Signs of Fall

Yes fall is in the air. Pumpkins and mums are showing up at grocery stores, bugs are sneaking indoors to get away from chilly nights, leaves are starting to change, football is on after church on Sunday AND, the nebulizer is out of storage. Fall brings school, which brings germs, which brings out my little guy's nebulizer. Breathing is not optional. I hate the wheeze. He gets this look, other moms of RAD kids would know it. It's a little pale, a little dark under the eyes, a little noise that goes along with that deep breath. As much as I hate that nebulizer, I love it. It kept my little guy going during his bout with pneumonia, it kept him going when he coughed until he gagged and choked. Fall you are beautiful and so are you mister nebulizer--let's get the little guy through another season.

Going, going, gone!

We had quite the football weekend last weekend.

It started in Elkridge at 7:30am with Nathan's team winning 20-0. Talk about fun to watch! All those young guys really learning how to play the game--it just clicked. They played again the next day and won that game 14-0. I am not sure how many more times Nathan will be able to say that my team won two shut out games in one weekend. Talk about a self confidence booster. Nathan was ecstatic!

We then moved on to Bowie for Josh's game. Our little guys were just that, little. They were, by far, smaller than the other team. Some of them can barely keep their head up with that huge helmet on, I think they look like lollipops running around out there. The kids love playing and being in their gear. Our coaches are really great with them, patient, teaching, encouraging--just what coaches of 5-6 year olds should be. The coaches of the other team were your stereotypical loud, obnoxious over the top coaches. They have forgotten that most of these kiddos have been on our planet for 5 fingers--only the fingers on one hand. Well, 3 touchdowns from them later, I was afraid our kids would be getting discouraged. They put Josh in as the quarterback and he did the quarterback sneak. He kept the ball and ran 40 yards for a touchdown. I really can't tell you from a mom's perspective how I felt to actually watch my child do that. I forgot about the huge camera around my neck, started jumping up and down, screaming and running down the sidelines. Are my eyes really seeing this? Josh made the first touch down of the first game of the first season that this team exists. I don't care if the other team made a gazillion touchdowns. Josh made one and that was more than enough for me!

I am now hoarse yet incredibly happy for my guys. Now on to watch my girl play some volleyball. Go Bears!

A Football Epiphany

I was begged, pleaded, cried, coerced, talked to, stared at into signing my boys up for football. I didn't want the HUGE time commitment or the generally football-crazy coaches screaming at my children to run until they vomit. Preconceived ideas but a worry still the same. (In hindsight I should have been worrying about the fact that every check I write is to their organization for one thing or another). I signed them up. My younger, who I believe weighed so much at birth because he came out with a football in his hand, literally quivered when they put his helmet on. It actually gave him the chills. "Here we go.", I thought.

There have been some great things that have come from this new family adventure. My boys have exercised more than they ever have before. They are strong and becoming stronger. They are confident. They are being given chances to work hard and succeed to the cheers of a whole team of people. They are learning how to work hard even when you don't feel like it because people are counting on you. They get to play in the dirt! The coaches have been great (with the exception of one that I want to throw a yellow flag at and kick off the field).

The epiphany part: The first practice, I set up my chair, had my water, put on my sunglasses and then started to look around and watch the kids, parents and families. There were boys everywhere---literally. I watched them: catch grasshoppers, chase yellow jackets, shove each other, squirt each other with their water bottles, kick dirt, make all sorts of unimaginable noises with different body parts, scream, pee on trees, chase each other, try to out kick, out throw, out run, and out 'whatever else you can think of' each other. Moms and dads were running after the particularly rambunctious ones, screaming their names over and over again. I heard one mom say to another, "Well, we are the parents of boys, we know how to roll with it." I got that. I understood that. I related to them and all 280 loud, wiggly, lovely boys. This was worth the time commitment, all those checks I had to write and so much more. My boys are just that, wonderful, curious, energetic awesome boys.

I really AM a good mom!

Well, we had a first. After having shopped at a big box store with the initials BB&B we were walking out to the truck in a consumerism stupor. My boys started to argue about who would open the door to get in. Really. The next thing I know boy child #1 has the t-shirt of boy child #2 pulled over his head (Ovechkin would have been proud) and was punching him. This sent boy child #2 over the edge and he started punching boy child #1. I was dumbfounded. How did we get to this point? Are my offspring actually fighting in the parking lot? Unreal. I had no idea what to do. I felt like I had to explain this atrocious behavior to the adults passing by the melee. We really don't do this sort of thing! I wanted to raise my hands and shout,"Move along...nothing going on here, no worries, we're just joking, hahaahaaa.....". After both boys were breathing heavily and crying I asked, "Did that work for you guys? Did you accomplish what you were trying to do?" Both cried harder and said no. "Next time lets use our words."

Blah

My Husband favorited this tweet.

Me: blah blah blah blah blah Matt: walking away from that, what exactly do i need 2 know Me: well, blah Matt: ok Me: the story's good too!


I often wonder how much he hears me say and how he discerns what is important. I used to be offended at his "efficiency" in communication. Now I know we communicate on different planes. I am all about the details. Tell me the story honey. He wants to know what he has to do. We have come to a mutual understanding, I respect his need to know and he respects my need to info dump. Now if only he could figure out a way to be "efficient" besides saying, "Tell me when I should start listening.". God love 'em.