What a Difference a Day Makes!

Wednesday, the first preschool day of the year for Miles, was rough on him.  After several hours of downtime on Wednesday, he did tell us about his day... Miss Julie, Miss Jennifer, the little potty, apple trees, snacks (crackers, cereal, and juice), Levi, and toys (2 celery, muffins, and bananas).  Yesterday he didn't have school and was happy about that.  Today he woke up and I told him it was a school day.  He didn't react, so I took that as a good sign.  I was quite surprised when, at 8 a.m., he wanted to go outside and wait for the bus.  Two problems...#1- the bus isn't scheduled to come until shortly before 9 a.m., and #2- he was wearing only his underwear and backpack.  I got him dressed, found his shoes, closed all the windows (because I had to leave as soon as the bus came), and did everything else I could think of to stall him.  That got us to 8:20.  He still wanted to go outside and wait for the bus.  Since I couldn't come up with anything better to do, we went outside and sat on the front steps.  We sang songs ("Good singing, Mommy"), labeled body party, observed pill bugs, talked about the cars that drove by, counted trees, and counted rocks, but it was still only 8:40.  A few moments later, I heard the sound of a large engine.  Crossing my fingers that it was the bus, I looked down the street and could see the yellow bus heading towards our house!  The bus was early!!! Miles saw it and jumped up.  The bus pulled up in front of the bus and Miles happily ran and got on the bus and had a great day at school.  Yippee!

Possible Royalty?

True story, and it makes me laugh... Today in Jonathan's second class, he was given a notification that said... 

"CONGRATULATIONS! You have been selected as a possible candidate for HOMECOMING ROYALTY!"  

He's one of 10 senior boys (men? dudes? studs?) that were selected for a pre-vote to be held tomorrow to narrow the field for the Homecoming King at THS.  I'm laughing.  I think this is a bit out of his element.  He's perplexed and gets red faced when we talk about it.  Maybe he's even a bit pleased.  So, Prince-in-Waiting Jonathan will find out sometime this weekend if he gets/has to compete for Homecoming King or if he gets to resume his regular life.

1st Day of PreSchool

Miles went back to school today.  He wasn't particularly excited about it.  He spent a good part of the time before school crying.  Miles' anxiety level kept rising and rising... you can see it in his body language.

 But then the bus came, and he got right on!

But he still wasn't happy about it.

The day must have gone fine though as he was happy getting off the bus.  I took him to "Happy Star" for lunch to celebrate a successful first day!

The Garden Can Go Die

I know I've whined about our lame garden several times this growing season, and here's another go. A couple of weeks ago, my next door neighbor brought over a large bag full of tomatoes because they can't keep up with the all the tomatoes their garden is producing. Yesterday I harvested our biggest tomato crop of the season. Lame.

While the tomatoes are lame, the pepper plants have had all their leaves eaten off, and the pumpkins and green beans are dead (except for the Jack-Be-Littles, which are doing awsome), the cucumbers won't stop. We've tired of picking them daily, so on occasion we find one that got neglected; like this beast (that's next to a typical Costco cucumber for size reference)-

 Seriously, isn't that the biggest, scariest, Armenian cucumber ever? It's going over the fence...

Impressive Tantrum

Last night, most of us went to a party at Vivian Park.  Miles had a great time playing at the playground and playing football.  He was not ready to leave when it was time to go.  He'd been playing at 110% for nearly 2 hours and it was time for bath, stories, and bed.  He was crying before he ever got in his car seat and the full tantrum quickly ensued when he realized that we were serious about leaving.  After listening to the tantrum for 10+ minutes, I decided it needed to be preserved.  Nolan caught the winding down of the tantrum on video for me...

Vegetarian Confession

I became a vegetarian several years ago for a few reasons.  First, I realized that the main reason I ate meat was because it was in front of me.  I didn't really enjoy it; it was just there.  Second, having studied biology and completed many, many dissections, meat was just too "familiar" for me to eat.  Third, the final straw came from being utterly disgusted while prepping a turkey for Thanksgiving.  Anyway, I didn't go vegetarian for animal rights/ethics/Save the Planet reasons; just for my own personal, irrational reasons.  Although I quit eating meat, I never swore off a return to carnivorism; actually, on rare occasion over the past years, I've tried a bit of meat.  I discovered that my problem with turkey is a texture issue.  I've actually craved a burger based on smell, but when presented with the option of eating one, I couldn't do it.  Recently I've been seriously contemplating trying to reincorporate meat back into my diet.  Why? Well, the truth is that I am tired of going out to eat and looking at the menu and ordering from the extremely limited choices of vegetarian foods that are not exciting instead of ordering something I actually want to eat; a "can eat" versus a "what I want to eat issue."  For the past couple of weeks, I've been thinking about a recipe I used to make- Cajun Chicken Strips.  Yesterday I decided that I was going to make it.  I bought the chicken tenders and prepped them for lunch.  I'd forgotten how much I hate cooking with chicken tenders because of that long, nasty tendon that I have to remove before cooking/eating it.  I was able to prep the chicken with my bare hands without gagging- a huge step in the right direction.  Then I mixed up the Cajun seasoning and cooked the chicken.  It looked good; it smelled good, but I still wasn't convinced I was going to eat it.  I picked up a Cajun tender and ate it.  It was really good!  So I had another one, and then a third.  So, I've made progress.  However, I do not see a return to fast food crappy burgers/chicken sandwiches, sausage, steak, or a Thanksgiving turkey anytime in the near future. 

So, what am I now?  I guess I am essentially a vegetarian who will, on occasion and selectively, eat some meat. 

Future Track Star

While the Big Ones were busy with their triathlons yesterday, Miles had a lot of time to kill.  He showed us his newly discovered track skills involving hurdles that were just his size!

On the way home from Kamas, the boys wanted to stop at Dairy Keen.  Besides the cool Coke machine, the only other redeeming thing about Dairy King is the Kid's Meal prizes.  Last time we were there, Miles got a squirt gun.  This time he got those spring/slinky bug-eyed glasses.  He thinks they are awesome.

Proud of My of Boys

Today was the South Summit Triathlon. It's my boys' favorite. Jonathan was in the adult race and Nolan was still able to compete in the youth division. Jonathan's race was first. He was in the under 19 age group. He looked pretty hammered at the end of the run, but the bike is his strength; he passed a lot of racers while on the bike leg. He ran inside for the swim and we waited at the finish. Jonathan did great! He placed 5th overall and won his age group!

After celebrating Jonathan's triumph, it was Nolan's turn to race. He had high hopes of a good finish since this is the last year he can compete in the youth division. He had a strong run and a better bike.

He ran to the pool and we waited at the finish. We waited and waited and waited. Kids kept coming out and crossing the finish line, but no Nolan. Dan and Miles went in to see what was going on. They didn't come out. I was worried that Nolan was having an asthma attack. Jonathan went in to see what was going on. A couple minutes passed before Jonathan came out and he told me that Nolan was removed from the pool and was in first aid because he had a bloody nose and couldn't be in the pool until it stopped. What a disappointment. Nolan went from among the first to quite a way back. He could have quit and no one would have faulted him, but instead he decide to finish the race. Disappointed, he crossed the finish line, more than 10 minutes later than he would have if he didn't get a bloody nose.

Hard race, bummer finish, but I'm proud of him for finishing what he started. The amazing thing is that in spite of his bloody nose and delayed finish, he still managed to come in 4th place in his age group.

Congratulations, Jonathan and Nolan!

Did I Mention...

...that someone had a BSA Board of Review for the rank of Eagle last night? No? Well, Nolan (at 13 years, 4 months, and 7 days old) is officially an Eagle Scout (with 61 merit badges)! Due to the amount of paperwork that needs to go from here to there to another place, then back to stop #2, then somewhere else, etc., his Court of Honor won't be for at least 2 months. But he's got ideas in the works and we'll get the event planned just how he wants it. Congratulations, Nolan!

Farts are Funny

Miles read another book to me yesterday. It is well known that his speech is not the clearest.  Yesterday he was reading to me about "spots", but I was hearing the word "farts".  I'll admit it, I was giggling.

Miles "Reads" Aloud

I caught Miles "reading" today.  Go Dog, Go! is a favorite book right now.  It's part of his bedtime routine (and morning routine, and midday routine, and early afternoon, etc.

My Graceful Act

I prefer to blog about the adventures, both good and stupid, of my kids, but sometimes I manage to do something so spectacular that it deserves a mention.  Last night we took Miles to "#4 Park".  #4 park is at Miles' school and since it's almost time for him to go back to school and he is not excited about that, we thought that playing at the playground would be a good way to help transition him.  The playground area was littered with balls and a jump rope that didn't make it back into the school after recess.  I picked up the jump rope and started playing.  Evidently I forgot that I wasn't 8 anymore and decided to do "Double Hot Chili Peppers" and I blew it.  I fell.  Hard.  Directly on my bum.  Oh, ouch.  Instant pain. Years and years ago when I was a gymnast, I bruised my tailbone and I immediately recalled that pain as I was experiencing it again.  It hurts to stand.  It hurts to recline.  It hurts to sit (but actually, this is the least painful position to be in!).  Last night was miserable.  I woke up every time I rolled over because, evidently, rolling over is painful.  Miles came in to visit at 5 a.m., he kicked me in the tailbone as he climbed into bed.  So fun.  On the bright side, at least it's not broken (and while Dan isn't convinced, I'm 99.984% sure it isn't and it's not like there's anything that can be done to "fix" it)!

Haircut, and He Liked It!

Maybe "liked it" is a bit of a stretch, but the haircut wasn't traumatic this time.  With the Big Ones back in school, it was time to take Miles in for a haircut.  Haircuts are hard for Miles and he has whimpered or cried, or screamed/freaked out every time he's had a haircut since birth.  I take him to a place that almost exclusively cuts children's hair because I don't feel bad for them if Miles cries because a large percentage of their clientele reacts in a similar fashion.  I had high hopes that this haircut would be the turning point haircut because ever since his last haircut, every time we drive by the "salon" he asks for a haircut and balloon.  So yesterday was the day.  I made his appointment and then began prepping him for the cut.  I repeatedly told him "no crying".  We arrived a few minutes early and he happily ran off to play on the slide.  When it was his turn, he left the play area and asked if he could sit in the airplane.  He got to.  Then he sat relatively still and let the stylist do her job.  No screaming.  No crying.  He wasn't thrilled with the clippers, but he wasn't too squirmy.  He even let the lady spike his hair at the end.  Then he climbed down, got his balloon, and left the salon acting like haircuts were no bid deal and he did this kind of stuff everyday.  Thank goodness.

Summer's End

Today was the day.  It's back to school for the Big Ones.  

This one...

is a Senior. 

And this one...

is in 8th grade.  

While this one with wild hair...

goes back to school next week!

The summer of 2012 has unofficially wrapped up.  Truly, I'm not going to miss this one.  While for my little family, it was a typical summer with work, band, swimming, camps, backpacking, yardwork, nagging mom, etc., it's been a hard summer for many of my friends--- divorces and separations, lost jobs, lost homes, illnesses (both the nasty acute kind and the long-term chronic life threatening kind).  So good-bye summer 2012 and may the rest of the year be kinder!

Some Sundays

My friend teaches the 5/6 year old Primary Class.  She's got her hands full.  It's an active all-boy class.  Some of the boys are age appropriate ADD, while others pose more of a challenge.  In addition, one sweet boy has special needs; he's both autistic and deaf, yet the most charming young man with beautiful eyes and a smile that is magical.  I think there are 7 boys in the class.  The class functions okay if, in addition to the teacher, there is a adult buddy for the special needs child and a third adult to act as the bouncer to encourage the rest of the boys to stay in their seats and on track.  I've volunteered to be the bouncer.  It's been fine, and even fun, but some days are harder than others.  Today was one of those days.  We've had a visitor for the past several weeks.  He's a sweet boy, but he, too, has special needs that no one has bothered to let us know about.  He has been my buddy for the past 3 Sundays.  He's very smart and grasps concepts quickly.  He's verbal.  Yet, certain behaviors and actions aren't within the norm.  Today he was pushing me over the edge.  Today I wore my black watch instead of my brown watch.  The brown watch has a button that resets the stopwatch arm.  He likes that; he likes watching the stopwatch hand whip around into place, but I wore the watch that has a second hand instead of a stopwatch hand so that upset him.  But he was okay.  He loves windows and today he kept gravitating to the window.  The chair wasn't appealing. But he was okay.  Why was he okay?  He had a sensory device that kept him grounded.  He was loving a blush brush.  He ran it up and down his arms, over his shoes and feet, down his pants, across the front of him, and into his mouth where it became saliva saturated.  Then he started running the brush all over my arm.  Oh my.  I was gagging.  I though I was going to lose it.  This little boy meant no harm.  He probably thought he was being considerate by sharing his grounding device with me, but it was more than I could take.  Luckily, he got distracted and dropped the brush. We got through the rest of the hour. I left and washed/disinfected myself.  I'm okay, he's okay, the rest of the class was fine, but for a few minutes there... but I handled it.

The Miles and Me Party

Yep, it's just Miles and me this weekend and we've been loading the weekend with "awesome for 3-year-old" stuff.  We kicked off our weekend with a trip to Seven Peaks.  After going down the little slide in Adventure Bay 17 times (yes, I counted), Miles was ready for something new.  He dragged me into the Lazy River (which was freezing) and he independently (with the assistance of his lifejacket) swam the river.  He hopped out at Tadpole Pond and at that point, I disappeared from his life (or I could have, because he sure wasn't interest in hanging out with me).  Miles became very independent and spent the next hour taking cuts in the slide lines and having a blast.  There are 5 slides in this area and Miles did them all and didn't bother looking for me until he was ready for something new.  For my "mother hen protectionism" sanity, I found a high spot where I could keep track of him regardless of where he was in the area.  Then it was back to the River (which I think was even colder), a quick trip back to Adventure Bay, another River lap, another mini-session in Tadpole Pond, back to the River, and then we could leave.  Phew!  We spent the afternoon at THS helping Steve organize the choir music (okay, I did; Miles was happily playing on the iPod) and rubbing vinyl on to his classroom wall.  For dinner, I took Miles to Wendy's where he wanted a Coke, french fries, a cheeseburger, and chicken nuggets.  He drank the Coke, ate the fries, then wanted more fries.  Because it's our party weekend, I obliged.  After dinner, I thought it would be fun to take him to Thanksgiving Point. Traffic was heavy so it took a while to get there.  As we neared Thanksgiving Point, Miles said, "I'm naughty.  I'm naughty."  I asked him why he was naughty and he answered, "I pee-pee car seat."  Sure enough, he had.  Well, we got to Thanksgiving Point and turned around and went home with a crying Miles, "I want horsey ride."  I told him that we'd try again "tomorrow".  We got home and Miles crashed and slept for 12.5 hours in his own bed.  Heaven!

Today we got up and had breakfast with some friends at McDonalds.  Well, Miles didn't eat.  Nothing new there, but he wanted a Coke and pancakes.  He drank the Coke and happily played at the Playplace, which had to be semi-sanitary since it was still early in the day, right?  Then we went back to Thanksgiving Point.  Miles looked at the baby goats, the peacocks, and the "swimming ducks".  He doesn't care about the horses in the pens, pigs, cows, etc.  Then he went on his "horsey ride".  The littlest one there chose the biggest "horsey" available.

Then we went over to see the dinosaurs.  I think Miles prefers the outside of the building with its reliefs of the T. Rex and Apatosaurus (or whatever species they are supposed to be) to the inside.  Once I got him inside the building he again loved the sound waves hands-on displays.  He was only interested in the same areas of the rest of the museum as he was the last time we went.  Whatever; it was his trip.  After an hour and a half at Thanksgiving Point, Miles was ready to go home.  For his enjoyment, we stopped at WalMart on the way home and I let him visit all the odd things that he likes to see.  I also let him get peanut butter cups, because this weekend is all about Miles.

We've been having some down-time for the past few hours.  Currently Miles is outside playing with his pinecone collection.  In about an hour, we're headed out to go swimming again because Miles wants to see the "blue slide and the purple slide".  That should sufficiently wear him out.  I anticipate another awesome night of sleep from him.

Thursday? Wednesday? Maybe it's Friday?

For the life of me I cannot keep track of what day it is.  I'm needing structure, routine, and predictability!  That will come soon enough (on Tuesday, whenever that is), and then shortly thereafter I will be missing the calm, laid back days of summer. 

Tonight is the Open House at the junior high.  Nolan is having a "big deal" attitude because he's a big 8th grader this year and knows everything about everything already.  That's great... should make for an easy year.

Lately I've been feeling philosophical and comparing human relationships with finances, and how both involve investment, risk, and return.  But then I start analyzing different personal relationships and I get mad because I see how out of balance some of my relationships are.  So I stop analyzing and accept the relationships as and for what they are.

I made a triple batch of cinnamon rolls last night.  I'm sick of them already.

There's a "stalker" (who is hopefully a friend) who visits my blog multiple times a day.  That's okay.  I just want to say "hi" to one of my most loyal and most mysterious readers. 

Headaches are lame and I can't seem to shake the migraine from my dental procedure last week. 

Facebook is switching me over to timeline next week.  Bummer and no thank you, but it's not like I have a choice.  Having a stalking tool is more important to me than its format (right, Les?).

Today I hate my hair, the carpet, and dusty blinds.  I'm liking my light fixtures and clean car.

I made a footprint for a tent yesterday.  I felt so outdoorsy-yet-domestic.  I'm quite proud of it.

Random enough?  I think so.

I Think the Refrigerator is Dying

I think the refrigerator is finally on it's way out.  We bought it used and hoped that it would last 6 months until we recovered from buying the house.  It has been 3 years, but I think it's dying; it's done its job and exceeded our expectations.  For the past few days, its been gurgling a lot as if those sounds are the dying breaths.  The refrigerator has done this before- last November it was making the same odd sounds; I'd chosen its replacement and had it sitting in the online shopping cart when the refrigerator magically revived itself and has been keeping things cool ever since.  While the anticipation of buying a new appliance is exciting, I wish I had a fairy godmother who would pay for it!  So I sit, listen to the gurgles, research its replacement online, and wonder if this is really it...

While Sitting in Dollar Cuts...

Today was Back to School haircuts for the boys.  Boring.  And for some reason, what usually takes 15 minutes, took an hour.  I was not prepared for the time killing (meaning my phone was almost dead) so I had the choice of listening to the trendy pop music or reading the Reader's Digest.  I tried the music first, but after hearing Carly Rae's Call Me Maybe followed by Fun's We Are Young, I decided to look at the Reader's Digest. I'm so glad I did. I few months ago I saw a cartoon with explanation that I though was too funny.  I've tried to retell/explain it to others, but I can't get the joke across.  So, there in the Reader's Digest was the funny.  I took a picture of it... Click on it...

So, the Last Week...

I haven't felt like posting since my dentist trip.  My mouth took its time recuperating and gave me a migraine during the throbbing phase.  The tooth pain is gone, but I continue to deal with the visual effects of the migraine.  The computer screen is not my friend.  It hurts my eyes to look at it, so blogging isn't fun; it's actually painful.  But really, it's not too bad since I look at my fingers while typing, but when I look up, my vision is instantly impacted, even with the screen drastically dimmed.  Oh well, compared to the various rotten things that many of my friends are dealing with, residual effects of a migraine are hardly worth complaining about.  So anyway, that's why there haven't been any posts for the past few days. 

Today is the first Monday in 8 weeks that Miles has not had swimming lessons.  He got up this morning and told me, "Swim class."   I told him that swim class was done, so he gave himself a dry-land private swim lesson, complete with practice jumping in the water with my bed being the deck.  It was cute.  While he didn't make a lot of swimming progress, he met my goals- separating, cooperating, and having fun. 

 I'm now actively prepping Miles for his return to school.  Several times a day, we talk about the bus and Miss Jennifer.  Hopefully that transition will go smooth.  "Preparation and Practice" seems to be my mantra for helping Miles achieve success.

Last week was Band Camp for Jonathan.  He was at THS from 8 to 8 each day.  This year was the first year since he started marching band that they didn't practice in a torrential downpour from a thunderstorm.  The band learned their music and about 60% of the show.  Exhibition night is a month and 2 days away, then we live marching band until November. Parade season officially ended with the Lindon Days parade on Saturday.                  

Saturday was an active day around here.  Jonathan decided that he needed to burn off the10 slices of pizza he ate the day before, so he went on a long bike ride.  He rode from our house to the Provo River Trail, then rode the trail from end to end, and then came home.  His ride was about 30 miles.  Meanwhile, Saturday was the annual MegaDiamond assault of Mt. Timpanogos.  We had an early Saturday conflict and couldn't start the hike with the rest of the company, but Dan and Nolan headed up as soon as they could.  They barely got to the mouth of the canyon before it was closed for the Tour of Utah stage that goes over the loop.  Since the boys were so late beginning their climb, they delayed the start of the hike by going to the top of the loop and watching the racers fly by.  Nolan got some free swag- sunscreen, a collapsible water bottle, and those annoying banger sticks, and got to be on TV.  They started their hike early in the afternoon and hiked about 11 miles.  Nolan got a bit dirty...

I got a bug the other day and started looking at houses again... (un)fortunately, there's nothing listed that I want to see.  It looks like the majority of the properties that are in the size, age, style, and price range I am willing to consider need a lot of updating.  I don't want to be back where we were 3 years ago and doing all that again.  There was one house that was interesting, except for the minor inconvenience of the entire public area of the house was paint pistachio green. 

Other random "things"

1. Miles examined his plastic buffalo and informed us that it is male.  He's right.
2. There's a gift that's wrapped and waiting to be delivered to its recipient.  Miles wants it bad.  It's the first time that he's been interested in presents.
3. The basement of my house is clean.  Nolan's room has been maintained for more than a week, and Jonathan's has looked great since Wednesday.
4. I swatted a ping pong ball at Nolan the other day.  Not only did I actually manage to hit him, but it smacked him with such force that it left a nice, round welt on the inside of his arm.  
5. Miles is eating turkey again!

The Dentist

Yesterday I had to go back to the dentist.  I broke a filling a while ago and the dentist said the "yuck" had gotten under the filling and it needed to be fixed.  I lay inverted in the chair watching men in Speedos dive in the Olympics while the dentist shoved his hands in my mouth and drilled and drilled and drilled.  He said it appeared that the decay was shallow, he was wrong.  When he finished, he told me that the damage was pretty deep and that the nerve may have been affected, but hopefully only temporarily.  If the sensitivity hasn't improved within a week, then I am to get back to him.  Well, I've never had dental work bother me once the Novocaine wore off.  This time I've not been so lucky.  I spent several hours reclined on my bed experiencing discomfort that ibuprofen couldn't touch.  A various intervals through the day, I experienced stabbing pain.  Today hasn't been any different.  Hopefully things will improve as the week goes on because the last thing I want to do is get back in the dentist chair.

Jonathan's Room

I've been busy finding Jonathan's room for the past 3 days.  Yes, it was that bad.  His stuff was strewn through 3 rooms- his, the guest room, and the family room.  Back in March, we had a flood that affected Jonathan's room.  He was displaced for several days and his room had not been completely put back together, until today... I was impressed with the number of pairs of jeans and shorts Jonathan owns. Whenever I can find Jonathan's size of jeans at a good price, I buy them because they are so hard to find.  So I alone am responsible for him owning 10 pairs of jeans.  However, the only reason he has 12+ pairs of khaki shorts in addition to the numerous other pairs of shorts he owns, is because he told me he needed new shorts for work.  I think he should have checked his floor first.  Oh well.  I wonder if Jonathan will accept my "Mom Approved" room challenge.

Good Things

Several good things have happened in the past 24 hours...

1. My dad was released from the hospital last night.  The timing was odd, but I think he's glad to be home.  I know he's not missing the food.  Last night he said he was served something that resembled dark brown sawdust; the doctor suggested he stop by In-n-Out and the way home.
2. I had almost 2 hours of "me" time.  I got my haircut today and chatted with Amber about nothing the entire time.  It was fun.  It was relaxing.  Nobody wanted anything from me for the entire appointment.  
3. Nolan has kept his room clean for 48 hours.  Shocking! I threw away 15 pounds of trash from Jonathan's room.
4. I opened my inbox and found a $10 gift certificate for sheet music in it! Evidently when I placed an order last week, it was during a promo and I got $10 back in the form of a GC.
5. The piano accompaniment for the piece that Jonathan has chosen for Sterling Scholar auditions and other stuff isn't hard.  If it was anything like last year's solo/ensemble piece, I was going to die. I've got this year's piece half learned.
6. I ate hash browns and then gelato for dinner.  Don't judge; you know you're jealous...

Pre-Schoolers are Awesome

I love pre-schoolers.  I think they are so funny.  Today I was walking through the grocery store trying to recite the list of what I needed to pick up.  I knew I was missing something.  Rhetorically, I asked Miles what I need to find.  He answered, "Spam!"  Umm, no, that wasn't it.  As we leaving the store, I was greeted by another pre-school aged child.  Who, after saying "Hi," shouted at me, "You can't come to my birthday party tonight."  He was right, and I laughed as I walked out to the car.

"We Could Be Best Buddies"

Miles love to watch the "United Breaks Guitars" videos on YouTube.  I caught him singing the chorus of one of the songs. Here are the words he's trying to sing...

If you'd just come to your senses, Accept the consequences,

of you letting certain baggage handlers smash my property.

We could be best buddies but our friendship has been muddied by a flawed United Airlines Policy.

Stalker Post

I was in the grocery store today.  There was a lady in the store wearing a one-of-a-kind outfit.  I stalked her in the store so I could get a picture... one word- Wow...

Looking Forward

Someone started filling out college applications today.  While we talk about next year frequently, this is making it all too real...

Nolan's Room

Done!  I've extended a challenge to him... if he keeps his room "Mom Approved" for a year, I'll pay him $365.  I wonder how long he'll last...

Nervous Energy

I've had a lot of nervous energy today as I anxiously waited for the results of my dad's bronchoscopy.  I used to analyze specimens obtained via bronchoscopy so I had a good idea as to what the doctors were looking for, and none of it is good.  So to kill time as I waited to hear results, I decided to clean.  I took care of 5 loads of laundry and scoured 2 bathrooms before 9:30 a.m.  After swim lessons, I finished Nolan's room and then decided to attack the boys' bathroom.  The words nasty, gross, and vile only begin to describe it.  I'll spare you details, but when it was done, it looked so good that I texted a picture of the toilet to my sister.  Anyway, test results... 3 of the 4 things they were looking for came back negative and the 4th result hadn't come in yet.  Dad is feeling better.  He sounds better.  Precautionary measures against something nasty- contagious have been lifted, so a good day.

22.4 Pounds

My boys know that when they are gone for several consecutive days, their rooms are fair game if they were left in a unapproved level of cleanliness.  Nolan is backpacking this week.  I couldn't see any carpet in his room.  His futon was buried under-who-knew what as well.  Today I started to attack his room.  I anticipate that it will take a day and a half for me to clean.  I started by removing all clothing from his floor.  Then, armed with a large black trash bag, I started picking up trash.  Nolan is garbage can challenged.  He has a trash can, but doesn't seem to be able to fill it.  After collecting the trash, I went to pick up the bag with one hand; it didn't come easily.  The bag was nearly full.  I had Jonathan haul up the bag while I carried up laundry and stuff that belonged upstairs.  Before taking the black bag of trash out, I had Jonathan weigh it... 22.4 pounds of trash is what I removed from Nolan's room.  Nasty.  While Jonathan is amused, he should be scared.  Next week, it's his rooms' turn and his stuff is scattered about in 3 different rooms. 

Busker Belnap

Before I get to the real post, a quick mention of my dad.  First, thank you to all who have expressed your concern and checked in on me; I really appreciate it.  Second, while we still don't know what is going on, the doctors have been able to rule out a lot of things.  His MRI was clean.  They did a spinal tap yesterday and we're waiting on results from that.  A CT scan shows that there is something in his lung- pneumonia or something else, or who knows; so that may be worth a more invasive exam.  The med staff is no longer donning extra protective gear.  His fever also broke last night.  We're still in the "wait and see" mode.

Okay- Busker Belnap...
Jonathan likes to use odd words; I'll admit that, once upon a time, I had to go look the word "busker" up on dictionary.com.  If you didn't know, all busker means is street performer.  Jonathan has wanted to be a busker for about half his life.  I think he got the idea from the various performers he saw in the London Underground when he was in 4th grade.  Today the THS marching band had a fundraiser at the Lindon WalMart.  Most of the band members were pedaling discount cards, but Jonathan got to be a busker outside the store.  He took both his sax and clarinet and has been busy "entertaining" the "People of WalMart" (he should have played that song...).  Miles and I went down to see him.  It looked like he was having fun...