one of your busier and quite fun Saturdays (cooking, ballgame, servanthood, and some TV football

Last Saturday, was one of our more active days, 

Sidebar here:  All days are active.  Some are just documented, or outside the house or just sectioned as this one was.  With these kids a meal is active, believe me it is active.  I even photographed the floor under the table after one of our early meals anticipating some sort of documentation of what was indeed the state of affairs.  And thank goodness for Patt's decision on keeping play and toys in the basement.  It has payed dividends.  Books and crayons and puzzles excepted.

Anyway back to the day, Patt make (finally too I might add) some molasses cookies.  She had helpers and incorporated each of them in turn too.  The attention to preparing the dough for refrigeration for later adding red-hots and baking was intense and appropriately serious.

Note the paired tilt of the heads in assisting the pour of the molasses.

Wisely, though carefully observed, the mixer was operated by the head cook.

There are five, count 'em five observers of John Paul measuring out flour or something.

Somehow Patt parceled out activities for each participant, which meant ...

Yes, even Luke got something to do.  Patt though is experienced enough to have a hand ready and close by to take care of contingencies.

and tasting the dough at the end of the operations is essential.

Isaac and I then left to go to Carter-Finley for the State 3A Championship football game between Havelock and Concord.  Of course it was cold, very cold.  We quickly identified with Havelock (sitting on their side of the field helped).

Sidebar number 2:

I had forgotten how important it is to this age set to identify with whom we are "going for".  At a restaurant meal recently with Sports Center on TVs in the background Isaac asked me who I was going for on one of the clips.  I could see Miami Dolphins but not the other team which I pointed out so I said I did not know as only Miami was identified to me and I really did not care to much about Miami.  Then one of my table mates said "the other team was wearing blue", to which another said "a lot of teams wear blue" to which a rejoinder came or to which another said (I can not remember which) "the other team was Duke".  I then said "well, then I guess I am going for Miami"  {Just doing what I can to make the world a better place-- with Laura's complete support}

Then it started raining, not hard, but raining.  Preparation, helped make for watching most of the first quarter in our seats an option.  Later after the rain stopped we went down to the first row for a better view.

Then out to concessions for lunch -- we went to the early of the championship games hosted at Carter-Finley--

Then back in to watch a bit more of the first half in heavier and heavier rain, sitting under the upper deck, then at halftime, and early departure.  Havelock safely ahead after scoring a late second quarter touchdown right in front of us.  They later won.  Our Wake County entry into the State Championship games lost the 4AA nightcap at Carter-Finley later that day.   Other games in other classifications elsewhere.

Not photographed is Laura and Julianna and Lydia's afternoon at our church's mission activity of packaging of 60,000 meals through STOP World Hunger.  and then we all reassembled at home to watched recorded the North Dakota State Bison on the TV in the Division II regional Championship game.  They were big winners too.

Sometime in there cookies were finished with red-hots, games were played, books read, and so on.  Baths givens and more.  Full day.  Good day and sorta typical.