JONES FAMILY BEST And WORST 2011

Jones Family 2011 Best and Worst 

Joycie (8 months)

Best – puffy-cheeked raspberries - blowing food all over her tray - to announce that she’s done eating. 

Worst – Family fights about who gets to have the first five minute turn with Joycie during long church meetings.

Quotes:  “She WON’T grow up!”  Sage, wishing for a better play partner, accuses Joycie of slacking off.

Sage (3 years)

Best – Watching her long hair swish as she dances and sings to her eclectic itunes playlist

Worst – Watching the most impressive tantrums any Jones child has yet produced

Quote:  “If you fall into this kind of potty. . . you’re GONE.”  (Sage has healthy respect for campground potties)

Mercy (6 years)

Best – applying all her good cheer, creativity, and intellect to raising Sage

Worst –  subjecting all of us to the Annie soundtrack hundreds... and hundreds...maybe thousands... of times

Quote:  “Which mommy do you want to rinse out your hair?” (Mercy speaking to Sage, meaning Holly-Mom or Mercy-Mom)

Oak (10 years)

Best – Another year of peace in his heart, without anger toward any other person.  

Worst –  Oak has yet to outgrow a messy streak -- don't peek under his bed or in his closet....

Quote:  “Actually, Noah’s more of a hoodoo than a mountain.”  (Oak’s scientific mind manifest in response to someone calling Noah a mountain)

Danny (12 years)

Best – Pushing ahead in math for  the pure pleasure doing math -- He’s studying with the kids 2 grades ahead.

Worst – Pushing Mercy’s buttons

Quote – “It was an accident!”  (is it really an accident when Danny pulls a fire alarm in a crowded church for the SECOND time in his short life?)

Noah (14 years)

Best – Loves his experience at the German-speaking EFY, watching him toss and twirl his little sisters through the air

Worst – Too cheap to buy new Sunday shoes, Noah must at times be reigned in by the fashion police prohibiting him from wearing his navy blue suit with worn brown loafers.

Quotes – “You know, it is easier to be confident when you always had a friend that was a girl who would tell you that all her friends thought you were cute.”  (boy, tough work being a teenager…)

Mike (39  years)

Best – Daddy Warbucks wows Noah’s friends with his retro dance moves at a school formal.

Worst -  Instead of watching fishing videos late into the night, Mike now watches YouTube videos about coaching competitive boys  basketball – new offenses, drills, etc.  (Oak and team are the lucky beneficiaries).  

Holly (39 years)

Best –  Jumpshots at a deserted beach in Costa Rica at 5 months pregnant

Worst – No improvement on my 12-minute mile running pace. 
Quote from Sage, summing up so many sweet moments during 2011:  “I a princess.”  (pause, and taking my hand) “I YOUR princess, Mommy.”