It's pouring!

You know that old saying, "When it rains, it pours." Well, this week, it has been pouring. And I have tried hard to keep my usual positive attitude working for me, but friends, it has been tough.

I know that you do not want to hear me drone on about the details of the wild and crazy week we had. We are all here, on the other side. And nothing too terrible happened! But in the interest of getting it off my chest before I move forward and try to get back in the blog habit again, I am going to rattle off a list, OK?

Week of the Military child was a huge success at Jessa's school, but it required that I (and some days both kids) be up and dressed at school before 7:30 to help out. Yikes. There were also some lunches - yep, the PTO handed out 720 Popsicles, 720 cupcakes, and 720 bags of popcorn for every kid at the school. Whew!

Awesome Bay came to hand out candy for Army Day

I am so lucky to have a pediatrician here that I love because we spent time there this week. Twice. With 2 sinus infections for each baby. Yep. Lots of late nights alternating Tylenol and Motrin to try to bring down scary high fevers (both were generic, so no recall worries, I just did not want to spell out the active ingredients). And now we are choking down a course of antibiotics. But they are both doing so much better. Yay!

I had to make another long, long drive to the University of Missouri this week. But it was all good because this time it was to pick up my sweet kitty instead of dropping him off. He was wet from his post radiation isolation bath, but he was thrilled to be going home. He spent the trip yelling at me for leaving him and recounting the horrors that he suffered.

He alternated between trying to lick himself and repair the damage that had been done to his coat with meowing loudly, letting me know just what he had been through!

It was a LONG day that started at 7:30 at school, involved rushing to meet my Momma at the pediatrician's office with Spencer, and ended with everyone home again and on the mend. (Well, Stewart is locked in the guest room for 3 weeks to avoid direct contact with small children. We we only have 17 days left, but who's counting!?)

I got to go and see Oceans with Jessa's school. So. Much. Fun. On the bus ride, I got schooled on how to play Star Wars on Wii by one her little friends. If I understood correctly, C3PO has the secret codes, in case you were wondering. Oh, and we also decided after the movie that we were glad we lived in Illinois. The sweet boy said, "You know, Jessa's Mom, because no Great White Sharks." Point taken.

It was parent watch week at ballet. Jessa is a ham and is very excited about the recital, where she will be a butterfly. WITH wings.

AND she is not too shy to ask Bay for a hanky in the middle of class to blow her nose.

My Awana Cubbies practiced to sing in church this week.

Spencer, at Cubbies - the arm is his future wife, who is always sitting next to him!

And today (Sunday), they did it! I was so proud of them. Even Spencer, who had vowed to not sing, ever(!) went on the alter with his class. And well, he was up there.

I agreed to let him hold the "Cubbie Bear" that Bay painted for the class.

You can see his fingers!

Oh, and I backed into the garage door on Wednesday just before leaving for church and ballet. I thought I cleared it when I was backing in to load all the stuff I needed to take with me. I cried. David was not thrilled. BUT my crafty husband FIXED it. OK, he may have almost lost all of his fingers, but he fixed it! And with Bay's help, they even got the darn thing in working order again.

Jessa spilled GREEN fingernail polish on the carpet. It was only a few drops. And she was REALLY sorry. And when I was fussing at her for playing with nail polish without permission, she looked at me and said, "Well, Mom, at least I did tell you the truth." Yes, dear child, but the truth does not get the green polish out of the light gray carpet.

There was a PTO lunch meeting to plan next year's activities, etc. I went. It was potluck. I made potato salad. I met some new people. It was lovely. Oh, and before I left, they wrote out the slate of officers for next year. It will be voted on at the meeting on Monday. Am I forgetting something? Oh yes, now I remember. My name will be listed next to the office of "President." Oh. My. Word.

David. It was a crazy week preparing for a big trip (he left Saturday). Oh, and he had dinner with Bono. Well, he was in the same room where there was a dinner in Bono's honor. And the keynote speaker was Bill Clinton. Not to shabby. And Bono even wore purple shades! He is so cool.

And my Momma. Our May. She saved the day like a thousand times. Had she not been here, I could have made most things work. I could have dragged sick children with me to the University of Missouri. I could have packed coloring books for them to work on while I was busy at meetings. But nothing could replace my sweet babies being able to sleep as late as they needed to and lay around in their jommies all day when they were sick. And they had way more fun snuggling with May and watching Spongebob, than they would have being dragged all over town while I took care of everything that needed to be taken care of. She even drove Stewart home when I met her and Spencer at the doctor's office! She is so awesome and she was such a blessing and a Godsend this week. AND Bay even shared her and let her spend the night with us a couple times to help out! Yes, it caused them both to ask the tongue in cheek question, "Now tell me again, why did we have children???" They are so funny. I think. That question was tongue in cheek, right guys? Momma? Daddy? Guys??

So that was our week. I did get to spend a crazy amount of time with my Jessa, which was really nice. And Spencer spent lots of time with his May, just the way he likes it! We have all spent most of the weekend relaxing and getting over all the craziness. There were many naps taken. I am starting to feel human again, and you know, ready to tackle another week. . .

Now that I have all of that off of my chest, I promise to be a better blogger. You know, for the handful of you who stop by every now and again. . .

Bay in Kindergarten

Bay? Really? What in the world could he have done to get sent back to Kindergarten?
Well, I will tell you.

Bay got to go on a super cool, I mean, serious work trip in January to the South Pole. My kids were psyched when he came home with pictures of all of his travels. OK, they mostly liked the pictures with penguins in them. So Jessa said, "Can Bay come to my school and show my class?" I did not want to impose. My compromise was that I would print a penguin picture, and she could take it and share it with her class. She did, and I explained it all to her teacher in a note.

The picture that started it all. . .

The next time I saw her teacher at school, she asked if Bay would be interested in coming to talk about his trip. So maybe it was not an imposition after all. Long story short, after a few weeks, many notes, and a false pregnancy announcement, last Friday, Bay went back to Kindergarten. He was set to speak to ALL 5 Kindergarten classes (about 135 kids!).

Spencer and I went too. Partly because I felt responsible for getting him into the whole thing, and partly because I am nosey and I hate to miss ANYTHING. . . And Spencer went because he had to (but he LOVES going to Jessa's school anytime). I must tell you that the 2 hours that we were rotating between the classes were absolutely priceless. Here are some highlights.

Bay thought a creative way to explain the South Pole was to contrast it with the North Pole. He learned that this was not a great idea because the first 25 questions related to Santa, reindeer, and presents. Lesson learned. He did not use that idea any more. And NO, he did not get to meet Santa Claus!

The questions were so precious. Jessa asked a question about the temperature at the South Pole. OK, she actually asked, "Did you freeze your tookus off?" He laughed and said, "Good question. Yes, it was very cold! 20 degrees below zero - in the summer!" One little boy raised his hand and said, "Do you mean Minus 20?" He said, "Uh, yes, I guess I do." Get it straight, Bay!

There was one slide that he put in to discuss the communications with the South Pole.

I have edited it to protect the identities of the people I do not know.

(Again, forgive my editing, I do not own photo shop nor do I have any idea what I am doing. . .)

So EVERY time he put this slide up, at least one, but usually several kids said,

"Hey, look, there's a dog!"

Did you notice the dog?

Because I did not!

But every class, Daddy had to explain that it was a toy dog because pets are not allowed at the South Pole. Cracked me up!

This speech was at an elementary school adjacent to an AFB, right? Most all of the kids are somehow connected to the Base. Most all of their parents are in the military, right? Well, in one class, a girl raised her hand. Bay pointed to her and said "Yes ma'am?" She said, "My mom is in the Air Force." Bay said, "OK, great." The next 5 hands were the same general idea: "My dad is in the air force." "My mom is in the air force." "My dad is in the army," so at that point Bay said, "Raise you hand if your mom OR dad are in the air force, army, navy, marines?" Whew! That could have gone on ALL DAY! One girl had a slightly different comment, she said, "I want to be in the Army." So Bay told her, "OK, I will send a recruiter right on over!"

At one point, someone asked if there were seals at the South Pole. Bay replied, "Yes." The boy said, "Oh, well, I did not see any pictures of any seals." Bay said, "Uh, well, I did not take any pictures of the seals." The boy said, "Well, why didn't you take any pictures of any seals?" Bay, "Uh, well, I guess I blew it." Priceless!

The kiddos were crazy observant in all the pictures, not just the dog one. They were picking little details out of pictures that we looked over. This picture for instance - it was taken at the Rookery where there were thousands of penguins with baby penguins.

Bay is pointing out that over his shoulder are tons of penguins. And everywhere you see a little black dot, that is a penguin. And again, EVERY class had at least one kid who said, "Look at that bird." Yep, they were focused on the bird flying just behind Bay! I never even noticed that bird until the first class. . .

And when he told them about the sun never going down while he was there, one child was very concerned about that. She asked, "Well, how did you know when to go to bed?" Bay assured her that all you had to do was look at your watch to figure that out.

But perhaps my favorite funny of the day came from my very own child. During the third class, Spencer leaned over and whispered, "Hey Mom, how come Bay keeps saying the same thing over and over and over?" Bless his heart! He knew he had heard this speech before! He was looking for some new material, dontcha know!?

All in all, I think Bay's presentation was a hit. He got several "That was awesome"s as we headed to the next group! Jessa was super proud of her Bay (although she referred to him as her grandfather to keep from confusing everyone)! And Spencer and I loved going from class to class with him. And after it was all over, Bay said he thoroughly enjoyed it! Maybe getting sent back to Kindergarten is not always a bad thing. . .

Expectations

Bay is going to speak to all the Kindergarten classes at Jessa's school this Friday. (I am certain it is a post in the making, so stay tuned!) But trying to coordinate the schedules of a very busy Army dude and 5 Kindergarten teachers has been challenging. I am the go-between since Bay has never met Mrs. K. There have been notes back and forth and phone calls.

Oh, and her school has this purple folder that goes back and forth everyday with papers, notes, newsletters.

So this morning, I wrote a note and put it in her purple folder. I needed to make sure Bay could bring a CD with pictures. Then this afternoon, when Jessa came home, there was a note in the purple folder from Mrs. K.

The first paragraph was all about the CD and pictures for the presentation.

Standard stuff.

Exactly what I expected.

Now the other paragraph.

That was where it got a little, um, funny.

Well, why don't I just let you read it for yourself:

I was shocked.

Speechless.

Embarrassed?
Confused.

I ran into the den and said, "Jessa Lynn! Do you think that Mommy is having another baby?"

She had a rather sheepish grin on her face and said, "Well, no. But Mommy, can't we pretend?" I told her that we absolutely could pretend, but that it was best if we did that kind of pretending AT HOME. And that we did not share that with anyone at school or church or well, anyone outside of our immediate family.

Jessa has some interesting theories about babies. She thinks that David and I "got married" twice, so that is how we got 2 children. I am totally cool with my SIX year old thinking that is how it happens for now. Although, she did get confused when I told her we were going "on a date" for Valentine's. We went to a movie and dinner. But when we told her, she said, "Oh. So if y'all are going on a date, does that mean that you are going to have another child?" Uh, no. And I am not terribly comfortable with her downgrading the "thing" that has to happen to have a baby from "getting married" to "going on a date." But that is a problem for another day. . .

David is out of town, as usual, but when he called, I did congratulate him. He was pretty shocked, too. And if Jessa were correct about her little announcement, David would have quite a lot to say to a certain Urologist at Ft. Polk. . .

My Jessa needs to accept that this:

is the closest she is ever going to get to another baby in this family!

So now, tomorrow, I am going to send her purple folder back to school with a note explaining that I am most definitely NOT going to have another baby. And then I am going to have to make sure that everyone that may have heard her "announcement" gets the message.

The Class Grandma

OK. So Spencer's school is really big on parent volunteers. They like to have a Mom in the room all the time. So there is a sign up calendar outside of the room so we can sign up for the days we want. And in October, I asked them to put up the schedule up for January. See, I wanted to sign up as close as possible to his actual birthday. I wanted to bring a birthday snack. His school is extra picky about snacks. They are crazy worried about allergies and the building is a tree nut free zone. No cupcakes or candy are allowed. So for birthdays they suggest fresh fruit. And it has to be prepared in their kitchen to avoid cross contamination. I digress. The point is I was the class mommy for Spencer's class on January 4, and I got to celebrate with fruit. (Boy it takes me a long time to get to the point - maybe David is onto something -hee-hee!)

So the night before January 4 was of course January 3, Spencer's actual birthday. After we got home from his special supper at Red Robin (his request), I reminded him that the next morning, on his first day back from break, I was going to be the Class Mommy. And my sweet boy, who I know was simply thrilled that his old Momma was going to be at school with him asked me a question, "Mom?" I said, "Yes, buddy?" And he said, "Can May come to my school, too and be the Class Grandma?" I smiled and told him that I did not think that May could because she would be preparing to go home since she was leaving on Tuesday. He stuck out his bottom lip. I agreed to let him call May and ask her. It was his birthday, after all.

(Phone rings.)

May - Hello?!

Spencer - May?

May - Yes, Spencer.

Spencer - May, will you come to my school tomorrow and be the Class Grandma?

May - (with NO hesitation) Of course I will, Spencer.

(He smiled and handed me the phone.)

Me - We'll pick you up at 8:40. I'm sorry!

May told me later that she really wanted to sleep a little later to rest up and pack for her 9 hour drive the next day. But she also realized that he may never invite her to do that again. And when your precious newly 4 year old grandson calls you and asks you to be his Class Grandma, you don't say NO!

This was a hoot! Spencer was extra shy because the 2 of us were there, but he eventually warmed up. And I think May had a great time. And I am not sure, but she may be the first Class Grandma ever! And if not the first, for sure the BEST, right??

AND his teacher told us as we were leaving that she could not have done it without BOTH of us. There was some sponge painting that got out of control. They were painting a big box to make it into an igloo (in December, it was a stable. In January, it will be an igloo. Gotta change with the seasons) The bottoms of shoes were covered in paint, so we had to wipe every shoe. There were streaks of white paint in the hair of several. There were hands to be washed, the floor to be cleaned, we needed all the help we could get! We laughed because the kids would not have to tell their parents that they painted - they could tell just by looking at them!

Check out the "igloo" in the background. Note the white paint, well, everywhere.

The best part was ice skating indoors. It was way too cold to go outside, so we pretended to ice skate with our mittens and hats and paper plates on our feet! Too fun! And a great way to burn some energy and get some exercise.

Check out May - skating it up!

All in all, it was a great day. Well, everyday that I get to spend with my boy is a good day. And also having a classy, Class Grandma, well, that's just icing on the cake!

Note the healthy fruit birthday snack.

And, yep, he's 4!

Field Trip

Last weekend, we had the bliss of a husband and daddy home all weekend. Actually more than all weekend - he was home from Wednesday until Tuesday. A few days of leave, a weekend, and a holiday. Yes, please!

On Sunday, Spencer wanted to show all of us his new park. See, a few weeks ago when Jessa was home with the flu, Spencer's class had a field trip. In preschool, you do not go on the field trip unless you have a parent accompany you. So I dutifully e-mailed his teacher to tell her he was not going to be able to make it. She called me the day of the field trip at 7:45 in the morning to tell me that she would be happy to be responsible for him so he would not miss all the fun. Of course, we accepted and Spencer got to experience a new park. Well, he calls the park "field trip" and don't challenge him on that. Yes, I cried all the way home because I was so so touched at his precious teacher.

He was anxious to show off this find to all of us. It was fun. We enjoyed it a lot. The kids were hysterical because Spencer was the "expert." Every time we would come to a cross roads, Jessa would ask him which way to go. Now, this child had no clue where they went. I mean, it is trails. And trees. And leaves. I was sure that he was clueless when we stopped at a big rain puddle and he explained that this was the "pond" where they discovered a frog. Plus, Jessa was not really asking him. See, she was planting the idea of which way she wanted to go in his putty-like head. He is always willing to let her lead, you know.

J: Spencer, didn't you go this way on your field trip?

S: Mom, Dad, we went this way on my field trip.

J: Spencer, did you see this tree on your field trip.

S: Mom, Dad, see that tree? We saw it on my field trip.

She did not have to work too hard. He was loving the feeling of power he had. He was the leader. He was in charge. Of course, as with most men in power positions, there was a clever woman behind the scenes pulling the strings! Ha! Just kidding, David. You decided that I needed new Polish Pottery all on your own. It was all you. You sure are handsome. How bout those Gators!?

There were discoveries made.

A woolly caterpillar.

We called it a brain. We have no idea what it was. Anyone?

Even bird houses are exciting on at the "field trip."

They had a wonderful time. We all did. It was nice to just walk.

The dogs had a great time, too. Dunken got some awesome off-leash time running around like a puppy.

And even Max has come a long way from when we first took him for a walk. He is learning. Who said you cannot teach an old dog new tricks??

We may have found a new place to hang. Spencer thinks we should go back. At least that is what Jessa told him he thought.

I get so emotional

My Mom was like a PTA superhero. Seriously. She was all over it. She was always at our schools. She was even the President of several PTAs/ PTSAs through the years. Growing up, Lucas and I were always around as she prepared for meetings and decorated bulletin boards and volunteered anytime there was an opportunity. She even enlisted Daddy's help constantly. He was even the Co-President once, I think. So to me, being involved in the PTA is sort of not optional. That is just what parents do, you know?

I distinctly remember sitting in the lobby of my dorm with David when we were first dating. I asked him if he planned to be a member of the PTA when he had kids. He already knew I was pretty nuts, so he did not skip a beat and said that he did plan to be involved in his children's education. This made it OK to keep dating him. I am not kidding; it has always been that important to me.

I was so pumped at the new family orientation as Jessa's school that I was given the chance to join their PTO (slightly different from a PTA, but the same general idea). I was thrilled beyond words. This sort of made it "official." And I was also fired up for my first meeting as a real parent who was a real member of a real PTO and a real school. Real, I tell you.

I volunteered to help out with several committees. I was so happy to be able to help out and be present at Jessa's school. I handed out my info and waited. Well, last week, I got an e-mail asking for volunteers to hand out Spirit Wear. The last Friday of each month, the kiddos are supposed to wear their school shirt, and the newly ordered ones were in. I immediately agreed to help.

So the day came. Spencer and I went to the office and got our visitor's pass and proceeded to the cafeteria. We got to spread out all the shirts and fill all the orders and get them all bundled up to deliver to the classrooms. I enjoyed making small talk with the other moms. Filling the orders wasn't tough because the t-shirt committee was very organized. I liked the feeling that I was being helpful. It was not a big time committment, either. But I was mainly just happy to be there. Happy to be in Jessa's first public school. I know I probably had a silly grin on my face the whole time! Spencer was such a good boy, too. He sat quietly at a table and colored and played with a train or two.

Then the time came to deliver the shirts to all the classrooms. I got to take a few to the Kindergarten rooms. I was about to burst with excitement as I headed down to her hall. But then I realized that they were not even in there. Bummer! I did get to look at her little spot at the table, though. And every classroom that Spencer passed, he would ask, "Is that Jessa's?"

Then Spencer and I delivered some more to other grades and other hallways. And I was all choked up the whole time. I mean, it smelled like a school. Like construction paper and glue and erasers and pencils. There was student artwork all over the walls. There were classes lined up heading in one direction or another. There were baskets full of lunch boxes outside all the classrooms. When I went into the rooms to make my deliveries, I got to hear snippets of lessons and look at all the brightly decorated classrooms. It is all so awesome. I can remember being in elementary school when everything was so exciting and new. And my heart was bursting with pride because my baby is now a part of all of this. The computer labs and the library and the gym. The cafeteria and the playground and the desks. I walked slowly (because Spencer is rarely in a hurry) and just took it all in. I had to get a hold of myself before we got back to the cafeteria with all the other, more emotionally stable mothers. Hopefully it was just the first of many days that I will spend in any number of schools for both of my children. I know it was an hour and a half of t-shirt sorting, but it felt huge for me.

Then this morning, I dragged my little student out of her bed on a dark and rainy morning. And I slipped her into her brand new school spirit shirt to send her off to the bus stop. I was so proud of my girl!!



And I would also like to point out that the entire family will be sporting shirts throughout the year. . .

Ammouncements

Poor Spencer. He is a chat.ter.box. He NEVER runs out of things to say. Ever. He has a comment on everything, i.e. opinions, observations, or sometimes just idle chatter. The boy has got a mouth on him. His teachers have even commented on how talkative he has become after a shy first few days. The main problem with this (besides our inability to get a word in edgewise, of course) is that Jessa is also quite chatty. She is older, and let's face it, he worships her, so she is always the loudest and always ends up being the one doing the talking. Bless his heart, most of the time he is OK with letting her have the floor.

Lately, though, he has started wanting to have his turn. He does not want to yield to her and her conversations. He tries to talk over her, which usually ends up with both of them trying to be loudest and me making trying to make them both hush. The latest trick that my sweet, smart boy has come up with is pretty clever. He started it about a week and a half ago in the car when Momma was still visiting us. He says, "attention, I have an ammouncement." Even Jessa usually quiets down immediately to hear this important thing that Spencer wants to "ammounce." Sometimes, we do not realize what he is saying and he has to get loud to demand our attention. Those are the times that once we are all quiet, he says, "Ooo. I forgot."

These ammouncements are usually nothing too exciting. Things like I like chocolate milk. Or did you see that spider? Or sometimes once we get quiet, it is just he needs to burp (this is the funniest of all ammouncements). But he relishes the undivided attention whenever he can get it.

This ammouncement was a dramatic reenactment of an actual ammouncement in order to preserve this phenomenon for posterity.

Besides ammouncements and perhaps along the same lines, he also has a lot of "guess whats." The other night Bay was driving him from church to Subway for supper. When we got out of the car, Bay was laughing and he said, "The length of time from church to this parking lot can be measured in about 8 'guess whats'." Great! A new form a measurement!

When he talks (which is like always, seriously), he is quite a character, too.

The other day, he came bursting into the kitchen and said, "Can I have some paper towels?" I said, "OK" and handed him some. As he took off running back into the den, he hollered behind him, "Thanks, mom, oh and don't look in here, OK?" OK.

Then:
His teacher was not there Monday morning.
Me: Spence, was Miss P not there today?
S: She left on an airplane.
Me: Oh, did Miss A have a helper?

I wanted to know if there was another teacher in the room. (I could not imagine handling all those 3 year olds with only one adult, so I was really worried about Miss A's sanity.)

S: Yep, Miss Angie did have a helper.
Me: What was her name?
S: It was not a woah-man.
Me: Oh, was it someone's Daddy that stayed to help?
S: (smiling) No, it was a boy.

I was confused, but I was thinking maybe a teenager or Miss A's own older child or something.

Me: Oh, a boy?
S: Yep, want to know what his name was?
Me: Yes, please!
S: (with the biggest, proudest grin EVER) Spencer.

That stinker was the special helper who held the flag during the pledge! So yes, he was Miss A's helper, but I never found out if Miss A had adult help or not. . . The boy can (and does) talk (and talk), but he still manages to leave out the important bits of information that I am most interested in.

Her other life

Each morning when the bus drives off, I still get lost for a minute. I cannot believe she is really getting on a bus and going somewhere that I cannot go with her. I mean, from the time she was born, I have taken her everywhere she wanted or needed to go. OK, so David and even May and Bay take her places sometimes, too, but I have always been her primary mode of transportation. It is still hard to watch her drive off without me.

And the whole Kindergarten thing is still tough for me, too. In preschool, I knew all the kids in her class and all the parents. I even knew her teachers very well. I saw them all every morning and every afternoon. In preschool, I even got a note most days telling me what she had for snack and what she did that day. In preschool, I was the "bus." In preschool, she was able to stretch her wings a little, but I was still very much a part of that world.

Another Mommy blogger put my feelings into words. She said something about her child now having a new life that she was not a part of. And it is so true. I can go to PTO meetings and read every hand out that comes home with her. I can watch the bus and wave at the bus driver. I can hang on every word that she chooses to share with me. But the bottom line is, for the first time since she was born, she has this whole other life without me. Now, don't get me wrong, I am so thrilled and proud for her. I would not want things any other way. I am happy that she is able to have this other life and seem to enjoy it so much (except she still wishes school started later). I know that as parents we are supposed to let them go and spread their wings and someday fly. I got it. I get it. I really do. It is just hard to adjust to this new reality.

Seriously, she will mention something off hand like, "Well, yesterday in gym class, we played tag." What!? You went to the gym? When? Did you like it? Is the teacher nice? Were you fast? Did you have to be it? I want to know!! OR she will start singing a song that I have never heard. She sings about quarters and pennies and dimes. A few months ago, all change was either "quarters" or Chuck E Cheese money. Now she even knows songs about the other coinage. Coinage! She is singing about coinage!

After school, she is even different. She is aching to go outside and play with all her new friends. Bike riding, scooter riding, playground, sand box, and all the neighborhood kiddos. She makes plans for afternoon merriment each day on the bus on the way home. I have to drag her in for supper every afternoon. And now she even likes to listen to Hannah Montana (LOUDLY) while she is getting ready to go somewhere. What is she, 16?

But at night when it is time for her to go to bed. We snuggle and read stories and she holds my hand. And for a few minutes each day, she is still my precious Jessa. She is still my baby girl. I can play with her soft hair. I can study her little face. I love and treasure these moments because these days they are few and far between. And before long, I fear they will be a thing of the past.

I promise I am not having a nervous breakdown. Just every morning, when the bus drives off, and I wave at the tinted window with the sweet Jessa hand waving back at me, it hits me all over again.

Bus Stop Politics

So maybe I am not actually allowed at the bus stop. My chair on the approved front porch does allow me a great view, and I can even hear lots of things that are being said. My vantage point may reveal more than I would otherwise know. I am sure they would all be a little different with an old Mommy hanging around, right??

So the funniest thing I have noticed thus far is the lining up. Apparently it is VERY important to some children that they are in line first. The first few days, Jessa did not get the lining up thing. She would just clump up and some of her older, bus riding veteran friends would let her in with them.

The gals who are really into being first have a little plan. They watch until the middle school bus is gone. Then they hurry to the bus stop and put their backpacks down at the spot where they all line up. Thus saving them the place that they want - #1 in line. Sometimes they even go back home for a few minutes, relaxing in the knowledge that they will be able to step into their rightful place.

The oldest one will even distract the younger kids so that she can be first, if she is not already. It tickles me to death! They are so funny. Well, one morning this week, the first in line girls were late. This thrilled a little boy who immediately claimed the coveted first spot in line. He claimed it with his backpack. He then sat down and played some cards. Jessa got out there shortly after him. She placed her backpack in line behind the little boy's backpack. She then sat down and played a really fun card game with the boy. Even though I was all the way across the street, I know the game was fun because Jessa was laughing SO loudly.

You can see Jessa and the first in line backpack boy playing this FUN game on the bench.

You can also see the unhappy other children who were not first.

After a few minutes, the bus did come. And even though I am sure it was difficult, the other kiddos at the bus stop honored the sacred code of the bus stop: the backpack line place holder.

And Jessa was the second one on the bus. But I think the one who was the happiest was the first boy. What a coup! Could the delicate balance of the bus stop be in jeopardy? I will keep an eye on developments from my nest, safely on the front porch, all the way across the street.

Meatloaf

For the past 5+ years, I have been all about my babies. My main focus has been Jessa and Spencer. I have taken care of David, the house(s), the shopping, the laundry, the many pets, etc., but we could be almost hermits if we were so inclined. I made our schedule. We traveled when we needed or wanted to. We did not have to get out of our pj's if we did not want to. We ate out or saw movies during the week. We were the masters of our time and fate.

Yes, we did preschools, but those are even flexible and many times not every day. I mean, I did not pull them out needlessly. But for example, when we moved into our house at Ft. Stewart after David got home, I did not rush to find them a new preschool. We took January off to visit with David and go to Disney, and no one cared. But that is over now. We are officially in real school, and we have a new life, a new schedule. Quite an adjustment, to say the least.

The school thing is only part of it. As the children get older, there are more activities that they become involved in. Finally, we are at a location at the right time for Jessa to take ballet. Everywhere else, we were too late to join a class. . . So I found a great place close to our new home, and we signed her up for a beginner class.

We are also loving being involved in our new church. Jessa loves it so much that each Sunday when we go to pick her up from the Children's Church room, she begs to stay. So it seemed to make sense to sign them up for Awana. We have never had the opportunity to do it before. Around us growing up, it was always at the Baptist Churches. And of course, I said, "If y'all need any help, let me know. . ." So naturally, I am a co-leader of the Cubbies, Spencer's class.

That's not too bad, right? 2 extra activities each week. Want to know the tough part?? The only class for Jessa's age beginners is Wednesday from 5:30-6:30. Awana is each Wednesday from 6:15-7:30. Hmmm. Do you see any problem with that?

Luckily, I have an awesome family and husband who agreed to help me out with this little scheduling issue. David agreed to pick Jessa up from dance class and bring her to church late so that Spencer and I did not also have to be late. The only problem with this is that David is always gone! Bless his heart! So I also have an awesome Daddy who agreed to step in and help when David was not around. And this past week, my Momma was also here visiting and ready to help. The phrase "it takes a village" comes to mind. . .

Last Wednesday, at 5:00, I took my precious ballerina across town to the ballet/tap class. I got her situated in class, and then Spencer and I rushed off to church. I was a nervous wreck because I had no clue how to handle this whole Awana thing. I felt so unprepared. But the light at the end of the tunnel was Momma planning to fix supper for all of us when we got back from our many activities.

The kids came to Awana and I got absorbed into the evening. About 6:40, I see a handsome soldier (aka Bay) carrying a sweet ballerina into her Awana class. Whew! Then the whole evening was crazy! Chaos! It was expected to be that way because it was the first night and everyone was trying to figure out where to go and what to do. 7:30 came and all the parents picked up their kiddos. But I had to stay to clean up, etc. We had paperwork to attend to and plans to make. By this point, both children are exhausted and rather ill. Spencer needed me to "holsha" (hold) him. Kind of hard to clean up and load the car and get ready to go while toting a 40 lb attachment. Jessa decided she did not want to go home with me. She wanted Bay. She even disappeared briefly (and scared me half to death) to find him. She then asked me to please call him to come and get her. We finally got out of there at 8:00! All the way home my exhausted children who had been going strong since 7 AM were trying to sleep. Not a good idea to take a power nap at 8 when I need them to eat, bathe and got to bed in the next hour. So I fought with them all the way home. Employing "mean mommy" techniques like rolling down their windows, turning up the volume, turning on the dome lights, and even singing along to the radio. They stayed awake, if only to curse my very name. Feel free to report me for this abuse☺.

We arrived at Bay's house to a delicious meal of meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, green beans, slaw, crescent rolls, and sweet tea. Jessa sat in her chair and cried and fussed until I made her go sit in the other room. Even despite her fit, I think that was the best supper I have ever eaten. I am so lucky to have such awesome parents. I could not have pulled off this marathon day without their help and support. Seriously, every time the day got too stressful, I would remember that Momma was cooking me an wonderful supper. I am glad that my parents did not think their job was over when I turned 18 or went to college or graduated from college or got married or had children of my own. . . I am so blessed. We all are!

AND, Jessa ate every bite of her supper in the car on the way home. They were bathed and passed out together in my bed by 9:15! Glad Wednesday only comes once a week - I need all week to recover. . . And this week, I will have to do it with no meatloaf.

Meerkats and the library

You may think that I am a bad mother when you read this post. Please try to overlook my shortcomings, if you are able. . .

Jessa and Spencer have never been to the library. (gasp) I will pause for you to take that in.

(pause)

I know, I know, I should have taken them. BUT I just never got around to it. Plus, I will tell you I am not a good checker outer. Oh the pressure of return. I would much rather browse Amazon in my pajamas and anxiously await a box delivery, that I can also get from the mailman in my pajamas. In my defense, my children love bookstores and know the location of the closest one to every house we have ever had. And if I order something from Amazon, you know I order them something, too. AND we are all over Scholastic book orders at school. Seriously, they are always loaded down when the order comes in. Are you judging me less harshly?? They have plenty of books, I promise. There are three bookshelves in the playroom - all full. AND their headboards are bookcases full of books. Seriously.

Woah, my rationalization and justification have taken over, huh? Mommy guilt is tough. . .

Anyway. One afternoon, I was waiting patiently in the approved place on the porch and saw my sweet girl come bounding across the street. She was so excited and couldn't wait to tell me about her day. She was so proud because she got to go to the library. Yep, public school has provided my daughter with this experience, even if I never did. ; )

She really was excited. She was by far the last kid off the bus, and it was because she was reading her book on the way home! We had to sit down on the floor just inside the front door for her to take her book out and show it off immediately.

It is a brand new book to the library and Jessa Lynn was the first person to ever check it out. What an honor!

As you can see, it is about Meerkats. I never even knew that she was interested in Meerkats! She was upset because a little girl on the bus told her that it was not a Meerkat - Jessa was disgusted with this poor child's ignorance. She was beside herself. The only hang up was that she said she was only allowed to keep it for one day. The due date says the 9th, but she swears she had to bring it back the next day. So, she had to soak it all in.

She even had to read through it one more time before she headed to the bus stop!

I am so proud of my girl: first Kindergarten, the bus, and now the library.

There is no stopping her!