Left in confusion

On the way to Wal-mart today, Kade very seriously asked, "Mom, why do you hate Wal-mart so bad when it has so many useful things that you need?" Good question, buddy. But I can't answer you honestly without turning you into a claustrophobic, obsessive-compulsive germ-a-phobe. So you'll just have to keep on being baffled by my unexplained dislike.

An obligatory post

I hadn't planned on posting today, because I didn't really have anything to write about, but, my sister informed me that it was time to update my blog. When I told her to let me know when she had some time to work on that for me, thinking I could get myself out of fitting one more thing into this day, she attempted to flatter me into posting by telling me how good I am at coming up with interesting things to write about. So, I am posting, and not because of the guilt and flattery she flung at me, but because I love her.

I've spent a little bit of time brainstorming about what might be worth blogging about.
--I could write about all of the crumbs and sticky goo I cleaned out of my fridge today while Kade was at Kindergarten and how therapeutic it was . . . but I think only I could appreciate that.

--I could write about how much fun it was to catch up with a good friend on the phone while the kids were at school today . . . but then I would have to admit how lousy I am at keeping in touch.

--I could take a minute to discuss how I've gone into hiding in my little house and have begun researching the witness protection program in an effort to dodge all of the riled up parents that aren't thrilled with the schedule I came up with for cub scouts this year (since our school district made things horribly inconvenient with new ridiculous boundaries) . . . but I don't want to risk showing my weakness to my predators.

--I could solicit some dinner ideas from anyone who is reading since I have no creativity today and even less desire to torture myself at the grocery store . . . but I'm running out of time to wait for feedback.

So, luckily, a friend handed me a CD with some random pictures she'd taken of my kids throughout the summer when I snuck out of hiding to get the kids from school, so I have . . . MATERIAL! We spent several days this summer at the aquatic center here in our community. If you can get past the epidemic of blind shoppers or more-than-poorly-lit dressing rooms that must exist in our local bathing suit shops with some super dark sunglasses and a bit of anti-nausea medication, it is a pretty fun place to hang out. We loved meeting friends there to visit, play, splash, soak up sun, and eat a cold treat or two. Jordan has always loved to swim and does really great in the pool. He was finally tall enough for diving boards and big water slides this year. He was thrilled. Kade surprised us with how brave he got by the end of the summer - he was walking out into water up to his chin and even putting his head all the way in this year -- MIRACLE!!

The aquatic center closed for the season on Labor Day, so we have many months to reminisce as we watch our tans fade and to fantasize about more summer fun and sun next year. In the meantime . . . we are going to have a few fund-raisers to provide light bulbs for all of the dressing rooms in our town and all outlying shopping areas. YIKES! What do people have against fabric?!?!?

Funny things they've said . . .

Our boys keep us laughing. Here are some of the funny things they said just yesterday:

When I pulled dinner out of the oven last night, Kade approached it with his sniffer in the air to take in the aroma and then abruptly stopped, turned to me, and asked, "If I smell it, will it take some of the taste out of it?"

When Jordan and I were setting out today's clothes last night, I pulled the new T-shirt Jordan had chosen out of the closet and Kade said, "Wow! That sure is ugly! Isn't it Jordan?"

When Brett was asking Kade about his first day of Kindergarten he asked if he had any friends in his class. Kade said yes, so Brett asked who his friends were, and Kade said, "Well, all of them!" So Brett then asked what their names are, and Kade answered, "Oh, I don't remember their names."

When I was tucking them in last night, Jordan couldn't convince Kade to remove the Batman cape from the back of his pajama top to sleep. Even though Jordan tried to scare him with warnings that it wasn't safe and Kade might die in the night, Kade just said, "No I won't!!" and snuggled up with cape intact. So, when Jordan said his night-time prayer just moments later, his first plea was, "Please don't let Kade choke and die in the night." I giggled through his whole prayer! What an example of reverence. Good thing I was sitting on Kade's bed so Jordan didn't notice his mattress shaking during his heartfelt prayer.

First Days of School

Well, the school year is upon us, a lot earlier than we would like, and it means a lot of new things for us. First, Jordan didn't give me a hug when I dropped him off this year. He turned around and hesitated like he might, but then gave me a macho wave and darted off. I'm proud of him for being so independent and grown up. . . . but . . . . oh, my heart!! He grew up!! Second, Kade is in Kindergarten this year. I know you can hardly believe it, but it is true. He loved his first day of school today, but he spent most of the afternoon on my lap and told me how much he missed me! (That is more like it!!) Third, I am home alone for a good chunk of time every day. I'm not sure what to do with myself. I'm a little lost and a lot sad. I got to attend the first little bit of Kade's Kindergarten day, and when the teacher sent the kids off on a building tour so she could talk to parents for a while, I asked her, "Is this when the mom's can cry?" I did get rather teary and emotional and then I got a lot of looks like I had something grotesque crawling on my face. Not everyone shared in my sentiment. Finally, our kids' school is a brand new building with brand new everything inside. It was cool to see rooms full of desks that have never been doodled, a gym floor that has never been squeaked or scuffed, and a library full of books that have never been cracked. The classroom technology is amazing. It is quite a drive for us, (I'm not sure how they get away with calling it our neighborhood school when it is on the other side of the lake and town and you have to hop on the interstate for miles to get there) but is a pretty exciting place to be. It is the only school in our town that I know of that isn't an open air school . . . there is actually indoor hallways! Yeah! The motel style buildings were really odd to me when we first moved here.

So, I'm hoping that Jordan keeps loving school, that Kade keeps loving on me when he gets home from school, and that I can "saddle up and ride" through this new phase of life. I never thought I'd have an empty nest at such a young age. Whoever wrote the phrase, "babies don't keep" probably wrote it on their child's first day of Kindergarten.