On My Mind

Two things are on my mind.
Well, three: school resumes tomorrow.

1. I had such a fun five days home with my family. I got to make a slew of pies, by myself, and I was fairly uninterrupted by little children. I've not gotten rusty either. I'm not boastful, just delighted to know that this ol' girl can still throw down a pie. The meal was filling and delicious.
We spent Black Friday (as the psycho-shoppers have coined it) internet shopping. It was spectacular! No lines, no pushing or shoving or elbowing, and definitely no hassles. We meandered through the virtual shopping windows, clicked on our choices, and zipped to the order confirmation page faster than you could yank the latest Elmo from another shopper's virtual cart. Just great.
Just being home with each other was comforting. While Michael was napping today, Nathan went to his grandparents' house today to help decorate for Christmas. Michael woke up, and there was no Nathan. I tossed a cardboard roll to Michael to play with (oh, they love too-toos). He named it "telescope" and went searching around the house for Nathan with his telescope. I can't describe really how precious it was for him to be searching for his brother (even though I told him where Nathan was).

2. Second thing on my mind...oh, what was it? Oh yeah. Nick's graduation party.
Yes, I know. He still has some years to go. BUT. We got an invitation to a law school graduation party for a dear dear family friend yesterday. Nick posed the question last night of how we might organize something for his graduation. OH, that was music to my ears. What a fun way to spend the next two years: planning a party! I'm not so particular that it'll TAKE 2 years, but just to have that event to look forward to, and the plans to be in the backs of our minds...it's fun and uplifting.
This journey has been pretty wild already. Do-able, sure, but trying at times. I'm just so thankful and fortunate that we've found a really decent balance along our way. I am so proud of Nick for his determination and skill. I am proud of our boys for being so resilient and for filling our lives with such sparkle. It has been a fine season for being thankful around this household. I am so fortunate.

Coming Back Down to Earth

Oh, my poor boys. I think an outsider could see many stellar college football programs in the state of Texas. Inside, however, we see heated rivalries with some teams soaring to greatness, some plummeting, and some ebbing and flowing from week to week. I like the Texas Tech program; not solely because I am a product of the school, but I like its character. Last night's game was hard to watch. I think every Texas Tech fan felt the team's momentum collapse. Perhaps it is fate. To keep a team genuinely good (in sports execution and sound character), perhaps it was meant to be that we were brought down a few notches. We appreciate our team. We support the programs. We hang a flag outside our classroom. But if we were to grow pompous of ourselves, we'd lose the spirit that is imbedded in our being. We'd look just like other cocky teams who taunt others with their stature. Losing hurts. Ohhh, I know we fans felt the loss. Our hearts burned for how the game's fate played out in front of us. OU played a strong (but sometimes dirty, dirty) game. The players were explosive. It keeps us humble. Congratulations to the team, the coaches, and all of the behind-the-seen participants. It has been a spectacular season. I just hope we don't project our loss too intensely upon Baylor next weekend. Looking at the polls and standings, I've become an overnight OSU fan. Go Cowboys! (What a difference a couple of weeks will make!) I send lots of positive karma to the Texas Tech organization. We're all sharing the sadness, but at the same time, we're all sharing the sweet success of a victorious season.

Two Sick-ish Kids and A Worn Out Momma

I stayed home today with Nathan (who puked yesterday) and Michael (who has been feverish, fussy, and claiming that his foot hurts for the last couple of days). We're thinking that something else hurts him, but he's only limited to communicate what he knows. He knows foot, and he is learning "hurt". I think it might be his throat or his sinuses which are nowhere near his foot, but I'm grabbing at things to make sense of. Most recently, it has changed from "foot hurts" to "mouth hurts," which makes more sense, but then he jams it shut with such force that I can't see anything that might be bothering him. This morning has consisted of him wanting things, then sooo NOT wanting them, playing with Nathan then decking him right on the head or something, wanting down and then sooo wanting to be held, but then wanting down again IMMEDIATELY. Ugh. All I want to do is nuzzle and cuddle and love on them when they're feeling badly, and he just wants to fuss. Nathan, I think, could've gone to school, but I felt it better to let whatever bug he had get out of his system completely. I'm glad he didn't have any recurring problems. He was spared some of the symptoms that his fellow kindergartners were sharing. But my baby...he just doesn't seem happy AT ALL today.
Let's keep our well sanitized fingers crossed that they'll be back to normal soon.

10 Reasons Why the Children's Program Would've Been a Good Thing

10. Dancing is a healthy exercise.
9. Children love to sing. Even with their teacher. And it makes them smile.
8. Texas has its own distinct cultural elements. Texans should know about Texas.
7. Performing in front of a crowd builds self-confidence.
6. Grandmas could croon over their superstars.
5. We could've had a second try at making a decent fake campfire.
4. The kids actually learned new vocabulary from song lyrics.
3. Songs teach rhythm, tone, pitch, and pattern: all literary elements, too!
2. Listening, speaking, reading, producing dramatic representation, and knowledge of state symbols are all state mandated objectives.
1. For all of us, school was REALLY fun for two days.
I am very sorry that your children won't be participating in our grade level production. I share their disappointment.

I CAN'T VOTE?

After spending the last month convincing the young, impressionable fourth grade minds that voting should be of utmost importance, I learned today that I CAN'T VOTE. At least not today, or in the next 30 days either ("In case there is a run-off," the voter registration information hotline lady offered as a snippy condolence prize.--ugly sneer soon followed). WHAT? I now am part of the can't-vote club: felons (yay. Martha and me [or is it Martha and I?]), those under age, non-citizens, and the mentally incompetent. But my entrance into the club is definitely something I am NOT proud of. I didn't know that voter registration cards EXPIRED. The confusion is not that simple, though. Nick's card expired, but somehow it magically renewed itself (and forgot to slip the cheat sheet for that to MY card). The same happy-snippy lady from the voting hotline cleared things up perfectly well by stating firmly that the cards DON'T RENEW THEMSELVES. OK. But it did. And mine DIDN'T. I'm having voter registration card envy. Ms. Snippy also informed me that I WAS registered in Lubbock County. Why, then, have I already voted in HARRIS county before, and why then, does my voter registration say HOUSTON? I moved from Lubbock over 3 years ago. And a heck of a lot of good THAT does me. Maybe this talk of moving BACK to Lubbock has somehow made my registration card renew itseld IN Lubbock. Oh, but according to snippy-operator, that isn't possible. Maybe the voter registration karma is trying to send me some subliminal message. I just can't quite grasp it. AAAAAH.
This IS a big deal. I've spent the last 3.9 years listening to both candidates yakking about saving the world, dissecting each other's syntax and semantics with scalpels, and I really put a chunk of emotional energy into being a vigilant voter. Except, apparently, renewing my card.
Maybe I am projecting my anger onto snippy pants. (But didn't she realize that I nearly rotted on hold while waiting to hear her give me the bad news?) I do realize that some of the blame stems from my own ignorance. I guess I just don't sit around perusing my voter registration card all that often. Like, never. It sits in a drawer, and I didn't even use it last time I voted (maybe THAT was the problem)--I used my driver's license. Maybe I should have been more watchful. I'm still jealous that Nick's card got some blast of magical power that mine didn't. And now it's 7:01. The Texas precincts are closed. I feel like less of a patriotic citizen. I do hope my candidate prevails. I even thought of sending him a card saying, "I'm sorry that I didn't vote, but I wanted to, but my blasted card was in exile because it didn't get laser-zapped like my husband's" but then I'd probably come across as being weird and get put on some watch list, and I'd never get to enter Walmart or something, much less vote EVER AGAIN.
I hope you voted. Everything happens for a reason, and I hope that no matter which candidate ultimately becomes our president, our country solidifies in its strength, and that we move strongly into the future.