![\"05-IMG_3218\"](\"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/05-img_3218.jpg\" "\\"05-IMG_3218\\"")
![\"06-IMG_3220\"](\"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/06-img_3220.jpg\" "\\"06-IMG_3220\\"")
<\/p>\nMr. Inventor turned 16 a month ago! How time flies. I remember so clearly the loooong week of waiting after his due date before he finally arrived, on the hottest day that summer (I\u2019m positive it was the hottest, anyway!). He was my shortest labor to that point, and I remember being slightly in shock that it was over so quickly. And now, since he is 16 and has moved away from home to begin a new job, I\u2019ll start calling him by name on here, Simon. One less nickname to remember to use!<\/p>\n
We all went together to buy him a tap and die set, which he had been wanting for a couple of years, for his birthday. It didn\u2019t come in time, so Mr. Diligence went to town and bought a box of ice cream and some cones. He worked hard to make the biggest stack of ice cream possible on top of the cone, and then put it in the freezer. After we ate dinner, Simon asked, jokingly, \u201cWhen am I going to get my chocolate ice cream cone?\u201d Mr. Diligence had been teasing him that we were plotting to get him chocolate ice cream. Was Simon ever surprised when he was presented with this cone! Even though he shared a bit with his little sister, it took him two sittings to get through it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He was very pleased with his tap and die set when it came!<\/p>\n
![\"16-IMG_3244\"](\"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/16-img_3244.jpg\" "\\"16-IMG_3244\\"")
<\/p>\n
And for those of you who are wondering, he is working for a mechanic, planning to start an apprenticeship with him after a 3-month trial period to make sure he wants to do it. He is living with the family, a lovely Christian family with eight children, about 4 hours from us across the mountains, on the West Coast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mr. Inventor turned 16 a month ago! How time flies. I remember so clearly the loooong week of waiting after his due date before he finally arrived, on the hottest day that summer (I\u2019m positive it was the hottest, anyway!). He was my shortest labor to that point, and I remember being slightly in shock […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[309],"class_list":{"0":"post-7655","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-activities-at-home","8":"tag-simon","9":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/05-img_3218.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31620,"url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/2025\/12\/october-2025-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":7655,"position":0},"title":"October 2025 Photos","author":"NZ Filbruns","date":"December 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are the rest of the photos from October. Can you tell that Miss Joy loves the cat? Reepicheep We had visitors for a couple of days, and the little children spent an hour or so reading the Magic School Bus books. The girls on a moa in Waikari. When\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Activities at Home"","block_context":{"text":"Activities at Home","link":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/category\/activities-at-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0014.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0014.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0014.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0014.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0014.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_0014.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31049,"url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/2025\/10\/travel-from-ohio-to-michigan\/","url_meta":{"origin":7655,"position":1},"title":"Travel from Ohio to Michigan","author":"NZ Filbruns","date":"October 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"After spending two weeks in Ohio, we traveled to Michigan to spend time with my mother. On the way, we met up with an author I have gotten to know online. We spent three delightful hours with Chautona Havig and her daughter in a park. Mr. Imagination was quite bored,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Away From Home"","block_context":{"text":"Away From Home","link":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/category\/away-from-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3255.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3255.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3255.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3255.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3255.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_3255.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32126,"url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/2026\/04\/napoleon-hill\/","url_meta":{"origin":7655,"position":2},"title":"Napoleon Hill","author":"NZ Filbruns","date":"April 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"While my brother was here, the boys took him on a four wheel drive trip over Napoleon Hill, which is only a few miles east of us. In the 1860s, there was a thriving town there--apparently until the gold ran out! I believe there was some lumbering there, as well,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Away From Home"","block_context":{"text":"Away From Home","link":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/category\/away-from-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0567.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0567.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0567.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0567.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0567.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_0567.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29508,"url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/2024\/08\/more-june-2024-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":7655,"position":3},"title":"More June 2024 Photos!","author":"NZ Filbruns","date":"August 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are the rest of the pictures I saved from everyone's cameras and devices in June. Sometime in May, Mr. Sweetie had a dentist appointment, so we spent the day in town. Esther went along, and we went to all the secondhand shops in town. I found a duvet cover\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Activities at Home"","block_context":{"text":"Activities at Home","link":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/category\/activities-at-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IMG_3664-rotated.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IMG_3664-rotated.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IMG_3664-rotated.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IMG_3664-rotated.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IMG_3664-rotated.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/IMG_3664-rotated.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30964,"url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/2025\/09\/travel-first-few-days-in-ohio\/","url_meta":{"origin":7655,"position":4},"title":"Travel, First Few Days in Ohio","author":"NZ Filbruns","date":"September 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We're home from our trip to America! I'll share a few of the pictures we took while there, but I can't share most of them because they include people who aren't in our immediate family. We had a beautiful trip over the mountains to get to Christchurch to the airport.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Away From Home"","block_context":{"text":"Away From Home","link":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/category\/away-from-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2380.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2380.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2380.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2380.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2380.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/IMG_2380.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31368,"url":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/2025\/11\/more-michigan-pictures\/","url_meta":{"origin":7655,"position":5},"title":"More Michigan Pictures","author":"NZ Filbruns","date":"November 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"We enjoyed two weeks in Michigan, staying at my mom's little house, just down the hill from the house in which I grew up. We helped her with a few little jobs. Gayle and Mr. Imagination cut down a few dead trees and cut them up for firewood for my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Away From Home"","block_context":{"text":"Away From Home","link":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/category\/away-from-home\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3257-rotated.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3257-rotated.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3257-rotated.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3257-rotated.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3257-rotated.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3257-rotated.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lotsofhelpers.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}