Whaaaat???? *sigh*

The kids get to meet our new nanny's boyfriend today.  Our nanny for the summer is named Caroline and she is the sweetest thing.  She's ahead in school so she's taking off the summer but hanging out with her friends at TCU.  She is the chaplin of her sorority and the captain of the TCU dance team.  She's ridiculously accomplished and fantastic with the kids.  Not sure what posessed her to hang out with us for the summer, but she's stuck with us now!  Her boyfriend is coming to visit the kids today and is going to take George to the zoo.  He's also going to let George ride in his "black race car" (aka Camero).  George can barely contain his excitement and keeps talking about Kyle's race car.  It's precious.  And aren't Caroline & Kyle adorable too? (They're going to be just thrilled that they made it on a mommy-blog, right?)

 

So anyway, this prompted our discussion this morning on the way to drop off the older two at school as to what makes a "boyfriend".  George announced that boyfriends are also daddies, to which I responded, "Uh . . . noooo."  This obviously required a discussion about what makes a person a "daddy".  Evie attempted to answer that "a daddy is a man who is married to a girl."  I cocked my head to the side and looked at her precious face in the rear view mirror as I said, "Not exactly."  I waited for someone else to answer, but nothing was forthcoming.  So, I was disappointed that not one of the three kids could identify the key characteristic of a daddy - namely, a man who has a child.  I rolled my eyes, sighed deeply and explained it.  They all nodded, but still seemed skeptical.  Not sure why they think I would lie about this, but whatever.

After a few seconds of thoughtful silence, Evie announced in her innocent little voice that one time a boy married a boy.  I chuckled a little, wondering how we even got on the topic.  I mean, remember we started with a discussion of the nanny's boyfriend.  I asked her, "Where did you hear that?"  I wasn't upset or mean about it, just curious.  She shrugged, "I don't know.  Someone told me."  I nodded my head acceptingly, "Yeah, that's happened."  I thought it would be safe to leave it at that, but Luke joined in the conversation and asked, "Mom?  Why is it illegal for a man to marry a man?"

Dread welled up in me and I rolled my eyes, took a deep breath and settled in for a discussion filled with defensive tactics designed to answer truthfully but evasively so that I could get out of the conversation without having to discuss the Bible's stance on homosexuality.  Oh holy hell.  He's frickin' eight years old and we've broached the topic of gay marriage.  I honestly don't have a problem with the topic or discussing it, but with only three minutes left in the car before I send them into school, I don't think a half-baked discussion regarding the intricate debate of gay marriage/homosexuality is a good idea.  So, I utilized my defensive maneuvers and stated that "Some people don't think boys should marry boys or girls should marry girls because parts of the Bible say it is a bad idea."  More questions were on the tip of Luke's tongue, but I cut him off by pointing out that today was "Board Game Day" in his class and he had forgotten to bring the board game he picked out last night.  Praise Jesus! -- this worked to effectively divert his attention.  But, just like our sex talk and the discussion of menstruation, I guess we are going to have to talk about homosexuality and gay marriage next.  It's all good and a part of life, but I still have to work myself up for it!

Professional Mother's Mother

Last Wednesday evening, I attended the 2012 40 Under 40 reception hosted by the Fort Worth Business Press.  I was privileged to be among this year's 40 honorees, and I was humbled by the people who were there to support me.  I was so happy that so many of my friends and collegues from my law firm were there, in addition to my darling husband, my mother, and my dear friends Caroline and Wayne.  It was a wonderful evening to share with each person there.  My mom and I even made the paper this week.  How wonderful?!

Even though my head looks ginormous next to hers, I will cherish this picture, this evening, and this woman forever.

Some friends have asked me to post the story when it is available.  I will do so in the future, but if you're tired of hearing about it, I'll totally understand.

Free Entertainment

I wish there were words to describe how absolutely adorable George's tee ball team is. It's so freakin precious! I don't think anyone could resist this kind of cuteness. I would pay just to go to these games. I just sit there with a great big grin on my face and laugh at the tiny keystone cops. I will have to capture some video at the next game. I will warn you that the kids are definitely learning this year. In fact, there may be more parents on the field during the game than there are kids on the team. I got there in the middle of the first game and couldn't figure out what was going on until I noticed that each kid had a parent there to keep him/her in line and paying attention, and even still that didn't work 100% of the time. For example, there is a picture of one of George's friends just sitting in the field playing in the dirt. I LOVE it! When they are paying attention, they chase after the ball as a group and whoever gets it first holds it up like a trophy instead of trying to get the other team's runners out. Hilarious!

I got to take George to practice yesterday, and here are the pictures from practice (he was not happy about being photographed).  Look at those eyes!

Picking and eating his boogers - a full-time habit now.

Laughing at me and trying to run away.

Prepared to field a ball.

And here are pictures from the game.

Getting ready to bat.

George up to bat.

That kid is so funny.

 Caleb playing in the sand.

I can only imagine what kinds of negotiations were going on out there.

Mass chaos.  Just look at all the different things happening on that field, including Chuck checking his phone - probably TexAgs.com.

And George after the game.

Terribly content with himself.

If anyone wants to come watch a game, just let me know. It is definitely amusing!

I've seen way worse.

Apparently, I'm the only one who thinks she looks good.  I have no issues with this.  Everything is covered. 

What do you think?

First Time

Evie is going on her first Field Trip today to the Fort Worth Zoo. Seriously, she was so excited that she is getting to ride on a school bus for the first time.  Sometimes, excitement and zest for life really is in the little things.  I hope she has fun!

It's all true.

I'm pretty amazed sometimes to see our home life reflected at school.

Luke brought home this short essay about his spring break which I described in this post.

In case you can't read it, I will type it out too:

On the fourth day of Spring Brek I was so exited.  Once we got in the car I had a lot of fun until I got board because it took four hours to get there.  When we got to the house we rented a dog named Peaty came to our house every day.  I also went to four winerys.  I had a fun time at Fredricsburg.

Obviously there are some misspellings and missing commas -- obviously we didn't rent a dog named Petey - we rented the house and Petey came to visit.  In spite of these small mistakes, I have to tell you that Luke's handwriting is 100% better than it was before he started his ADD medication.  Other than that, I'm only slightly embarassed about the wineries he mentioned.  But really, what kind of crazy teacher would think a family would go all the way to Fredericksburg and not go to a bunch of wineries?

Evie also brought home something interesting from school reflecting our ambulance experience which I wrote about here.

I guess Evie was supposed to answer "What kinds of transportation help us in an emergency?"  Evie drew an ambulance.  She was 100% on target even if her handwriting is really sketchy.

And below the picture, she wrote (and I'm translating): "The ambulance came to get me."  I think she actually wrote it as follows: "the amblis cem to git me." (in her defense, all her high-frequency words were spelled correctly: the, to, me).

Again, I was only slightly embarassed since I had fully disclosed the incident to her teacher.  Evie and Luke both have teachers who have been teaching for 30 years so I'm sure I hope these aren't the worst things they've heard about from a family. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's right.

Late to the party, but still had a great time!

Chuck and I have completely lost ourselves in the Hunger Games trilogy.  I know we're late to the party on this one, but wow is it good!  I finished up the third book last night at 1 a.m.  It's been a long time since I've stayed up late to finish reading, but this series has really surprised me.  I read the first book in one night, the second and third in less than a week altogether.

It was such an easy read, with such a profound story.  If you are one of the few people who haven't read these books, then I highly recommend you get out there and read them.  I don't read serious stuff.  I read enough of that at work, so the stuff I read is completely frivolous.  I definitely don't read science fiction.  I don't read action/adventure.  I almost exclusively read romance novels.  So, these books were a true departure for me. 

And as for Chuck, well, Chuck doesn't read much at all.  When he reads, he either reads something really intense like the Odyssey or Sherlock Holmes, or he reads a few pages and then never finishes the book.  But, just like me, he has torn through the first two books of the Hunger Games and will probably start the third book of tonight.  What an adventure!

As I was reading the third book, I started to see statements in the book that are really quite profound, so I thought I'd share them.  I'm sure there are hundreds of these in the books, but I found these in the third book and I wasn't so intensely focused that I rushed past them.  (I have to admit that I devoured these stories and gobbled them up without savoring the descriptions, statements, and language as I normally would have as an English major).

Quote 1:

"We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction."

As a history major (I was a dual major), this really struck me as true.  So much of our history is repeated again and again.  It is depressing that we, as a people, can't seem to learn from our mistakes.

Quote 2:

". . . you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on.  The way it can make people kinder, funnnier, more optomistic, and remind them that it's not a mistake to go on living."

This completely explains my obsession with food and wine.  It's a comfort.  I love it.  It is uplifting in so many ways.

So, I hope you didn't feel like you were stuck in an 8th grade english class for the last few minutes as you read this post, although, frankly, I'd love to be in an 8th grade english class right now!  Maybe that's my next career.  Or maybe not.  I'd probably end of looking like this.

Wait a minute.  I look like that already. Meh.

I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life . . .

Chuck recorded this off of our television, so sorry for the poor quality.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of days that I feel this way.

And bless Chuck for knowing it.

I'm done.

By four o'clock yesterday afternoon, I was ready to call it a week.  Unfortunately, there are four more days left until I get to breathe again.

Mom Enough

No.  I am not Mom enough.

Are you?

Strange Things I See At My House

A couple weeks ago we had a big group of people over at our house to celebrate Luke's first communion.  There were 10 kids under the age of 8, which lends to chaos throughout the house.  Luckily, we tried to keep them playing upstairs to isolate the mess and the noise.  After we cleared out the house and got all the kids to bed (among the ridiculous mess, because I wasn't about to clean it up at 10:30 at night), I wandered into my bathroom to brush my teeth.  When I looked down at bathroom counter there were little black hairs all over.   It looked like a man with a black beard had given himself a trim and I couldn't figure out (1) who had a black beard; or (2) why in the world he would trim his beard in my bathroom and leave such a mess.

And then I figured it out.

These scissors were used

 



to cut the bristles off of this brush.


















Mystery solved.  And one more thing to add to the list I've started called "Strange Things I See at My House"

Also on that list is this:



















Hello Kitty wearing a pair of Luke's tighty-whities.


Any my little George meeting me at the front door wearing a princess dress.

Evie will have a beautiful smile to match the rest of her beautiful self!

Took Evie to the orthodontist this morning.  She definitely has an open bite and tongue thrust, which I knew and have posted about here and here.  She also has a narrow smile and a crowded mouth, which I did not know.  So, we will get her first orthodontic "device" placed on the back of her lower front teeth near the end of June.  It's a little metal spiky thing.  I expressed my concerns that the "device" might be a little barbaric and they indicated that no one was ever bloodied by the device and they use it on children all the time without adverse reactions.  My relief was evident.  A couple months after that they will install a second device on her six year molars (that are still emerging at this point) which will be a spacer along with a metal coil to sit right behind her front two teeth as an added measure to prevent tongue thrust.  And, as an added bonus, we get to pay for all of it out of pocket because we don't have orthodontic insurance.  Yay us!

On the bright side, I really like our orthodontist and all the staff at his office.  It takes the sting out of dumping my money in his pockets.

Movie Quote 94

Move Quote 94 is easy peasy lemon squeezy (as my kids would say):

Whoever said orange was the new pink was seriously disturbed.

Have a great Tuesday!

Knights Soccer

2012 Soccer Season

Luke completed another season of soccer.  This season he joined a new team - the Knights.  His old team fizzled out since a lot of the boys decided to play baseball this spring.  I refuse to even suggest that Luke play the sport because it is a four-night-a-week commitment, and that is simply not possible with our lives.  Nonetheless, he had a fun time this season with a lot of the pressure off.  He's groaning about not wanting to play anymore, but I really hope he'll keep it up at least until he finds another sport to occupy his time - and video games don't count.  I sure do love this boy!

To sum it up . . .

A never-ending circle of life and laundry.

Generational Twins

Chuck's mom sent this to me today.

I'm kinda creeped out.

Carpe Diem!

I was totally going to post about myself today, because, let's face it, I really like to talk about myself and my family.  However,  I found somebody else that is way more interesting and way more important to post about today.  I'm late to the party on this one, and sad to be so late.  But, I hope you will visit this blog called Avery's Bucket List.  It is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  Ever.  These people are amazing!

Avery's parents started this blog to allow their sweet daughter to add things to her bucket list after she was diagnosed with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) - an incurable genetic disease that would prevent her from from living past 18 months.  Avery passed away yesterday, but she led an extraordinary life.  She has inspired me to do the same. Carpe Diem!