reunion

I am heading home the end of September for my 10 year high school reunion. I am excited to go home and see my mom and Dwane but mildly apprehensive about the reunion itself. I think the years have softened the horrors of high school and made me look back with mostly fond memories. Am I tempting fate to go back and dredge up all the old truths that I have blocked out? I know I have changed a lot since graduation. How much has everyone else changed? Will I recognize anyone? Will I remember anyones names? Will we all slip back into the "roles" we played when we were in high school? It would make an interesting study.
I think what has me most unnerved is that I will be going stag. John is too busy at work to make the trip and he wanted to keep the kids with him for the weekend to give me a break. What a great husband I have! Of course, it would be even better if I could take my good looking husband and introduce him as Dr Traverso. Isn't part of a reunion the opportunity to brag a little bit about how well your life is going?! I just wish I were 10 pounds lighter... he he he
The weirdest part - to register I had to email our senior class president, a guy I had a crush on through all of elementary school. I think it is the most I have ever "spoken" to him at one time.

mind over matter of fact?

My favorite color has always been blue. For as long as I can remember this is the truth. Now, however, according to my son Samuel my favorite color is purple. Almost as soon as he was born (a day or two old) Samuel has made it clear that he has strong opinions and he wants those opinions heard. When he was two - maybe two and a half - he decided that his favorite color was blue. And because blue was his favorite it could not possibly be anyone else's favorite. He decided to assign us all favorite colors. John was allowed to like green, James red, and me purple. I don't know if these colors were chosen at random, if they were influenced by the colors of the four lightsabers we have or if there is some other, deeper reasoning behind his serious and absolutely binding proclaimation. But as I found myself folding my clean laundry yesterday I lovingly placed my purple v-neck on the top of the pile. Whether through change in taste or Samuel's unsubtle but consistant brainwashing, I think purple is now my favorite.

cleaning the gutters

A couple of years ago (after a few episodes of John almsot killing himself on an old, rickety, wooden ladder) we had shields put on top of our gutters so that we would not have to clean them again. Unfortunately, the birds in our neighborhood thought the shields made the gutters the best place to build their nests - so the gutters were quickly packed with anything and everything the birds could find for building material.
John and I spent a good part of yesterday - like 5 hours or so - cleaning the gutters and doing other yard work. The kids, of course, were there to help (or hinder) the process as much as they could. Keep in mind it was 98 degrees outside with a heat advisory warning due to the temperature and the humidity too.
So there we were. John and I versus the birds. I held the ladder while John climbed it and - armed with screwdrivers and pliers - began the difficult task of pulling the bits of debris out of the narrow opening between gutter and shield. When he finally emptied a section of all of its junk he used the hose to spray the remnants down the downspout. At one point while John was pearched at the top of the ladder and I was using all of my concentration to keep the ladder from tipping over, Samuel got ahold of the hose. I turned my head just in time to see him grin a huge, mischievious grin, and spray James at point blank range. James let out a wail and came running to me. Samuel then pointed the nozzel in my direction and sprayed me in the back holding the stream of water on me until I was thoroughly soaked.
It was very funny (and wet!) and such a John thing to do! Samuel has officially cemented his role as John's mini-me.

knock knock

Samuel learned a knock knock joke from one of his favorite tv shows and has decided that those are his favorite things to talk about. Last night at dinner we sat around at the table telling his version of knock knock jokes.

This is the one he learned:
knock knock
who's there?
banana
banana who?
(repeat this several times then...)
knock knock
who's there?
orange
orange who?
orange you glad I didn't say banana!

Well after several several times of telling this joke, he decided to make up a knock knock joke of his own.

knock knock
who's there?
zebra
zebra who?
zebra lamby!

Then he laughed hysterically like he just told the funniest joke ever.
James though this was so funny he decided to try one of his own:

knock knock
who's there?
Mommy
mommy who?
mommy daddy!

More hilarious laughing followed! I love that my kids have a sense of humor even if they don't get the jokes just yet! What two year old do you know that makes knock knock jokes?
The best part is that I actually told a funny knock knock joke and the only one who laughed (besides me) was John.

Peter Pan the Avenger!

Samuel is going through a Peter Pan phase. He loves Peter Pan! He watches it over and over and when he is not watching it, he is acting it out. We have all been assigned our particular roles. Sam is, of course, Peter. James is Michael. Daddy is Captain Hook. And I am - not Wendy, that role goes to Samuels favorite Auntie Becca - I am Tiger Lily (pronounced Tiger Louie). We get to act out scenes from the movie and the play - swordfights and all. For his birthday one my friends got Sam a Peter Pan set complete with collapsable sword that lights up (this is Sam's sword - don't touch!), a little rubber knife (James'), a hook (Daddy's) and an old fashon gun that shoots foam darts.
Anyway, because Peter Pan is Sam's favorite show it is also James' favorite. The other day I took James with me to the shoe store. He brought with him a yellow plastic drumstick which he was using as a sword at the time. While I was browsing James ran up the aisle, climbed up on one of the little benches posted every few feet or so and yelled "Peter Pan the avenger!" at the top of his lungs - brandishing his drumstick at his imaginary foes. Then he climbed off the bench and proceeded to the next one to repeat his proclaimation. I was getting looks from the other customers but honestly I was laughing too hard to care!

Book Review

I am reading a really interesting book right now. It is called How to Raise an Emotionally Intelligent Child. It is a psychology self-help book that my mom gave me right after I had Samuel. I never cared to read it because I thought it would be tedious and boring - sorry mom! But over the last few months I have been trying to pay more attention to what I am teaching my kids through my own words and actions. This book has provided me with some incredible insight as well as goals to work toward in my relationship with my kids. I highly recommend this book for anyone else (like me) who may feel like they are floundering in the parenting skills department.

ambivalent

I have a new appreciation for my brother and for anyone else who has had a life-long battle with depression. This just sucks!!!
For anyone who has never experienced depression before, it is like your emotions are on a roller coaster. One day I feel great, like nothing in the world can touch me - and then gradually, unnoticably I start to slip off my high until a few weeks later I can barely make myself function - wondering what in the world is wrong with me. On medication the highs are not as high and the lows are not as low - which is good and bad. Now instead of a low period I experience a sort of ambivalence or dullness. I experience the world happening around me but am stuck in the mire of my own emotions. I am a zombie, sleep-walking for days until something random triggers me and I wake up. The problem is, since the highs don't go as high I feel a little like I am stuck in my ambivalence. Even when I feel great, a part of me is still asleep and doesn't really care about my life.
I notice this the most in my parenting. When Samuel was little I spent so much energy teaching him, encouraging him to learn, taking him to the library and doing everything I could to help him be as smart as he could be. By the time he was two he could recognize all of the letters in the alphabet. James is now two and he doesn't know the alphabet, heck, he has trouble getting his colors right. I am absolutely horrified by this! But that other part of me... the sleeping part ... couldn't care less.

goldfish

We went to John's office for lunch yesterday. As soon as we entered the waiting room the boys were glued to the giant fish tank. James kept yelling "Hi Goldfish!" over and over- there aren't any actual goldfish in the tank. Samuel dropped onto his belly on the floor and started moving his arms and legs, pretending to swim with the fish. John's office staff was cracking up and while I laughed too I was thinking, "Thank goodness there are no patients here!"