Sassy

Feelin' the Love

We were definitely feelin' the love tonight at t-ball.

We are so lucky and blessed to have Mammas and Papas that are so close to come to games during the week. Thank you a million times over for being a blessing in our kids' lives. Especially tonight for this little boy.

First Sleepover

We did it. I'm not sure that it's a good or a bad thing, but we did it. Yes, our kids are only 5 and are in kindergarten, but it was for a birthday party. Not a good reason? Hmmm...well, there were about 7 or 8 other boys that were going to be there too. Still not a good enough reason. Hmmm...ok, um, we've known the family for almost 2 years. Yup. Not sure that's a good enough reason either.

C had his first sleepover on Friday. Even though J and I had said the kids wouldn't have their first sleepover until they were at least in spring of first grade. I guess we didn't hold out. It was a tough decision. Trust us. And he will not have another sleepover for another 3 or 4 years. Seriously. I'm not even joking when I say that. The weekend was enough to scare us straight.

The sleepover was an interesting one. You know, there were the normal things...wrestling, dancing, more wrestling, games, pizza, cake, wrestling again, Spiderman 2...wait, WHAT? What was the name of the movie? Spiderman 2? You mean the one that's rated PG-13? For 5 & 6 year olds? Sooo not prepared for that one. Oh, and did I mention that the movie started at 10:30? Yes, STARTED at 10:30. And what time did they go to bed? C said he looked at the clock at 12:30 the last time. Needless to say, he was a bit cranky, ornery, salty...can you come up with any more synonyms for not happy? It was an interesting timeline, if you ask me, for a group of kindergarteners. I guess I need to ask what is planned the next time he goes to a sleepover...when he's 9!

As a parent you hope you're making the right decisions. As a parent, you're sure you're doing the right things for your child along the way. As a parent, you also realize you can't always make the right decisions all of the time. As hard as we may try. As hard as I may try, I'm not always going to be able to be with the kids all of the time. I know this sleepover was a baby step. The moms there looked at me like I was a little crazy for being worried about leaving C. He wasn't worried about me leaving. I was. I also know it won't be the last time I'll be worried. Even when he's old and grown, I'll worry. For now, he'll play the boy things he plays, he'll watch Curious George and he'll snuggle me because it's one of his favorite things to do. And I'll hold on to all of those 5 year old things with all I've got.

I think I'll move to Austrailia

You may remember the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the story, everything goes wrong: gum stuck in his hair, squished in the middle in the back seat, nightlight burned out...you get the idea. After about every third page he says, "I think I'll move to Australia." That's a bit how I felt today.

It was one of those days with the kids. The kind where you feel like you repeat yourself a bajillion times and like you feel as if you're speaking alien, which you're sure your kids speak and you wonder why they don't understand what you're saying. The kind where the common sense of your children is out the window; as if it doesn't exist. The kind where you try time outs, you try raising your voice, you try ignoring them, you try being kind and calm with them, you try taking things away from them, you try, you try, you try. And nothing works. That's the kind of day J and I had with A & C. Frustrating.

And then, I'm in the middle of making a pasta salad for the teacher luncheon tomorrow at their school and I put the cheese in before the noodles had cooled off completely and now the cheese is melting and sticking together. 

Seriously. 

I think I'll move to Australia. 

But, even there (as the book tells us), as J tells me, people have hard days too. At least I have him...and the two trouble makers. I know tomorrow will be better. 

Sprinkler Day

We had our first sprinkler day of the year. It was hot.

 It was wet.

 There were shrieks of joy!

 There were rainbows seen.

 The anticipation was ever-present.

And chases were abound as they tried to get to the water, or away...depending on the moment! I love sprinkler days. Especially the first one of the year. There's a novelty that is there in those seconds. The thrill of running around, running into each other, having the whole yard to themselves...they love it! And so do I.

the girl who could do whatever she wanted to & giant ants

This week has been an odd one for C. He's woken up 2 times in the middle of the night, made his way upstairs and snuggled in, soon followed by, "I had a bad dream!"

Dream 1:
There was this girl. And she was in our house. And she could do whatever she wanted to!
Like what?
Well, she could take whatever food she wanted to take. And she played with whatever toys she wanted to play with.
Did she do anything to you?
No, but I was still scared.
Ok, well, she's gone now.
I know, Mommy.

Dream 2:
Well, it was the first day we were in Florida. And we were playing on the beach. I was building a sandcastle and all of a sudden 5 huge ants came and carried me away.
How did they carry you away, Buddy?
They were giant, Mommy! They had jumpers on their legs so they could go really high!
I'm glad it wasn't a real dream. It's over now, so you don't have to be worried.
Yeah. I just want to snuggle you and Daddy for a little while (at 1:15 AM!).
Ok, just for a little bit.

The dreams of a 5-year-old boy...