Seesters

Do you have one?  I do.  I have the best Seester ever.  EVER.  But more about that in a second...

It's finals week.  And I have a kid who's home sick with a bug.  A kid who slept until 11:00, on the day that I have two finals: one at 8:00 and one at 12:30.  So...that didn't go well.  Luckily, I have one understanding professor who moved my due date to Tuesday.  B's dad came to get him around 3:30, and I was going to go take one of the two finals.

But then, I checked the mail.  And I had a package from my sweet Seester, Katie.  I opened the box, and saw a small box that said, "Open first."

When I opened it, I saw this:

I put it on, then saw a couple of folded pieces of paper in the box, that said, "Then read this."

So, I did.  And although I won't post the actual note, I will paraphrase.  When I was in 7th grade, my grandmother died.  My sister was in 4th grade.  My sister was her namesake in a way...my grandmother's name was Helen Kate, and Katie was the first grandchild to have her name.  When my grandmother died, she willed her rings to my sister, and since she was so young, my mom kept them for her.

Fast forward to a few years ago, when my mom was still in possession of the rings, and her house was broken into.  Her jewelry box was stolen, but for whatever reason, she hadn't kept the rings in her jewelry box.  In my note from my Seester, she said that she felt it was more fitting for me to have this ring of my grandma's...her "mother" ring, each stone symbolizing the birth of one of her five children.  My dad's in the middle.  And when I read those words, I started crying. She went on to tell me how proud she is of how I mother (and father) my children, and how I'm the kind of parent that grown children would be proud to have.

Y'all.  I told you.  My Seester is the best.  And I got a little teary just typing that.  I didn't have anything that belonged to my grandmother, and now I have something that I know was so dear to her heart...and it's something I will cherish for the rest of my life.

One of the sweet dads from N's team volunteered to come get N to take him to practice for me so I could go take my final, but it was getting late to get in to take the exam.  I text him saying that I was going to skip it because it was too late, so I could handle practice...after I went to get a manicure.  Do y'all know what he said?  He said, "Aubrey, go enjoy your manicure.  I'll take N, and you can come whenever you get done.  Don't worry about it.  It'll be fun."

So, he did.  He text me to let me know that he took N and his son J to go get shakes before practice.  I told him if N puked that night, he could come clean it up, and he said he'd be happy to.  N and J are newer friends...and J is a really sweet kid.  When we were leaving practice, they were goofing around and having a blast.  I know N was reluctant to leave.  And that made my heart so happy...because he's making real friends.  Who wouldn't love to witness that firsthand?

Also, as we were leaving, my phone rang, and it was my pal, Cree Cree!  He flew into Dallas for a couple of days, and suggested we meet for lunch tomorrow!  Between lunch with Cree Cree, a baseball game for B, practice for N, and my stinkin' finals, I'm going to be a busy girl.

I wish I could go to sleep at a decent time.

Wow, that made me sound super duper old!

Aubs

Nothing says "Happy Mother's Day!" like...

"Mom, help me!  I don't feel so go..."

At 7:36 a.m. on Sunday morning.

2013: The year I spent Mother's Day cleaning up my sweet 7 year-old's vomit.  All. Day. Long.

I'm sure every mom has one at one point in her life...and B was so upset that he was sick.  As soon as he started throwing up, I called Justin to come get N, and he hung out with his dad all day.  He was bummed about not spending the day with me, and he ended up having to sleep over there, since B was still going strong as the day winded down.

And once we hit 11:00 p.m., the fever started.  My hot potato tossed and turned for almost 2 hours before I settled him on the couch, and he promptly fell asleep.  I'm hoping he stays asleep for a little while at least.  The kiddo needs some rest.

When N came home to grab some clothes, he presented me with this:

 

Y'all.  I got all teary-eyed right around 6.  I laughed at 8 & 4, and got really misty-eyed at 5, 3, and 2.  And number 1?  I was a mess.

That boy.  That 10 year-old little man?  He has my heart.  And I'm so lucky to be his mom. 

I'm equally lucky to be the mom of my sweet 7 year-old, who always keeps me guessing.  I gave him a hotel front desk-style bell to ding when he needed something.

Yes, I realized after the fact that it was an extremely poor choice in judgement.  It was doubly confirmed when I went in there after a frantic "Ding Ding DING!" and he asked for his bottle of water...that was sitting right next to the stinkin' bell.  He brought home a card, but hasn't finished it yet because he decided to puke up his guts.

So look for that tomorrow.

And, to all the mama's out there, Happy Mother's Day!  You're in a super-fantastic club!

Aubs

Bounce!

The city we live in dedicated today to health and fitness awareness, so they set up a ton of booths and various bounce houses/inflatables for a day of fitness fun.  After all the "fun" with field day yesterday (read: ruined running shoes and pink faces, despite sunscreen application), B was complaining of a "broken ankle" which is pretty interesting since one of the boys on his team is in a walking boot for a few weeks.  He was hopping around on one foot, and when I mentioned/explained Bounce! it was a miraculous recovery.  He was healed!

And then I told him to put away his laundry, and he was broken again.  Go figure.

Anyway, this morning we slept in since nobody had baseball, and after a leisurely morning, I told them to get dressed and we headed to check it out.  B was so excited...N?  Not so much.  He's obviously entirely too old for bounce house fun.  Or something.  We got in line for an obstacle course, and the boys and I were talking when I looked in front of us and saw one of the boys from N's baseball team.  They're (obviously) the same age, but both have 7 year-old brothers, so it's kind of perfect...except N didn't want to have anything to do with participating.  Eventually, he changed his mind and raced his teammate through the course, and he laughed the whole time.

Too old?  Ha!

We hung out at Bounce! for a couple of hours, spending a lot of time with the other boys and their dad, and my ultimate goal was to wear B out.  After we finished there, we went to get them new shoes since their others were trashed.  On the way home, we stopped to get cards for my grandmother for Mother's Day...and Oreos.  Because both boys know their priorities.

They played Xbox for a while, and I just relaxed.  B was up at 4:00 this morning doing a breathing treatment, so I didn't sleep very well and was so sleepy...but I opted to take them down to the pool after a little rest.  For two hours, they played and splashed, and stayed submerged so they wouldn't freeze.  Because it was a little breezy.

Also, the dress I was wearing today gave me a really interesting "tan" (read: pink) line, so that's fun.  After the pool, the boys showered, and then N went to spend a couple of hours with Justin.  Now, I'm settling into bed to watch "Courageous" because I've wanted to watch it for a long time, and I've heard it's fantastic.

N's home, both boys are in bed watching a movie, and it's all peaceful around here.

Just the way Mother's Day weekend  should be.

Aubs

Field Day

Last night, after dinner, I spent a good 90 minutes making water balloons in the kitchen sink.  Since I don't have an outside faucet (living on the second floor kind of makes that impossible), I had to get creative.  And it was messy.  So, so messy.  I was making balloons, and the boys were wiping them off and putting them in this huge basket for us to drag to school this morning.  When all was said and done, there were roughly 100 water balloons in there, so when I went to move the basket in the kitchen, I stopped because it was heavy.

And then I called Justin to see if he would take N (and the water balloons) to school for me in the morning, and I'd drop B when I was headed to school.  And he agreed, which was helpful because there's no way I would have been able to get that basket down the stairs.

It was a rushed/hectic morning, but when I got to school, my professor announced that he'd updated grades, and everyone should look.  He reminded us that we needed 180 points for an A in the class, so if we saw our point totals, we'd know what we needed to make on the final on Monday.  My points total?  187.  I still have to take it, but I don't actually have to do well...but why would I do poorly on purpose?  That would just be plain silly.

When class was over, I took off...and rushed over to the elementary school to finish the rest of field day with B.  I did my best to purposely avoid the 5th graders, because it's obviously totally not awesome if your mom comes to watch field day...especially if you're a 10 year-old boy who thinks he's 27.  B, on the other hand, was thrilled to see me, as was his class.  All of the boys in his class have started calling me "My Sweetie Pie" which I find completely hilarious.  One of the cutest little boys I've ever seen started the nickname during a Friday reading session, and it's stuck.  He's called me "My Sweetie Pie" almost all year. 

As we sat, watching the older grades do the DCE Dash, I was talking to one of the dads in B's class about baseball.  His son plays baseball for a different league, and they'll have some spots open next season.  They just moved from Florida, and their son is still working on making friends...so I told him to send me the information, and we'd look into it as an option.  After the races were over, I found my (destroyed) basket and went home to wait for the boys to ride the bus home.

Justin called on my way home to see if E could come over for a little while after school, so I agreed, and E helped me rip paper while I took a final.  It was extremely useful.  He hates toys, but give him a piece of paper or a napkin, and he's a happy camper.  Weird.  N opted out of family time to play at a friend's house, so B, E, and I headed over to B's make-up baseball practice.  On Friday night.  At 6:00.  Not the smartest idea.

A whole 5 players showed up, and the other B's mom (who was also at field day) and I were exact twins: black shorts, gray running shoes, and purple field day shirts.  B spent an hour rolling around in the grass.  Fast forward to 3 hours later, at home, where we're on our second breathing treatment of the night because that's what happens when B rolls around in the grass.

Here's hoping tonight doesn't completely suck.

Aubs

It's raining, it's pouring!

I just love a gray, rainy day.  My pillow was just calling my name for a nap, and I gave in pretty willingly.  When I woke up, I got down to business on the last of my homework for my Friday class.

I received an email from my professor that basically said he really wanted to discuss "Zero Dark Thirty" in class on Friday, so would I please watch it since I'm the only one who participates?  I've gone back and forth on whether or not I wanted to watch the movie, but then he mentioned "Extra Credit" and I decided I'd do it.  Yes, I'm a nerd.  I like it.

So, when the boys got home, we went to run a couple of errands.  N needed a new swimsuit for field day tomorrow, and B needed a drawstring-type bag for the same reason.  We struck out at Sports Authority...they literally had 5 boys' swimsuits.  I did, however, find B a bag just like N's (only cooler, if you ask N), which caused N to try to barter with B for the new bag.  It didn't go the way he wanted it to, and he still needed a swimsuit, so we ended up at Old Navy.

Y'all.  I have a thing for Old Navy.  I have for years.  Oddly enough, I did NOT have a thing for Old Navy when I worked there during high school.  Go figure.  Actually, it was probably for the best.  The whole goal of working at Old Navy was to make/save money.  Now, I adore super soft t-shirts, and tanks...and their pj pants are super cute.  If you looked in my closet, you would find a ridiculous amount of Old Navy.  When I find something I like, I buy it in every color...like their vintage baseball tees.  Oh, they're one of my more recent loves.

Anyway, we had swimsuit success, and we were getting ready to pull up at our apartment, when I realized I needed to Redbox "Zero Dark Thirty."  So, off to Market Street we went.  And after I got the movie (and "Red Dawn" to distract the boys), I remembered that N had asked for Cuties, so we headed to the produce section.

Twenty minutes later, we left with white and yellow peaches, cuties, lemons, limes, celery, cucumber, navel oranges, basil, and mint.  And I'm super excited to make some of my own vitamin water. 

Because.

Yum.

Aubs

Tonight, I wanted to call a whambulance to take me away

I so did.  B's stepmom kept him for a couple of extra days because there were conflicting baseball games and N needed some space, so he came home today.  When he comes home, I mentally prepare myself for whining and behavior that he knows is not allowed.  And arguing.  Oh...the arguing.  I'm surprised when my ears DONT start bleeding.

To add to my physical and mental pain, I really needed to go to the grocery store this afternoon.  I needed the boys to pick some fruit/yogurt because if I pick it, it will inevitably be the wrong one, even if it's the exact same flavor they would've picked.  "Mom, you picked the wrong container!  I wanted the one from the stack on the left."  Seriously.  It's happened.  So, I bargained with them.  I could've just said, "We're going.  The end." but I was trying to be kind...first day back, sets a precedent, etc. 

The deal was they get a snack, we grocery shop, put the groceries away, and then they play Xbox until baseball practice.  And, for the most part, it went well.  B acted like a moron at times at the store, but I was the moron who allowed him to have an Icee.  Stupid idea on my part.  Obviously.

By the time we got home, I was frustrated and annoyed, the boys were itching to play Xbox, and N willingly helped put away groceries while B flopped on the floor and pretended he had the hiccups to avoid doing any work.  And that didn't go over very well.  I sent them away to play, and after I finished reorganizing the freezer, I made B come to do his homework. 

Y'all.  You'd think I asked him to write a research paper with 16 sources instead of reading a 10 page book and writing three sentences about the beginning, middle, and end of the story.  And each time I would redirect him back to the three sentences, he'd scream like I was murdering him instead of saying, "Hey!  B!  Focus!"  I'm pretty sure my neighbors like it when there's only one kid here...

We went to practice, and one of the other boys' little brothers came along, too, so B had someone to play with.  And I sat in my chair and drank from my grown-up sippy cup and read "Sparkly Green Earrings" by Melanie Shankle.  Which you should totally read if you're a mom.  Or thinking about becoming one.  Because it's hilarious and totally true.  And right now, it's available on Kindle for FREE dollars.  Seriously.  Go download it.  Sparkly Green Earrings

You'll thank me.  For life.

Aubs

Sometimes a loss in necessary

I hate to say it, but I think our boys needed to lose a game tonight so they could regain a little of their previous focus going into the playoffs.  Everyone came into the game without any kind of excitement.  In fact, several of them were completely angry about how practice had gone the night before.  There had been a race between two team members last night..and one tried to cut the other off which resulted in a push or an inadvertent trip and the loss of a shoe.  I think the coach thought it would promote healthy competition.  All it REALLY did was piss a bunch of exhausted 10 year-old boys off.

And several of them (my son included) had big chips on their shoulders when they got to the game tonight.  And it was hot.  And the other team was super prepared.  Had our boys not been in a funk for 2/3 of the game, I think we would've done better.  We came alive towards the end of the third inning, making some plays while we were in the field, and then FINALLY got on the scoreboard in the top of the 4th.  Final score: Marlins 8, Giants 2.

It was a hard loss, but we're the two best teams in the league.  We broke their perfect record...the one that's been running for two seasons, handing them their first loss...EVER a few weeks ago.  And they didn't forget it.  They came to play, and we didn't.  We were also down a coach, and several parents were unavailable to help coach, so the main coach of our team didn't really have any help.  He was frustrated, the boys were frustrated, and all of a sudden, they stopped functioning as a team.  It was hard to watch.

For obvious reasons.  And not-so-obvious reasons...like I wore black yoga pants, and I'm pretty sure they were wet with sweat.  Poor choice, Aubrey.  Poor choice.  N had a rough game.  He was trying his best to make plays from behind the plate, but he didn't have a lot of help from his pitcher.  They still haven't realized that it's their job to cover home when N chases a wild pitch and there's a runner headed home. 

He was angry and irritated and frustrated and sad.  And he has every right to be each one of those emotions.  He's had a lot going on in his little world lately, and I'm sure he feels like it's spinning upside down.

But a team where only a few of the players have played together in the past making it through the regular season with one loss?  Well, now...that's pretty impressive.  Post season games for seating are next week.  We'll see how that goes!

Aubs