Monday, February 28, 2005
The weekend (this is long, better get coffee)
We had a wonderful weekend. And now, there's about 3 inches of snow on the ground, and it's steady coming down, so that means that we can stay home today!! And that is a good thing, because I have a ton of housework to catch up on. I don't know where that blasted maid has gotten off to again.
As an aside, it has always been my dream to own- um-no, not OWN,( sorry, product of my childhood), I meant to say HIRE-yes, HIRE a small 50-something Mexican woman to live at my house and keep things clean and tidy, and always have something good baking in the kitchen. She wouldn't HAVE to be Mexican, that's just what I've always pictured.
O.K. back to the weekend... My nephews, Q and W came over to Mam-maw and Pap-paws to play. Jack and Savannah and Q played nearly all day building boxes with flat, foam connecting blocks. Big, huge boxes, that they could actually get inside. They had the best time, and all played so well together. And W was just the cutest little thing! There is not a human alive that that little guy couldn't win over. What a charmer! And such a little snuggle bug!
Aunt Thomasina and Bill came and took all the kids for a walk around the farm, and I am told that a snowball fight ensued somewhere along the way.
We went out to eat at everyone's favorite French restaurant for Mam-maw's birthday. Everyone looked so nice, ( Mam-maw was particularly lovely that night in her pretty blue suit) and the meal was absolutely superb!! The whole family was there except Race (sniff, sniff). It was a very fun evening, and the children were all so well behaved that they drew compliments from the server. Jackson was in especially rare form, being sure to lay it on thick to our server by saying "Thank-you, Mam" repeatedly, until reaching the desired goal of the compliment. He was beaming. I learned that when asked for his drink order, he had told his Aunt Em and Uncle Todd ,"I usually drink wine, but tonight I will be having a Shirley Temple". And you can imagine my shock, when we were all filing out, past our table to leave, and he, straw in hand, proceeded to suck out a drop from the bottom of the few "after-dinner" drinks that were served. Admittedly, those Grasshopper's and Creme de'Menthe parfait's DO look delicious. But still.
On Sunday, I got a phone call from Race! We got to talk for awhile, and I feel much more relaxed. He sounded good. Still vague........but good. I miss him terribly, and will be glad when we can look back on this time in our lives as something in the past. We are doing fine, and we feel that wee are doing what God has put before us to do, but that still doesn't make the "gettin' through" easy. And I guess it's not supposed to be.
Before the kids and I headed home, I wanted to get the tires rotated on the Suburban. I wanted to get it done when I had the oil changed, but was short on time. I found out that my Suburban is too heavy to be lifted in Northern Va. Huh. Who knew? After the second stop, and the second guy looking at me blankly and saying, "Mam. You got yerself 7500 lbs. there." UMmmm.....Oookay......aannnd..WHAT? I realized that I'd better just wait till I got back home where they are not scared of the SUV owner, and are prepared to handle the seemingly gargantuan challenge of rotating the tires.
I finished our school schedules for the week last night, and I am looking forward to today. We won't have any outside lessons because of the snow, so the children shall not escape my grasp( insert maniacal laughter here).
Race, we love you and we miss you. Stay safe.
Have a great day,
Melissa
As an aside, it has always been my dream to own- um-no, not OWN,( sorry, product of my childhood), I meant to say HIRE-yes, HIRE a small 50-something Mexican woman to live at my house and keep things clean and tidy, and always have something good baking in the kitchen. She wouldn't HAVE to be Mexican, that's just what I've always pictured.
O.K. back to the weekend... My nephews, Q and W came over to Mam-maw and Pap-paws to play. Jack and Savannah and Q played nearly all day building boxes with flat, foam connecting blocks. Big, huge boxes, that they could actually get inside. They had the best time, and all played so well together. And W was just the cutest little thing! There is not a human alive that that little guy couldn't win over. What a charmer! And such a little snuggle bug!
Aunt Thomasina and Bill came and took all the kids for a walk around the farm, and I am told that a snowball fight ensued somewhere along the way.
We went out to eat at everyone's favorite French restaurant for Mam-maw's birthday. Everyone looked so nice, ( Mam-maw was particularly lovely that night in her pretty blue suit) and the meal was absolutely superb!! The whole family was there except Race (sniff, sniff). It was a very fun evening, and the children were all so well behaved that they drew compliments from the server. Jackson was in especially rare form, being sure to lay it on thick to our server by saying "Thank-you, Mam" repeatedly, until reaching the desired goal of the compliment. He was beaming. I learned that when asked for his drink order, he had told his Aunt Em and Uncle Todd ,"I usually drink wine, but tonight I will be having a Shirley Temple". And you can imagine my shock, when we were all filing out, past our table to leave, and he, straw in hand, proceeded to suck out a drop from the bottom of the few "after-dinner" drinks that were served. Admittedly, those Grasshopper's and Creme de'Menthe parfait's DO look delicious. But still.
On Sunday, I got a phone call from Race! We got to talk for awhile, and I feel much more relaxed. He sounded good. Still vague........but good. I miss him terribly, and will be glad when we can look back on this time in our lives as something in the past. We are doing fine, and we feel that wee are doing what God has put before us to do, but that still doesn't make the "gettin' through" easy. And I guess it's not supposed to be.
Before the kids and I headed home, I wanted to get the tires rotated on the Suburban. I wanted to get it done when I had the oil changed, but was short on time. I found out that my Suburban is too heavy to be lifted in Northern Va. Huh. Who knew? After the second stop, and the second guy looking at me blankly and saying, "Mam. You got yerself 7500 lbs. there." UMmmm.....Oookay......aannnd..WHAT? I realized that I'd better just wait till I got back home where they are not scared of the SUV owner, and are prepared to handle the seemingly gargantuan challenge of rotating the tires.
I finished our school schedules for the week last night, and I am looking forward to today. We won't have any outside lessons because of the snow, so the children shall not escape my grasp( insert maniacal laughter here).
Race, we love you and we miss you. Stay safe.
Have a great day,
Melissa
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Saturday, February 26, 2005
RACE EMAILED ME!!
WOO-Hoo!! And you know what? It was to, "Dear Jade". Now for those of you who were unfortunate enough NOT to have had a childhood steeped in Saturday morning cartoons,( I'm sure your parents still loved you) I will explain. Jade was Race's seldom seen girlfriend on the "Johnny Quest" cartoon! I love that man! Anyway, he is doing well, and things are going smoothly. Seriously, our conversation is REALLY that vague.
Today, Austin said, "Man, Mom, I am really counting the days till Dad comes back home." So, I did what any mother would do. Bought him a pack of baseball cards!
We are at Mam-maw and Pap-Paw's house this weekend. Last night they fixed enough food for an army! We had thick, seasoned pork chops, fried apples, carrots/peas, buttered potatoes, and crusty bread. And OF COURSE, Mam-maw and Pap-paw ALWAYS have ice cream for dessert. We are all playing with W and Q today. I will have to write about it later. They are SOooo cute! Jack and Q have been having the BEST time playing together.
Y'all have a great weekend.
Melissa
Also, please pray for Pastor Jerry Falwell. He is in the hospital in intensive care with pneumonia, and has been there since last Sunday.
Today, Austin said, "Man, Mom, I am really counting the days till Dad comes back home." So, I did what any mother would do. Bought him a pack of baseball cards!
We are at Mam-maw and Pap-Paw's house this weekend. Last night they fixed enough food for an army! We had thick, seasoned pork chops, fried apples, carrots/peas, buttered potatoes, and crusty bread. And OF COURSE, Mam-maw and Pap-paw ALWAYS have ice cream for dessert. We are all playing with W and Q today. I will have to write about it later. They are SOooo cute! Jack and Q have been having the BEST time playing together.
Y'all have a great weekend.
Melissa
Also, please pray for Pastor Jerry Falwell. He is in the hospital in intensive care with pneumonia, and has been there since last Sunday.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
I am hoarse from reading today!
It snowed!! And then it slushed. No matter, we stayed home today, and THAT was great! I kept Dy on the phone waaaaayy too long last night,( but hey, she’s used to it, it’s what I do), so I was not very “bright-eyed” this morning. The kids went outside for awhile, and then came in for the obligatory hot cocoa. Oh and I happened to have some redi -whip, so, BONUS!
We also got in some geography, by putting some more things on our mark able map, and going over the things that we have already done. We found the general area where Race is working right now. Jack remembered the name of the king of the Franks who united Gaul under one rule. ” Let’s see………his name sounds like Clover” ” Wait! …… I know! Clovis!” High fives all around.
The Legos came out mid day, and Jack made a cool ziggurat. “It has an inside chamber with diamonds (not real, just Lego diamonds), and a hidden door to guard against tomb robbers”.
Savannah did a lot of reading and drawing today. Austin continued on his “baseball card signing” campaign. He is sending out some of his duplicate baseball cards to each of the different teams with a stamped/addressed return envelope and a letter, hoping to have a few returned signed. He has been mailing out 5 a day.
We started talking a little more about art today, and looked through the Usborne Introduction To Art book over dinner. We are planning to go to the National Gallery of Art with Dy and her boys. We are hoping that Em, Q and W, and Aunt Thomasina will be coming along too. Judging from tonight, it should be interesting. As they were flipping through the pages of the book over dinner, Savannah would gush, “Oh, look at that shading!” and “ Do you think that they had the actual objects in front of them when they painted that?” “Look at all of the different texture in that one!” While Jack was mumbling, “Naked men” (flip page) “More naked men” (flip page) “Ooo, that’s pretty” (flip page) “naked women” (flip page) “That’s cool”. When regarding art , beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. They were looking at the SAME book, at the SAME time! Incidentally, there is VERY little, if any real nudity in this book, but when you’re seven…….well, if it ain’t all covered, it’s NAKED.
Well, my good friend Tami shall be my phone victim this evening, although I shall try to use restraint. Y’all are like my crutch when Race is out of town for so long. After everybody goes to bed, it gets mighty quiet around here, and ….I MUST TALK! It’s great to have such good friends.
Have a good night,
Melissa
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Nothing earth shattering, but a good day.
We had "School-Lite" today. What that means is that we did not get our usual Wednesday free day, that we have come to love and look forward to. It also means that I did not buy the argument made by my 3 charges that "Monday was president's Day, Mom." "We don't have to make that up." Actually Monday was a "sick-day", and that was the only reason that we didn't have our normal lessons. But we managed to hit the basics : Math, Language Arts, and Latin, and still get out the door by 1:00 to get to the library.
Our trip to the library goes something like this:
We load the suburban down with all of the books previously checked out, which of course, are piled neatly on a shelf right where they are supposed to be. NOT!! We scour under the sofa, under the beds, etc. etc, until every last book is brought out from it's hiding place.
When we arrive at our library, we each load up with a stack of books and prepare to file past the various unsavory characters (and the obligatory mildly retarded guy) that congregate outside the city library. (Why is that?)
Once safely inside, the kids dump all of their books in front of the librarian behind the desk, who instinctively pulls over "the cart" because.....well......that's a lot of books.
The kids dissapear to the kid section. I ask about my fine. I ask if they have a payment plan. No, not really. But only because I have forbidden the kids to check out any more videos. So, what was my fine today? $1.40?!! "Seriously??" "Here, take $2-No, really, I want to."
That taken care of, I walk happily to the kids section, FINE-FREE, and head held high. Jack has already tracked down a pile of books about animals, reptiles, and bugs and is sitting reading happily. Savannah is using the library computer to look up "The Outcast of Redwall", and Austin is looking up books on baseball and Jiu Jitsu (do you see a pattern here?).
I did manage to get over to the adult section and pick up a book entitled "Abraham" by Bruce Feiler.
Some, 30 books later, we head out of there. We have audio books, picture books, phonics books, history books. Each kid has a stack, and we brave the sidewalk freaks (harsh, I know) again on our way to the car. (I will not be a victim, I will not be a victim). We pile our books into the back of the suburban. In between the basball gear, the jui -jitsu gear, and the ballet gear. Yeah, Really.
We head over to Barnes&Noble. I get coffee. We look at more books, but came out without a purchase. (Did you hear that, Race? We left WITHOUT a purchase!)
We had to stop at Lowes to look at dishwashers. Mine bit the dust, and if we don't replace it, I will have broken every dish that we own. Apparently hand washing requires a more delicate touch than I am able to acquire. But, alas, this decision is more difficult than I thought. All of the brands, the features, the $$. So I am off to Lowes.com to figure out what I need. Any suggestions are most welcome.
g'night
Melissa
Our trip to the library goes something like this:
We load the suburban down with all of the books previously checked out, which of course, are piled neatly on a shelf right where they are supposed to be. NOT!! We scour under the sofa, under the beds, etc. etc, until every last book is brought out from it's hiding place.
When we arrive at our library, we each load up with a stack of books and prepare to file past the various unsavory characters (and the obligatory mildly retarded guy) that congregate outside the city library. (Why is that?)
Once safely inside, the kids dump all of their books in front of the librarian behind the desk, who instinctively pulls over "the cart" because.....well......that's a lot of books.
The kids dissapear to the kid section. I ask about my fine. I ask if they have a payment plan. No, not really. But only because I have forbidden the kids to check out any more videos. So, what was my fine today? $1.40?!! "Seriously??" "Here, take $2-No, really, I want to."
That taken care of, I walk happily to the kids section, FINE-FREE, and head held high. Jack has already tracked down a pile of books about animals, reptiles, and bugs and is sitting reading happily. Savannah is using the library computer to look up "The Outcast of Redwall", and Austin is looking up books on baseball and Jiu Jitsu (do you see a pattern here?).
I did manage to get over to the adult section and pick up a book entitled "Abraham" by Bruce Feiler.
Some, 30 books later, we head out of there. We have audio books, picture books, phonics books, history books. Each kid has a stack, and we brave the sidewalk freaks (harsh, I know) again on our way to the car. (I will not be a victim, I will not be a victim). We pile our books into the back of the suburban. In between the basball gear, the jui -jitsu gear, and the ballet gear. Yeah, Really.
We head over to Barnes&Noble. I get coffee. We look at more books, but came out without a purchase. (Did you hear that, Race? We left WITHOUT a purchase!)
We had to stop at Lowes to look at dishwashers. Mine bit the dust, and if we don't replace it, I will have broken every dish that we own. Apparently hand washing requires a more delicate touch than I am able to acquire. But, alas, this decision is more difficult than I thought. All of the brands, the features, the $$. So I am off to Lowes.com to figure out what I need. Any suggestions are most welcome.
g'night
Melissa
homeschool, dancing quail,and self discipline
Tuesday went well. We actually accomplished a lot. Jackson is feeling much better, and he had no fever at all yesterday. Also, he was back to being a wee bit obnoxious, so we know that he is on the mend.
Savannah finished doing the final editing on a book that she has been making for science. It is on Mammals, and she has drawn pictures and diagrams of about 30 different mammals, as well as writing down pertinent information and statistics about each one. She has been working on this for awhile, and it was nice to see the finished project. She is especially pleased with it. We got through math, Latin,Spanish,reading, handwriting,language arts,and chemistry. Not too shabby. We got Savannah to her art lesson, and Austin to his Jiu Jitsu- (Race better look out.......He is really getting good!). Because he had been sick,Jack had to sit out of Martial Arts today, and hang out with his sister. Having everyone at their various activities, I had 2 whole hours to myself-GASP!!! It was glorious. I BROWSED. Do you remember when you could BROWSE?? It was WAaaaaayyy back before you had children. Very therapeutic.
We ended our day out at Thomasina's for dinner. I took a look at Savannah's art sketches, and am so amazed by what she is doing. She has been working with shading, contrast, and shadows. I will have to figure out how to post some of her drawings. Thomasina fixed the most amazing curried Quail with an apple glaze, baked potato, salad and biscuits!! Delish! And before you begin thinking that this meal was too formal.......You have never seen my kids eat anything that they are allowed to pick up with their hands. Those poor little quail bodies were dancing, doing jui-jitsu ("oooo LOOK! I've got an arm-bar!"), singing and flapping their little bony wings,trying to fly away. And there was more than one round of the old song, "Hey, Bird Dog get away from my quail", and all of it's various unfortunate misinterpretations. It was fun. It was loud. I cannot begin to count the number of times that I spoke my youngest son's name. He redeemed himself just before heading out the door by going to Aunt Thomasina and saying, "Thank you for letting me stay, everything was delicious." And then cutting his eyes over at me to be sure that I heard that. I have lost all control.
We did not get home until after 9:00. Austin still felt that he had to get a work-out in ,(this has to do with those goals that I posted waaayyy down below for Jiu Jitsu class). He was in the basement doing pull-ups (with a 5lb weight on his waist). I was helping Savannah and Jack with the bedtime routine. I walk through the living room, and there is Austin in the floor, doing SIT-UPS. After a bit, I went upstairs to read to Jack, and tuck everyone in. Austin was finishing up his Chemistry work for the day (glad he remembered, cuz I didn't), and then explained to me that he still had to read his Bible, before he would be turning out the light! Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you Martial Arts coaches, from the bottom of my heart. My 13 yo is learning SELF discipline. I am so proud of him. Maybe he can help his mother.
I read the book that Jack wanted. It was one about animals and he drifted off to sleep with the sound of my voice reading,"they use their teeth to rip the flesh from their prey". "sniff", "sniff", my baby's growin' up. Savannah and Austin were still sprawled out on their beds reading when I came downstairs. I am pretty sure that MY light went out before theirs did.
Melissa
Savannah finished doing the final editing on a book that she has been making for science. It is on Mammals, and she has drawn pictures and diagrams of about 30 different mammals, as well as writing down pertinent information and statistics about each one. She has been working on this for awhile, and it was nice to see the finished project. She is especially pleased with it. We got through math, Latin,Spanish,reading, handwriting,language arts,and chemistry. Not too shabby. We got Savannah to her art lesson, and Austin to his Jiu Jitsu- (Race better look out.......He is really getting good!). Because he had been sick,Jack had to sit out of Martial Arts today, and hang out with his sister. Having everyone at their various activities, I had 2 whole hours to myself-GASP!!! It was glorious. I BROWSED. Do you remember when you could BROWSE?? It was WAaaaaayyy back before you had children. Very therapeutic.
We ended our day out at Thomasina's for dinner. I took a look at Savannah's art sketches, and am so amazed by what she is doing. She has been working with shading, contrast, and shadows. I will have to figure out how to post some of her drawings. Thomasina fixed the most amazing curried Quail with an apple glaze, baked potato, salad and biscuits!! Delish! And before you begin thinking that this meal was too formal.......You have never seen my kids eat anything that they are allowed to pick up with their hands. Those poor little quail bodies were dancing, doing jui-jitsu ("oooo LOOK! I've got an arm-bar!"), singing and flapping their little bony wings,trying to fly away. And there was more than one round of the old song, "Hey, Bird Dog get away from my quail", and all of it's various unfortunate misinterpretations. It was fun. It was loud. I cannot begin to count the number of times that I spoke my youngest son's name. He redeemed himself just before heading out the door by going to Aunt Thomasina and saying, "Thank you for letting me stay, everything was delicious." And then cutting his eyes over at me to be sure that I heard that. I have lost all control.
We did not get home until after 9:00. Austin still felt that he had to get a work-out in ,(this has to do with those goals that I posted waaayyy down below for Jiu Jitsu class). He was in the basement doing pull-ups (with a 5lb weight on his waist). I was helping Savannah and Jack with the bedtime routine. I walk through the living room, and there is Austin in the floor, doing SIT-UPS. After a bit, I went upstairs to read to Jack, and tuck everyone in. Austin was finishing up his Chemistry work for the day (glad he remembered, cuz I didn't), and then explained to me that he still had to read his Bible, before he would be turning out the light! Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you Martial Arts coaches, from the bottom of my heart. My 13 yo is learning SELF discipline. I am so proud of him. Maybe he can help his mother.
I read the book that Jack wanted. It was one about animals and he drifted off to sleep with the sound of my voice reading,"they use their teeth to rip the flesh from their prey". "sniff", "sniff", my baby's growin' up. Savannah and Austin were still sprawled out on their beds reading when I came downstairs. I am pretty sure that MY light went out before theirs did.
Melissa
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Just a Spoonful of Sugar.......
Remember that song from "Mary Poppins"'? My sister Thomasina, is like Mary poppins(well, only physically she's MUCH tougher, I mean, you would seriously pity the moron that decided to mess with her!). Our original plan on Sunday was for the kids and I to take Race to the airport, and then to go to visit Mom and Dad. We were going to be celebrating Mom's birthday. Well, when Jack got up, he had a fever, and a stuffy head. Came out of nowhere. I call Mary Poppins,er...I mean-Aunt Thomasina. She says that she will come over and stay with the kids for the day while I go with Race to the airport. She is amazing. In she come s with her large bag-(o.k., it is not a carpet bag like M.P., but you get the picture), overflowing with craft supplies, an array of paints, brightly colored glitters, glues, water color paper,clay etc. They "crafted" all day long! And she doesn't "instruct" them, she crafts WITH them, letting their own imaginations go wild. I came home to various "glitter pictures"( one was a really cool Gecko lizard). Jack made a huge pile of gold coins (of course$$), and several gold, glittery "gold nuggets", Savannah made a beautiful "Thrush" (the bird) that was amazingly detailed, and many more that I can't remember. If you know anything at all about kids, you know that children LOVE this stuff!! It is the kind of thing that they live for. My kids would not give the world for their Aunt Thomasina!
Since we had a "sick day" yesterday, it will be "back to the old grind" today. I wrote out lesson sheets for the week while Savannah was in dance class, so I am caught up and ready to go.
Also, I heard from Race. He is where he is supposed to be, and things have gone smoothly. God is good.
We will all be getting together this weekend to celebrate Mom's birthday. We are really looking forward to it. Happy Birthday Mom!
Have a great day,
Melissa
Since we had a "sick day" yesterday, it will be "back to the old grind" today. I wrote out lesson sheets for the week while Savannah was in dance class, so I am caught up and ready to go.
Also, I heard from Race. He is where he is supposed to be, and things have gone smoothly. God is good.
We will all be getting together this weekend to celebrate Mom's birthday. We are really looking forward to it. Happy Birthday Mom!
Have a great day,
Melissa
Monday, February 21, 2005
My sincerest Apologies!
To those of you who I sent the wrong link to my blog, and you were taken to a seriously disturbed young man's web page........Wow, i am SOOOoo sorry. This is actually MY blog, and I am glad that you found it, although it will be seriously boring after reading a few sentences from Matt Psychopath's Blog!! SO, SO, Sorry! I am backing away from the computer.... SHEESH!!
Have an awesome day, and be glad that you're not Matt!
Melissa
Have an awesome day, and be glad that you're not Matt!
Melissa
A Snippet
Well, Race is going to be away working for quite awhile. We always miss him so much. Especially at first. We all sort of flub around, bumping into each other and mumbling for a few days before we really push up our sleeves and get to work accomplishing what needs to be done in his absence. We always talk about how hard Dad is working, and what a blessing it is to have him, and how we should work just as hard at home. It really is our duty as a family. Serving God by serving one another.
I took Race to catch his flight. It is really a lonely thing to have to leave anyone that you care about at the airport, and I can honestly say, that it DOESN’T get easier the more that you do it! Race drove. (shudder). I should point out here, that all of Race’s past history of Police/Swat training and teaching, has made him a somewhat, um, OFFENSIVE (as opposed to a defensive) driver. This is always a lovely time. Race drives at Mach speed, with the phone(s) in one hand (shoring up last minute details). There is all of the traffic, and the friendly banter exchanged between Race and the other drivers.(That part IS actually pretty funny). I am always worried that one of these angry drivers will call in our tag #, and I will be the one pulled over for "Road Rage". I ask Race about this. His answer: "Just deny it". (sigh) On our journey, I am in charge of plugging in all of the other various electronic devices, handing him the occasional pen/writing pad, unwrapping his Arby’s Big Roast Beef so that he can eat it, etc. He looks over every so often and says, “You okay, Hon?”
Just before he leaves the car, he gets all of his “secret squirrel” stuff organized-( and I mean this man is ORGANIZED), and last but not least, gives me directions on how to find my way back home, (sad, but true), carefully pointing out any of those absolutely horrible exits that LOOK like where you want to go, but AREN’T. Then we say our good-byes and I leave. His work is so dangerous that it is hard not be overwhelmed by it all. So I pray, and God is so gracious, and reminds me that Race is in His care and nothing can snatch him from His hand. God is in control, and I'm good with that. Race is good at his job, he BELIEVES in the goal of the work, and he believes in Christ.
Time to roll up those sleeves!
Have a good day,
Melissa
I took Race to catch his flight. It is really a lonely thing to have to leave anyone that you care about at the airport, and I can honestly say, that it DOESN’T get easier the more that you do it! Race drove. (shudder). I should point out here, that all of Race’s past history of Police/Swat training and teaching, has made him a somewhat, um, OFFENSIVE (as opposed to a defensive) driver. This is always a lovely time. Race drives at Mach speed, with the phone(s) in one hand (shoring up last minute details). There is all of the traffic, and the friendly banter exchanged between Race and the other drivers.(That part IS actually pretty funny). I am always worried that one of these angry drivers will call in our tag #, and I will be the one pulled over for "Road Rage". I ask Race about this. His answer: "Just deny it". (sigh) On our journey, I am in charge of plugging in all of the other various electronic devices, handing him the occasional pen/writing pad, unwrapping his Arby’s Big Roast Beef so that he can eat it, etc. He looks over every so often and says, “You okay, Hon?”
Just before he leaves the car, he gets all of his “secret squirrel” stuff organized-( and I mean this man is ORGANIZED), and last but not least, gives me directions on how to find my way back home, (sad, but true), carefully pointing out any of those absolutely horrible exits that LOOK like where you want to go, but AREN’T. Then we say our good-byes and I leave. His work is so dangerous that it is hard not be overwhelmed by it all. So I pray, and God is so gracious, and reminds me that Race is in His care and nothing can snatch him from His hand. God is in control, and I'm good with that. Race is good at his job, he BELIEVES in the goal of the work, and he believes in Christ.
Time to roll up those sleeves!
Have a good day,
Melissa
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Can she post a picture?
Jackson and Scout
She can! She Can! Thanks Em!
This picture, and many more beautiful photos can be seen at www.photographybyThomasina.com You can also check out her blog "A Day In the Life", over on the side bar, under "Blogs I Love".
Posted by Hello
She can! She Can! Thanks Em!
This picture, and many more beautiful photos can be seen at www.photographybyThomasina.com You can also check out her blog "A Day In the Life", over on the side bar, under "Blogs I Love".
Posted by Hello
French, Phonics, and Cartoon Water
While I was helping Savannah to learn her French terms for ballet today, Jackson was doing his phonics lesson. He was sitting in the floor with 3-D glasses on ( no, I don't know why), reading aloud to me the words written in the vertical list, and then giving me an "example" of each one, (which I had not asked for). I was trying to teach Savannah, and was listening to his voice in the background. I don't know why I thought that this would work.
The "lesson" went like this:
Jack: "Pick"- "Like Pick up your toys."
Savannah: "Efface'"-(Trying to position her body correctly to achieve this position.)
Jack: "Tick"- "Like, the clock ticks"
Savannah: "Croisse' Devant" (again, trying to get the position correct)
At this point Jack has stopped reading and is tormenting Savannah's beloved cat Herriott (yes, she is named after the author), by trying to let HER wear the 3-D glasses. This causes near meltdown conditions.
Me: "Jack, keep reading, you were doing well." "Leave Herriott alone" "Savannah, Herriott is fine, just ignore him, and let's finish up"
Jack: "Luck", "Duck", "Suck........Like----This sucks."
Me: gulp
I had taken several Advil before noon. However, we actually accomplished a lot today. The kids got in martial arts, ballet, and art (thank-you Aunt Thomasina), on top of regular school work, AND we had a long conversation about appropriate language.
On a totally unrelated note: While watching a cartoon this afternoon, Jackson stated, "Mom, have you ever noticed that cartoon water looks delicious?"
Cheers!
Melissa
The "lesson" went like this:
Jack: "Pick"- "Like Pick up your toys."
Savannah: "Efface'"-(Trying to position her body correctly to achieve this position.)
Jack: "Tick"- "Like, the clock ticks"
Savannah: "Croisse' Devant" (again, trying to get the position correct)
At this point Jack has stopped reading and is tormenting Savannah's beloved cat Herriott (yes, she is named after the author), by trying to let HER wear the 3-D glasses. This causes near meltdown conditions.
Me: "Jack, keep reading, you were doing well." "Leave Herriott alone" "Savannah, Herriott is fine, just ignore him, and let's finish up"
Jack: "Luck", "Duck", "Suck........Like----This sucks."
Me: gulp
I had taken several Advil before noon. However, we actually accomplished a lot today. The kids got in martial arts, ballet, and art (thank-you Aunt Thomasina), on top of regular school work, AND we had a long conversation about appropriate language.
On a totally unrelated note: While watching a cartoon this afternoon, Jackson stated, "Mom, have you ever noticed that cartoon water looks delicious?"
Cheers!
Melissa
What a great Wednesday!
If you have read elsewhere in this blog, you will know that we have been using Wednesdays as a Free Day. That means No School, and No Going Out if at all possible. We are trying to reclaim a day for ourselves to relax, and to strike a balance into a somewhat busy schedule. This is working out so well for us, and yesterday was a wonderful example. We slept in. And it felt really good! After breakfast the kids watched some Boomerang TV, while I sucked back coffee, and surveyed what I wanted to accomplish for the day. I ended up (with Austin's help), getting our bedroom furniture rearranged, and making room for a desk. We are trying to accommodate some computer changes that will take place when Race takes off and steals the lap top for the next several months. It looks much better than I thought it would when I started, and I really like it, and so does Race. We also got the game area cleaned up in the basement, and all of the doors and windows cleaned. We discovered salmon patties for lunch. These things are great! Who knew? And with a spinach salad it makes an awesome lunch. We made chocolate chip cookies. The kids played outside ALL day. Savannah and Jack (and Scout) played, and played, and played!!! They would ask Austin to PLEASE join in, whenever they needed a bad guy. For instance, at one point they were playing "Romans and Barbarians". Austin was, of course, the Barbarian trying to sack Rome. Old Woody(the jungle gym) was Rome. He is such a good kid to play with them like that. They did a mighty fine job defending Rome. The kids come up with the most amazing things to play. Savannah and Jackson also play "Adventures to Freeland". This is something that they made up, which involves "a mouse and a lizard and their adventures to a land that is free from predators". There is another one called "The Dragons Crystal", but it is just way to complicated for me to get into.(Our dogs are also worked into all of these games as well, taking on various persona to fit the adventure at hand). Hmmmmm....Do yah think that they have good imaginations?? Austin spent the rest of the day helping me move various pieces of furniture playing baseball, playing Nintendo baseball (thank-you Aunt Emily, he is forever indebted), and working out.
I got the oil changed in the Suburban (had to run out to do that), and made bourbon-pecan chicken with brown rice and a spinach salad for dinner.
It was a very productive, and yet, relaxing day. It feels good to have a day to catch up on the things that I can't get to at all during the week. It also feels good to just stay home. The house is clean, and we are ready to head into the rest of the week.
Race took the Suburban for a few days, so we will be stuck running around in the "roller skate" car until Friday. I DO love my Suburban!!
Have a great Thursday!!
Cheers!
Melissa
I got the oil changed in the Suburban (had to run out to do that), and made bourbon-pecan chicken with brown rice and a spinach salad for dinner.
It was a very productive, and yet, relaxing day. It feels good to have a day to catch up on the things that I can't get to at all during the week. It also feels good to just stay home. The house is clean, and we are ready to head into the rest of the week.
Race took the Suburban for a few days, so we will be stuck running around in the "roller skate" car until Friday. I DO love my Suburban!!
Have a great Thursday!!
Cheers!
Melissa
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Love Songs By Warren and Stella
Race and I went to The Bistro last night for Valentines Day. We actually had not planned on doing anything special-(Just being able to relax at home is special these days ;-) )- but thanks to the help of friends and family, the kids all ended up with things to do, which left us with an unexpected free evening. After going out to the mall and shopping around a bit, we headed to The Bistro to eat dinner. This place is known for it’s exquisite food, and last night was no exception. Fabulous meal. HOWEVER, in honor of Valentines Day, someone mistakenly hired the duo known as “Warren and Stella”. And there on the board was written : “Valentines Day Dinner For Two Featuring ‘Love Songs with Warren & Stella’” Did I mention that the food was REALLY good? Warren was weighing in at about 280 lbs., sporting a flat top hat and his handy acoustic guitar. Stella was a 50-something, unmarried songstress Diva. Singing is her life. She thought that she was stunning in her short, cobalt blue, sequined dress with the clear bra straps reflecting from her shoulders. Oh, Stella. How she did sing, how she did dance. How she did suck back the glasses of wine to keep her vocal chords lubricated. How she did forget the words to so many songs. It was great. I actually do love this sort of thing. Cruel and sick sense of humor I guess, but is there anything funnier than folks who take themselves entirely too seriously?? The high point of the entertainment came when she screeched out the words to “Lookin’ For Love”, because Race and I immediately thought of the old Eddie Murphy skit on SNL called “Buckwheat Sings the Classics” or something like that. Buckwheat sings “Wookin’ Pa Nub”. We looked at each other and lost it. It’s times like that , that I know I am married to the right man.
Savannah had her dance class last night, and I was able to talk to the lady at the “Theatreworks” studio about letting Savannah take a class there. We are excited about this, and think it might be just the thing to develop her talents, and give her more confidence. Th said that she called Mr. Lee on the carpet last night about forgetting to ask about the assignment that he gave out last week: Choose, and BE and animal from South America. She had chosen a Lemur. I have no idea how she will BE a lemur, but she does. Mr. Lee didn’t even know what a Lemur was, so (being prepared for just such an error), she dug through her dance bag, and produced her toy lemur for illustration! So, he announced to everyone that he had forgotten, and that he would ask them for it next week. Thanks Th, for picking her up at dance class.
The boys were invited to go and watch a local college basketball game by our Pastor’s son, Cody. They went over to the church late in the afternoon, and played basketball in the gym for a while with him, and then our Pastor, his wife, and all the boys went to get pizza, and to the game. They didn’t get back until 10:00 pm, and they were exhausted. This would all be good, except for the fact that when Jack gets REALLY tired, he will say anything to stay awake. Also, I had forgotten to leave my standard disclaimer when leaving that youngest one anywhere without my supervision: “The views and claims expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents, and we do not wish to be held responsible for anything that comes out of his mouth.” Frankly, I don’t think the pastor would buy it, I think that he holds us responsible, But I can assure you, that there is NO telling what this kid said in their company. Did I mention that this is our PASTOR?
Have a great Day!
Chow,
Melissa
Savannah had her dance class last night, and I was able to talk to the lady at the “Theatreworks” studio about letting Savannah take a class there. We are excited about this, and think it might be just the thing to develop her talents, and give her more confidence. Th said that she called Mr. Lee on the carpet last night about forgetting to ask about the assignment that he gave out last week: Choose, and BE and animal from South America. She had chosen a Lemur. I have no idea how she will BE a lemur, but she does. Mr. Lee didn’t even know what a Lemur was, so (being prepared for just such an error), she dug through her dance bag, and produced her toy lemur for illustration! So, he announced to everyone that he had forgotten, and that he would ask them for it next week. Thanks Th, for picking her up at dance class.
The boys were invited to go and watch a local college basketball game by our Pastor’s son, Cody. They went over to the church late in the afternoon, and played basketball in the gym for a while with him, and then our Pastor, his wife, and all the boys went to get pizza, and to the game. They didn’t get back until 10:00 pm, and they were exhausted. This would all be good, except for the fact that when Jack gets REALLY tired, he will say anything to stay awake. Also, I had forgotten to leave my standard disclaimer when leaving that youngest one anywhere without my supervision: “The views and claims expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his parents, and we do not wish to be held responsible for anything that comes out of his mouth.” Frankly, I don’t think the pastor would buy it, I think that he holds us responsible, But I can assure you, that there is NO telling what this kid said in their company. Did I mention that this is our PASTOR?
Have a great Day!
Chow,
Melissa
Friday, February 11, 2005
Our Fountain of Humor
Things stated by Jackson recently:
* While eating scrambled eggs, and sliced bananas for breakfast one morning, he pondered aloud , "Savannah, isn't it neat how we can eat stuff that's yellow?" "I wonder about that sometimes".
* After opening his toy from a Happy Meal, he excitedly exclaimed, "Oh Savannah, Look what it DOES!!" "Oooooo.....and look our toys are SIMULAR" (then murmering "simaler, simler") "Man, and I thought that these objects would be USELESS!"
* Over the last few days, he has been randomly using the word "Pilates", in any way that he can. When asked why, he stated with a shrug, "I dunno, I just like the sound of it". "What DOES "pilates" mean , anyway?".
* While I was putting away laundry, Jack came into my room and immediately began groovin' to some music that I suppose only he could hear. This child has more rythm and soul in his little 7 year old body, than an African drum circle. He said, "See this dance I'm doin?" I nodded. "My conscience taught it to me." "Really?", I said incredulously, "What is your conscience?" "You know......that little man who talks to you inside your head"( He is starting to get a little winded now, because he's still groovin'). "Oh?", I say, starting to calculate the therapy bills in my head. "Yeah, he taught it to me......like on Fred Flintstone". Ohhhhhhh...O.K.
* While eating scrambled eggs, and sliced bananas for breakfast one morning, he pondered aloud , "Savannah, isn't it neat how we can eat stuff that's yellow?" "I wonder about that sometimes".
* After opening his toy from a Happy Meal, he excitedly exclaimed, "Oh Savannah, Look what it DOES!!" "Oooooo.....and look our toys are SIMULAR" (then murmering "simaler, simler") "Man, and I thought that these objects would be USELESS!"
* Over the last few days, he has been randomly using the word "Pilates", in any way that he can. When asked why, he stated with a shrug, "I dunno, I just like the sound of it". "What DOES "pilates" mean , anyway?".
* While I was putting away laundry, Jack came into my room and immediately began groovin' to some music that I suppose only he could hear. This child has more rythm and soul in his little 7 year old body, than an African drum circle. He said, "See this dance I'm doin?" I nodded. "My conscience taught it to me." "Really?", I said incredulously, "What is your conscience?" "You know......that little man who talks to you inside your head"( He is starting to get a little winded now, because he's still groovin'). "Oh?", I say, starting to calculate the therapy bills in my head. "Yeah, he taught it to me......like on Fred Flintstone". Ohhhhhhh...O.K.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
New Look!
Ooooooooo...I LIKE this new look. Yes, I am definitely feeling more at home here. I can't figure out the whole side bar thing yet, and I don't know how to upload pictures, but I think we're gonna like it here.
Free Days, Busy Days........
Yesterday was our "Free Day". As long as everyone has completed thier school lessons on Monday and Tuesday, we all get Wedneday off. So far this is working out well, because it is the one day of the week that we don't have to actually BE anywhere else. I ended up spending most of the day in the kitchen, cleaning and cooking. Don't get me wrong, I actually LIKE doing this, it is relaxing to me. The kids played outside ALL day until after dark, only coming in for food and drink. Jackson received some sort of right of passage by being permitted to carve his name (yeah, we let him use a pocket knife) into a special board on the large wooden jungle gym (lovingly referred to by the kids as "Old Woody") in our back yard. He was so excited when he came inside to tell me the news that he was to carve his name and age into the board...."Austin was only 11 and Savannah was only 9 when they carved thier names!!!! Egads! That's like 50 years has elapsed in kid time!
Thomasina came over and had Vegetable lasagna with us for dinner. We laughed until our sides hurt watching Cheaper By The Dozen. Once again I was reminded of how fast my oldest is growing up. Thom had asked me something about growing lawn grass, and I was in the process of spilling out my entire 3 sentences of knowledge on the subject, when Austin walks by her, and says , in a husky, loud-enough-for-me-to-hear-it voice, "All lies....she's been drinking".
It was back to the grind stone today. I think that Chemistry is going well for Austin, and his handwriting is really improving as well. We are taking a few weeks away from Latin, while we wait for our DVD's to arrive. We are hoping that this will help us to get more out of our Latin study. He really loves Latin. All three kids are doing well in Spanish, too. I better get on the ball with it, or they will be taking about me, and I won't know what they are saying! Jack is doing SOooo well in math, and Savannah is finishing up a book on Mammals, complete with drawings and diagrams of course.
This afternoon had it's challenges. We MUST leave the house by 3:30 at the VERY lateset on Thursday in order to get everyone to their lessons on time. Well, at 2:30, I was unexpectedly sucked into what I call " wardrobe madness". This always strikes at the worst time. This is a time when I decide that somewhere, in my closet, hidden among all of my same old clothes, there is an absolutely stunning outfit that is just waiting to be put together. This is absolute insanity. I try on scores of clothing. "These pants with this shirt?"" No, how about this blouse with it?" "A sweater? " "What about these shoes?"-"I never wear these." I always end up leaving the house wearing the same old jeans and sweater combo that I always wear, but my room is now a disaster area! Why does this happen to me?? And WHY do I keep hanging those clothes back in there!? In the middle of "wardrobe madness" Savannah couldn't find her ballet tights. Austin couldn't find his martial arts shirt, and while I thought that Jack was getting ready to go, I entered the living room to find him doing flips across the sofa. I barked out commands to Jack ,rounded up the tights, never found the shirt, grabbed martial arts belts, ballet shoes, got Savannah's hair placed properly on her head, literally threw everyone a snack bar on the way out the door, and we were off! I had a list of things to do in between the picking up and dropping off, but I didn't manage to get even ONE of them done. We ate dinner out (argh!, I am TRYING not to do that), and got back home at 8:30. Race called, the shower curtain fell down on Savannah, and Jack came flying down the stairs screaming, "Mom, the toilet is overflowing, the toilet is overflowing!!!!" Which, it was. This all happened in the space of about 5 minutes. I hung up with Race, fixed the toilet, cleaned up the mess, and replaced the shower curtain. Everyone helped pick up the house a bit. One of Jack's friends from Martial Arts class gave him a Redwall movie (from the book series by Brian Jaques, of which all three of my kids are HUGE fans). The kids all went to the basement to watch. And all is well. The sink is still full of dishes, and there is still a lot of laundry to do,( don't forget about the aftermath from "wardrobe madness") and I am sure that Race has long since gone to bed, but all is well.
We are ready to have Dad (Race) back home. Even if it is just for a few days, it is such a comfort. It is the nature of his job, to have to be away from home a lot, so we will take what we can get. We are really, really proud of him.
Well, let's see, Savannah has art homework (timed sketching, using contour), and ballet homework (French terms).
The boys have Martial arts homework. They have to choose 3 things that they would like to make a habit, to improve themselves. They have to develop the SELF discipline to do these things EVERY day for a month, and keep track of it on a calandar.
Austin:
1. Read my Bible.
2. Work out
3. Work on 1 baseball skill.
Jackson:
1. Clean my room.
2. Walk my dog, Scout.
3. do push-ups.
They chose these things by themselves, and I will try to post about it at the end of the month to see how they have done with these new habits, and the desire to improve themselves. Good stuff.
Tomorrow is Friday, Race is coming home!
Cheers,
Melissa
Thomasina came over and had Vegetable lasagna with us for dinner. We laughed until our sides hurt watching Cheaper By The Dozen. Once again I was reminded of how fast my oldest is growing up. Thom had asked me something about growing lawn grass, and I was in the process of spilling out my entire 3 sentences of knowledge on the subject, when Austin walks by her, and says , in a husky, loud-enough-for-me-to-hear-it voice, "All lies....she's been drinking".
It was back to the grind stone today. I think that Chemistry is going well for Austin, and his handwriting is really improving as well. We are taking a few weeks away from Latin, while we wait for our DVD's to arrive. We are hoping that this will help us to get more out of our Latin study. He really loves Latin. All three kids are doing well in Spanish, too. I better get on the ball with it, or they will be taking about me, and I won't know what they are saying! Jack is doing SOooo well in math, and Savannah is finishing up a book on Mammals, complete with drawings and diagrams of course.
This afternoon had it's challenges. We MUST leave the house by 3:30 at the VERY lateset on Thursday in order to get everyone to their lessons on time. Well, at 2:30, I was unexpectedly sucked into what I call " wardrobe madness". This always strikes at the worst time. This is a time when I decide that somewhere, in my closet, hidden among all of my same old clothes, there is an absolutely stunning outfit that is just waiting to be put together. This is absolute insanity. I try on scores of clothing. "These pants with this shirt?"" No, how about this blouse with it?" "A sweater? " "What about these shoes?"-"I never wear these." I always end up leaving the house wearing the same old jeans and sweater combo that I always wear, but my room is now a disaster area! Why does this happen to me?? And WHY do I keep hanging those clothes back in there!? In the middle of "wardrobe madness" Savannah couldn't find her ballet tights. Austin couldn't find his martial arts shirt, and while I thought that Jack was getting ready to go, I entered the living room to find him doing flips across the sofa. I barked out commands to Jack ,rounded up the tights, never found the shirt, grabbed martial arts belts, ballet shoes, got Savannah's hair placed properly on her head, literally threw everyone a snack bar on the way out the door, and we were off! I had a list of things to do in between the picking up and dropping off, but I didn't manage to get even ONE of them done. We ate dinner out (argh!, I am TRYING not to do that), and got back home at 8:30. Race called, the shower curtain fell down on Savannah, and Jack came flying down the stairs screaming, "Mom, the toilet is overflowing, the toilet is overflowing!!!!" Which, it was. This all happened in the space of about 5 minutes. I hung up with Race, fixed the toilet, cleaned up the mess, and replaced the shower curtain. Everyone helped pick up the house a bit. One of Jack's friends from Martial Arts class gave him a Redwall movie (from the book series by Brian Jaques, of which all three of my kids are HUGE fans). The kids all went to the basement to watch. And all is well. The sink is still full of dishes, and there is still a lot of laundry to do,( don't forget about the aftermath from "wardrobe madness") and I am sure that Race has long since gone to bed, but all is well.
We are ready to have Dad (Race) back home. Even if it is just for a few days, it is such a comfort. It is the nature of his job, to have to be away from home a lot, so we will take what we can get. We are really, really proud of him.
Well, let's see, Savannah has art homework (timed sketching, using contour), and ballet homework (French terms).
The boys have Martial arts homework. They have to choose 3 things that they would like to make a habit, to improve themselves. They have to develop the SELF discipline to do these things EVERY day for a month, and keep track of it on a calandar.
Austin:
1. Read my Bible.
2. Work out
3. Work on 1 baseball skill.
Jackson:
1. Clean my room.
2. Walk my dog, Scout.
3. do push-ups.
They chose these things by themselves, and I will try to post about it at the end of the month to see how they have done with these new habits, and the desire to improve themselves. Good stuff.
Tomorrow is Friday, Race is coming home!
Cheers,
Melissa
Monday, February 07, 2005
Super Bowl (food)
We had a wonderful Sunday. We met mom and dad for lunch. They had come to visit for Thomasina and Bill’s Super Bowl Party. Dad (Pap-paw) took Jack and Austin to the batting cages. Austin was so excited to be able to show off for his pap-paw! All of those batting cage tokens are really working! He was popping them in the 70mph pitching cage with no problem. Jack got in there and showed his stuff too. He’s a natural. While they were gone, Race packed his things in his car for his trip back north for the week. Savannah got to spend time with her Mam-maw, whom she loves dearly. She showed her, her new writing desk, and told her about some of the stories in her new book that she received from her friend T, for her birthday. The title is “Cat Miracles”. Isn’t that funny. “Oh, Mom, they are TRUE stories about cats saving people and stuff”, Savannah said with the most dire sincerity, as T looked on, wide eyed and nodding in agreement. (snicker, snicker) I have always said that the world could be divided into a few meager categories: Cat lovers, Dog lovers, and then those freaks who just don’t get animals at all.
O.k. back to Sunday.We all ended up at Thomasina’s friend Bill’s house for a Super Bowl Party. Thomasina did all of the cooking, so it was FABULOUS! They had a whole bar set up as well, with marguerita fixin’s as well as some excellent wine to choose from. She made chili, crab dip with toasted French bread, DELICIOUS hot wings, quiche, all sorts of chips, dips, and cheeses that I never even got to. There was cheesecake, lemon tarts, and an UNBELIEVABLE Blackberry wine cake that I did manage to procure the recipe for (thanks mom). **Who was playing again?? ;-) **We got to meet Bill’s wonderful family, and everyone was so nice, and complimentary. We had a lovely time, but had to leave too soon, so that Race could make it back up north for work. It was a great day. Thanks Thom and Bill for having us all come over. Everything was great!
Cheers!
Melissa
O.k. back to Sunday.We all ended up at Thomasina’s friend Bill’s house for a Super Bowl Party. Thomasina did all of the cooking, so it was FABULOUS! They had a whole bar set up as well, with marguerita fixin’s as well as some excellent wine to choose from. She made chili, crab dip with toasted French bread, DELICIOUS hot wings, quiche, all sorts of chips, dips, and cheeses that I never even got to. There was cheesecake, lemon tarts, and an UNBELIEVABLE Blackberry wine cake that I did manage to procure the recipe for (thanks mom). **Who was playing again?? ;-) **We got to meet Bill’s wonderful family, and everyone was so nice, and complimentary. We had a lovely time, but had to leave too soon, so that Race could make it back up north for work. It was a great day. Thanks Thom and Bill for having us all come over. Everything was great!
Cheers!
Melissa
Happenings from the weekend..
Well, Race was able to get home late on Friday night. He was not supposed to come in at all for the weekend, but he just left work and came on anyway. His co workers were working on a project, and everyone was supposed to stay. We had planned this weekend for the kids for weeks, SO...He came home! We were so glad!
On Saturday, Race took our boys to the batting cages, while I took Savannah and her best friend to ballet rehearsal. About the batting cages: My dad,(Pap-paw) has seen to it that the boys are NEVER without batting cage tokens. They live several hours away from us, so he calls them in, in $50 increments. Now, this has made the boys very well known over at the cages! Imagine my surprise when the little high school gal behind the counter one day said, "Well hello Austin, I guess that you have come to get your tokens?" She knew him by name? Anyway, the boys are becoming quite the little hitters because of all this practice. Baseball sign-ups are this month.
The girls are rehearsing every Saturday, for Stravinsky ballet "The Petrushka". The artistic director at the dance school is AMAZING. He makes EVERYONE want to dance. Very talented guy, and such a motivator. This is a huge commitment, having to go every Saturday for two hours until June, but I could not be more pleased with the results that all of this is having on Savannah. Good stuff, and she looks forward to it.
After Rehearsal, we met up with Race and the boys for lunch. It is always fun when you have an "extra" child with you,(savannah's friend T, was coming home with us). It adds a whole new dynamic. They giggled, and Jack showed off, and they giggled some more. Too cute. And I must add that we are SO incredibly thankful that Savannah has this friend. She is a sweet girl, from a sweet, caring, Christian family. Thank-you, Lord.
After lunch, we went our separate ways. Race took the boys skiing. I took the girls home for a girls night. After stopping at the store first, and letting them pick out snacks and munchies girls were plowing through the crowds at the store grabbing chips, cookies, pizza and sundae makins'. They would plow through, find something, then politely discuss it between themselves to be sure that was what they BOTH wanted, then throw it in the basket, and plow to another isle. I followed with the basket and the $$.
At home the girls covered the living room with blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. They had a stack of girl movies to watch. After playing outside, and upstairs with Savannah's toys, they settled in with chips and "The Princess and the Pauper". I made myself scarce, grabbing some computer time.
>Jump ahead to 10:30pm<
Well.......who knew that the digestive tract of OTHER little 11 yr old girls couldn't handle downing a 1/2 can of Pringles?? In our house, 1/2 a can is for light wieghts. T wasn't feeling well. For real. She needed to call home. We ended up hauling her out to Sheetz, to meet her mom. Poor girl.
When we got home, the guys were back from skiing. THAT hadn't gone really well either.Jack forgot his ski jacket. They begged for snowboards. They got 'em. They couldn't use 'em. I think that both of them fell and hit thier heads really hard at least once. Poor boys. Poor Race. But they made it through. At home we salvaged the evening by making ice cream sundaes, and crawling into the blankets and sleeping bags and finishing Mulan2. The guys were forbidden to make thier usual obnoxious comments during a girls movie, because it was technically still Girls Night. All was well.
Sunday was a whole nother blog in itself. I will get to that later. It's Monday, and we have lessons, library, and Modern dance class, I'd better get with it! Right now, there is a kid who woke up with a bad dream, and flopped into my bed this morning. He is currently VERY annoyed and grumpy because his hair is sticking up, and it is making him uncomfortable "no matter HOW I lay", (said with groggy, scratchy, morning voice).
Cheers,
Melissa
On Saturday, Race took our boys to the batting cages, while I took Savannah and her best friend to ballet rehearsal. About the batting cages: My dad,(Pap-paw) has seen to it that the boys are NEVER without batting cage tokens. They live several hours away from us, so he calls them in, in $50 increments. Now, this has made the boys very well known over at the cages! Imagine my surprise when the little high school gal behind the counter one day said, "Well hello Austin, I guess that you have come to get your tokens?" She knew him by name? Anyway, the boys are becoming quite the little hitters because of all this practice. Baseball sign-ups are this month.
The girls are rehearsing every Saturday, for Stravinsky ballet "The Petrushka". The artistic director at the dance school is AMAZING. He makes EVERYONE want to dance. Very talented guy, and such a motivator. This is a huge commitment, having to go every Saturday for two hours until June, but I could not be more pleased with the results that all of this is having on Savannah. Good stuff, and she looks forward to it.
After Rehearsal, we met up with Race and the boys for lunch. It is always fun when you have an "extra" child with you,(savannah's friend T, was coming home with us). It adds a whole new dynamic. They giggled, and Jack showed off, and they giggled some more. Too cute. And I must add that we are SO incredibly thankful that Savannah has this friend. She is a sweet girl, from a sweet, caring, Christian family. Thank-you, Lord.
After lunch, we went our separate ways. Race took the boys skiing. I took the girls home for a girls night. After stopping at the store first, and letting them pick out snacks and munchies girls were plowing through the crowds at the store grabbing chips, cookies, pizza and sundae makins'. They would plow through, find something, then politely discuss it between themselves to be sure that was what they BOTH wanted, then throw it in the basket, and plow to another isle. I followed with the basket and the $$.
At home the girls covered the living room with blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. They had a stack of girl movies to watch. After playing outside, and upstairs with Savannah's toys, they settled in with chips and "The Princess and the Pauper". I made myself scarce, grabbing some computer time.
>Jump ahead to 10:30pm<
Well.......who knew that the digestive tract of OTHER little 11 yr old girls couldn't handle downing a 1/2 can of Pringles?? In our house, 1/2 a can is for light wieghts. T wasn't feeling well. For real. She needed to call home. We ended up hauling her out to Sheetz, to meet her mom. Poor girl.
When we got home, the guys were back from skiing. THAT hadn't gone really well either.Jack forgot his ski jacket. They begged for snowboards. They got 'em. They couldn't use 'em. I think that both of them fell and hit thier heads really hard at least once. Poor boys. Poor Race. But they made it through. At home we salvaged the evening by making ice cream sundaes, and crawling into the blankets and sleeping bags and finishing Mulan2. The guys were forbidden to make thier usual obnoxious comments during a girls movie, because it was technically still Girls Night. All was well.
Sunday was a whole nother blog in itself. I will get to that later. It's Monday, and we have lessons, library, and Modern dance class, I'd better get with it! Right now, there is a kid who woke up with a bad dream, and flopped into my bed this morning. He is currently VERY annoyed and grumpy because his hair is sticking up, and it is making him uncomfortable "no matter HOW I lay", (said with groggy, scratchy, morning voice).
Cheers,
Melissa
Thursday, February 03, 2005
On the road.....
Ooooooo….well, I haven’t started off too well with this blogging thing, now have I? It is February already! I will just start again from here. On Saturday we had cake and ice cream for Savannah’s 11th birthday. She was delighted with her presents, and especially loved her new “postmasters desk”. It fits perfectly in her dormer window, so that she can look out and draw or write to her hearts content. We couldn’t do a more formal party, because it was snowing and icing, and Race had a terrible case of food poisoning that the nice folks at a local Italian eatery in D.C. were nice enough to give him, just before he took the Amtrack home for the weekend. Savannah’s little soirée with myself and her brothers, somehow morphed into “Barbarian Birthday”. Very funny. I really can’t articulate what went on here, but it WAS funny, and I guess that’s one of the nice things about having a “just the fam” party. Everyone was acting silly, and having fun…….except for Race, who was still writhing and moaning in the bed. Thankfully, the food poisoning was short lived. On Sunday afternoon, we headed up to Mom and Dads. When we got there, we realized that we were probably going to be in the way because they were having the inside of their house painted this week!
Race and I had to drive up to Washington to pick up his car from the parking garage for his office. It was great to see where he works, and to be driven around in Washington, D.C. by your husband, and have him actually KNOW where he is going! Cool! We ate dinner across the street at a pub called The Dubliner. Excellent salmon, and Oh-my-gosh-excellent Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake!! (Yes, food will be a recurring theme on this blog).
Monday was spent at mom and dad’s skating center. My sister Em, has several friends meet her up there once a week , so that all of their preschool-n’ under aged kids can play together. We all met up there, ate pizza, and watched the kids play. My kids always love to see their little cousins, Q and W!
Tuesday, we went to breakfast with mom and dad, and then the kids and I took off for Baltimore, to visit the aquarium. No real problems getting there, and the Aquarium was unbelievable! It was much more than any of us expected. They have a dolphin show! We spent about 3 hours there, and then looked around the inner harbor a bit, got some coffee, looked at books in the book store, etc. I was dog tired when we finally pulled out of the parking garage, took a wrong turn, and saw the very ugly under belly of the inner city of Baltimore. “Roll em’up an lock em kids”. Can I take a moment to set the scene for you here: Me with my blonde hair (out to here), in my shiny, black suburban-(of course we had just had her washed that morning), tooling down the dark, inner city streets of Baltimore. The kids had a movie playing in the back, which is also visible from outside the car. We are the ONLY car on these roads. These people don’t HAVE cars. My head flipping back and forth-left, then right, then left again, frantically looking for some sign…some clue…where is the interstate!! Passing boarded up row houses, with small little children scampering out from in front of them, and greasy windowed, corner store fronts with young people flying in and out of them. I am on my cell phone talking (o.k., shrieking) to Race who is telling me to keep my face turned away from the window, so that they won’t know that I am white?!?! ARE YOU HELPING ME HERE? From the back seat I hear, “Mom, look at that girls tall pink boots.” Which, incidentally had a matching bolero style jacket. “She looks cold.” “Why is she just standing out there like that?” To which I reply hysterically, “Because she has made some very poor choices in her life, and I’m NOT talking about those pink boots!’ “ Now, be quiet, and watch your movie a minute, and let me see if I can find the right road.” To which I hear, (from Jack, of course) “Yyyyeahhhh…….cause I don’t think this is the way.” At some point, I see a couple of police cars sitting on the side of the street. I pull up and stammer and stutter something about the Interstate 95. It will be forever burned into my brain, the fact that the POLICEMAN, called me “sweet baby girl”. I kid you not. His exact words were, “Oh Noooooooo.. Sweet Baby Girl, you are in the heart of the inner city, you keep going down this road, you not gonna like where you are.” Now, I’m not knocking the guy, ya know, cuz, God bless him, we would be a statistic by now if it weren’t for him. My innocence and naivety must have been glowing from inside the darkened windows of that suburban. A little slice of seldom seen Americana.
We ended the evening eating dinner with Race at the Olive Garden. It felt good to be safe. We all stayed the night in the hotel where he will be residing for the next few weeks while he finishes his class. An overly tired Jackson had us all in stitches with all of his latest dance moves. And just before I drifted off to a coma like sleep, I heard him tell Austin, (with whom he was sharing a bed for the night), “I am sleeping with you tonight. I hope I don’t wet you”. Then maniacal laughter, followed by a pounding from Austin, then a threat from Dad…..and at last…Quiet.
Race had to go to class the next morning, so we were on our own again. We headed back south, which shouldn’t have taken long, except that for some unknown reason, it took us over an hour to get across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. We meet mom, Em, and her boys at the skating center again. We got to see W walk, and Q proudly told us all about his new reading skills. Too Cute!
I ended the day with a late night dinner with my friend Janelle i downtown Fredericksburg. We didn’t even sit down to eat until 9 pm! She and I have been friends since the first grade, so no matter how long it has been since we last saw one another, it is as if no time at all has elapsed. She saw me through all of my years with small children, where I would dash out of the house for the all-to-infrequent, dinner out with friends with dried baby spit up on my clothes. And now it is her turn. It is always fun. Getting together with her always feels like a favorite blanket that you would never want to be without. We missed Thomasina though, she SHOULD have been there. We had a wonderful aged cheese plate with a glass of 20 yr old port that was to die for! One of the cheeses was called “Drunken Goats Cheese”. O.K., could someone PLEASE see to it that a small hunk of this is waiting for me tomorrow sometime before dinner? And one of the cheeses (aged Goulda, I believe), smelled a lot like feet, but really it tasted quite good. (Makes you want some, doesn’t it?)
And today we returned HOME. It is always so good to come home. It was snowing. The dogs (Scout and Jeb) and cat(Herriot) were happy to see us, and the fish(Frodo) and gecko(Gandalf) are STILL living. Can’t wait to sleep in my own bed tonight! Hoping that Race will be home for the weekend. We all miss him.
Race and I had to drive up to Washington to pick up his car from the parking garage for his office. It was great to see where he works, and to be driven around in Washington, D.C. by your husband, and have him actually KNOW where he is going! Cool! We ate dinner across the street at a pub called The Dubliner. Excellent salmon, and Oh-my-gosh-excellent Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecake!! (Yes, food will be a recurring theme on this blog).
Monday was spent at mom and dad’s skating center. My sister Em, has several friends meet her up there once a week , so that all of their preschool-n’ under aged kids can play together. We all met up there, ate pizza, and watched the kids play. My kids always love to see their little cousins, Q and W!
Tuesday, we went to breakfast with mom and dad, and then the kids and I took off for Baltimore, to visit the aquarium. No real problems getting there, and the Aquarium was unbelievable! It was much more than any of us expected. They have a dolphin show! We spent about 3 hours there, and then looked around the inner harbor a bit, got some coffee, looked at books in the book store, etc. I was dog tired when we finally pulled out of the parking garage, took a wrong turn, and saw the very ugly under belly of the inner city of Baltimore. “Roll em’up an lock em kids”. Can I take a moment to set the scene for you here: Me with my blonde hair (out to here), in my shiny, black suburban-(of course we had just had her washed that morning), tooling down the dark, inner city streets of Baltimore. The kids had a movie playing in the back, which is also visible from outside the car. We are the ONLY car on these roads. These people don’t HAVE cars. My head flipping back and forth-left, then right, then left again, frantically looking for some sign…some clue…where is the interstate!! Passing boarded up row houses, with small little children scampering out from in front of them, and greasy windowed, corner store fronts with young people flying in and out of them. I am on my cell phone talking (o.k., shrieking) to Race who is telling me to keep my face turned away from the window, so that they won’t know that I am white?!?! ARE YOU HELPING ME HERE? From the back seat I hear, “Mom, look at that girls tall pink boots.” Which, incidentally had a matching bolero style jacket. “She looks cold.” “Why is she just standing out there like that?” To which I reply hysterically, “Because she has made some very poor choices in her life, and I’m NOT talking about those pink boots!’ “ Now, be quiet, and watch your movie a minute, and let me see if I can find the right road.” To which I hear, (from Jack, of course) “Yyyyeahhhh…….cause I don’t think this is the way.” At some point, I see a couple of police cars sitting on the side of the street. I pull up and stammer and stutter something about the Interstate 95. It will be forever burned into my brain, the fact that the POLICEMAN, called me “sweet baby girl”. I kid you not. His exact words were, “Oh Noooooooo.. Sweet Baby Girl, you are in the heart of the inner city, you keep going down this road, you not gonna like where you are.” Now, I’m not knocking the guy, ya know, cuz, God bless him, we would be a statistic by now if it weren’t for him. My innocence and naivety must have been glowing from inside the darkened windows of that suburban. A little slice of seldom seen Americana.
We ended the evening eating dinner with Race at the Olive Garden. It felt good to be safe. We all stayed the night in the hotel where he will be residing for the next few weeks while he finishes his class. An overly tired Jackson had us all in stitches with all of his latest dance moves. And just before I drifted off to a coma like sleep, I heard him tell Austin, (with whom he was sharing a bed for the night), “I am sleeping with you tonight. I hope I don’t wet you”. Then maniacal laughter, followed by a pounding from Austin, then a threat from Dad…..and at last…Quiet.
Race had to go to class the next morning, so we were on our own again. We headed back south, which shouldn’t have taken long, except that for some unknown reason, it took us over an hour to get across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. We meet mom, Em, and her boys at the skating center again. We got to see W walk, and Q proudly told us all about his new reading skills. Too Cute!
I ended the day with a late night dinner with my friend Janelle i downtown Fredericksburg. We didn’t even sit down to eat until 9 pm! She and I have been friends since the first grade, so no matter how long it has been since we last saw one another, it is as if no time at all has elapsed. She saw me through all of my years with small children, where I would dash out of the house for the all-to-infrequent, dinner out with friends with dried baby spit up on my clothes. And now it is her turn. It is always fun. Getting together with her always feels like a favorite blanket that you would never want to be without. We missed Thomasina though, she SHOULD have been there. We had a wonderful aged cheese plate with a glass of 20 yr old port that was to die for! One of the cheeses was called “Drunken Goats Cheese”. O.K., could someone PLEASE see to it that a small hunk of this is waiting for me tomorrow sometime before dinner? And one of the cheeses (aged Goulda, I believe), smelled a lot like feet, but really it tasted quite good. (Makes you want some, doesn’t it?)
And today we returned HOME. It is always so good to come home. It was snowing. The dogs (Scout and Jeb) and cat(Herriot) were happy to see us, and the fish(Frodo) and gecko(Gandalf) are STILL living. Can’t wait to sleep in my own bed tonight! Hoping that Race will be home for the weekend. We all miss him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)