Snow day

Jack is sitting in a sled his grandpa rigged up. He doesn't seem too excited about it.

The dogs attacked Nik and I as we were making snow angels.

Notice Jack's white-trash boots. We didn't have anything else and I guess they worked just fine.

Just in case you were wondering, last week was the best week ever, educationally speaking. Because of the snow, we had a two-hour delay on Monday, a one-hour delay on Tuesday, and no school on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Does it get any better than that??

Today, we finally got with the program and went outside to play in the snow. After running all over town, we met Nate's sister and brother-in-law, Nikolai and Brad, and their daughter, Cherith, at Beau and Beth's house. All of us, minus Beau due to some major issues at the church (I'll just tell you that the front doors were frozen shut and you can use your imagination with the rest), walked up to the golf course to do a little sledding.

We didn't actually sled much because the kiddos were cold and Beth had some work to do, but the walk was beautiful and well worth it. If the snow sticks around, I'd like to go back up next week too. It looks like I'll get the chance since we've got over a foot of snow on the ground and currently it's blowing about a million miles an hour and snowing like crazy. I feel like I live at the north pole.

Here are some pictures of our day.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful...

It's snowing like crazy out there today. 

Which means both Nate and I got a snow day. Yea! I just love those. It's still snowing at our house, although it's raining in Mount Vernon. Weird. 

But the forecast is for more snow and freezing temperatures so that should make the roads nice and slick for tomorrow.

 Maybe no school again?

Doesn't hurt my feelings. 

Christmas Carols

We sang "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" today at church. Love that song. They lyrics are so worshipful and I just get lost in the gorgeous music and beautiful tradition. 

Isn't it amazing the the Lord of creation chose to come to earth to save us from the muckiness that we've made? And that he chose to come as a baby in such a dumpy place? I mean really, a stable??

Since I've had Jack it makes me think about all of these things with a fresh mind. How must have Mary felt? Can you imagine watching the Savior of the world learn to crawl? And putting him to sleep each night? It's so humbling. He chose to become helpless to help me.

Wow. There really are no words. I hope you all have time to reflect on this incredible season. Joy to all!

Thankful

I've got so much to be thankful for. Really. Here are just a few:

• Husband: He's truly the best. He works hard everyday, comes home and loves on us, and even puts up with my weenie-whining. He's my rock and my BFF. (He'd hate it if he knew I said it like that!)
  
• Baby boy: This kid brings me so much joy. He's so happy, and lovey. When Nate and I walk into the room, his face just lights up. It's nice to be so loved.
• Home: I love our little dump. It's not perfect, but it's got personality and it's ours.
• Family: If you don't know our families, you should. They're great.
• Jobs: With so many people out of work these days, I'm more and more thankful that we have good jobs. And we even enjoy them!
• Third graders: They completely drive me crazy sometimes but I love them. One of them thanked me for "being the best teacher in the whole school" the other day. Can you say, "Aaaawwwww"?
• Friends: I don't get to see most of them very often but they are some of my best blessings. 
• Sleeping baby: Did I mention he put himself to sleep tonight? Love that!
• Me-time: I actually had time to paint my toenails!
• Savior: None of the above would be possible without His grace and love. He gives me so much more than I deserve and loves me as no one else can.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I hope you're looking forward to a blessing-filled Christmas. I know I am!

Growing up

Here are some recent pictures of the darling boy. I was telling my friend Beth today that he's becoming more and more fun. Not that I didn't like him before, but you know. He's learned how to give kisses and is very insistent when he wants to give them. Hmm...not going to take rejection well? He also has developed quite the sense of humor. He thinks Nate is hysterical. I just love this kid.

His first bath with toys. So fun!

Rocking the faux-hawk.

He's learned how to stand up in his crib. Luckily he still can't pull himself up very well.

At the pumpkin patch. He was so tired and wouldn't give us a good smile, but I just love this picture anyway.

Be impressed

I'll admit it; I'm kind of a dork. (and all God's people said "Amen!") I really like the show Jeopardy and would gladly watch it for hours. Unfortunately, it's only on for half an hour each night and that half an hour happens to be the same time Jack likes to go to bed. Since I'm a good mama I choose the kid over the silly trivia game show.

But the other night, the little darling had gone to bed early and I got to watch it. Remember how I said I was a dork? Well, it gets worse here. Right before final Jeopardy (you know, the part with the song) they show the final Jeopardy category. For funsies my family likes to guess what the answer will be just based on the category; the question hasn't been shown yet. They showed the category and it was "Award Namesakes." I could really only think of a few off the top of my head: Nobel, Pulitzer, Caldecott, Newberry, etc. So I guessed Newberry and Nate guessed Pulitzer.

Y'know what? I was right! The question was something like "the author of such and such book published in 17-something or other, this award is given to the best children's book every year." I got it. I won. Be impressed

Hiking Dangers

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, but things have been crazy. And I wanted to be able to give you the end of the story. So here it is: the family hiking drama.

A few weeks ago Nate's dad, Rocky, went hiking on Three Fingers mountain with three of his friends. He'd been on this hike many, many times, as had his friend Larry. His two other friends, Gary and John had never been. They left on Friday morning, with plans to hike to the top on Saturday and return home on Sunday. That didn't happen.

They did, indeed, leave on Friday and start hiking up to the top on Saturday. Three Fingers has several ice fields that you have to cross in order to get to the top. (Ice fields are exactly what they sound like: fields of ice and snow). Obviously, they are very slippery and you have be very careful crossing them. Just in case someone does slip, it's wise to carry an ice-pick type tool that you can stick into the ice to stop yourself from sliding down the ice field into the rocks.

Now, this always seemed a little strange to me. If you're sliding down the side of the mountain, are you really going to be able to stop yourself safely with a pick? I had asked this question before and everyone always assured me that it works well. Hmmm...

So, on Saturday about noon, the four of them were hiking across an ice field and John started to slip. For some reason, Rocky started to catch him. Not a good idea. He ended up slipping himself and started sliding down the mountain toward the rocks. He tried to get his pick in the ice but couldn't. He slid down feet first about 200 feet and when he hit the rocks, he did a somersault and landed on his back between some rocks. Luckily, he had on an old-school backpack with the metal frame and that saved him from hitting as hard as he could  have.

Needless to say, he couldn't hike out. He knew he injured his leg somehow. He thought it was his knee but it turns out it was a severe break right below his knee. His friends eventually got down to him. Gary and John were sent to get help at the ranger's station and Larry stayed with Rocky. Because Gary and John weren't as experienced and it was already late in the day, they didn't get off the mountain before dark. So they had to stop and sleep on the trail in the cold and wet. Rocky and Larry thought they'd be able to make it off the mountain before dark and so were very worried the next morning when no one came to rescue them. They thought something had happened to the other two. It turns out that they were fine and they made it to the ranger's station.

For some reason, it took forever for the rescue team to get organized and get up on the mountain. They finally got up there Sunday afternoon and were considering a helicopter rescue. But of course since this is western Washington, it was cloudy and rainy so they couldn't do that. The other plan was to carry him off the mountain. They sent about 50 guys up there and they were going to carry him on a stretcher, taking turns. By the time they decided to do that, it was too late in the day so they were going to do it on Monday.

So, he'd already been stuck in the rocks since Saturday without being able to move. Luckily, he was dry due to a tent they'd set up and he had food and water. Monday turned out to be a better day weather-wise so they attempted another helicopter rescue. First, they had to haul him out of the rocks and up the mountain a ways to a place where the helicopter could land. When it dropped down, they had to quickly shove him on board and send him away on his own.

They took him to the hospital in Everett where he was inspected and given a room. He had to have surgery to repair the break and he won't be able to put any weight on it for 12 weeks. That's three months! Anyone who knows him knows that his may be harder for him than landing on the rocks.

He's back home now recovering. He's pretty tired and I'm sure he'll be getting bored pretty quickly. But honestly, we're just lucky he's still here. He could have easily landed a different way and seriously, or fatally, hurt himself. We truly have a God who watches out for us and protects us.

As for the rest of us, we're doing alright. Due to poor communication, we didn't get much information until he was off the mountain. Because of that, we thought that it was just a minor injury. Maybe a broken ankle that prevented him from walking. Wrong. I'm actually kind of glad we didn't know. I think it made it easier. 

So if you think about it, shoot up a little prayer for Rocky. Pray his healing...and his sanity.

My Life As a Novel

Introduction

Be forewarned. I haven't posted in a re-heally long time. And lots has been going on in the (sometimes) interesting life of Giordi Yunge. Since this is the case, I've decided that instead of writing a bunch of little blogs, I'd write one big kahuna. I apologize in advance for the teacher/political talk and the general mundane-ness of my life. Enjoy anyway.

Chapter One: The Home Front

First things first: Jack has two teeth. And he rolls around as if his clothes are on fire. And we haven't even taught him the whole "stop, drop, and roll" thing. Must be a genius. He's also getting to be a lot more fun. Not that I didn't really like him before, he's just way fun now. He laughs and spits, and makes these funny little conversation noises as if he's got something important to say. I love it!

With the economy slowing down, now is not a great time to be in the construction industry. Unfortunately, Nate is an electrician. Things are getting really slow around here and his company is starting to lay-off some people. I'm not too worried about Nate yet because he's a great employee and his bosses love him. But it's still a little scary. 

Since everything is slowing down, they've decided to move Nate to Bellingham to work. Previously, he had been working down south, sometimes as far south as Bothell or as far east as Duvall. Which meant that he was late getting home some nights. Not fun. When Cheryl (Nate's mom) watches Jack on Mondays and Tuesdays, it's particularly hard for me because I don't get to see Jack from 6:00 in the morning until almost 6:00 at night. Torture! But now that they're moving him to Bellingham, Nate can't take Jack to his parents. We thought we'd have to send Jack to the babysitter five days a week but since Cheryl's so wonderful and she likes Jack so much, she agreed to come up to our house on Mondays and Tuesdays to watch him. This is a huge blessing. It means that Jack will get to be home more and I'll get to see him earlier on those days, Nate will get to be home earlier since Bellingham is closer to our house, we won't have to pay for as much gas because Nate will be driving the company vehicle again instead of his truck, and Cheryl still gets to spend time with him. Wonderful! God's pretty great, huh?

Chapter Two: Silly School Story

I teach third grade this year. Have I told you that? It's way different than fourth grade (really, it is!) but I'll get to that later. Every year the third graders go on a field trip to the local newspaper and the grocery store. The second week of school. Oh, and it's a walking field trip. So yeah, we take about 60 eight-year-olds walking on city streets the second week of school. Are we crazy, you ask? Yep, pretty much

So the basic field trip went pretty well. Kids were well-behaved and interested. It was a beautiful day. We didn't lose anyone. The problem came as we were walking back and were a little bit late. It was a warm day (not hot, mind you), many kids forgot water, and we were trying to hurry them along so that we made it back to school in time for lunch. And I had this conversation with one kid. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Or not-so-innocent. Whatever).

Me: Come on, Francisco! We need to hurry so we make it back in time.

Francisco: It's so hot! I'm going to die!

Me doing a mental eye-roll: You're not going to die. We'll all make it.

Francisco very adamantly: Yes I am! And when I do, it's going to be all your fault!

I wanted to say, "Y'know? I'm willing to risk it." But I didn't. I didn't even laugh in his face.

Chapter Three: School Crap (I thought about using another word, purely for the great alliteration, but I refrained)

As I said before, I teach third grade this year. I've always taught fourth grade and I like it that way. At the end of last year, the powers that be decided that there were only going to be two fourth grade classes this year and since I'm the low one on the figurative totem pole, I had to move. One of our third grade teachers was taking a year leave so I decided I could do that for a year. The idea is that I'll loop with this same class next year back up to fourth grade.

I have a few friends who teach third grade and love it so I was getting excited about it. And then the little darlings walked in the door. They're so little. And they don't listen the first time. Or sit still. And as soon as I start talking, they raise their hands with a question. Don't they think that I might answer it if they just wait and listen? No, they don't. So I'm kind of having a hard time with the adjustment. It doesn't help that I'd rather be home with Jack. I never thought I'd be that mom. I always thought I'd want to work. I was wrong. I miss him.

Anyway, a new first grade teacher was also hired which means that there are five first grade classes and they have about 15 or 16 kids. Glorious! It's so nice for them to have small classes. However, the fourth grade classes have over 30 kids each. Not so glorious. Anyone could have called that at the end of last year (and many did). So the fourth grade classes are at trigger, which basically means that they have more kids than they should and the teachers have to be compensated. Most teachers would just rather have a smaller class.

So to fix the fourth grade problem, the administration has decided to move the new first grade teacher to fourth grade three weeks into the school year. This means that her current first graders will be divided between two of the other first grade classes (the other two are dual language and can't take any more kids) and will have to learn a new teacher, classroom, routines and meet new friends. This is a big deal for first graders. They're only six years old, for heaven's sake! It also means that the new first grade teacher who has been preparing for first grade has to suddenly switch gears, learn fourth grade curriculum,  and get to know new kids all after starting a new school just three weeks ago. Of course this also means that 10 kids from each of the fourth grade classes will be up-rooted and put in a new fourth grade class. So stupid.

 And it gets worse. I shouldn't have had to move to third grade. I want to teach fourth grade. And now this poor girl who doesn't want to move to fourth grade has to. There'd be no point in moving me to fourth grade now because it would just disturb more kids. But I shouldn't have had to move in the first  place.

Laurie, one of the fourth grade teachers, came up with an idea that I thought was great. She suggested just leaving the first grade alone and hiring a half-time fourth grade teacher for the afternoon. The new teacher could have taught science, social studies, and writing. We level school-wide for reading so we wouldn't need a new reading teacher and they could have just stayed in the original classes for math. I would have loved this job! It would be fourth grade and part time. I already know the curriculum and it might have been hard to find someone else who would be willing to work part time. But they said no. Budget issues or some stupid excuse. So now I'm stuck at third grade and the first and fourth grades are going to be turned upside down. Poor kids.

Epilogue

So there it is, my friends. My life. If you stuck it out this far, you must be really interested in my life. Or really bored. Either way, thanks for reading.

Driving Lessons

We need a new car. I've been looking for one for a while now, much to Nate's chagrin. The other day I found one online that looked promising. And it was in town.

So we decided to go look at it. Nate was less than enthusiastic about it, but because he's such a great guy and loves me so much, he came along.

We got there and talked to the dealer a little. It was new to the lot and hadn't even been cleaned yet. He showed it to us anyway. It was just what we've, I mean I've, been looking for. Low miles, one owner, a wagon (I heart wagons!), and at a great price. 

Only one problem: it's a stick shift.

I don't drive stick shifts.

Obviously, I was feeling less than enthusiastic about it after I found out about the unfortunate transmission. Nate was way excited. He loved the price and that it was so clean. I think he was expecting to pay a lot more for the kind of car we want. He was ready to buy the car on the spot. I was more reluctant. Didn't think this was how the day would go. Turns out this is one more way Nate is like my dad: bring him car shopping and he buys a car. Any one who knows my dad knows that he's notorious for getting a little "car crazy." He likes to buy cars. 

Anyway, we decided to go home, look over our finances, pray about it, and decide later. Needless to say, I'm feeling much more nervous about the whole thing than Nate is. He can drive a stick.

So to make me feel better and to see if this is even a possibility for me, Nate and I had a driving lesson tonight. We had the neighbor girl come sit in our house while Jack slept and we went for a drive in Nate's truck.

Yep, I'm 26 years old, 10 years older than most people learning how to drive and there I was, practicing taking off and stopping in the old grocery store parking lot. To make it even worse, there was a dad with is teenage daughter in the same parking lot also having driving lessons. Awesome. I'm hoping I still look young enough that it looked like a 16 year old girl and her brother. Yeah, I'm probably hallucinating.

We'll see if this car thing even happens any time soon. If so, you might want to stay off the roads in the greater Mount Vernon area, just in case I'm practicing.

Ambitious

Yep, two in one day. These are some pictures from our session with Abbi. Love her!

Back to the grind

This week really hasn't been that bad. Of course, I've missed the little snot like crazy but I've been able to go see him at the babysitters every day during lunch. That helps.

And today, I didn't have any meetings or anything so I thought it would be a good idea to bring the boy to school with me so I could get some things done. A co-worker was going to bring her daughter to play with him so I'd be free to work. Yeah, not so much. He wanted me to hold him. We didn't get much done, needless to say. Hopefully I'll be ready for the kids by next week. Yikes!

Oh, and by the way, we had our Back to School BBQ last night when the kids can come and meet their new teachers and such. I had four kids show up. Four! If that's any indication of how involved these families are going to be then help me, Lord!

The time has come

Yes, my friends. It's here. The back to school season. Which means that I'm going to have to leave my baby boy to go back to work.

We're starting out slowly. I have a class tomorrow and my MIL is coming up to watch Jack. I get to come home at lunch to see him. Then next week I've got all sorts of meetings and classes and generally boring activities in which to partake. Jack's going to the babysitter's for most of those days. Luckily, I'll get to go see him for lunch since the babysitter's house is just up the street from my school. And then on Wednesday the 3rd, I have to really be a big girl. School starts and I have to leave him all day long.

I didn't think I'd have a hard time with it. I thought I'd be ready to go back to work. I was wrong.

So to all you praying-types: if you wouldn't mind, could you pretty please shoot up a little prayer for us? Pray that we both make it through the days with minimal crying (especially on my part). Thanks. We both appreciate it.

Perfect

Last Saturday I did something I haven't done in months. I went shopping. By. My. Self. Wonderful! My MIL was kind enough to watch the darling boy while I went on my quest for the perfect black pants (light weight wool blend, wide leg, high waist, fitted through the hips) and some new black pumps. I found the pumps and the almost-perfect black pants...and (da da da DA!) the most gorgeous pair of yellow pumps. For $15!! Does it get any better??

You may be asking yourself, "Yellow?? Why would she need yellow shoes??" The answer is: I don't. But I really like them and I plan on wearing them with everything. And I plan on cleaning out my shoe collection, so it's okay if I buy new ones. Right? 

Just some Jack pictures

Here are just a few pictures of the little man. We think he's pretty cute.

Yep, he's sitting in the fruit bowl on the kitchen table. There's no fruit in it, don't worry.

Jack sits on Nate's hand and balances there. He thinks it's hysterical.

This monkey is his favorite toy. He absolutely screams at it. I think he may turn out to be bossy. Wonder who he gets it from??

The Vacay

Jolleen, Stephanie, Jack, me, Mandy, and Sarah. Krystal had already left. Bummer.

I said in an earlier post that I'd be writing about my little girly trip with my college friends. I had been waiting for some good pictures since I didn't take many, but my child is sleeping (for the second time today! More on that later) and I figured I seize the moment.

About three weeks ago, my favorite girls and I rented a house on the Oregon Coast. It was wonderful. We were just about a block and a half from the beach and the house was just perfect  for us. We hadn't all been together at the same place for two years and it was so great to just be us. In case you didn't know, we're really funny people. And we're more fun to be around than most people. You'd like to hang out with us. 

We really didn't do much while we were there. We shopped one day, played at the beach, ate way too much and watched some movies (in fact, we watched You've Got Mail twice. Good movie.) It was perfect. They all loved Jack, at least that's what they told me, and he loved them. One night we were sitting around singing Sandy Patty and the Friendship Company songs (you know, 'cause we're down like that) and Jack just loved it. Jolleen was starting all of the singing and when we'd stop for a minute, he'd look at her as if to say, "Excuse me, lady! Keep the singing coming."

It was much needed. Now that Mandy doesn't live in stupid Kansas City anymore, we can probably do it more often. Yea! Love those girls.

On another note, Jack is sleeping in his own bed again. For the second time today.YEA! I think it's because he got his shots yesterday and they're making him sleepy. I'm kinda okay with it. Would I be a terrible mother if I wanted him to get shots everyday? Yeah, probably.

Miracle

He's sleeping. In his bed. For the second time today. Let me say that again: my darling boy is taking his second nap of the day in his very own crib. And he's been there longer than ten minutes.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

MIA

   Yeah, it's been a while. We've been out of town a lot and life just really hasn't been very interesting besides our little trips. All three of us went down to Gray's Harbor for Nate's aunt's 50th birthday party, then Jack and I went to the Oregon Coast to play with my college friends (more on that later), and this last weekend we all went to the Leavenworth area for a family reunion.

   Other than that, our life has revolved around trying to get our rotten child to sleep. It is my goal this week to get him to eat normally and after that, we're working on the sleeping thing. The little angel has decided that he wants to hang out in the middle of the night, not to eat or anything. I think he just misses us. It's not as sweet as it sounds. We have to get him to start sleeping more before I go back to school or else I'm going to be one cranky, tired teacher.

   Those of you without kids must be thinking, "Wow, she's a little obsessive about this whole sleeping thing! Isn't that what her last post was about? Get a life, lady!" And those of you with kids are probably nodding in sympathy as you read. At least I hope you are. I can't have the only non-sleeping child out there.

  I just wanted to let y'all know we're still alive and kicking (mostly at about 1:30am) and that there will be more exciting posts to come. Sarah, I hope you're satisfied. I posted again.

Sleepless in Skagit Valley

Since we've gotten back from my parents' house over the Fourth of July weekend, Jack has been a terrible sleeper. While we were there, he woke up several times during the night, but I just figured it was because we were away from home. Boy, was I looking forward to coming back home!

A lot of good it did me! He's still waking up every few hours for no apparent reason. He doesn't want to eat; he just wants to socialize a little. 

It may be my punishment for bragging, umm...I mean, saying that he was sleeping six to seven hours a night. Aaarrggghhh! I don't know what I'm going to do.

Of course, he's sleeping now. You know, at 10:30 in the morning. This is not working for me.

Getting it done

About a year and a half ago, Nate and I bought our house that we lovingly refer to as "the dump." And when we bought it, it really was. Initially, we worked really hard to fix her up. We ripped out carpet, refinished floors, painted inside and out, redid the trim,  and remodeled the bathroom and the kitchen. (and since we only have one bathroom, that meant we were using Nate's parent's trailer when our's was out of commission. In Februrary. It was cold.)

So  we've obviously done a lot of work, however, we have the tendency to almost complete our tasks. Right now the kitchen floor is almost done, as is the trim in several rooms. But the thing that has been bugging me the most is the hallway and connecting door frames. The people who lived here before us must have had terrible taste because they painted all of the trim the most puke-inducing shade of green. Flat, dirty, gross green. And I've been meaning to get around to painting it for over a year. It's finally happening. When I told my mom yesterday that we were going to get it done she said, "Oh, your dad will be so relieved. I'm not sure why, but he's been really stressing out that it's not finished." Thanks, Dad!

My dear MOL came up yesterday to help paint everything and the woman is a champ. (To be more accurate, I was helping her.) So, we've painted the hall and primed all the trim. She's coming up today to finish. Yea! I'll be sure to let y'all know how it goes, as if you really care about the state of my hallway. At least my dad and I will be happy it's done.

It's about time!

I should have done this a long time ago. Some of you have might have been wanting to see pictures of Jack. But most of you probably have better things to do than to hover around your computers waiting impatiently to see pictures of someone else's kid. Here they are, just in case.

TA-DA

He did it. Jack rolled over for the first time today. I'm pretty sure it was an accident, but still.

Geez, he's growing up so fast. I'm pretty sure he'll be applying for grad school next week!

Handyman...Er, Lady

As many of you know, Nate is the one in our relationship who was blessed with being "handy." Give the guy any task and he probably already knows how to do it. And if he doesn't, he can figure it out. Me, not so much. I'm lucky if I can get the attachments on my blow dryer to work correctly. 

That being said, yesterday I bought a swing for Jack. I didn't want to buy one earlier because I wasn't sure if  he'd like it and since I'm such a tight-wad, I really didn't want to waste the money if it was just going to sit there. But a friend of mine has one for her little girl and we sat Jack in that. He loved it. I still wasn't convinced. (Yep, that's how cheap I really am) When we went to my parent's house we borrowed one from a friend and again, he loved it. Still didn't buy one. Yesterday we went over to my friend's house again. Jack started fussing and I put him in the swing. He immediately shut up. I left within 15 minutes and went to Target to get one.

This morning I decided to tackle the contraption all by myself. I got out the parts and the directions, made sure I had everything and realized I needed a phillips screwdriver (yep, I even know what that is). So I had to call Nate to find out where it could be. "In the (very messy) shed," he tells me. Oh. That means I have to go outside in the torrential rain, dig around in a bunch of junk, and find it. I'll admit that I stalled the trip for a while, but when my darling son refused to be put down I gave up. Of course, once I got out there I didn't find a phillips screwdriver. What I found was a phillips attachment that's supposed to hook on to a handle. The only problem is that I can't get the current attachment off the handle. So I have to use the rusty attachment with no handle. Still undeterred, I come in and proceed to put the dang thing together. Things are going pretty well until I have to put the seat on the base. I'm supposed to slide the supporting tube into the socket on the seat. Only problem is, I see no socket. Maybe I have to unscrew something to reveal it. Nope. I'm becoming more and more frustrated as I'm trying to hook the thing together (in the wrong spot) because the swing keeps on swinging as I'm trying to steady everything long enough to get it in place. Finally, I figure it out. It was backwards. Oops! Eventually, I get it all put together, get Jack in it and he loves it. We should have gotten one of these two months ago.

Random Randomness

Haven't posted in a while. Things have been busy. Jack and I spent all last week at my parents house after going to Cade's state track meet. I wanted to be there for his graduation and his party (mostly just so I could show off my baby.) So poor Nate was at home all week without us. More importantly, without Jack. I think he almost went crazy. He joined us on Friday night in time to go to graduation on Saturday. It was thrilling, let me tell you. Hot, uncomfortable bleachers; sweaty baby; people we don't know giving boring speeches. Yeah, a great time had by all.

The good thing was Jack and I got to hang out with my family more. Even Dax was there both weekends and I'm not sure if he's going to be able to stand not seeing Jack next weekend. He likes my baby A LOT. In fact, I'm a little worried he might steal the little guy. Despite my worries about kidnapping, he really is the greatest uncle (and he's a pretty stellar brother, too). Yesterday in the mail were TWO packages from Dax: a Dunder Mifflin shirt for Jack and a Beatles album for me. Yea!

For those of you who don't know, we are big fans of the Office. In fact, we often find ourselves talking about Jim, Pam, Michael, and the rest of the gang as if they're our friends, as if they're real people. We say things like, "Did you hear what Dwight did yesterday?" It's a sickness, really. Needless to say, we're super excited about the Dunder Mifflin shirt. And I've been wanting the White Album for a long time now. It was a good day.

Now we've been home for a few days and I've been trying to get things put back together around here. "Trying" is  the operative word in that sentence. Jack has wanted me to hold him all the time. I spent over two hours today holding him on the couch because every time I tried to put him down to sleep, he woke up.  The laundry isn't done yet. Oh, well.

Playing Hooky

Since I've become a stay-at-home mom, I've had the opportunity to be out and about in the middle of the day. And I've noticed some pretty alarming trends among the youngest in our society. They're not at school. 

There isn't a day when I go to Target or the grocery store or just on walk when I don't see obvious school age kids just hanging out. Sometimes they're with their parents and sometimes not. I mentioned this to my friend Beth the other day and she, always the optimist, suggested that perhaps these kids were visiting from far away because of a family emergency. Probably not. And then there's the old "maybe they're home schooled" standby excuse. Except everyone knows you can spot a home schooler at 100 yards and most of these kids are definitely NOT home schoolers. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a little visit over to my friend Jeff's blog. He's on my blog list.)

So this brings me to the only obvious scenario: these kids are skipping school. And most likely, their parents are letting them. This is a travesty! All the crap society gives the school system about how we teachers are failing our students and how our kids can't pass required tests, and this is what we have to work with. Miniature school ditchers. It just makes me sick. So next time you see one of these delinquents, do me a favor and yell at them to get back to school.

Proud mama

Yesterday I had a first. 

My friend Beth, who is also my pastor, does a small service at the Life Care Center in Mount Vernon for the residents. It's wonderful, really. There are all these old people shouting out which hymns they'd like to sing, commenting on the scripture, and Beth yelling her head off so they can all hear her. Oh, and sometimes they fall asleep.

I decided to take Jack yesterday since we didn't have anything going on and I figured the residents would like to see him. I plan on going back every week and here's why:

They all loved him! Luckily, he was in a great mood and didn't mind at all being poked and touched. He even gave Catherine the biggest grin he could muster and I'm sure it made her day. It made mine. There was another old guy, Casey, who was so excited about Jack he could hardly stand it. He kept saying, "Well, Jesus Christ!" and "My God!" Taking the Lord's name in vain was never so adorable. And then there was Natalie, who talked to Jack as if they'd been friends for years. She'd ask questions about him and I'd begin to answer but before I could, she'd say something like, "Oh, is that so?" to Jack. They were having a grand old time.

All of this was the first time I'd watched Jack bring true joy to others just by being him. I know it will happen lots more in the future (and I know there will be times when people are less than joyful to be around him). It made me very proud.

We'll see how he behaves himself next week.

I surrender

I've finally done it. I'm a blogger. I've been thinking for months that I should start my own blog. Things would happen or I'd have some random thought and I'd think, "Hey, I should blog about that." But I never did. Until now.

I've long been one of those blog lurkers. You know what I mean. Those people who frequently read and appreciate other's blogs but never comment or create a blog of their own. Yep, that was me. I don't know what took me so long to start my own blog. Maybe I thought I wasn't interesting enough. Maybe I was worried no one else would find me interesting. Maybe I thought I didn't have enough time but now that I'm staying at home with Jack, I've lost my excuse. Who knows?