matmusic ministries

Two weeks ago, Wyatt had a mouth full of teeth. He could incise with the best of ‘em…not so much these days.

First, while eating a cookie (www.cookiesbydesign.com) the looser of his two front teeth broke away from his gums a bit and we knew it was ready to go. (By the way, our cookies are very moist but the tooth was ready to go!)

After a relatively painless extration by his fearless Father and a bit of blood on a paper towel, the job was done. All this with no tears.

The second front tooth was a bit more stingy. It stayed for about a week more. Then, after dinner one night, he knew it was ready. Another extraction which was even easier and with less blood, and we now have a front-toofless son.

(Wyatt, if you are reading this, STOP now)

Two visits by the tooth fairy helped to make me two dollars lighter in the wallet but the gap-toothed smile the next morning made it all worth it.

I forgot that I took the pictures posted below. They went off into Digital Camera Mystery Land or something. But alas, found they be and presented below for your pleasure.

My kids and my wife really made me feel special on my birthday this year. Sneakily, they shoe polished the windows of my car on my birthday eve while I sat unaware inside the house.

Kara wrote on the front windshield. (Thanks for leaving me a sliver of clear window to see through.

Wyatt wrote on the driver’s side. Of course the number 32 on the driver’s window is my age. The driver’s side rear window has my picture and “I Love You.”

Ashton drew some beautiful pictures on the passenger side for my enjoyment.

The kids had a fun time decorating the car in secret and seeing my reaction the next morning. And I had a great time telling anyone who would listen that my family slathered my car windows for my birthday.

Our family spent the weekend of October 14th camping at Fort Parker State Park near Mexia (pronounced muh-HAY-uh for those who are Texican challenged.)

Some interesting facts about the trip and the park:

This was the first camping trip for our littlest one. And quite by accident, we camped at a State Park that has his same name.

The drive to and from the park from Dallas took us through Mexia, TX where Kara spent a few of her formative years. We did not take time to go by her old house because (1) she did not remember where it was and (2) it would not have triggered too many memories anyway for my long-term-memory-challenged wife.

We arrived after dark and set up a tent that we were using for the first time (thank you Prestons). This proved to be a bit of a challenge but one that we tackled without too much effort. We are, after all, master campers!

Next, of course, was the building of the fire. A favorite among boy children.

The night was somewhat chilly but a stack of blankets made into a communal palette and full clothing kept us warm enough.

The next morning was breakfast (no, Parker is NOT cooking)…

…and a warm up by the fire.

A couple of nature hikes were the highlights of the trip.

In all Parker had a blast at Parker…so did the rest of the family.

The kids are already asking when we can go camping again…hopefully it will be soon. If anyone knows where Guerry State Park is, please let me know.

So, I’m starting another new (hopefully regular) feature. Since I am so fanatical about music, people sometimes ask me to recommend something or tell me something about this artist or that album. So I thought I would post a quick review from time to time of the stuff I am listening to.

I will give points for certain aspects of the music or album that I think are important. The more points an album gets, the better I think it is. See if you agree. You never know if it may catch on as a “thumbs up” for music lovers.

Currently Listening:

Artist: Athlete
Album: Vehicles & Animals

Creativity: 1
Just because there are some strange electronic sounds, doesn’t mean that it makes the music better. However, they tried to knock the bore off with some experimentation.

Lyrics: 0
Some introspection but mostly just jangly and sophomoric lines of text. Note to self: repeating a phrase over and over does not, in itself, make the song catchy.

Approachability: 2
Poppy at times and repetitive at others, this one still has a few tunes such as the opener, El Slavador, that will appear to some listeners. The anthem-like Beautiful , although almost killed by a random instrumental bridge, is the one song that is worth several listens.

Musicianship: 2
There is the occasional appealing acoustic guitar lick. Drums are simple but solid. Vocal range is not much to speak of.

5 of 15 matmusic points.