Help Me!!

Carter had his three best friends over for a little birthday party on Friday. The plan was for them to have a BBQ with us and then Jon would take them to see Captain America in the evening. They came over after school and played with their i-touches, went to the park, tied Evans bike (not a regular bike, but the one that's low to the ground that you ride by putting your feet on a bar and pushing it back and forth) to a big bike to pull each other around the neighborhood, and then we finally sat down together to eat dinner. I don't know if I've ever sat around a dinner table before and felt so much energy, hyperness, silliness, craziness, and weirdness. It was exhausting. It reminded of a podcast of "This American Life" that Jon and I listened to recently. He has really enjoyed listening to this show on the drive to and from work. Anyway, a family was driving home from a vacation when the dad who is driving, realizes that he is being aggressively pursued. He's pulled over. Cops are yelling at him from a megaphone to get out the car - reach over with his left hand to get the keys out - show his right hand is empty. Get out of the car with hands behind head - on your knees, etc, etc. He said it was crazy and confusing. Come to find out, after the cops came around and talked to the family. They were being pulled over because on the back of the car was written, "Help! I've been kidnapped. Call 911. This is what happened: The family had stopped to eat and after the meal was over and the mom was feeling totally frazzled (no explanation needed, right?) she just wrote the words "Help," on the back of the car. Well, then one of the kids came out of the restaurant next and wrote, "I've been kidnapped" below it. Lastly, a friend who was with them then came out and added, "Call 911," on the end of it. The parents didn't realize what was written on the back of their car.

Anyway, I tell that story because about midway through this 13-year old birthday dinner, I wrote a note on a paper and handed it to Jon. It said, "HELP! Call 911!

This is a picture of Carter's friend's hamburger. It was a hamburger patty with pepper jack cheese, mustard, lettuce, jello jigglers, and grapes on it. YUM YUM!!