his "Butterfly Fart" face.


I didn't know those could be so uncomfortable.

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We're now in our third week of homeschooling and we're having fun! I don't know if Sophie is learning much, but I sure am. I'd never heard of the Syrian Druzes before. Had you? (Makes me think of Lemony Snicket. Or the Mystery of Edwin Drood.) There have been a few awkward moments, such as, "Mom, this book says Adam and Eve were born in 5000 BC, and this book says the first civilization was around 10,000 BC. But weren't Adam and Eve the first humans?"

Darn those critical thinking skills, anyway. Thank goodness Ryan's been to seminary!