She's a natural

Alison loved gymnastics at her new gym! She's taken gymnastics before, but we wanted to switch gyms because her last place seemed to focus way more on cheerleading and less on gymnastics. After class, I asked the instructor (an adult...yea!...at the other place it was always a seemingly disinterested high school student) how she did. She said, "Wow...that kid is going to be great! Did you see how high she got on the trampoline?" On the way home Alison asked me if she got to go to gymnastics every day. Ummm...let's just stick to once a week for now, OK?

I need to find 7 slim jeans for Alison. She pretty much wears all of Rachel's hand me downs, but I guess Rachel wasn't quite as tiny around the waist as Alison is, because all of the size 7 pants I have are way too big on Ali. She's making due w/ belts right now, but it would be nice to get some pants that actually fit right.

Wife Swap

First of all, I think that is a terrible namef or the show. Sure...the wives/moms do swap houses, but it makes it sound like it's all about husband/wife issues, when it's really a family deal. Anyway, I watched the show last night. Well, I didn't really "watch" it, but it was on while I was working. They always choose families that are obviously very different from each other. Last night, the father and son in one of the families were addicted to playing video games. They never left the house, practically! The other family were athletic kids who were overscheduled and always on the go. Of course, it was hard not to see a little of our family in the overscheduled family. Although in that family, the kids each had 2-3 sports going at the same time, and we stick to just one at a time. And those kids were starting to get resistant to be "forced" to do their sports and our kids beg to do what they're doing.

So...that's my disclaimer for our lifestyle. Oh, and Alison starts back in gymnastics tonight. She's very excited. I've been trying to talk her into taking dance, because she loves to dance. But, she's very resistant to the idea, so we're heading back to gymnastics.

Rachel and Patrick have been really getting along well lately. I don't know what the deal is! I guess I should just enjoy it, because who knows how long it'll last.

Completely random

I just bought our Huskey, Mia, a pig's knuckle to chew on. It's a HUGE bone...more like a pig's kneecap or something. Anyway, she loves these bones and they're about the only bones I can get for her that she doesn't chew up in no time flat. She's upstairs with it now and she keeps dropping it on the ground. It sounds like someone is upstairs moving furniture!

The farmers are starting to cut the corn down now. It is painfully obvious to me, based on how clogged up and painful my sinuses are and how much my eyes burn. Love those allergies! Thornton and I always comment every fall how much the landscape of Central IL changes when the corn is cut down. You get so used to not being able to see around corners, etc. on the country roads, but once the corn is down, it's so wide open.

I was chatting with Rachel and a friend of hers on our way to dance the other day. Her friend is also a soldier in The Nutcracker. Rachel's friend is a not too excited about being a soldier, so I was trying to pump her up. I told her that the ladies working on costumes are hoping to have time to make new costumes for the soldiers and that I'd seen the patterns for them. I told her I couldn't remember them exactly, but they were really cool and the jackets were cut-away, but I couldn't remember if they had tails. The friend says, "WHAT?? I have to wear a tail?" Rachel about peed her pants laughing. She was like..."you know, tails like on a tuxedo, not like on a donkey!"

See....told you these were completely random thoughts!

Alison funny....

When Alison got home from school yesterday, I told her that she, Rachel and Patrick were going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, along w/ their 3 & 2 year old cousins. It was my sister in law's birthday and we were all going out to eat. I asked Alison if she thought Grandma and Grandpa would be OK handling all 5 grandkids at one time. She got very quiet, paused for a long time and then said, "well....maybe if I helped them." That child just makes me laugh! I just told my father in law that story and he said that Alison and Rachel must've decided they needed time away from their little cousins, because they snuck off to the sunroom and played board games by themselves. Patrick and Grandpa ended up watching the St. Louis Cardinal game, which left poor Grandma handling the little girls all by herself. Isn't that the way it always is??

It was nice going out to dinner w/ Thornton w/out the kids. Love the kids to death, but time away is valuable too!

Picture day

Today is picture day at school for Rachel and Alison. I used to obsess about their outfits...making sure they coordinated w/ what the others were wearing, so when the pictures are all together, they match. HA!...not this time! Patrick wore a blue shirt when he had his pictures done. Rachel has on a lilac sweater and Ali is wearing a red sweater. Besides...all of their pictures will have the same fake smile on them that they always have. I figure if they haven't learned to smile normally by now, there's very little chance of them ever learning!

Rachel got her hair cut last night. It's cute! She wanted shorter hair for a while, but I've been putting it off. It's a little shorter than her shoulders w/ a few layers cut into it. And, she can still get it up for dance...so that's good.

I went shopping for jeans for Patrick the other day. Oh my...I haven't felt so old in a long time. The styles for jeans....ugh...they're all ripped up and stained and just plain icky. It was hard finding something that Patrick would like and that I would approve of....that didn't cost more than a car payment. I finally found a pair and he liked them...but they didn't fit! Ugh...they fit in the waist, but not in the thighs. Strange...because it's not like he has thunder thighs or anything. But, if we went up a size, they'd be way too big in the waist. I did find some Hollister khakis at a resale shop, so he has those for now, plus one other pair of jeans. It's crazy trying to fit a kid that's 13, 5' 11" and 145 pounds!

Home sick

Well...it was bound to happen. Patrick is home sick today. He's got a really bad cold. I almost always make them tough it out at school for at least 1/2 a day, but he is just miserable. Hopefully a day of lying around snuggled up in a comforter will help him get better. I need to go run to the store to get some chicken soup. There's just something magical about the warmth and comfort of chicken soup.

Soldier!

Rachel auditioned for our local ballet company's production of The Nutcracker. Last year she was an angel and we assumed she would be an angel again this year. We kind of knew she'd at least get a part, because she's a Trainee w/ the Company and they pretty much all get cast. There's a definite seniority to who gets cast in which roles. Plus, there's the issue of who fits into what costumes. It was the joke around our house all day Sunday (the day of auditions) that Rachel would either be an angel or an angel. So, we were completely surprised when we checked the website Monday afternoon and found that she was a soldier! She's the youngest soldier...but she is tall for her age, so I'm sure that makes a difference. It's definitely a bigger role than the angel....only drawback is that, well....they're soldiers...so they're dressed like boys. But, it's exciting that she's climbing up the ladder and getting bigger parts already!

The Cat Whisperer

I need a cat interpreter that can tell me whatever it is that Ozzie is incessantly trying to tell me. Seriously...I love this cat to death, but he spends his day walking around and meowing very loudly. He's not in distress, he's just whiny. If I head down the hall to the bedroom, he runs very excitedly and jumps on the bed, as if he really wants me to lie down w/ him. But, really, I can't exactly spend my day in bed just to make the cat happy. Or can I?

So, the question remains....how do I figure out what Ozzie is trying to tell me?

5 years ago today

5 years ago today started out innocently enough. Then I got a phone call from my friend who worked in the same building I did and that innocence was shattered. She told me about the planes crashing into the World Trade Center buildings. I then rushed down to her office because she had a television. We stood together and cried. Then we prayed together.

When I got back up to my office, I called Thornton. He was home with Alison, who was only 2. I hated being separated from my family, but I wasn't sure if I should go home or try to keep some sense of normalcy. I immediately emailed the Patrick and Rachel's teachers and asked them what, if anything, the kids would be told. Rachel was in kindergarten and her teacher was amazing. She assured me that they weren't going talk to them about the tragedy, feeling that the parents needed to be the ones to talk to them. Then she told me she'd give Rachel a hug in my absence.

I took off early from work so I could be home when Patrick and Rachel got home from school. Thornton and I sat them down and tried to explain what had happened. I know they didn't grasp the magnitude of it all....I'm not sure I even did. We prayed together as a family for those who lost their lives.

That night our church family gathered at church to mourn and pray and hold each other up.

In the days and weeks that followed, America was different. While we had experienced great loss, we were somehow a better people. Everyone united in tragedy, but it brought out the best in people. Flags flew, every store marquee in town was emblazoned with positive thoughts. I felt blessed, oddly, to have experienced this black spot in history. I wish that feeling remained. Now, only the negativity of the tragedy remains....and that's a shame.

Kitty wake up call

Ozzie has started coming with me in the morning when I go wake up the kids for school. It's so cute....I start in Patrick's room by opening up his door and announcing that it's time to wake up. Ozzie then jumps on Patrick's bed and gives him a head-butt while meow/whining. Ozzie has a very whiny meow that is hard to ignore. I then go into Alison's room to wake her up. Ozzie follows and hops on her bed and meows and walks on her. Last is Rachel's room and Ozzie follows me there, too and jumps on Rachel. I really appreciate the help!

Dancing with the big girls

Rachel had her first level 8 dance classes yesterday. She's pretty young to be in that class, but her teacher said that she should try a couple of level 8 classes this year to stretch her abilities. Well...it did. She said the Modern class was easy enough, but the Pointe class was pretty challenging. But, I'm so proud of her, because she never once said that she doesn't want to keep trying. She said that as she goes more, she'll get better and better. What an awesome attitude! She has four level 7 classes this year, too and those will seem easy now!

$3

On Saturday I made a meal for a family in church. I took off in the van to deliver it. I got on the highway and looked at the gas gauge only to realize that I've never seen the needle be so far past Empty. Yikes...I prayed I could make it to the gas station on Toronto Road. I then looked into my purse and realized that Thornton had taken the credit card and I had no checks in the check book. I checked the cash...I had $3! Any idea how embarrasing it is to "fill up" w/ $3?? I put in the gas and then skulked in to pay. I could hardly look the cashier in the eyes. But, at least the 1.2 gallons of gas got me back home, right?

Messing w/ his mind!

Patrick called from school yesterday to tell me that he forgot his baseball cap (he had a game after school) and asked if I could bring it to him. Now, mind you, I had asked him on the way to school if he had all of his uniform, to which he answered w/ great attitude, "Yes". So...I decided to mess w/ the boy. I told him that I had already had to run Rachel's glasses to school that morning (which was true) and that I really didn't think it was fair to expect me to make another trip just because I have forgetful kids. Then I asked him if he could just borrow someone else's hat that wasn't playing in the game. He got really quiet and said softly, "really?" HA! He's so easy to mess w/! Then I told him that we'd bring the hat to the dugout right after school got out. Of course, then, we met up w/ one of Patrick's coaches, so we told him to first give Patrick this baseball cap from 2 years ago that doesn't fit him and tell him that it's the only hat we could find. The coach laughed and agreed to play along before actually giving the correct cap to Patch. Ahhh....I love being a parent!

This is my life

Yesterday I was waiting with Alison on the front stoop for her bus to arrive. Some of our neighbors, who are Asian, walked by. Alison says, "they are Chinese". I said that she was right. Then Alison said that most dark skinned people are Chinese. I said that many of the really dark skinned people are African American. And she says, "or cavemen". Huh?

Then, later, we were at Patrick's baseball game and I dropped my cell phone in the porta-potty. EWWWW!!! So...yeah, I won't be having that phone anymore.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

OK...the kid's rooms are all clean (well, I haven't checked Patrick's yet...he was *supposed* to clean it....) and ready for them to be tucked in. Tomorrow is the day...school starts! They've each already picked out their outfits for tomorrow.

I remember that for my first day of 6th grade (Middle School) I wore jeans and this longish teal blue shirt w/ squiggly patterns on it with a gold stretchy belt around the shirt. The height of fashion. On my way home from school that day I heard some friends talking about me and saying, "did you see what Judy was wearing?" I immediately became incredibly self conscious....a feeling that stayed w/ me through high school. Ugh...I wouldn't relive those years for anything. Good thing my kids are WAY more confident than I was.

Counting down the days

School starts on Monday. And I'm not completely sure how I feel about it. I mean, sure...I'm glad they're going back to school, because they really need it and they are ready to go. The bickering has definitely increased at our house this past week. But, this was my first summer at home with them, since I used to work full time, and I had such high expectations of what the summer would be like. While we didn't accomplish much...didn't get any big projects done...I think it was a great summer. I suspect I'm going to miss having the kids around during the day. They are growing into such amazing people.

I hope it doesn't rain tonight (it's supposed to...). I'm hoping to take Rachel to see The King and I out at the Muni. She was thisclose to getting cast in the show and she has a couple of friends who are in it. If not tonight, I think we can go on Sunday, but since it's not usually over 'til 11:30 or so, that might not be the best idea w/ school starting the next day. At least it's just a 1/2 day the first day of school.

Alison's little friend is home from her extended camping trip, so I know the two of them will be playing together all day.

Patrick is going on a Junior High church retreat tonight through Saturday afternoon. They're going out to my in-law's lake house about an hour from here. I hope the weather cooperates, although they'll have a great time no matter what. It's so awesome out there. They could have a blast playing in the woods in the rain.

It shouldn't be this hard...

I have always prided myself on being able to get out pretty much any stain that the kids can get on their clothes. Until now. Patrick's new baseball uniform for Junior high is beating me! The uniform is brand new...so it came w/ no stains at all. The pants are white w/ red piping down the leg. I cannot get the dang pants to come clean! I used OxyClean, I've pre-soaked, I've let them sit, I've scrubbed....I'm about to give up. I hate the thought of turning these pants in at the end of the season and not having them be completely perfect. But, really, how realistic is it that a kid could play as hard as Patrick plays and the WHITE pants would still look brand new?

And I really need to make sure the back pocket of said baseball pants before washing. Today I washed the pants, got them out and found a ton of sunflower seeds lining the inside of my washing machine.

Stupid pants...they're the bane of my existance!

School registration

Yesterday was school registration for the kids. I'm sure once they are back in school and settled in, I'll appreciate the money I spent yesterday, but for now....I'm in a bit of a panic over how much money it costs to send them to school. And forget the supplies...that's through the roof too. Granted, in 5 years when Patrick is leaving for college, I'll have a whole new appreciation for expense of education!

Alison got a teacher for 2nd grade who I wasn't familiar with, but I've done some checking around and found out that she is an excellent teacher who I think will be a good match for Alison. What a relief! I know how important it is to get teachers that mesh with your child. I've been praying over this issue since school let out last May.

Rachel also got a great teacher for 5th grade. She's going to be in honors math and language arts, so she really will have 3 different teachers. She's been working the phones trying to find friends who are in her class and has found just a couple so far.

Patrick is going into 8th grade, so he has 9 different periods/teachers. His schedule looks good, although we were originally concerned about his 8-9th hour classes being Language arts, because he is involved in sports and when they have away games/meets, he misses last hour. But the counselor explained that having last hour Language Arts is actually preferable, since it's a 2 hour class and the last portion of it is often devoted to individual reading/work. I would've loved for his study hall to be last hour, but I guess this will work.

Patrick made the school baseball team. They are having their first practice right now and their first game is tomorrow! Yikes...I hope they all learn the signs by then.

School starts a week from Monday. They are all so ready to go...and even admit it themselves! Summer is just too long.

Ready for Broadway

Last night I took Rachel to a Master class held by a native of Springfield that is now one of the choreographers and performers in The Producers on Broadway. She talked about her experiences here and then all that she's done since leaving. Following her talk and performances, she taught the people present the audition dance for The Producers. Rachel was the youngest person on stage by far, but she really held her own. I was so proud of her!!

Rachel is at a Summer Ballet Intensive right now w/ the ballet company, Patrick's baseball tryouts were cancelled for today because of rain, and Alison is at Grandma and Grandpas for a few more hours. Ahhh....quiet (except for Mia, the dog, who keeps acting like she needs to hack up a hairball).

Better do some laundry and get to work!

Vacation Bible School

Phew....last week was Vacation Bible School at our church. I was the director. We had a fabulous week, but I'm glad it's over....as I'm sure are all the other volunteers. The kids are amazing! They soak up so much in such a short period of time. This morning they sang in church and did such a great job.

Alison's group leader told me a funny story about her: She had to decorate a cross on a page one night. She also drew a picture of what looked like someone upside down near the cross. Her leader asked her if that was Jesus and Alison said, "nope...that's me doing a headstand by the cross." That kid cracks me up!

But, obviously, because of that commitment, I am a little further behind than I wish I were. I'll work hard this week to get caught up.