We Like Wabash

Erica enjoyed the picturesque neighborhoods

And the fried mushrooms

It is a good thing that Joshua insisted on stopping by the local history museum. There was a lot of interesting stuff there.

Self-explanatory

More interactive museum fun. Baby Charles loved the motorcycle ride as you can see. And Erica did archaeology in Christina's memory. The thing that Baby C and I are pointing to is an 1860's era plow embedded in a tree. When a boy from Wabash heard that Abe Lincoln had called for volunteers to defend the Union, this plowboy cast aside his plow into the woods and enlisted right away. Meanwhile, a tree grew up around this plow until it was rediscovered many years later. The tree was cut down, but as for this portion of the trunk and the plow, well, they're history.

At the museum we learned about Modoc the Elephant. Then in the middle of town we discovered this mural about him. Moreover, instead of cows, horses or bison, Wabash has a bunch of miniature elephant statues. The circus came to Wabash one day in the 1940s. Modoc the elephant got loose and went on a rampage down Main Street. And, as they say, the rest is history...

For even more on the big guy: Modoc's Legacy


Hotel room bigger than our apartment. We want a king bed someday.

In the middle of an evergreen labyrinth, we discovered a long-lost statue of Erica

My name is Josh Wheatley, and this is my Generations Project...

Swimming

It has been 80 degrees and very humid here for the last week or so. The daffodils bloomed and died. But none of the outdoor pools are open til Memorial Day. So, instead I teach Baby C the elementary backstroke in piles of laundry.

This is what happens when you don't do laundry for a month

Meet me in St Louis, Louis

I hope there is a good fair in St Louis, because that is where we will be this summer for Joshua's internship. See the arch pancake I made in celebration?

Hoosier Daddy

I like earthquakes better than tornadoes

Once upon a time, earlier today, Baby C and I were getting excited about the Indiana basketball game.

Then the wailing sounds of sirens filled the air. Is this another drill? Is there really a tornado?

I was chatting with Jonathan online, "But it's sunny outside and the birds are still chirping." 

"That is how it starts in the movies . . ." he warned.

My phone rang with a warning message, "This is not a test. This is an emergency. Seek cover now."

So we packed up. I grabbed the diaper bag, extra onesies (no pants, sorry dude), my journal, the computer, the hard drive, the camera, the crinkly elephant, and the Charles' baby book. And I grabbed the baby. I didn't close the windows.

We went downstairs and across the street and knocked on Winona's door. Good thing we are friends with neighbors on the bottom floor. I was pretty scared, but Winona was calm. She has even driven through a tornado once. We watched the hail out the window. I was waiting for any whirring sounds, ready to grab Charles and make a dash to the closet. There was a lot of rain and thunder and lightning.

 We watched "Gunsmoke" and the news and the tornado warnings on TV.

Eventually the tornado warning ended. The rain lightened up. I was really hungry and Baby C was really tired. We braved the walk back to our upstairs apartment. Hoping daddy would be home soon.

Big hail leftover:

Poor plant was torn up and had holes in it. Winona was sad. I thought it looked pretty cool! I hope our car doesn't have any holes in it . ..

We made it home. Like I mentioned before, we didn't close the windows. Our houseplants felt rainwater for the first time:

And our couch did too . . .

And the diapers on the line weren't dry yet. :)

Sunday we are putting together tornado bags. It will have granola bars and the windup radio. And pants for the baby.

The end.

Prophets

Every month our prophet or one of his two counselors writes a message to the world. I was just reading the 1st presidency message from March, which is about  . . . prophets. :) This quote kept sticking out to me, not exactly why, but it did:

"The teachings of our Heavenly Father are not the ordinary, predictable, run-of-the-mill kind you can pick up in paperback at the local bookstore. They are the wisdom of an all-powerful, all-knowing celestial Being who loves His children."

I don't really have a comment on that exact quote, I just liked it. The thing I really got from this article is how the prophets guide us constantly. There is General Conference twice a year where many of God's prophets and apostles address issues that His children need to be reminded of. But what really hit me is that there is also the First Presidency Message that is in the Ensign every month. That is the instruction that home teachers are to take to the families they visit every month.  Neat way for God to get His monthly instructions out. Last month we were reminded that through prayer we can receive "direction and comfort". This month maybe we were reminded to think about prophets to be ready for General Conference which is only 2 weeks away.  I think I will have to pay more attention to my home teachers now!! 

Baby C just woke up. He says hi and he loves you. He is looking forward to watching and listening to the prophets and apostles in a few weeks. He is sitting next to me on the couch like a big boy. He wants to type you a message:

"jgsr h mmmmm7ukjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj,<WBR>,jm                            ubbnnnnnnnnmn."

53 Emails

Kinda fun when all your facebook birthday wishes get sent to your email. Makes you feel pretty special (thanks everyone!!). Here is a glimpse of the birthday so far. Shout out to Baby C who slept 8 hours straight last night!