Monday Funny

Savannah: Wyatt, what's up with your arms?

Wyatt: What arms?


(um, the ones attached to your shoulders)

Pictures

As usual I did not buy school pictures.  When I saw them, however, I regretted my choice as both Wyatt and Julia took really good pictures this year.

I opted to take the two of them out for their annual "school" picture.  I wish I could afford a good photographer as I am rarely satisfied with my work, but I only need one good one, right?

one of my two favorites of Julia

I really like this one.

my favorite of Wyatt

another of my two favorites

I don't usually like photos of people laying on the ground, but this was a natural pose for Wyatt.  He did this himself, and I actually like the result.  Wyatt was not exactly a willing participant, so I am happy to have one good image.

Celebrate Good Times, oh yeah!

So the timing's not that great.  I just had an expensive van repair, got the invoice on Savannah's class fees, and am sitting on a few hundred dollars in medical bills.  I just got an estimate on a window that needs to be replaced -$690. You get the picture.  Things are pretty bleak on the financial front, and we really won't touch much in the way of recovery before Christmas hits. OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!

Wyatt stopped participating in jeans days this school year.  What?  He was quite faithful to the uniform breaks last year, so what's up with this?  When questioned, he expressed that he does not like jeans as they are just too uncomfortable.  hmm

Too tight? Yes.  So I had him put on a pair of his jeans so that I could loosen the elastic.  There was some definite John Travolta Saturday Nigh Fever happening in those jeans, and no loosening of elastic was going to fix that, Y'all!  So, I ordered three pairs of jeans in the next size up, and there is always a bit of happy dancing when our slow growing Wyatt moves up a size.  His pediatrician says that boys who are slow to grow tend to be taller.  I hope he's right because Wyatt's got quite a bit of catching up to do.  Fortunately, he's cute and charming enough to make up for his lack of stature.  Julia's friends apparently tell her frequently just how cute he is :)

Choosing a mate

Driving the kids home from school yesterday was quite the adventure. In an unusual turn of events, I wound up with a van full of kids.  After dropping off the first two, I shared a story I heard on the radio:
Police were called to the home of an elderly couple for a domestic dispute.  Upon their arrival, they found a man struggling to care for his wife who suffers from dementia.  He sold his wedding band to buy groceries, and she was giving him grief over doing it.  The responding officers gathered their police brotherhood together and collected enough money to cover the groceries and to buy the ring back.  They also made sure this couple will receive the services they need going forward.

I shared this story with the kids, and the girls loved the kindness of the officers and agreed that the police probably do this more often than anyone realizes, but they often get bad press.

Wyatt took the opportunity to tell us that when he meets a beautiful woman and marries her, he will have a wedding band.  Wyatt went on to tell us about his dream bride.  She will love video games, but not first person shooter games.  Wyatt does not associate with those who love first person shooter games. We all agreed that a girl who loves first person shooter games would not get a first date with him.  I warned him to make sure she is beautiful on the inside.  Out of curiosity I asked if he would be okay if he has a child who does not love video games.  Wyatt's response was awesome.  "Of course I will.  We don't have to like the same things to bond.  Like Dad and me; we don't like the same things, but we bond."

Awww, that's my boy!

Celebrating hard work

Our town has a few businesses that offer rewards for good grades - up through 8th grade.  If not for these businesses, we probably would not celebrate at all. We expect the kids to work hard and do their best without compensation. Last night we visited an ice cream shop to celebrate good report cards and hard work. While Wyatt and Julia were the only ones getting the free scoop, we have much to celebrate about Savannah.

You might remember that we piled stress upon stress on Savannah when we forced encouraged her to give up her Sunday afternoons and much of her free time to complete a PSAT prep course.  We finally got her scores a couple of weeks ago, and that work paid off.  Savannah landed in the 98th percentile in the nation (approximately 1.5 million test takers).  We had hoped for the 99th percentile which would put her in the running for National Merit Scholar, but the 98th percentile does assure us that she is a commended scholar which will help with scholarship applications.  The difference between the two is the workload.  National Merit semifinalists usually receive college money without much more effort. Commended scholars have to use their status and work through cumbersome applications and compete with others to get the money they need. God has gifted Savannah with an incredible mind and a very strong work ethic. 

Savannah did not get into the summer program for which she applied.  She has received a few offers for others, but they are expensive and too far away.  She is, however, genuinely happy for those who did get in and feels they all deserve it. That's her heart.  She takes the disappointments, processes them, then looks for the good and bounces back.  Savannah has had people in her life who have not been so nice when she has been acknowledged and rewarded, those who let their own bitterness about not getting the reward come out against her.  She remembers that and does not do that to others.

Lastly, she's a fighter. Savannah came home on Thursday night to lots of homework to prepare for tests and quizzes on Friday.  She left a brutal shift at work.  Corporate had been there, and if you've ever worked in a place where corporate drops in for audits, you know how that puts everyone on edge even when they are doing a good job. She dealt with being treated like a two-year-old and spending the night with nervous managers then faced down her school assignments.  Friday morning Savannah awoke to illness such that I felt she really needed to be at home.  She was not about to pile up make up work that included tests and quizzes to face after a long weekend, so she fought through the illness to put that stuff behind her.

 She is also humble. If she ever reads this post, she will be mad at me for sharing this.  We cannot be more blessed than getting to be called Mom and Dad by this girl.  She's not perfect, but I say it often that she is the easiest teenager to raise ever.  To God be the glory!

All About Wyatt

If you have a conversation of any length with Wyatt, you are bound to hear "YOLO GG Swagg!" exclaimed.

Translation:

YOLO - you only live once

GG- good game

Swagg - cool confidence

You might also hear "'Sup?!"  translation -What's up?!

He still likes food and loves when the family is all together around the dinner table.  Wyatt is always excited for dinner.  

Wyatt spends his afternoons playing Legend of Zelda or Minecraft.  For his upcoming birthday or Christmas, he wants a 3DS.  He has worn his out and knows they are beyond the budget, so he is well aware that this might be a combination gift.

He goes to school often looking like a mad scientist with wrinkled pants or a crookedly buttoned shirt.

He earns solid grades, and he has adjusted very nicely to middle school.  Wyatt complains about things like assigned lunch tables that separate him from his friends.  He works hard to finish his homework before the bus picks him up at school to bring him home.  As a result he's so distracted that he has missed the bus once. A friend realized that Wyatt was not there in time for the bus to turn around for him.   

We can tell him where to meet us after church and run into him as he heads in the wrong direction to try and meet us.  He might be 11 but in public we still have to track him like a five-year-old :)  Speaking of such, we hope that a major growth spurt awaits him in the future.  At his recent band concert, Wyatt stood a full head shorter than everyone else in the band.

Our kids call him Tangerine because it rhymes with his middle name.  He hates being called Tangerine, and he hates his middle name.  Savannah paid for accidentally letting his middle name  slip on the bus one day.  Wyatt came home in quite a mood.

 

Right now Wyatt mentions daily that he cannot wait to put up the Christmas tree.  He loves that tree! Unfortunately, Wyatt owns the fewest ornaments- something we do hope to change.

He's still affectionate and a ready helper when something needs to be done.  We love this guy!

A Night for the Arts

Wyatt played his first band concert last night.  He rocked the bass drum and could probably have fit inside that beast - probably even if Julia joined him.  He was clearly thrilled to be on stage and quite comfortable. Wyatt scanned the audience searching for us, and while I thought he found us, he revealed afterward that he never knew where we were.

While we were there, we found Savannah's watercolor displayed on the wall.  We found it to be very impressive.  I remember the assignment being difficult for Savannah.  She was to put something in a cage that does not belong in a cage.

Wyatt loves his middle school and has gained quite the interesting vocabulary.  He loves to exclaim, "YOLO," or "YOLO swag."  Often, it does not even make sense in context, but it's totally Wyatt.  When responding to me, he often says,  "Yes Mother."  From slang to formal, that's my Wyatt.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Last Tuesday, I made a parenting error that we all hope to not repeat.  It was not a day I normally pick Julia up from school, and a sleepless night the night before left me drained and anxious to get home from work to sneak in a nap before everyone else returned.  Unfortunately, I  forgot that I was supposed to get Julia from school.  By the time I realized my error, I could not get there.  I texted a friend who normally brings her home on Tuesdays and all was well.  Julia did not even realize my mistake.

Fast forward a week, and while we are having dinner, it occurs to Julia that I should have picked her up.  "What happened?" she asked.  I do not lie to the kids, so I told her I forgot.  Andy and Savannah gave me a hard time for not playing that one off, and I questioned it myself because there were years where that was a huge fear for Julia.  Anytime, she forgot where we were or wandered away from us, she panicked.  She's a tough girl, so she always held it together until we were reunited and then fell apart.  I remember working a school event and seeing her crossing the other side of the gym, and I just knew she had forgotten where I was.  I could not get to her fast enough to reassure her, and sure enough she fell apart as soon as I embraced her.

Andy tried to smooth over the situation and reminded the kids that with a lot on our plates, sometimes even important things are forgotten.  Wyatt responded with "I know.  I have seen it!  You all have reached an age where it just...."  At this point he seemed at a loss for the word, so I asked, "hurt?"  "Yes," he responded, "HURTS, H-U-R-T, HURTS!  It is just painful.  I can see it."

We lost it.  That was one nice moment of levity at the table and a much needed laugh.  Julia still made me pay for my error, but she was not as distraught as she would have been a few years ago.  I guess the kids see us as ancient. Sigh.

The Launch

We did it!  We drove hours away from home and left our firstborn on a college campus.  So far, everyone is still breathing.

A new brotherhood begins.  The football team had much to do yesterday.  The head coach met with the parents and pointed out that about 1% of high school football players get to play college football. His team has an opportunity to play in Africa next year, and this will be only the second organized football game ever on that continent.  I would like to see Zach have that opportunity, but he has to raise $3500 to do it.

 Because Zach was busy, we did much of the leg work of moving him in.  He and his roommate turned their beds into loft beds under the direction of his roommate's dad.  After that, the siblings of both these guys took over.  John's sisters unpacked and organized his stuff.  Savannah set up Zach's desk. Julia made his bed and is now very concerned that he will turn over and fall off or that he will hit his head on the ceiling that is only about 2.5 feet above him. Wyatt folded his clothes and put them up in his dresser.

Did I mention that Zach started packing for college at 4:00 on Monday afternoon?  That was supposed to be departure time.  We discovered that both his brake lights were out at 4:30ish, so they had to be fixed.  Somehow he made it, and everything we had to purchase after we got there was not left behind, we just didn't realize he would need it.

We stuck around on campus far longer than we should have with school starting at home today, but we were determined to pray over him before leaving, and he had lots of football stuff to do.  We had to miss the team dinner to which the parents were invited. Savannah prayed for his adjustment and noted how much he means to her.  Wyatt prayed for his ability to handle good and tough times.  There were tears, and we left him.  He was nervous and uncertain. It is hard to leave everyone you know and go where you know nobody especially when you are more than a day trip away from home.  However, hints at a tough midnight practice were being spread, and an apparent slip 'n' slide that appeared to involve girls had him a little more at ease about the night ahead.

I don't think I have ever set foot on a friendlier campus.  Everyone introduced themselves and welcomed Zach with open arms.  He is definitely in good hands.

They are so very close, and this is hard for both of them.

Football camp started at midnight last night.  We aren't allowed to call him for two weeks, but we can text.  I hope he is having fun being on the field again for the sport he loves.

Savannah challenged Zach to get a 4.0.  Julia told him not to get involved with many hot chicks.  Wyatt told him to be careful of hot chicks (they are trouble).

We arrived at home at 11:00 last night and left Zach in another time zone.  We were so tired last night and starting today which happened to be the first day of  school.

Go Panthers!  Go #67!!

We have multiple levels of education covered this year - college, high school, middle school and elementary.

Zach - freshman

Savannah - junior

Wyatt- 6th grade

Julia- 5th grade

So far, everyone is off to a great start.

The road to a 15th straight championship

The road to a 15th straight championship starts with cold practices in early summer and in the mornings.  You work your way through a few meets.  You win some.  You lose some.  You hopefully get good enough race times to make quals.  Then you hope to be in the top 12 at quals.

The night before the championship meet, you attend a pep rally where you get to tie dye shirts with the team's colors.  Every champ needs the opportunity to get fired up.

Hopefully, you have spent the season improving.  After the championship meet, we went through Julia's speeding tickets for the season, and she improved in every race at every meet.  Speeding tickets are awarded if you beat your previous best.

On the day of champs, you join your teammates to arrive at the meet in style. Everybody wears temporary tattoos for the meet.  Your motivation to win is heightened when it is your coach's birthday.

Your transportation options include a trolley, an old-fashioned firetruck, or a stretch Hummer limo.

Julia chose the firetruck.  Wyatt opted to stay home when he did not make champs.

You swim your best.  Your coaches cheer you on, and your Dad gets behind them for pictures.

After you finish your events, you cheer hard for the big kids finishing up the relays and wait poolside with your team for the results.  You chant and cheer because even if you don't take away the grand prize, your team should receive a grand prize in cheering and supporting each other.  It's family or a cult (just kidding).  

When your team is named the champions, you jump in the pool even if you are a coach in street clothes.  You splash, cheer, and celebrate.  Then you head back to your home pool for a pool and potluck party.

The next day you attend an 8 hour banquet.  I am not kidding - 8 hours - you read it right.  At the banquet, your coach says something about each of the 265 kids on the team including farewell speeches to the seniors. The seniors offer their farewells, and the parents of the younger kids wipe away tears as the seniors and coaches share their best memories, and you realize how much a great team means to many people.

Julia was awarded "most dedicated."  Her coach called her a rock star and stated that if she ever wants to swim year round, then watch out!  He says he gets goosebumps watching her freestyle.  It's just that powerful.  

Julia would love to swim year round.  However, she also wants to continue gymnastics and cheer.  She's at an age where she has to choose a sport.  However, she did say today that she wants to swim in college.

Julia went into the championship meet having qualified for the freestyle event.  She was an alternate for the IM and on two relay teams.  She walked away with a medal for third place for the freestyle relay.  She made it into the IM, but she was a nervous wreck because she tends to push her arms out too far on the breaststroke which leaves her flirting with a DQ.  She improved her times in both of her individual events at the big meet.

Wyatt's best stroke is the breaststroke.  His coach mentioned that he is much improved and just about has that one nailed at the banquet.  Wyatt swam a beautiful 50 breasttroke early in the season, but he did a flip turn which is an automatic DQ.  He had hoped to redeem himself but was not entered in that event again.  This was a tough year for Wyatt because he moved up an age group, so next year should be better.

After the championship meet, you enjoy the banquet that includes a dance party.  You receive your championship shirt which is so cool that your parents make plans to order shirts for themselves as soon as they become available.  

Yes, you do make sure the DJ plays Queen's "We are the Champions!" and Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."  Because you feel like family, he also throws in The Pointer Sisters "We are Family." 

Lovin every minute of it!

You go home to bed facing a week with no more morning practices.  Your mom thinks she will finally catch up the housecleaning and laundry which was really ignored through the long weekend.  She is usually wrong about this as appointments loom and so does school supply shopping - oh the horror!  Yes, the "s" word was used on the blog in mid-July.  OUCH!

I have no greater joy...

When we received the message that Wyatt wanted to tell us something on the eve of his return from camp, I suspected that I knew what he wanted. My suspicion was confirmed when we finally reached Wyatt and learned that he wanted to be baptized in the lake at camp. His counselor shared that Wyatt has a true heart for Jesus.  Another counselor told us today that Wyatt read his Bible all the time at camp.

He's come a long way.

Andy took off work.  I cancelled my inservice, and somehow we managed to get the whole family there to witness this great event.  Andy's mom drove three hours to stand in the scorching heat for this.  She has not missed a single baptism for our kids, and Wyatt is the last.  How special is she?

Justin baptized Wyatt. Justin happens to be a student at the school where I teach.  I didn't realize it at the time, but his mom and I were both counselors at the 3rd-5th grade camp last year.  We talked quite a bit during that camp, and Justin's aunt and uncle are old friends.

Wyatt declared it the best camp ever and stated he will be returning next year.  I asked if it was the best because of his baptism or if the camp was just that great.  His response: both.

Today would have been an inservice day for me, but I cancelled my PD to be there for Wyatt.  Therefore, it became my first day of summer after a long, long school year.  It will be the shortest summer ever, but I'd say we are off to a great start.

Way to go Wyatt!  We love you so much.

Reality Hits and It Bites

Wyatt walked out of elementary school for the last time today.  He spent the majority of the day enjoying the park with his classmates.

I drove through carpool for the last time.

Wyatt walked toward the van shouting "goodbye forever" to his classmates.  He smiled as he entered the van, but we weren't even halfway into our seven minute drive home before he was fighting tears.  It hit.  It's over.  No more recess with his buddies.  He knows that playdates are hard for me to arrange especially when I have only a small portion of the summer off.  Wyatt spent a good part of the afternoon grieving.

He's such a happy go lucky kind of kid that we sometimes forget his hurts.  Wyatt has had more transitions than any of our other kids.  He remembers his birth country and the people who cared for him there.  He sobbed just months after arriving in America when I showed him the blog of a family who adopted a friend of his.  He started kindergarten two months after joining our family.  He knew no English and just about the time that he settled into school, he was pushed to leave so that a more successful student could have his place. We settled him into our local public school where he finished the year in an overcrowded classroom but with a fantastic teacher.  Over the years he expressed jealousy over the tight-knit community our other kids enjoyed in the school he had left behind.  In the end he found some good friends in his school.  His best friend moved out of state last summer.  None of his other friends will be in school with him next year.  

I hated seeing how he hurt.  Sometimes there is no way to comfort someone who is grieving, but swim practice followed by a ride on a slide into the pool lifted his spirits. He is back to normal tonight, and that's one of the lovable things about Wyatt.  He bounces back quickly and forgives quickly.  I love this boy!

Goodbye 5th Grade

We enjoyed Wyatt's fifth grade promotion ceremony tonight.  He was so excited and animated as he marched in the processional. Wyatt was actually dancing in his place during parts of the ceremony.

Wyatt's teacher - Ms. S.

Wyatt wanted his siblings there, and they showed up.

The church was really pretty.  One of the teachers sobbed while announcing the names.  I loved that the recessional music was the theme song for Star Wars.

The class sang "Count on Me" from Bruno Mars, a very appropriate graduation song.

We enjoyed Dairy Queen after the party.  Wyatt chose a smoothie, but Andy, Savannah, and I know that a s'mores blizzard is the best.

I love his promotion certificate.  It is nicely presented.

He received an art award- an affirmation of my guess that he is a talented artist.

Now we must make good on a year old promise.  It was about a year ago that Wyatt asked how come he had never gotten to eat at the Olive Garden.  We told him that would be a nice way to celebrate finishing fifth grade, so I think Andy, Wyatt, and I have a Saturday lunch date planned.  I hope we enjoy it.  Andy and I were less than impressed the last time we were at the Olive Garden which was probably around the time Wyatt asked why he had not been there.

Balloons

Our city sponsors an annual balloon race, and it has to be my favorite event.  The night before the race, the community is invited to a balloon glow, and the balloons are lit up just after sundown.  This race and glow work when the weather cooperates, so some years are better than others.  This year we had beautiful weather for the events. However, my children did not want to attend either.  I should have phoned a friend, but Julia wore me out at the mall last night, so I did not attend the glow.

Getting up for the sunrise race on a Saturday morning is tough, but I saw the opportunity to play with the manual mode on my camera for some cool pics.  Wyatt and Julia agreed to attend the race with me, so I set an early alarm for my household of people who love, love, love sleeping in on Saturday morning.  Wyatt and Savannah are our early risers.  Savannah is currently enjoying New York City with the school music program.  Wyatt actually gets up early on Saturday mornings so that he does not miss his favorite cartoons.  Alas, the morning arrived, and Julia barely budged.  She asked me to make this a mother/son event and went right back to sleep.

Wyatt and I forged ahead, and while I know he joined me in order to humor me, he really loved the balloons and thought they were beautiful. You get to watch them take off just feet away from you, so it really is a lot of fun.   

Wyatt's reward for that early wake up call so that I would not have to go alone- breakfast at McDonald's.  If it involves food, Wyatt usually can be convinced to participate.