Journey's End

Friday was a happy day and a sad day all rolled into one. After 5 1/2 years we officially said goodbye to our friends and family at Odyssey Early School.

Our morning drop off was pretty uneventful except for Duke being very excited for his last day. He has been counting down on the calendar to it as well as his upcoming first day at Briarwood on the 15th. I was a bit teary on the drive out of the parking lot but in the same minute thankful we will be back to one location to stop each day. And let me pause to say I am not prone to being a highly emotionally person outwardly. More typical is for me to keep my feelings pretty close to my chest and make sure I'm keeping this "under control". Well, pickup was an entirely different matter.

As I typed our security code into the door keypad I remember thinking, "this is the last time I'll do this" and walking down the hall  it was, "take note of all you see so you can remember this someday" running through my mind. Then I walked into Duke's classroom and he came running up with a big posterboard his teachers and classmates had made to wish him goodbye followed by a book of drawings from his classmates to Duke wishing him well. That's when the first drops fell. Then Ms. Morgan and Ms. Missy handed me this...painted by Ms. Missy and given to us by all our teachers over the years to hang in the boys room...

And that pretty much sealed it. Free flowing water down my face from that point forward.


We started at Odyssey in December 2006. I was the newest of new mothers, with no extended family close and could not have made it without my daily sounding board of "Aunt" Kay Bodin who's feeding and sleeping advice was invaluable and who was as shocked as I was at the news we would have another Odyssey student enrolled so soon.  I'll be reminded of watching Jack on the video feed in Infant 2, playing by himself  across the room from the other babies whenever he recedes to his room at home from the chaos of a Saturday for some quiet play. And I will always have the photo of  him laying on the changing table in the Infant 4 the day Duke was born because of our sweet teachers Kelly, Ashley and Michelle who knew it would remind me of how little he was when he became a brother. 


My first connection in the mornings has been Cindy, who I grew to love to tease when occasionally she would need to call me and notify me of one of the kids boo-boos with an answer of my cell phone "If there isn't a bone or an ambulance involved, I'm good..." Of course, there were the calls that prompted a pickup, like the day Jack took a tumble on the playground and knocked his two front teeth pretty hard, resulting in some sleepless nights for Mommy.  And who I will always remember gave me just a bit of panic when I hadn't even left the building and heard over the intercom in PreK-B, "Send Sarah to T1 now!" and there was Duke with a visibly shaken teacher, calmly sitting on the changing table after a "head meet corner of table" incident that resulted in this, but none worse the wear.  


Or the epic worry created by some of my best parent friends during our transition from T4 to K3A when we realized the room had no changing table and at the ripe young age of 2 1/2 we would all be facing our first rounds of DOOM-DOOM-DOOM!  Potty Training - aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! (And a not so much thank you to those 2nd time parents that sat quietly by at the time probably laughing under your breath at our naivety.)

And as they have grown and "daycare" moved more into "preschool" we had some good laughs and even better learning.


There are so many moments in the archives of this blog that capture our days at this wonderful school where we've made even more wonderful friends who have become part of our Birmingham family. 


So as we move forward to this next chapter, I know I can always spend time looking at the past with a smile and a warmth of heart that this first journey ended with success. 


Thank you to all of you who made it better than we ever could have imagined.

The Car, Where Imagination Lives

I'm not a fan of preschoolers with technology. I know that a little bit of time spent on the computer or iPhone can be educational and in the right place and at the right time, we set limits. But we aren't a DS family, and the only time it's allowed in the car are on extended travel trips, and even then, it's the DVD player for a movie.

It's a rule I set when they were just toddlers, mainly because due to our commute, we spend more than your average amount of time on weekdays in the car. And secondly because I heard a story once about a 16 year old that passed their drivers exam only to get lost finding their way out of their subdivision because he had spent the previous 12 years with his nose pressed into an electronic game or watching a DVD player non stop and let me say, not gonna be my kid someone else blogs about.

I even go so far as to keep the radio off most of the time. I have my two boys strapped in their seats for an uninterrupted minimum 45 minutes a day, and by God I'm going to use it to my advantage. Granted, most days that involves at least one threat of me pulling over the car if the arguing doesn't stop and there has been more than one ocassion that my hands were gripping the wheel so tightly to avoid screaming "SHUT UP!!!" at the top of my lungs - all while listening to one or the other sob incessantly because I denied them a free cookie at the Publix bakery after they had spent the 45 minute trip through the store pummeling one another in the seat of the grocery cart.

But some days, it's a blessing and we get to talk about the "beautiful colors" - penned by Duke, of the sunrise or sunset or Jack asks a question about whether something he witnessed at school was right or wrong and why and we talk about what our family stands for and the reasons we might do things differently than other families. But mostly, it's the steering wheel thing...

Today however was a "wish I had a tape recorder handy" drive.

It started innocently enough, both asking for the old, long battery dead, flip phones that I've thrown into their toy box - two of them had migrated this week into the car. What I next witnessed nearly brought me to laugh out loud. And make note, there is no actual power to either phone.

"Beep, boop, beep. I'm going to be the yellow Ironman with a jet pak"

"Yeah, me too, no wait, Ironman can't be yellow. I'm downloading Mario Cars 7"

"Oh yeah, is it done yet?"

"No, you have to wait...ok, it's downloaded. Beep, boop, beep.. yea! I'm on the top of the building!"

"I'm playing Battleship."

"You have Battleship on your iPhone? That's cool, did you download it?"

"Yeah, it's cool. Beep, boop, CRASH! I got it! You got to play this game Jack! It's awesome!"



And for the next 10 minutes, the two of them PRETENDED to play IMAGINARY games on BROKEN old phones INTERACTING with one another the entire time. And it ended with this...

"I'm turing off my iPhone, I've had enough time on it today."

"Yeah, it's time for it to be put up."

This is what this tech saavy Mom, who spends more than her share of her work day on a computer either progamming or teaching others how to interact with techonology and who wants to be especially careful that her kids grow up to be able to have a dinner conversation at a restaurant with the other people at the table rather than showing off the tops of their heads as they are bent over a screen, calls a successful drive home. I know I cannot completely avoid techonology in our lives, and I don't want to, but I can delay it and control it's appearance when it's appropriate and beneficial.

WIN!

On the Way Through Decade IV

Yep, I officially stepped past 40 with my first year in my pocket. My sweet husband reminded me the next "big one" is 50. Thank ya very much! But then he said, "Think of all we've done since 30!? Weve got a great time ahead."

And you know what? He's right! (I didn't just marry him for his looks after all :))

Just before and during our 30's...
...we celebrated our 7th anniversary
...we'd built our first home together
...we were settled with a great company and great careers
...we hit a bump and came out stronger (All the Glory!)
...we decided to alter the complete course of our lives and try for a family
...we got lucky and were blessed with our first child
...we built our second home together
...we got surprised (6 months after #1 arrived) and were gifted by a second
...we grew in our love and companionship more than we could have dreamed

And to think, we've got 10 years ahead to beat that.  Plus I have this to keep me young...

GAME ON!

My Hoarder

It started with green cherry tomatoes. My token patio cherry tomato plant two years ago never seemed to have ripened fruit. Then one day I noticed Duke with his hands in his pockets lingering near said pot.

"What-cha got there buddy?"

"Nothing..."

"Take your hands out of your pockets."

"I don't want to."

"Please :):)"

"Oh! Ok!" my naive 2 1/2 year old complies. And ther are the 5 green tomatoes I'd been watching for a week.

Next it was school toys, mega blocks to be exact. Who knew he could fit this many in one 4T size pocket?

And since it's been spent day lily seed heads, fall acorns (made for a nice base for my holiday candle decor) but today it became useful...fresh blackberries!
Keep on a picking' Duke and I might have enough for a pie!

Hoarding, it's his favorite thing.  That and this...but that's for another post, or his wedding day.  I have PLENTY for the slide show.

Serenity (for today)

Maybe it's Jack's first year at his forever school coming to a close.

Maybe it's my favorite month (but busiest month) 1/2 done.

Maybe it's having a vision financially of where we are headed and being in that place for the first time since the kids were born.

Maybe it's Duke being on green the WHOLE day, after nearly four months of "I was on yellow, and just a little on red..."

Maybe it's having this view (insert imagined pic here of amazing view of the lake while sitting on the new bench - sorry haven't figured out this feature on my iPad yet!) as I type this tonite.

Or maybe, just maybe it's all of the above and more.

Whatever it is, I'm starting to feel more grounded again. I know I haven't felt this since last August. I am sure of it. Things have been great, don't get me wrong, we have had so many blessings it has been beyond my imagination, but mentally something seems to have spun out of control about that time last year and I've made half hearted attempts to grab it again and only have it fleet away. It's nice to feel my arms wrapped around it tight.

Wonder how long it'll stay.

BCS Reflections: A Parent's Prayer

It's nearly the end of the school year and I haven't even mentioned a thing about what a wonderful addition to our family life Briarwood has been. Well, guess I just did!

Ever week or so I receive an email message from the Superintendant and a recent one really hit the spot for me. Hope you enjoy it too!

A Parent's Prayer: From an Imperfect Parent for Priceless Children

Make me the parent, O Lord, who will show my children the strength to face weakness; the courage to face fear; the grace to accept honest defeat; and the humility and gentleness to accept victory.

Make me the parent who will show my children not a path of ease and comfort, but the ability to accept the challenges of stress and difficulty. Use me, I pray, to be the example of one who can stand up in the storm, and there learn compassion for those who fail.

Make me the parent who will teach my children the value of a clear heart and a high goal; to look in the mirror of their own faults before they find fault in others; to learn to laugh, yet never forget how to cry; to reach into the future without ever forgetting the past.

Make me the parent, O Lord, who will show my children enough of a sense of humor, so that they will always be serious, but never take themselves too seriously. Give them humility, so they will always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

And after all these things are theirs, add for me, I pray, the wisdom to show them the dubious value of titles, positions, money, and material gain; and the eternal value of prayer, the Holy Bible, a Christian home, and a saving relationship with Your Son Jesus Christ.

Then I, their parent, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain.

The Old Switcheroo!

There once was a boy named Duke.  He was a gentle lad, narry a thing would faze the boy.  Eager to help, happy to please.  And then one day...POOF!  He was gone!

That my friends is the little tale that is my life these days.  Yes, my sweet, quiet, happy go lucky, did everything himself early, "Ok I will!" baby boy has decided that he would prefer to stick out his tongue, scream at the top of his lungs in defiance and flatly tell me "I'm not gonna do that!"  And he's FOUR and A HALF.  Not terrible two's, not tricky three's, all FOUR and A HALF years of I did it one time after Jack was born and this is what I finally get for it.

Sigh.

I daily chant "This too shall pass, this too shall pass."  And have devoured (for the third time I believe) Dr. Kevin Leman's bestseller "Have a New Kid by Friday!"  The main premise of which is "B does not happen until A is completed.  Say it once and walk away."  Except I finished it a four Friday's ago and A has not been completed yet.

It's a test of wills I tell you.  At least with Jack, there was this constant desire for approval.  (Gee wonder how that happens in a first born, pffffft!)  If I got upset with that child, he couldn't last an hour without breaking down, apologizing and trying to make it better - even if it meant a full blown fit first.

With Duke, he's a simmerer (hmmmm, like maybe his father?) and after 17 years of marriage I haven't figured how to manage it with him.

Oh crap.  It's gonna be a long year.