The other night I was trying to open a new box of diapers. It was a big box, with tape running all the way around it.
As I was tugging at the tape, trying to get it off, Simon came up and stood in front of me. He started cheering.
“Come on, Mom! Pull! Pull, Mom pull! You could do it!”
“Gimme a O! Gimme a S! Goooo Mommy!”
Who could possibly fail with a cheering section like that?
Jonah has been getting picked on at school.
Some mean boys at school tell him that he HAS TO play the chasing game at recess, and that he HAS TO be on the girls’ team. Then they chase him down and shove him into the fence or wrestle him to the ground.
Recess was becoming less than fun for him. Until yesterday.
We were having a talk about standing up to those boys. I told him that he did NOT have to do anything they said! He came up with an idea of his own.
“I know! I can just breathe in their noses and they will run away screaming!”
It’s a technique that has proved successful against his brothers and sisters, due to a chronic and potent case of halitosis.
Yesterday he came home from school feeling successful and powerful.
“It worked!” he proclaimed. “I just breathed in their noses and they all ran away!”
They haven’t dared to bully him since. I’m so proud!
Jeff and I wanted to visit Lindsey (and Preston, I should add,) in Seattle before she moves in June. So we left all the kids with Sarah and my Mom – bless their hearts- and took off!
Lindsey was a great hostess/ personal tour guide. She even provided us with lovely, sunshiny weather, which I hear is pretty hard to come by!
We visited the famous Pike’s Place Market, and ate the yummy homemade doughnuts. We sampled lots of fun things, and took home some delicious rosemary-garlic pasta!
We toured the underground of Seattle.
We got to ride on a ferry, and tour some gorgeous countryside!
We saw beautiful Snoqualmie (sp?) falls, and got caught in a little hail storm.
We took some “couples pictures,” as proposed by Lindsey. First Jeff and I…
Then Lindsey and I…
We Tiptoed Through the Tulips at the annual tulip festival.
It’s too bad I can’t include all of the pictures. Jeff really got some great ones! It’s interesting though… as much as I loved all the entertainment, and the new sights, they weren’t the highlight of the trip. For me, the best part of the trip was getting to sleep in every day. I rested when I felt like it. I ate when I felt like it, and didn’t have to worry about any responsibilities for a couple of days. What a treat!
It sure was nice to get home though, to my wonderful kids. It’s nice to be missed and loved and needed!
Pinewood Derby was a success this year for sure. Both the boys did their cars all by themselves, with some coaching from Dad.
This was Josh’s first year, and he won 5 races! I’m always able to breathe easier once my son has won at least one race.
Caleb won first place this year! Perfect for his last derby!
The boys on either side of Caleb are his best friends, Robin and Conner.
Cheering for the victor!
Here’s something I found interesting. During the races, the boys would chant for their friends. Sometimes that meant everyone was chanting for one boy, and nobody was chanting for the other one. Nobody, that is, but the moms and the cute girls at the end of the track. They would cheer for everyone equally. Girls as young as 8 years old were inherently aware of hurting peoples’ feelings. Poor Savannah was worried the whole time about the boys that hadn’t won a race yet. The cheering cub scouts never gave a moment’s thought to whether or not someone would feel bad if nobody was chanting his name. Thank goodness for little girls!
I was adding things up. Four boys, (so far), three Pinewood Derby cars each, that’s twelve Pinewood Derby cars for us. At least! We’re just getting warmed up!
* NOTE: This post is part of my current coping-with-feeling-yucky strategy: being more aware of the things that make me happy.
Technically, I live right in the middle of the city.
But in my back yard, you’d never know it!
I wake up most mornings to the sound of chickens and ducks outside my window.
I have a little orchard of fruit trees. Oranges and lemons, apples, plums, peaches, apricots, pomegranates, pecans and figs.
When I look out the back window I see nothing but green. Acres of grass and big trees. And a few horses.
I have no home owners association to fine me when the grass gets too long and the lawn mower is broken down in the middle of the front yard.
But…
I can get to Costco (and Taco Bell) in about 2 minutes. I can get on the freeway just as quickly. School, church, piano lessons and ball practices are all within a mile or two of my house.
This is definitely what they call the best of both worlds!
Here are some things I found to be sincerely grateful for today:
My sweet kids, who played nicely together, and then surprised me by cleaning the house while I was at the grocery store.
The 52° weather. It means that summer is not quite upon us.
The heavenly smell of the orange blossoms in my driveway.
The proximity of Taco Bell. Otherwise my daily craving for a bean burrito would be quite inconvenient!
