the daily crack up...

ryan strikes again. The kid has a daily mission to make me laugh, and he usually accomplishes it. Yesterday I was cleaning up the mess of the day after they had all gone off to bed. He was up in his room playing, but not in bed yet and I heard his door creak open.
Ryan: (at the top of his lungs) Mooooooooom?? Where you at?
Me: (exasperated- it's bedtime and I want to chill with a beer) In the kitchen, what do you want?
Ryan: I want to sleep like Spiderman tonight.
Me: ??? you want what ???
Ryan: I want to sleep just like Spiderman.
Me: You want to sleep WITH your Spiderman?
Ryan: (exasperated because his mother never GETS him) NO! I want to sleep LIKE Spiderman.
At this point I'm like "Whatever you want son. Just GO TO BED." Keeping in mind that I am downstairs and he is upstairs and we're screaming all of this back and forth at each other.
After I chilled with my beer and watched the Olympics for awhile, I went upstairs to do my kid check and this is what I found:

He had the mask, gloves, everything. He must have gotten hot because the mask ended up next to him, but he still had the whole get-up- including gloves- on this morning when he wandered out of his room.
He says to me this morning, "Now I know what Spiderman sleeps like."
I hope he at least sleeps comfortably :)

first day...

no jitters today. I'm glad because I was a little worried that when it came down to it, Hannah would be nervous. Our district is weird about the way they do things. They have a kindergarten center the feeds into all 3 elementary schools. So she went to kindergarten last year in a different and much smaller building than she is in now. I think because Justin promised to show her where to go and because she's heard from about 100 people that her teacher is wonderful, she was a lot more at ease. Justin is a pro at it now, so it was all just another day to him.









Now I get to sit and sip coffee in quiet. Ryan is watching tv and has no one to fight with, it's a beautiful thing to behold :)

As a total aside to my Minnesota friends- Matt just got back from Minneapolis and is a fan of your fair city. He loved it there and I had to remind him several times that I was pretty sure is was nice- since it's August. I'm guessing it pretty much sucks a big one in February. Not that Ohio isn't a frozen wasteland in February also, but I think I'll take my chances and stay here a little further south :)

has everyone seen this???

everyone needs to. I thought the whole world had seen it, but the last 4 people I have mentioned it to were completely clueless. It makes grown men cry. You MUST watch it. Have volume on please and thank you. Part of the making "grown men cry" is the song. As cheesy as it is, it's part of the experience. Trust me. Now go watch it already. What are you waiting on? GO!

you'd think we never buy him toys...

so... a few years ago, at justin's 6 yr old check up, i promised him he wouldn't have to get a shot. Because I was sure he wouldn't. Except he did. So to soothe his scarred psyche (they had to drag him out from under the chair kicking and screaming- he's not a huge fan of needles), I took him to Target and let him pick out a toy. Thus, the start of that little tradition. Go for your check-up, get a shot, get a toy.
Because I am vying for mom of the year once again, I forgot to schedule Ryan's 4 yr old check up. Last April. I realized it when I was putting together parent packets for all of the other preschool parents. I noticed that I was stuffing in medical forms to be filled out by the Dr. and *OOOPS* I won't be able to get Ryan's in because *OOOPS* I forgot to take him this year. Yep...mother of the year is pretty much sewn up for me this year. Sorry girls, it's all mine.
So this morning Ryan comes down and starts up this conversation:
Ry: do I have to go to the Dr. today?
Me: yep, for your check up.
Ry: YES!!
Me: why are you so excited?
Ry: Do you think I'll have to get a shot?
Me: maybe. I don't know if you get any this year or not.
Ry: AWESOME!!!! I hope I get a shot. I want to get a prize!

Me=Baffled.
Who wants a new Star Wars figurine that bad? Ryan. That's who.

free week...

so, summer is winding down. In less than 2 weeks the monkeys will return to school. Where-o-where has my summer gone? It's gone to kid's camps and working. I signed the kids up for a lot of camps and workshops this summer and I don't know if I'll do that many again. It has kept them busy and that was the plan, but maybe a little too busy. We haven't had NEAR enough time to just veg out. And isn't that what summer is all about? This is the first week that I don't have to take any kids to camp or have to work a bunch of hours. It feels blissful!
Aside from a crazy camp schedule and shuttling them to and from their various activities, I have been learning slowly how to be a working parent. It ain't easy. I have been extended an offer to continue on as director of the preschool. Once we get a few contract things ironed out, it's a go. And that is exciting and scary as all get out. I love the job and all of the people that I work with, but between that and a full time college schedule, I worry that my kids and family will suffer. For the first time ever I will require a babysitter. Only for a few hours every afternoon for Ryan, but that is a huge leap for me. I am blessed to have a friend whom I have known since childhood, who also has a son Ryan's age who is willing to take him on. She already babysits one other little girl (also Ryan's age) and her son goes to preschool with Ryan. So it seems to be the perfect situation. It's just hard to let go. I have always been there for my kids when they are picked up from school. Now 3 days a week, I'll be on campus in the middle of a class when he gets done and instead of running out of his classroom into my arms, he'll walk out to someone else. I know in the long run it will be good for them to see what I am going through to further my education and how important it is to me, but I don't ever want them to feel like I am sacrificing them or our family for something. Even if it is something that will make our family better in the long run.
I have pondered holding off and going back to school once Ryan goes off to 1st grade but I figure at that point, I'll almost be done with college all together. Plus if our district goes into a split session like they are talking about doing, I'll run into a whole new set of scheduling obstacles then too. No...now is the time. The doors are open for me and I won't shut them again. It is just painful. Almost physically so, to shift our family around and try to make this all work out. But it will work out. It always does. I may be a lunatic for the next couple of years, but it will work out.