The day the super human growth spurt did not arrive

This entry is placed in blog archives because while I think I will remember it forever, I realize from conversations with my parents that sometimes as you age, your mind plays little tricks on you.  :)

For the past few days, Middle Child has complained of abdominal pain.  He's not normally a complainer, fortunately none of our kids are, but with stomach pains it's often hard to tell what's what. Kind of like when people talk about having headaches....you can tell they are in pain, even though you can't "see" their headache. 

Back last fall when I had an ovarian cyst to rupture, I complained about my back hurting prior to the event, which at the time I had no idea was a symptom.  Anyway, a couple of weeks later, Middle Child said his back was hurting and asked did I think he might have a cyst too.  :)  I told him no, I didn't think it was a cyst, and it certainly couldn't be what I had, as "you have no ovaries, son".   So, since Saturday, we've been going through all sorts of scenarios with him as to the cause behind this abdominal pain.  He has had no vomitting, no sudden rushes to the bathroom (although he has been regular), no nausea, has not lost his appetite, has been eating every day like usual, even spicy foods, drinking milk, no food seemed to help or hurt for that matter.  He described it as a cramping pain, like his stomach was twisted in knots.  The only way he could make it feel some better was to lay on his stomach with his arms underneath him applying pressure to his abdomen.  And even then, it still hurt. 

The true test of knowing he was not kidding about the pain came early this week.  On Monday he called before 9:30 a.m. needing to be checked out of school (I was unable to get him at the time, so he stuck it on out for the rest of the day) and then on Tuesday, he missed school completely.  This may not seem like much to the average person but those who know Middle Child will appreciate it.  You see, since beginning High School (our high school starts with 7th grade remember), Middle Child has loved every minute of his educational career.  He never wants to miss.  A far cry from his elementary days, where for years he tried to catch every cold, stomach bug, rotovirus, or pink eye that came his way to get a chance to stay home....he even went so far as to lay in the bed with his brother when he had the flu a couple of years ago begging him to breathe in his face, trying to get it.  And when Baby Girl had mono and was quarrantined at home for weeks, Middle Child was happy to be the delivery boy for her snacks and drinks.  Why?  Because he would drink after her hoping to catch it to give himself a month off from school!! 

Now, back to present day and the abdominal pain.  Jokingly, one night I suggested maybe he was having menstrual cramps.  Thinking he would know what I was referring to, and with his witty humor, I thought he would get a good laugh.  Instead he said, "maybe I do, what's menstrual cramps?".  Oy! So, after giving a brief explanation, we moved on to other suggestions for the pain.  Middle Child is still the shortest guy in his grade, although he is growing, he is still smallish. However his big heart and personality take over so no one notices as much.  But anyway, his father suggested maybe these were "growing pains"....stating that he might just be about to have a huge growth spurt and his abdomen was just stretching to get ready!!!!  We all giggled and thought no more about it. 

Which brings me to today.  Yesterday afternoon and evening, Middle Child and I spent almost three hours in the doctor's office trying to get to the bottom of this pain.  They were concerned as he had swollen lymph nodes in his neck even though he had no other symptoms at all except the abdominal pain.  They chose to do labwork, urine samples and a belly x-ray to check for things like Mono, Strep, H Pylori, Hernia, etc.etc.  I wish you all could have been in the small room with me when they came to take his blood, it was the ultimate viewing of complete shock if I've ever seen it.  He had no idea it was coming and when the sweet lab girl strolled in holding a needle and 3 vials for his blood, he was speechless.  I held his hand and he buried his face in my chest while she administered the needle and all was fine through the first two vials....then he loudly stated with some mild panic in his voice...."You're cutting off my CIRCULATION....I can't feel my arm, I tell you that thing is cutting off my CIRCULATION!".....never a dull moment while he's around. I explained the rubber tie at his upper arm was there to make the blood flow faster into the vials, if we untied it, the process would take longer and therefore the needle would have to stay in his arm longer.  The sweet lab girl did oblige him and loosened it a bit.....for fear we were cutting off his CIRCULATION.....for crying out loud, abdominal pain was enough, he didn't want to lose an arm!

I am happy to report that his arm survived and all of the urine and blood tests came back clear.  He had none of those infections they tested for and all they could see on the x-ray was some stool and gas in his stomach.  They suggested we monitor him for the next few days, if any fever, vomitting, nausea or anything else arises we are to take him back down where they will administer a Cat Scan for a more comprehensive look at his abdomen.  But for now, we are to increase his fiber intake and see if that helps.

Middle Child was happy he wouldn't be getting any shots.  Happy he was fine and nothing major was wrong.  If you've ever been around him for an ample amount of time, you know he can be just the funniest thing and has the quickest wit of anyone in any situation.  In the car heading to the pharmacy to pick up some fiber gummies, he said, "hey mom, what's it called when something is you know, not human?"  After failing to help him figure out what he was trying to convey on the first couple of tries, I finally came up with the word he was looking for "superhuman?". 

Smiling brightly with his mouth and eyes he replied:  "Yes, superhuman.  I was thinking that whole time in the doctor's office, all those blood tests and my urine sample and that x-ray....out of all of that I was just sure they were about to come in and tell us that this was a case of "superhuman growth" and I would probably be 6'1" by Friday.  And then all they did was come in and tell us it was a big ol' gas bubble......talk about a complete let down."

One day he may in fact grow to be 6'1", although it doesn't look like it will happen by Friday.

The mean old mom strikes again -- Episode 23

There are times in parenting where you just have to say, "because I said so" and leave it at that.  While I could come up with a million reasons to back myself up, I am the mother, I get the last say, and that's just the way the cards were dealt.  My boys are fully aware of this undisclosed rule, but they often like to challenge it, just to see if it still exists.  

It still exists.  It is. It was. It shall ever remain in existence. Amen.

Recently they tried to pull a fast one on me and thought, just maybe, they were going to get away with it this time.....no.such.luck.buck-o.   Their high school has a Campus King and Queen each spring.  It's nothing major, but does require contestants to fill out a resume of sorts and show up, dressed nicely, on a Sunday afternoon for an interview with real live judges.  Then, the results are tallied and a couple of weeks later on Saturday night they stroll across the high school stage, dressed nicely, and the winners are announced. 

My boys know they are required to participate in such school activities....it's not a question at our house.  I expect them to do it, and no, not just "because I said so", even though I can enforce that rule if needed.  But rather, because it's character building, it's a great start to learning communication skills and the interview process, properly speaking about yourself, your future, your ambitions in life, it's fun to dress up and look all spiffy for a change, it's an awesome opportunity to build up your resume from year to year so that when the time comes for college...presto! you have already done the hard research to make YOU look your best on paper!

This year, both of my boys elected to forego informing me of the upcoming Campus King and Queen.  They thought their silence would win in the end.  They were wrong.  Bless their immature hearts, their mama is always going to find out.  Fortunately, a good friend asked, "why didn't the boys sign up for Campus King this year, I thought for sure they'd be in it."  That was all the fuel I needed to light a fire under their unassuming tails. And so, I promptly got in touch with the sponsor and said, "add their names to the list, they are in.  In fact, just keep their names on the list from now until they graduate, there is no need to ask them or me, just always know they will be participating, I don't care what they try to tell you at school."

And so, we raced around for the next 36 hours acquiring their interview attire.  Amidst the moans and groans and repititious  "I can't believe you are making us do this", we managed to pull it together.  I said, "guys, this is easy, it's an interview all about you, all the questions are going to be about your life, you can't get any of the answers wrong, it's the best process ever".   However, on the drive to the school building for interviews, I did give only a couple of instructions: 

• Try to remember they are not asking for yes or no answers, expound on your answers. If they ask what your favorite subject is in school, please do not say P.E., and DO NOT, under any circumstances, say something mean about your brother during your interview.

Campus King can only be awarded to a guy in grades 10-12, Elder Son and Middle Child are in grades 9 and 7.  So, they can't win, but they can try to secure an alternate position.  Elder Son has placed the last two years he has entered.  This is Middle Child's first year, and while his first goal was to be crowned King, once he realized that was not a possibility, his primary goal changed to just beating his brother. Oh, the love.   Anyway, interview day arrives, met with much anticipation.  They waited in the classroom until their time slot opened for them to be escorted to the interview room and stand alone before the judges. 

Elder Son did fantastic.  He's calm, cool and collected.  He answers his questions with ease.  When asked to name a song that describes him, he said "Dirt Road Anthem"....we live on a dirt road, he's pretty laidback, so "chillin' on a dirt road" does speak to his life right now.  When asked what he would do with a million dollars,  he answered he'd like to get a lakehouse (he loves the water, loves floating a river and fishing with his Daddy, loves family time on the lake) bless his sweet heart, I'll buy one for him if I get a million dollars one day too.  When asked about his community volunteer work, he responded by telling of how he helped deliver meals to our tornado victims last April.  When asked, besides a family member, tell us someone you admire most, he answered that his principal had great leadership abilities, was also an excellent coach, cared about every kid at the school and showed that on a daily basis, in and out of the classroom, on and off campus.  He's my more reserved child, the oldest, the reponsible one. 

Now, I'm going to give you a dialogue of just part of Middle Child's interview:

~So, what's your favorite subject in school?

• "well, I really want to say P.E., but I guess I'll say History or Reading. Right now I'm reading a book that took place in 793 A.D. and it's about these Anglo-Saxon siblings who are kidnapped by vikings...."....and he rambles on for a minute or two giving his complete dissertation of the current book he's reading.   

~What song best describes you?

• "I'm sexy and I know it" ---  yes, he really said that. And he didn't pause a second before answering.  And afterwards, bursts of laughter erupted from the interview room and the judges informed him he was the first one that day who had an immediate answer , many said they couldn't think of one.  Oh, a fine, shining, proud moment as a mother.  He answered with "I'm sexy and I know it"....He's 12. 

~Who do you think is the coolest girl, it can be a celebrity, a family member, a fellow student, anyone...

• (pointing to the table of  female judges, he cleverly answers) "If I choose one of you do I get extra points?"  Laughter erupts again and he knows he's got them reeled in with his undeniable charm.  But he continues on to give a real answer, "I'd have to say Betty White." (what? you've got to be kidding me, he said Betty White?) 
• Well, that's a great answer, but why did you choose her?  "Well, is really funny even though she's old, she's like 90 or something, and she's still working, I mean she's just really cool like that"  (More laughter)

~Why do you think you should be chosen over your brother for Campus King?

• "Um, my mother said we were not allowed to talk about my brother during the interview"

~(amidst giggling again) Okay then, why don't you just tell us why YOU should win Campus King? 

• "Well, (combing his hand through his hair), because I'm "me" and I'm wearing this pin stripe vest...and we all know pin stripes are awesome"

Win, lose or draw....pin stripe vests are awesome indeed.  Now, I guess I need to sign him up for a self-esteem class to build his confidence a little, huh?  I'm sexy and I know it.....oh. my. lands.   He doesn't meet a stranger.  He doesn't stress out about much, if anything.  He is bright, witty, a clear thinker, an intelligent old soul inside a young little body.  As my brother-in-law always says, "he's never going to need blood pressure medication in his life."  He rolls with the punches and smiles the whole way.

We don't know the results yet, that's still many days away, but I do know that I am proud of both Elder Son and Middle Child.  They rocked their interviews in their Sunday attire and they didn't even complain one minute afterwards.  Secretly, I think they enjoyed it although you will never get them to admit it.  I did however, kiss Elder Son on the cheek back at home and quietly whispered..."thanks for doing Campus King", he smiled sweetly at me and replied "I didn't mind, it wasn't that bad"  which is cool guy speak for "mama, you are the best, I am so glad you make us do this stuff that we really don't want to do because no one else's mama is making them do it, but in the end I know it's going to help us and it's really fun when you get down to it and when I'm all grown up I will look back on this and be even more appreciative" -- or something along those lines.  :)

Christmas morning annual photo

Kind of makes me sad to look at it.  Instead of looking all wide eyed with excitement about what is waiting around the stairwell corner that Santa brought, they just look sleepy. Of course this year we did have to WAKE them up to begin the Christmas morning festivities. They are getting older. Boo on that.  :(

My boys of fall....

It's not that I'm a slacker...no, really, it's not.  I lost an entire laptop.  A spare laptop that I had been using after mine perished back in August.  And it was the laptop that I had saved pics from their Junior Varsity football games.  We've been searching for weeks...and finally, I found it! So, here they are, some very overdue football pics of my boys:

I really just wanted to keep them home.....

First Day of School.....the years just keep flying by....

Denial. It's where I'll be living the next few days.

So this week you'll be knee deep in denial with me.  Like it or not.  Beginning with this post.

Which should have been posted back in May, on the last day of school....but in my state of denial, I chose to keep putting it off in an attempt to prolong the inevitable. 

Middle Child begins high school next week (which begins in 7th grade here).  And I just can't help but think he should still be in maybe, 2nd grade? Another year with the fabulous Mrs. Davis would be just fine with me. And he would be excited about my packing his cute little football snack bag.  

But no.  Apparently, they grow up and you have to let them be promoted if they make the grades. Or some hogwash like that. 

So off to the wolves high school he goes!!

But not before I made him suffer through these last snapshots of walking down the elementary halls one last time....when all was right in my little world.

Summer is here! Let's get this party started!!

Finally, after what seemed like for-e-vah, the school year came to an end.  Did you have to go to school in June when you were growing up?  Not me. I've never been to school in June in my life, except of course, when I attended summer semesters in college (which was really just to prolong the party season, classes were a side dish).    

But let me just tell you, and I think I can speak for children everywhere not just those who reside in my household....school in June is for the birds. FOR THE BIRDS.

Anywhoo, to celebrate the arrival of our summer and to kick the previous school year to the curb, I made HAPPY END OF SCHOOL buckets for the kids. No, I didn't come up with the idea on my own.  I did what any good mother would do....I stole it from a smart, creative mom, who happens to be a bloggy friend of mine, and doesn't mind when I steal her ideas.

The kids were really excited to learn of this new tradition we would begin to kick start summer each year.  I tried explaining that it wasn't going to be one surprise but rather a series of events, a series that would last all summer. Some added fun to look forward to amidst all the other chaos that is involved with our usual summer.....football workouts, gymnastics training, camps, vacation, reunions, vbs, basketball, weddings, sleepovers, etc.

And so, the buckets (individual color coded popcorn buckets) were filled with:

•  telescopic marshmallow sticks
•  giant bubble wands (who doesn't love bubbles?)
•  tennis balls
•  shrinky dink sets
•  free summer movie schedules
•  craft kits
•  grow your own (legal) herb kits
•  badminton
•  new earbuds for the ipod
•  water balloons
• a calendar of our events
• you get the idea

I had already bought cards for each of them and included a personal note from their Daddy and I about how proud we were of them and how much we enjoyed watching them grow this year in academics, sports, programs, church and life. 

Then I had a revelation about 5 hours before school ended.....wouldn't it be fun to have a picture collage of highlights from the school year, various sporting events, field trips, school plays, etc. And I'm so glad I did that....the kids LOVED it, and had fun remembering their year through photos....and mama has her a nice little keepsake too. I hope to find time to go back and make one from all the previous years as well. Kind of a "year at a glance". Great for sparking conversations and giggles.

Since everything wouldn't fit in the popcorn buckets, I bought fun plastic boxes (which for future use will make for great storage spots for each of them) for their coupons. They had no idea there was more fun waiting inside.

Each box was filled with coupons and gift cards to be used this summer.

• Movie passes (theater and drive-in--we love $10 carload night at the drive-IN!!)
• Family camp outs (to make good use of our telescopic marshmallow stix)
• Picnics--at places locally around our little rural neck of the woods
• Mommy and Me date (they get to pick everything!)
• Swimming (hey Mrs. Joy!! hope to visit soon! :) )
• Baby Girl had a coupon for a pedicure
• Elder Son and Middle Child wouldn't go for a pedicure, so they have multiple passes to the batting cages
• Trips to Aunt Karisa's
• Tennis (my only rule was that we couldn't go during the heat of the day....mama might have a heat stroke)
• Family game night (I can bring a mean game on bowling for the wii)
• Hi-Ho Hi-Ho off to work with Daddy you go (they love, I mean LOVE, spending time at Daddy's office)

So, hopefully I'll be updating throughout the summer as we cash in our coupons for fun galore. And pray right now they don't make me play tennis in the heat. Or choose paintball wars as their date with me. Or camp outs in the rain. Or choose family game night to include two hand touch football. I may not survive. There should be rules. Mental note....Next year I need to print out a set of rules for the buckets. :) 

Awards day & dart throwing--who knew they were related?

And so, we've almost arrived at the end of another school year and it's time for me to document the children's achievements as awarded by the school. 

You know, it's a post to look back on in a few years and remind myself how cute, responsible and smart they each were.....before they go off to college and try harder to shoot a good game of darts at The Strutting Duck on Thursday night instead of studying for a physics test.  Not that I know ANYTHING about that sort of lifestyle.  But I hear it happens.

Elder Son:

  A-B Honor Roll

Science Assessment

ARMT (Alabama Reading and Math)

Good Citizenship

Middle Child:

A-B Honor Roll

Presidential Academic Excellence

Baby Girl:

All A Honor Roll

Highest Academic Average - Language

Highest Academic Average - Reading

Highest Academic Average - Social Studies

Highest Academic Average - Math

Presidential Fitness Award (only girl to receive it this year)

Most Outstanding Student

I'm going to go out on a limb and say someone in the family may be a bit of an over achiever and some others may not apply themselves quite as much as they could.  

 Which may lead me to beleive that one day they will have a dart board in their apartment on campus to practice up for Thursday nights. 

***Daddy and I are very proud of all 3 of you!!! And just to make him feel good, we'll use our clever imaginations and act as though you get your academic excellence from his half of the DNA.  :)

Oh summertime, wherefor art thou, summertime?

It's back to school time....already.  I'm so bummed....I'm gonna miss having these 3 with me all day, every day....I must say they are quite a fun bunch of chaps!

P.S. Is it me or do they look like they are growing up?  Before my very eyes, and yours. Ugh. Sadness to follow. 

P.S.S.  By the way, how about this, a post with a picture...and not just a bunch of words! :) Maybe I'll get back in the swing of things soon....after a few days of mourning the ABRUPT passing of summer break.

Tonsillectomey, Smonsillectomey.....she's still at the top of her class.

                                                               

Yes, she survived her surgery.  Yes, she stayed out of school the full week, just as the doctor suggested.  And to be honest, I think that hurt her worse than the surgery itself.  However, she diligently contiued her studies while homebound.....inquiring every afternoon of her brother if he had stopped by her classroom to gather her work for the day. She LOVES school....in fact, I'm certain she'd be the only child I have who would volunteer to go year 'round if it were offered.   

At any rate, she did great work all year and on awards day it paid off.  In her classroom she received a multiplication award which included a free movie rental, as well as the classroom "cheerful cheerleader".  That's her alright. During the school awards assembly, she received All-A Honor Roll, Highest Academic Average in Language and one that encompasses more than just her academics, several other factors are taken into account as well, Most Outstanding Student. 

She just smiled so brightly when we were at home later in the day.  I said, "Baby Girl, do you realize you have gotten that award every single year you've been in school?"......To which she replied, "Yes, m'am....I don't know how I do it.  I just do my work every year the same way."    

I guess every year she just has the best teacher ever who prepares her for the upcoming year to be the best she can possibly be.   I know you all probably get tired of seeing this similar post year after year, but undoubtedly, Baby Girl has been blessed with having the BEST of the BEST every year.  Seriously, her first 4 teachers have all been PHENOMENAL.....and we couldn't have asked for more than PHENOMENAL, now could we? 

A big thanks to this fine lady, Baby Girl's teacher, who consequently also taught Elder Son at this age.  She's the cream of the crop and Baby Girl loves her so much!

Now, let me say, my boys received awards as well.  However, they don't feel the need to be photographed so much anymore.  In fact, I bet if I'd walked into the high school with my camera for awards day, Elder Son would have acted as if he didn't know me!  However, he doesn't scare me, but it was coming an absolute downpour and thus I didn't bother with the camera. 

Elder Son did receive honor roll this year....A-B honor roll.....of which I'd like to take this moment to clarify the "B" portion of that....but don't get me started.  Let me just say that he finished the year with all A's as his final scores in every class.  Regardless, we are proud, first year of high school, very involved in sports and activites, honor roll....nice job!  Plus, he received an even better award than that....I know he's smart, I don't need the honor roll certificate to tell me that, but he also was awarded the Good Citizenship award.  Way to go, Elder Son!

And what about Middle Child?  Oh, he did well too, but like Elder Son, he's not so much into the getting your picture made business. In fact he was more worried about getting back to his room after awards assembly because his class was having a grill out party.....clearly he has his priorities in order....it is food that fuels the brain afterall, right?  :)  He was awarded All-A honor roll and was also recognized for having been chosen by Duke University, for the second year in a row, to be tracked due to his high scores on the national testings.  You must score in the 95th percentile in Math and Science for this recognition....meaning that you have scored better than 95 percent of the nation in your age group.  Middle Child scored in the 99th percentile. 

Way to go....smart like your mama....or maybe not. I know, I know....it really comes from your father, but unfortunately your father doesn't have a blog, so I can say whatever I want!   Actually, what your father always says is that he doesn't put much stock in those test scores....so maybe he'll let me take the credit just this once.  ;)

Brothers.

Sometimes a mama will forget things and the world keeps spinning regardless.

Yes, even when a mother has forgotten to iron those khaki pants and button down, who are we kidding here, even if a mother has forgotten to throw those items in the dryer and hit the dewrinkle button (a time or two).....or even if the mother forgot altogether about it being Honor Society day to begin with, and thus never even reached the point of getting the clothes from the closet to the dryer for dewrinkling....you know what that mother found out...the world did not stop rotating on it's axis. Not even for a millisecond.

That was the lesson I learned just a few days ago.  When in fact, Middle Boy was scheduled to be honored for the 2nd year as a member of the Honor Society at his school, and I had recieved the note earlier to confirm the date, time, and Sunday attire that was suggested for the ceremony. Luckily, I remembered the date.  Luckily, I have a good friend who is the school secretary and doesn't mind when I called the school that morning to be certain of the correct time. But I had yet to remember the proper clothing. 

And then upon my arrival to the ceremony, with camera in tow, I looked over to find Middle Boy sitting in the crowd, awaiting his time on stage, and realized to my horror that we had forgotten to dress appropriately for the occassion. 

A pair of jeans, his tennis shoes, and a long sleeve T-shirt.  Oh well. There was no turning back now.   Normally, in years past, I have lovingly picked a "just right" outfit, one where they could walk across the stage to have their ribbon pinned proudly to their chest, and walk off straight to a board room as a little business man ready to take on the world.  Not this time. 

And mind you, it was not just any long sleeve shirt either.  In fact, it was a shirt that I have actually made Middle Boy take off before.  Inevitably, at least once a week, he'll arrive downstairs ready to eat breakfast, brush hair and gather backpacks, and he'll be wearing this shirt.  And at least once a week, I'll look at him and say, "You need to go change your shirt. You know that shirt has stains on the side, and the sleeves are really too short for you, and it's fine to wear here at home to play around in, but find something else to wear for school.  Now scoot, time's a wastin'. "  

However, he LOVES this shirt. Must be the feel of it, I don't really know for sure what the big draw is, but it's something.  So, knowing how much he loves it,  this was in fact the very shirt I carefully chose to take with us last month when he was scheduled for surgery.  I let him wear it with a pair of his favorite warm, snuggie, pajama pants for his hospital visit.  Because you see, I didn't care what the nurses and doctors thought of his clothes, I just wanted him to feel safe, secure, comfortable and at his best for the events of that day. 

But this day, this day where he goes before the school, his peers, the teachers, the parents and grandparents and family members of all the other Honor Society members who've come to see their children march across the stage in their Sunday dress to receive this honor of achieving excellence in their academic acheivements.....this day, he was not supposed to wear that comfy, stained, too short of a long sleeve t-shirt. 

But he did.  And do you know what happened?  He marched proudly across that stage and his honor ribbon of excellence was pinned to his comfy, stained, too short of a long sleeve t-shirt.  He was a part of that ceremony just like everyone else. I took his picture.  And looking through my lens I had a dozen memories of him in that shirt flash before me.  Each one so precious. So very precious.  Time is passing us by whether we partake in the memories or not. 

There was a time in my life (in fact it wasn't very long ago) that I would have almost broken my neck to drive the few miles back home, very quickly, breaking speed limits and various other road laws I'm sure, just to get him a proper change of clothes. But instead, this time around, I sat there and pointed it out to my good friend sitting beside me.  I laughed at myself.  Reminded her more times than she probably cared to hear that... I just couldn't believe I had forgotten about his clothes, I just can't believe of all shirts, he's wearing the one shirt I tell him not to even wear to school.

And I realized, right there in that moment.....

it's not a shirt that makes a man....it's the man that makes the shirt.

And I couldn't be prouder of that little man in that little shirt.

Really, I am a very responsible parent, despite what this post may convey.

Yesterday, on a total whim, I took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. Yes, by choice. In the middle of the week. On a school night.  When they had homework that needed to be done.  And instead, we threw caution, and our educational standards, to the wind.


But boy did those kiddos have fun.  Sure, the pizza was mediocre at best, and the 10 cent tootsie pop and 25 cent plastic toy laser gun (which was the size of my pinky finger) that Middle Child won with some of his tickets at the prize counter were useless as it will probably be broken before he finds it under the back seat to play with it again......

Regardless....it was the fun that mattered.  At least that's what the voices in my head keep telling me.  And I tried hard to really focus on listening to them instead of Chuck E. Cheese and his band of maniacs who were singing silly renditions of some of my most loved 80's classic hits.  I thought for a moment I might go punch him in his big fat furry grey head, but decided that would only cause drama at the party that was going on across the way, and the birthday child would probably start crying and everyone would blame me.  So I let that table of kids have their fun and then when the last piece of cake was eaten, and they loaded up the balloons and presents as quickly as they could, because....hello....it was a school night, and my goodness, look at the time, it's almost 7:30, we must get these kids home and in bed.....well, I just sat there admiring that bunch of ROOKIE mothers and smiled.

The rat will go away now, the party's over. Thank goodness. And we basically had the place to ourselves....it's all in proper planning y'all.  Wear those newbies out and stay in it for the long haul!!!

The priceless random memories you'll see here in the random photos from our random night of fun....in the middle of the week, on a school night....when really, all the experts would have said we needed to be home finishing up that homework. 

I scoff in the face of those "experts".  

 The boys had a grand, I mean GRAND time shooting hoops, among other various ticket yielding game machines as well.  And Middle Child at one point in the night came over to the table to proudly exclaim...."Mama, look (showing me a stack of tickets) I hit the JACKPOT."  Yes, indeed you did.  And so did I....my kids are awesome.

They had a blast being the only two, seeing as how NO ONE else was in the joint, dancing on the blue screen on stage, being showcased on the Chuck E. Cheese big screens.

In between pizza bite breaks, and coke refills, and game playing, Baby Girl would stop to take a moment to feed the tickets that were piling up on the table.  And then she'd promptly bring me back the little receipt showing she had accrued  33!! , or 65!!, or 78!!, or 27!! tickets for all that hard work she had just exerted on the skeeball ramps.   Good for you Baby Girl, for all that's worth....you might get a sucker AND a plastic bracelet!  You go girl!

At which point I remembered I had been toting around an old receipt for the kids in my wallet.  Until I brought it out again, I had not realized I had been toting it around for 2 1/2 years.  That's dedication folks.  Or guilt.   You see the reason I had it in my wallet and it had not been cashed in for a prize before was because 2 1/2 years ago my patience as a mother had not reached the level it has now.  At that particular point in time I had been so frazzled waiting and watching the agonizing choice between two Chuck E Cheese sticker sheets or a miniature parachute army man....that had went on for 20 minutes one afternoon in the middle of the summer....I broke.  And I snatched up the ticket receipt (placed it in my purse for later) and firmly announced that no prize would be allowed that day.  So, as it may not have been one of my finer moments of motherhood, I was able to redeem myself from it now....in this moment.....when Baby Girl squealed with delight at having 154!!! to add to her stash.

Two years later, and we still spent an AGONIZING amount of time at the prize counter.   Carefully choosing swirly pops and pop rocks candy and tootsie pops and plastic laser guns and "fake barf" (big hit, as 2 of my 3 had to have it). 

And the "prizes" turned out to actually cost around $6.75 each when you calculate the luck/skill ratio of the games played with the tickets each produced.

Let's just suffice it to say, I could have bought enough bags of tootsie pops to feed the entire school (even those who didn't want to do their homework) and a real laser gun, even, for the amount we spent.....but the memories wouldn't have been worth half as much as what I witnessed for the night of fun. 

Like this precious moment from the Chuck E Cheese sketch pad.  Aw.....so sweet. I may cut it out and frame it....it was worth the $57 we spent on horrid pizza and cheap prizes.

But don't count the night as a complete loss.  As the responsible parent that I am, we did stay until 2 minutes to closing.  We shut them down my friend.  And in another moment of wonderful motherhood.....since it was a school night, in the middle of the week, with homework left to do, I also allowed the kids to drink from the fountain machine until the proverbial cherry coke well was almost dry.  Caffeine, so late?  Why not.

And already past their bedtime, at 8:58, with caution still thrown to the wind, I wheeled out of the rat's parking lot and noticed to my viewing pleasure the neon lights of Krispy Kreme were blinking HOT! NOW!.  

I took it as a sign from above that I deserved a HOT! NOW! doughnut......and my kids did too.  Because, in my opinion, you can't reach maximum SUGAR! CARB! EXCITEMENT! overload until you add a Krispy Kreme to the mix.

So there you have it.  We braved the scene at Chuck E. Cheese and lived to tell about it.

Chuck E. Cheese----where a kid can be a kid, and a mama can savor each and every moment....that's bringing her closer and closer to getting her very own prescription of prozac. 

Middle Child, the comedian.

• Why did the chicken NOT cross the road?   

Because he was a.............chicken. :)

Breaking News....no pun intended!! :)

Okay.  I really needed rest but let me just tell you how my day has gone instead. 

Middle Child and I arrived home from Children's Hospital around 12:45 this afternoon.  I told you we went in EARLY this morning, they whipped him into surgery (first on the board for the day!!), had an hour long stay in recovery, and he did so outstandingly well...we were out of there before lunch.  YAHOO!! 

We had been home less than an hour when my mom called to say she had just checked out Elder Son from the high school.  As it turns out, yesterday, he was playing basketball during P.E. and went up for a rebound with another friend, both came down with his foot hitting the floor hard and the friend landed on his foot "awkwardly", as Elder Son describes it.  He complained some with it last night, but thought all would be okay.  He doesn't like to miss school, so when he called my mom to come check him out, she knew it must be hurting pretty bad. 

It was swollen and already showed some bruising, so I figured better to be safe than sorry.....so, back in the car I settled and drove him to a Med Clinic for an X-ray.   Fortunately, it is not fractured, only a severe sprain, and he has to wear this air cast brace on it for a while.  I'm glad it's not broken, but don't let a sprained ankle fool you....they hurt terribly bad, and are not quick to get well.

I sat in the patient room this afternoon at 4:00 almost in a daze. Between both the boys, and their respective injuries,  I had signed or received so many medical papers, release forms, consent forms, patient info, prescriptions, school excuses, activity restriction papers, etc.etc.etc. and been told so many instructions to go along with it all, I had to ask the nurse to repeat the stuff all over again for Elder Son because my brain had not stored it the first time the doctor went over it. :)   Ugh. 

She was sweet and understood, so she gave it to me again.  We were released after she put the brace on Elder son, so we left to head home and I knew I had to get the pain prescription filled for Middle Child (you know, the one who had surgery earlier today???!!!!!)  It was then that I realized I had not had anything to eat since the banana at 5:45 AM at the hospital.  It was now 4:15 PM.  That could be a problem.  I wanted to stop right then and there and cry for my Mama. 

Then I remembered that wouldn't help, because she was back at my house sitting with Middle Child, who was resting from surgery.  I dropped off the prescriptions and decided Elder Son and I would get a bite to eat.  Because of the day I was having, my first plan was to find the nearest Mexican restaurant, wheel into a parking space, crawl into a booth, order some chips and queso and a tall glass of ice water sombrero sized margarita.  And then I remembered I still had to drive home.  And while I had Elder Son with me, even with his sprained ankle, the law prohibits 12 year olds from being designated drivers.  HA! Can you tell I'm delirious from no sleep and the stress of the day????

So we went to Chick-Fil-A instead.  And I had a large coke.  Very refreshing.  And the chicken nuggets helped fuel my body to push right on through to make it back to the pharmacy, gather the goods my hurt boys needed, and drive us home to all pile up for rest.   So, let's recap....

• Middle Child had surgery this morning....it was a success. 
• Elder Son took a visit to the clinic this afternoon....no broken bone, only sprained ankle. 
• Their Mama is one day closer to the crazy ward, yet again. 

Both are resting....want to see??


Elder Son is resting on the couch......

With his ankle elevated.....

And that sweet little Middle Child is still sleeping off his anesthesia....

With his right femur rod removal surgical leg elevated.......

I am eagerly anticipating T-5 and Baby Girl to arrive home soon.  And that sleep, the sleep that has been beckoning me since I rose from the bed at 4 this morning, will again be restored to all of us here in the House of Bowling.

Of course, right now the family is caught up in the American Idol reality and I can't see the computer screen through misty eyes for some sweet little country girl from Tennessee. Bless her heart.  I'm pulling for her already! :)

 I will share more with you tomorrow concerning my patients.  Also, I realize these are minor problems considering all that those in Haiti are dealing with at the present time.  It sems so far removed from us because we are here....no earthquakes....no rubble....no mass death and destruction.  However, it became very real today when we were told one of the recovery nurses at Children's Hospital (where we were this morning), has a brother who was doing something with the military there in Haiti and they have yet to hear from him. Pray. Prayer works. Just ask my boys.

The BIG snow storm of 2010....sort of.

Yes, it snowed.  For several hours in fact.  There was one tiny problem though....the temp was above freezing for most of that time, and thus, all that blizzard was a loss.  When it finally did drop below 32 degrees, it was too late....so we only managed to get a very light dusting.  However, my kids will make the most of what's given.....so here's the pics from their big SNOW day...you folks who deal with real snow can just skip on by all this nonsense we southerners call playing in the snow. :)

(My, my, Elder Son, what big nostrils you have when you flex them to extremes trying to get your mouth wide open to catch a falling flake.)

(Baby Girl was determined to build a snow-woman (in miniature). Regardless of the lack of snow.)

(She was very determined.  Even amidst an all out snowball fight....regardless of the lack of snow.)

(Still determined, but frustrated by her older brothers....she moved out of the direct line of fire and continued molding her masterpiece.)

(Which she insisted on bringing home and putting it in our freezer to show her Daddy when he arrived home.Yes, I know, it's a real beauty....dirty snow and all.)

Yep, it snowed.  A full quarter of an inch. Tops. But we had fun anyway....and that's what really matters.