I actually did it.

I got a chuckle out of my husband the other day. Not quite a laugh really, more like a "heh" but with a real smile, and genuine amusement.

Every year on April 6th we celebrate his mission homecoming by pulling out the box of his "Dutch stuff" and letting him do a little show and tell. We look at pictures, read letters, listen to his stories...then we top it off by eating his favorite Dutch meal.

This year, April 6th fell right in the middle of our move. It was stressful, and Dutch day was the last thing on our minds. On the morning of April 7th, I stumbled upon his Dutch box and was reminded of Dutch day. Feeling bad that we had totally missed it, I thought of a way to make it up to him (chuckling to myself already)

In my bedclothes (if that's what you want to call them) and ratty morning hair, I slipped on his huge wooden shoes, pulled his Dutch flag out of the box and draped it over my head, and dug a little deeper into the box to find his Dutch hymn book. I could barely contain my laughter as I scooted into my bedroom where my whole family was sprawled out on my bed. I even snorted a little trying to keep the laughter in.

And then in my scratchy morning voice I proceeded to sing a hymn in Dutch....making sure to emphasize the throaty CH sounds, and trying to keep a straight face.

Unsuccessful with the straight face.

J was intrigued. He couldn't help but smile from ear to ear...and as much as he tried to hold it back, the 'heh' escaped from his lips.

Victory. It is so very sweet.

I just wish I didn't have to make a fool of myself to achieve it.

I found this on the internet a while ago as something I wanted to try. "My girls will get a kick out of this," I thought.

So I sat in bed at 11:30 last night and drew this on my fingers with the intent of showing them in the morning. By the time I woke up, most of the pen had been wiped off, and I was left with a useless faded image. I'll have to redraw it today while they're at school.

And now you know the incredibly productive ways in which I use my spare time.