Happy Birthday, Husband

That short little man in the orange jump suit is all kinds of awesome, but the guy flashing the hippie/seven-year-old girl peace sign is my favorite.  Tomorrow is his 37th Birthday.  I like that as we get older the number of years we've known each other becomes greater than the years we didn't.  It means we belong to each other more.

I'd rather hang out with him than anyone.  He's a little weird, but his weirdness is funny.  Like he recently referred to my upcoming gynecological appointment as, "going in for a tune up."  He's a master of slap stick, much to the delight of our kids.

When he's away our lives are different; paused, in a getting by kind of way.  When he's home we're moving forward together.  He knows our kids and what they need well, sometimes better than I do and that kind of ticks me off.

He knows and loves me well, and I feel delighted in.

He's going gray and I really like it.

Pride Will Come Before the Fall

Daniel's school conferences were this afternoon.  As his mother, I would be remiss to not mention that statements like "greatly improved," "so polite, " and "star pupil" were tossed around by his first grade and reading teachers.  I walked home with a little spring in my step, eager to tell Daniel how proud we all are of his progress.  He had a very rough start to first grade and he really has made huge leaps in his confidence as a learner and his ability to make mistakes and move on, instead of falling to pieces. 

At dinner we again doted on Daniel and his accomplishments.  Not wanting to build resentment, we turned the conversation to Addie and how we love how she turns even mundane conversation into a musical.  This led to some pretty spazzy singing and falling on the floor in hysterical laughter.

Daniel then announced over the hub-bub, "HEY! HEY!  I have to tell you something that everybody NEEDS to know!"
"NEVER do THIS." And he flipped us the bird.

Steve and I were in tears.  Once we were able to compose ourselves we asked where he learned such a gesture and explained what it means (in loose terms) and why, indeed, we should never use it.  Turns out the boy who sits next to Daniel has been tutoring him in Profanity 101.  Kahlil, you are in my prayers, you little @#$*.

Answered Prayers

We have to walk through Nathan's bedroom to get to ours.  On the mornings Steve rides his bike to work he sneaks through Nathan's bedroom around 4:45 am.  This morning Nathan woke up.  Sometimes he goes back to sleep, but not this morning...at least not until 6 and by that time I was wide awake.  So, after a very difficult morning-after-halloween battle to get the big kids ready, and a bout of ongoing (and growing) uneasiness about Daniel's school I stood over my kitchen sink and got a little teary during my plea to God to get us the heck out of this house! Several unknowns and obstacles stand in the way of this. The least of which is the fish that I keep hoping will die before we get the house ready to show because we need to move the tank and there is no place else to put it.

The fish died this afternoon.  Amen.