Our Retirement Surprise

What did you say?

 

 

Grandma Boyd is retired?

 

The kids surprised Grandma on her last day of school by escorting her out of the building at the end of the day.

 

10 minutes prior...

 

While corralling the kids behind a door where we wouldn't be seen, I got the sneaking suspicion this wasn't going to go as planned.  Perhaps it was the fact that Ross kept crawling around on his hands and feet like an orangutan, or that Maisie kept making hysterical screeching noises and that Molly's Tootsie Pop got stuck in her hair.  I began to question how long I could hold them there.  You can only whisper the ABC's 10 times in a row so many times.  That's when the principal came back and whispered "I'm expecting her in my office any minute.  Once she's down here, give me 5 minutes with her." 

 

That could only mean one thing. Time for charades and sign language.   

 

Somehow or another they pulled it off.  Ross and Maisie took a bouquet of flowers to Grandma and told her they would be walking her out of the building. 

 

Within minutes, Ross and Maisie were running down the hall to Ross' old classroom where Mrs. Vaughn gave him an exercise ball, colored pencils and markers to take home.  Grandma managed to come find us, and basically walked us out.  We got Grandma to her car just in time for Ross to remember Grandma promised him the radio she had packed in her car and we would now be taking home not only the exercise ball, but also a radio.  That's when Maisie swung Molly around the sidewalk and Molly landed in the mud as the markers and colored pencils fell out of their boxes and rolled down the sidewalk.  Molly went home without pants on and a mud mask covering her legs while Ross carried his new radio and I carried muddy pants and flip flops.  As I turned back to Cindy,who was helplessly watching this ordeal unfold, something told me it was worth it.

One of Those

How does a kid get lucky enough to have a 1^st grade teacher who adores him?

How does a kid build a bond with a teacher so when someone says something ridiculous, the two of them can look at each other and smile?

How does a kid get a teacher who makes him feel as though he's the most important person she’s met?

How does a kid who can talk your ear off, end up with a teacher who takes time to listen to the details of his stories in awe, because it makes him feel special?

How does a kid get a teacher who lets him bring his most prized possession into her classroom? That being his cat.

Every once in a while, a person comes into your childs life, and in those moments you know your kid has been changed for the better.  This woman may never know the full extent of my gratitude for her, or the number of doors she encouraged him to open this year, yet I am certain she will forever hold a place in his heart, as she will mine.

She is one of those teachers.

And when that school year comes to an end, how do you say goodbye?

 

Ross and Mrs. Vaughn.  1st Grade.

Tractor Love

Once upon a time there was this boy.  He had a goofy grin and broad shoulders that made my legs tingly and my armpits sweaty. 

He asked me to marry him and we had a wedding.  We cut the cake, danced a dance, I threw a bouquet and he threw a garter.  Whoa, back up the bus.  What song was playing when that garter was thrown?  Hmmmm.  Something ‘bout a tractor?

It may as well have been in our vows.  Perhaps we were destined for it.  Perhaps our souls have been dreaming about the simple, country-life this entire time.  I’ve come to realize the man I married was more than a sensitive guy with pierced nipples and great legs, he was a Diesel Man.

 

 

 

 Let’s just say our latest purchase brought us one step closer to our dream. 

And just for the record, he makes that tractor sexy.

Bucket List

Ross’ bucket list hangs in my cubical at work.  Right next to the corporate calendar, store listing chart and warehouse ordering shortcut codes.  It’s daily a reminder of what I’m working for.  It’s a reminder of where I come from and where I want to be.  It’s a reminder of where my heart lies.  I've come to the conclusion that seeing him achieve his bucket list, has somehow become my bucket list. 

 

My Bucket List

 

1. Get a dog

2. Live in the country

3. Finish chopping my piece of wood

4. Play basketball in college

5. Get a 4-wheeler

6. Go off a zip-line

7. Get a tree house

 How could I ask for anything more?

Farewell Preschool

It started with a squeal at 6:23 a.m.  Sure enough, it was Maisie and there was no telling what had just happened.  Did her band-aid fall off… did she need to pee… were her pajamas twisted… did the cat wander into her room… did she find a tick…there’s no telling with this girl, all we knew was that she was squealing.

 

Me: Good Morning Sugar Plum!   Everything okay in here?

Maisie: Today is my last day of school!?

Me: Yep.  Today’s the day!  Are you excited?

Maisie with more squeeling:  Yes, I can’t believe this!

Me: Tomorrow, you will be a kindergartener! You have Kindergarten clinic tomorrow.

Maisie: What do you do at Kindergarten Clinic?

Me: Well, I think you do kindergarten activities, play and meet new kids.

Maisie: whew.

Me: What did you think you would do?

Maisie with an eyeroll: running. 

After choosing a fabulous dress for the day, applying fairy tattoo earrings and doing her hair in not one ponytail, but a ponytail at the top with a double-rubberband-twist pony tail at the bottom, she was feeling like wrapping this preschool gig up.

We slicked Molly’s hair back too- but that’s for another post.

While the breakfast chaos was underway, we heard the crash.  Yep, Maisie was on the floor with a plate of syrupy waffles falling behind her.  “MOVE!”  I yelled as Maisie ran to the other side of the kitchen crying.  Other than a small area of syrup on the hem of her dress, she was spared by the syrup, fork and waffle pieces falling on her.  Talk about ‘whew’.

The situation could have gone in so many directions at that moment; yet through it all, she handled herself with grace and dignity. 

Luckily for us, we’re dealing with a kindergartener now.  Easy peasy.  

 

First Day of Preschool

 

Last Day of Preschool...

Next stop, Kindergarten

 

Keeping Up

She’s unlike the others in so many ways. 

 

Her main objective is to keep-up.  She mocks, she mimics, she repeats and she watches. 

 

Say 'cheese'!

In the next 10-15 years, this could bring us much anxiety and gray hair (well, for me at least), but today she brings us smiles and gratitude. She’s a downright goofball and loves nothing more than an attentive audience. 

 

 

She’s two and she’s ours.  

 

Basketball Fever

He's been itching to get one of these for a while now.  It all started several months ago when his buddy showed him some moves at recess. You know, spins, zig zags, little hops... you get the idea. 

 

 

 

Discussions of whether Air Jordan is a person or a brand, whether wearing mesh shorts makes you look a  real basketball player and what it takes to become a professional athlete can be overheard at our house these days. 

Pay no attention to the baby crib on the court. 

 

He's never shown an interest in organized sports and therefore, we've never pushed.  Call it the 90's or awkward teenage years, but all I remember from my basketball days was fouling, missing crucial free throws, awkward zone defense, nasty b-o-infused jerseys, bunions and secretly hoping nobody would pass me the ball so I wouldn't have the opportunity to screw-up.

 

Well times have changed and I've decided I like basketball now.  I truly think it's because of who I get to play with.  It's with this kid whose Papa put a basketball hoop up for him Saturday. 

He may as well have hung the moon.

Mashed Potatoes

This little Miss Muffet had a big day at school this week.  Her preschool toured the kindergarten rooms and ate lunch in the cafeteria.  With Maisie being the middle child, I completely forgot about this event.

 

 

When I picked her up from daycare, the conversation went something like this:

Maisie: “Mommy, mommy… I ate lunch at school today!”

Me: “Huh?”

Daycare lady: “She ate lunch here before she left. Had 3 helpings of chicken, brown rice, corn… ate really, really well.”

 

Me as I shrug: “Who knows.”

Once home, I remembered the preschool class was to eat lunch in the cafeteria that day.  Whoops.

Me: “Maisie, tell me all about school lunch!”

Maisie: “There was gravy and potatoes and chicken and carrots and chocolate milk.  I sat with Mrs. Lopez.  I ate it all except the peaches.”

 

 

Ross: “Mom, do you know what the potatoes at school look like?  They use a spoon to put a hole in the middle of the mashed potatoes and put the gravy in the middle.  So weird and dumb.  It looks like a toilet bowl full of turds.”

Me: “That’s how you serve mashed potatoes, Ross.  It’s totally normal.  Maisie, would you like to buy hot lunch when you’re a kindergartener?

Maisie: “Yes, I loved the chocolate milk.”

That’s my girl.

Bed Head

Why is it that every time I try to brush my girls’ hair, they scream in pain and act like I’m ripping their scalp off?  During these moments I often regress back to that scene in Uncle Buck where Tia is brushing Maisie’s hair (yes, we got her name from 'Uncle Buck') and Maisie is crabbing about it.  Tia (teenage sister) says, “Hold still Maisie, I’ve got to get all the snarls out”. 

I’ve come to the conclusion that I re-inact movie scenes in my daily life more than I realized.  This is one of those scenes.

Yet I’ve also realized these gals got me fooled.  Conveniently they don’t squeal, scream, fight or cry when their sister is the one brushing their snarls out. 

 

That's right Maisie, your gonna need plenty of detangler.

 

Molly is not a morning person.

 

 

It's going to be an interesting hair day.  She may walk away looking like the mailman.  With this sort of cooperation, I'm going with it.

Omaha Zoo

There's nothing quite like being 5-years-old and riding the Carousel at the Omaha Zoo.

 

Unless your two-years-old and the whole idea is freaking you out. 

 

Luckily Daddy is around to hold you tight.

 

 

Then again, there's nothing quite like being 7-years-old and watching a monkey poop right in front of you. 

 

 

Odds are Ross won't remember the gorillas, the rhinos, the lions or the giraffes; yet something tells me he's never gonna forget being being lucky enough to watch the monkey poop. 

 

I pray I never forget the sound of the hysterical laughter that ensued. 

Moo

 

This is where I found Molly late Friday afternoon.  I didn't ask...

Dad's Love Language

On Sunday Dad showed up to cut brush at our future homestead.  Did I say brush?  I meant overgrown bushes containing angry, shark-teeth-like throrns that pierce your skin from every direction while gripping anything in its path without mercy… aka multiflora rose.  For 3-1/2 long days, he cut, he burned, he sweat and he bled. By the time he left, his skin was leather, his hair and eyebrows were singed, there was blood dried onto his beard and his arms looked like he’d been in a fight with a cat.

 

I had always suspected it, but as the week came to a close, there is no doubt what Dad’s love language is. 

 

 

 

 

 Love you too, Dad

Country Life

No, your eyes have not deceived you. 

 

 

 

 

And with that, I have come to the conclusion that once were actually living in the country, this blog could get real interesting...

Nuts

Papa Green is staying with us this week.  He made spaghetti for dinner tonight and this evening we sat around the chiminea on the back deck eating nuts.  We decided to determine if anyone could spit pistachio shells directly into the chiminea.  Mike started it.  We're competitive like that.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Molly had a snotty nose.  Papa Green pulled a GG and wiped it with his shirt.  Note the wet spot by the pocket.  Doesn't take much to entertain us these days.  We love our Papa.

 

 

Quotes

 Ross came home from school using “quotes”.  I’m not referring to writing quotation marks either.  I’m talking about demonstrating quotes with his two fingers up by his mouth when he says something. 

 

What cracks me up is that he has no clue what it means or when it makes sense.  He learned it from a classmate.  The kid told Ross his mom serves him, “chicken nuggets”- finger quotations.  I'm not sure, but I think his dad might be a hunter. 

Takes me back to my youth; "er-chicken anyone?"

 

 

Ross Boyd CIA

Tuesday evening Ross shared the news.  His class earned enough points to vote on a way to celebrate their success.  The class voted having a "Career Day".  As we rode bikes through the cemetery Tuesday evening, Ross' temper became HOT!

 

Ross: "I'm only 7!  How am I supposed to know what I want to be when I grow up?  I have no idea yet! I'm so pissed.  Mom, please don't make me go to school on Friday." 

 

I definitely didn't see an opportunity to dress-up as such an inconvenience, but Ross was clearly struggling with the idea as he slammed his bike across the cemetery path and refused to ride home. 

 

He finally decided to be Martin from "Wild Kratts", and make a creature-power suit out of paper before bed.  I don't need to explain how that craft turned out.

 

Thankfully, Grandma knows how Ross works.  Wednesday morning before school, she convinced Ross to dress-up as a Spy for Career Day.  Bingo.  He was sold and suddenly couldn't wait for career day.  It's all we heard about this week as he gathered all the spy accessories and Grandma even stopped by with a new pair of black sunglasses, a CIA I.D. with his name on it and a battery operated compass she found at her house.  He did a little dress rehearsal on Thursday just to be sure nothing was missing.

Friday morning arrived and Ross could not stop talking (what else is new).  10 minutes before Grandma arrived to pick him up for school it happened.  Molly climbed onto the counter and managed to dump a glass of milk on Ross' spy costume.  Ross bawled, I bawled, Molly bawled; luckily Mike was around to wring the milk out of the costume and get it in the dryer. 

 

Somehow, the costume was dry by the time he left for school. 

Somehow, he was happy.  

Somehow, we did it.