I'll Take Two, Please.

Last Sunday, J woke up to a new flavor of granola bars amongst the breakfast stash.  I knew he would be thrilled with the new option, so I wasn't surprised when he excitedly found me scurrying to get ready for church and asked if he could try one.  As I granted his request for second breakfast, I added, "They even have 50 less calories than the ones you usually eat."

J couldn't wait to track down Steve at church so he could brief him on the recent events involving our morning eats.  Of course, he mentioned the blueberry flavor, but J was sure to note, "Dad, they're 50 percent healthier, so that means I can have two of them!"

I'm Melting

The conversation between our Wizard of Oz obsessed girl, who even assigned us characters to dress up as for her birthday party, and her daddy this morning as he was helping her into the car...

E:  Oh, it's raining!

Daddy:  Yep, you better stay dry.  You don't want to melt.

E:  I'm not going to melt!  Mommy will melt because she's the wicked witch.

Love you too, E. 
Steve thought this was oh, so funny, but I think he had temporarily forgotten that he is a flying monkey.  Who's laughing now?

Muddy Mommas

This morning my friend, J, introduced me to her friend, L. 

(J, K, & L)

We had a beer, tied ourselves up, got dirty, and my husband took pictures. 

Nice to meet you, L!

And, just so you know, I'm usually not that easy.

Thanks for the fun, ladies!

Still Funny When He's Sick

Our conversation at bedtime…


J: Do you think God gets illnesses?

Me: No, he’s God.

J: But he’s been around a long time. He’s so old, so he’ll probably be getting sick pretty soon.

After we discussed that thought for a while, we wrapped things up with a hug and a kiss, and I headed out of his room.

About a minute later J called out from his room…

J: Mom, what’s on the (school lunch) menu for tomorrow?

Me: Well, it looks like either a chicken patty on a bun or breaded beef sticks with a biscuit.

J: Good, I’m glad I’m not going tomorrow then.

A Sick Day Dilemma

A week into the school year and we already have a man down.  J experienced his first school health office visit today and was sent home with a fever.  Even if this is short lived (which I really hope it is!), because of the fever he's out of commission from school at least until Thursday. 

So, in the event that he is feeling somewhat ok tomorrow, do I...

a)  take advantage of this unexpected time together at home and plan special, interesting learning activities for tomorrow.  (After all, I do miss having my school boy around.)

or

b) keep things boring so he wants to return to school?  (After all, there is no place like home in J's book, and I don't want him to be the Ferris Bueller of kindergarten.)

What do you think?

A Saturday Morning Stroll

Do you know how beautiful a stroll on a Saturday morning can be?

Now you do.

Kindergarten

Well, it's official.  We have a kindergartner at our house.

But before I could let him go, I took one last opportunity to take my unschooled boy out on a date. 

Since J really wanted to be at daycare on his last day, I picked him up just in time for lunch. 

But not before he independently wrote a note to one of his true loves, his daycare provider, that read,

 "Dear H, I hope you will be ok with me at school." 

So sweet he is!

He planned our itinerary.

Red Robin for lunch...

followed by the capitol building...

which included some photos...

that he tolerated for a short time...

I can take a hint, so the camera was tucked away when we visited the book store and stopped at the cookie shop. 

Indeed, it was the perfect date for Kindergarten Eve. 

He even assured me that when he is old enough to drive he'll pick me up for a date. 

With sweet promises like that, how could saying goodbye to J be easy?

Well, it wasn't. 
Not in the least. 

J was a ball of energy until we reached the school.  He became more clingy and reserved.  His eyes were filled with fear as he timidly followed his teacher through the school doors.
I cried. 
E cried. 
Steve gladly dismissed himself from Planet Estrogen and went to work. 

And then I spent the rest of the day praying and watching the clock so that I wouldn't be late picking him up.

Even though I can't quite pinpoint the exact reasons, this transition has been difficult for me.  Maybe I have some attachment issues.  Maybe I'm selfish.  Maybe I'm a control freak.  Maybe I'm just plain scared.  Whatever the reason, I'm still sad.  Really sad.

Change is hard, but at least my handsome little guy is doing his part to lessen the impact...

J at the end of day one:  It was awesome!
J at the end of day two:  Today was even better than the first day!

It's such a blessing and a relief that he has started the year off well.

Whew!

A little video to commemorate the milestone...

I'm Not Alone in My Sadness

As if my heart wasn't heavy enough this morning...

Sigh!

Finding a Happy Place

With less than 24 hours until a new chapter of our family's life begins, I'm filled with an array of emotions, but sadness definitely tops the list.  So until 9:00 tomorrow morning, I'm going to rely on good old-fashioned denial to get me through. 

All I can see today is rainbows and kittens.

Feelin' a Little Bit Old...

...because the girl I babysat years ago...

 

 is now a senior.

Seriously, where does the time go?

P, praying that you make the best of your last year of high school.  Looking forward to watching you make great decisions as you continue to grow as an independent, beautiful young woman.  Love you!

Date Week

Steve and I hadn't been out to dinner alone since November.  That (pathetic and shameful) streak came to an end last week when we headed to different airports and eventually met up in Las Vegas.  I didn't even bring my camera.  "Why?" you ask.  Although the pool, overpriced drinks, roller coaster, dinner with family and friends, The Lion King production, 5K run in the Mojave desert, Bellagio fountains, people watching, and delicious meals were fun, I didn't think anyone would be interested in snapshots of an annual conference for diabetes educators.  Plus, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

But just in case you are wondering, and I know you all are, we didn't lose each other or wake up in a suite with a white tiger in the bathroom.  Boring, I know.

Overnight Guests

My boyfriend and his sisters spent the night.

In the morning, all seven of us were bathed and at church on time.

That's nothing short of a miracle, folks.