Trick, Trick, Trick...or treat

Happy Halloween - in triplicate. May the halloween force be with you!

"Aaahhhh"

Ah,Wednesdays - Wednesdays are our days off. No socccer practice, no ball games, nowhere to go after school but home. It is so nice to have that little bit of rest in the middle of the week. Today was busy and hectic at school, but as soon as we got home, and finished the homework, we actually enjoyed a little old fashioned peace and harmony together.

Remember poster contests from elementary school? Well, P has a poster due this week advertising next week's book fair at school. He got busy working on his masterpiece. M & W couldn't stand it, and they grabbed paper and colored pencils, and here's what happened.....all three quietly drawing and coloring. Pure bliss......as for tomorrow? School, homework, simulataneous soccer practices, soccer pictures for one team across town (either before or during the practice??), bath and bed.....
so, can you see why Wednesdays create that "ahhh" feeling around here?

splintered

Today while I was out grocery shopping, the guys were in the driveway playing basketball. M, barefoot as usual, stepped on a sliver of metal ( no doubt a remnant of the carport). It lodged in his foot like a splinter. He cried. G took him inside to get it out and listen to what he asked his daddy- (remember I am at the grocery store) - -

M - "Do we have anything soft like mommy's hand?"
G - "Why?"
M- "So I can hold it while you get the splinter out."


How sweet is that?
It's true, little boys aren't just snakes and snails and puppy dog tails - - they can be sugar and spice, too. By the way - daddy's calloused hand worked just fine as a hand-hold while they got the metal sliver out.

happy driving

I got my car back from the body shop today - it was smashed when our carport literally fell on it during the hurricane. I've been driving a small (I mean little) rental, and now I have my big 'ol suburban back. Whew! - way to make a girl happy :)

here's what it looked like

with the carport on top of it...

Let's Rodeo

Today is our annual Wednesday vacation day because of the county fair. All the schools in the county take the day off - students enjoy the carnival, participate in the parade, show animals and some even compete in the rodeo. This year is the 100th anniversary for the fair . We went last lnight and watched the boys have fun on some of the rides, ate cotton candy & funnel cakes,and watched the rodeo from box seats above the chute where the bulls/cows/ and cowboys enter the arena. It was pretty funny watching my not-so-country boys cheering for the cows to get away from the cowboys who were trying to rope them, instead of cheering for the ropers like the rest of the audience. M kept cheering loudly "C'mom cow - let's go cow!!"



All the stereo-types apply - boots & hats everywhere; women with big hair and bigger rhinestone jewelry; little boys who look like miniature cowboys; photo ops with any number of tractors, bulls or trucks; sawdust & dirt cover the floors; local politicians handing out ballons and popcorn; and vendors selling any type of food you would care to eat or could imagine ( like twinkies on a stick??). It really is a neat, quaint event - - this small community goes all out for one week each fall, and it seems as if it is a step back in time. And if you have never been to a real Texan rodeo (especially the small town shin-digs) you haven't experienced the real thing. Even though we have only lived here 10 years, I think this place feels more like home each year, and the fair just reinforces that. I hope when P, W & M are grown up, they will have great memories of going to the fair each year and hanging out with the cowboys.

A Lunch Date

Yesterday, M had a day full of dental appointments, so he and I took off of school to take care of his teeth. We drove to a great dentist about an hour from here (crazy, i know, but completely worth it). Between our morning and afternoon appointment, M and I had about 3 hours to kill. Being the little brother, M has always been part of the "crowd' at our house. It's hard to find alone time when you compete with two older brothers. But, yesterday was different. During our 3 hour hiatus from the dentist, we enjoyed strolling the sidewalk looking at the shops, wondering thru a toy store, looking at only those toys that appealed to M, eating lunch together, riding the carosel, and finally exploring a children's museum. Whew - we almost forgot that the day was meant for dental work, and not one-on-one fun.
We had such a great time - thanks, tooth fairy, for giving us the opportunity to spend some special, quality time together!

A Light in the Darkness

Here I am, embarking on foreign territory. I am new to the blogging world, and may need a road map or compass to help guide me for a while, so bear with me.



It's friday afternoon, and I am sitting here listening to the muted sounds of the boys lost in their wii and playstation, and my husbands footsteps on the roof as he inspects damage from the hurricane. Relatively speaking, I am enjoying silence in a normally boisterous household. After the hurricane, those days while the electricity was out, it was amazing how quiet our world became. Noises disappeared. Common distractions faded into our new reality. This new world was one of closer neighbors, friendlier strangers, and slower paces. As soon as the lights came back on, though, everything changed and life became hectic and busy and noisy, again. Maybe this blog will be my way to find that quite time, again. To think, muse and recapture the simplier aspects of life ...and maybe escape from the chaos, too!