Trunk or Treat

A church down the road has an annual event called Trunk or Treat. Congregation members pass out candy to children from the trunks of their cars. Friday night was not such a good night for this. It was raining and the wind was gusting to 30 mph. The event was moved indoors. We took Emma and two of her friends to Trunk or Treat. We all had so much fun. It was the first time I have seen a bounce house in a sanctuary.I saw two of the best costumes ever. I mean EVER. I did not get a picture of the daddy dressed as a chicken with his (probably 2 year old) little guy dressed as a chick. I did get a picture of a man with his marionette. The girl did not blink. Swear to you. She did not blink. I'm not sure that I would have been able to keep my eyes open with those big ole' lashes on!And we ran into 3 Little Elvis people (they are triplets in 2nd grade with the girls). Their mom had a t-shirt on that said "I'm Elvis' Mom."

More on "boys will be boys"

Thursday when I came home from work, Todd should have been sleeping. He had a busy day. The children had a two-hour fog delay so he took Emma to school; Cameron had an appointment to get his braces off; Emma's class had a nature hike at noon (Todd got home at 1); and Emma's bus drops her off at 3:00. Todd did not have much time to sleep during the day, so I fully expected that he would be sound asleep, nestled under the blankets, sleeping like a baby when I got home from work.

Imagine my surprise when I came home to find him not only wide awake but in the backyard. When I went out to investigate, I found that he was creating a pile of dog poop. "Why" you ask is he "making a pile of dog poop?" I asked the same question of him. He was helping Cameron out with this pile of poop. You see, Cameron had plans to spend the night with a buddy on Friday night. Todd thought it would be a good idea to pile the poop to make it easier for the boys to shovel it into paper bags, to light on fire, on people's doorsteps, so that the people would come out... stomp on the bag... and get poopy feet.

I expressed my feelings about this plan. The pile of poop is still intact on our property. Do boys ever grow up or do they just beome older?

$8,000 smile

Cameron got his braces off on Thursday. The orthodontist's office will e-mail us a photo in a week or so. I will post it then. He has two permanent retainers built into his mouth somehow. We are now telling him what we have told his older brother. We understand that "boys will be boys." We understand that there will be occassional horsing around. We don't care about that so much. Just protect your teeth!

Back at it

On Monday October 19, I went back to work. Monday was full of organizing crap that hed been left on my desk while I was off over the last two weeks. I had some stuff left over from the eight weeks I was off prior to surgery and medical leave. Tuesday (today) was spent entering data for inventory. We have inventory again tomorrow. Right now my belly hurts. It has been 8 weeks since surgery, and my incisions were hurting today. I sat in a chair, for many hours, with minimal standing up, and the waist of my jeans hit my stoma scar directly. I don't mean to complain. I am grateful to be back at work. I am grateful to have that stoma scar. Having the scar sure as heck beats having the stoma and the colostomy appliance. I am just tired and grumpy, and it's time for bed! Tomorrow is another inventory data entry day. I am wearing sweat pants. I can't do jeans for another day of sitting.

He is colorful, but his world isn't

The school didn't mind that he played the ukelele in the halls between classes last year. The school didn't mind that he played the ukelele in the halls between classes this year... until now. Last week the school had a problem with it.

He was told to put the ukelele away on Monday, and he did. The next time he was told to put the ukelele in the assistant principal's office, and he did. On Friday, he was sent to the office, and I was called and requested to pick him up.

So, I am angry with him, and I am angry with the school. I am angry that he cannot follow simple instructions given by adults. I am angry that he defies authority. I am angry that the school did not call me after the first incident. If they would have called me, there would not have been a second and certainly not a third incident.

I am also angry that the assistant principal (a millisecond before opening the door of the office where Christopher was) said, "Oh, and he's wearing ridiculous socks." He opened the door and I stood there looking at my kid, holding the now infamous ukelele, with his jeans rolled up to his knees, wearing his jester thigh-high socks. OK, I understand being upset about the ukelele, I understand being upset with his defiance of authority, but being upset about the socks? Really? They are S.O.C.K.S. for heaven's sake. Please don't even try to waste my energy and anger on SOCKS, and call me immediately the next time he screws up.Sheesh!I am only posting this because Billy laughed so hard that he literally had tears running down his face. Cathy and DJ found it to be very humorous also. Cathy said something like, "In the big picture, getting in trouble over playing a ukelele and wearing jester socks really isn't a big deal." Billy and his wife agreed that they would be angry over the defiance, but who was he hurting by playing the ukelele? He plays carnival-type music. It is very upbeat and whimsical. Happy music in the halls of the high school where most kids feel like they are in prison. And the socks? Look at them. Who wouldn't giggle at a young man wearing these socks. So he added humor to the day for some people, and he added grief to others. I wish I saw only the humor!

Bill and Cathy said pretty much the same thing... "You guys could not make this stuff up if you tried."

Sick girl

Emma was complaining last night of a scratchy throat. I told her to get a drink of water... because she's the third child and also she's a girl and mostly dramatic. This morning she still had a scratchy throat but she added a headache and a fever. Yeah, kind of like an a la carte illness. I don't know "officially" what her fever was. She was warm. She was too warm to send to school; Mommy's lips on her forehead don't lie.

Quick trip

As soon as I found out that I would not be working this week, I had an immediate plan to go to Terre Haute... alone. Todd gave the reluctant OK. Emma was ticked off that I was not pulling her from school. The boys, well they mostly didn't care. It was only going to be for one night, and Todd would be home on Tuesday morning to get Emma ready for and off to school. My plan did not interfere with their plans, so all was well.

Monday morning I took Emma to school, came home, threw clothes in a bag and hit the highway. I was in Terre Haute at noon. Mom and I went to lunch, we went shopping, and we went home to relax. We talked and enjoyed each other's company. Dad was in and out like usual. He still has to work ya know. He won't hesitate to tell anyone how hard it is to drive to the Monkey to get his morning cup of coffee.

Tuesday I went to OT with Mom, and then we went home where Dad was making beef vegetable soup. I make the exact same beef vegetable soup. Mine is good, but Dad's is great. I ate two bowls while the veggies were still crispy. I had to get back on the road in order to get Cameron to Scouts tonight.

It was a nice break in the craziness of my life.

Crazy Pinz & Church

Saturday afternoon we had Emma's birthday party. Yes, her birthday was Sept. 20, but schedules have not coordinated for a school friend birthday party until this weekend. We took Emma and 9 of her friends to Crazy Pinz. Matt, Miki, and the girls were supposed to come from Indy, but Matt has the cooties. We missed having them, but we are glad that the germs stayed in Indianapolis.

Crazy Pinz is a bowling alley that also has indoor bumper cars, a miniature golf course, an arcade, and a three-story ball tower. Emma wanted her party in Ball-O-City. The girls each also received $2.50 on an arcade debit card. Our party hostesses (Rachele and Natasha) were wonderful. I did not have to worry about anything except having fun with the girls.Now for the church part. After the birthday party on Saturday, we rushed home to get ready for the church dinner party. We joined Resurrection Lutheran Church a year ago. It is a wonderful church full of unbelievably friendly people. Saturday night was the 25th anniversary dinner. It was a great time. Sunday's service was the 25th anniversary celebration service. We had been looking for a church to call home since Todd's dad took the call to Calvary in Angola, IN in 1994'ish. We did find a church home after Todd's dad left. It was a nice church, but it did not have the same family feeling. That church was very large and many times it felt like none of the 4 pastors knew if we were there or not there. Resurrection Lutheran Church is where we call home now. It took a while to find it. It was Cameron's friend Jonah (the boys were actually in pre-school Sunday school together at our previous church) that recommended it. Cameron and Jonah re-connected in elementary school after we moved to our new home. The genuine people that attend Resurrection made us want to become a part of their family. For that we are grateful. I didn't take any pictures at church. Sorry about that! Trust me. There were many people at the dinner and at church service.

Weekend full of fun

The weekend officially started Friday evening at the Oak View Elementary School Fall Festival. Usually this festival is held outside, but this week's rain moved the activities inside. The kids had just as much fun and it was more comfortable for this mommy.

Every year the school has pumpkin carving and pumpkin decorating competitions. Some of the "kids" are quite creative:The girls had a great time with the belly bumpers and the boxing gloves. Emma also enjoyed bobbing for donuts.Now it's time to get ready for her birthday party... Yeah, I know. Her birthday was September 20. It is now October 10. Better late than never. This is her first birthday party with her girlfriends.

After the birthday party, we have our church's 25th anniversary banquet. It's a busy & fun-filled day for the Meyers family!

Worried little girl

Thursday afternoon Daddy walked to the bus stop to get Emma. They came home and everything appeared to be fine. Then Emma asked me if Eliza could come over of if she could go to Eliza's house; and then the tears started flowing. Emma collapsed on me and started bawling her eyes out. She was so upset that she could barely speak.

Sweet little girl of ours loves her teacher very much. Yesterday Mrs. Wilkinson told the class that she will probably have back surgery. What Emma heard was, "I may not be able to teach any more." Emma and Eliza made plans to make a "Get Well" card for their teacher. I took Emma to Eliza's so the girls could combine their creative talents.

The mom of one of Emma's friends is the school counselor. I called her to ask for more details. According to her daughter (who is also in Mrs. Wilkinson's class), the teacher said, "If I don't have surgery I may not be able to teach any more." I thought there was a misunderstanding on Emma's end. After the year we've had, when she hears the word "surgery" she stresses out.

The girls ended up making the "Get Well" poster above. They are so sweet.

Run it off

I meant to post this last night, but I got distracted and forgot. When Emma got home from school yesterday she was overloaded with energy. She did cartwheels in the family room. She set up an obstacle course in the family room and ran it about 10 times. I finally had enough. I told her to go outside and run it off. She replied that she didn't know where to run. It would be too boring to run around the yard alone. Drama at its finest. I suggested that she run to the Stop sign and back. It's not far... maybe 100 yards or so. She ran it a couple of times and then came in relaxed and thirsty.

Why did I get the girl with Cathy's energy?

Can one watch too much Food Network?

I think I watch too much Food Network. Emma loves Chopped and the Challenge shows. This afternoon, she brought me 4 pieces of diced apple drizzled with chocolate syrup. She then announced that this would be the first dish in a Food Network Apple Challenge. She told me to, "Eat, eat, eat" (she had an Eastern European accent going on). After I ate the 4 pieces she asked, "You like?" I said, "Yes!" What else was I going to say? They were 4 pieces of Granny Smith apples drizzled with Hershey's syrup. Not really too tasty, but her drizzling was artistic and lovely.

She then brought me 4 more apple pieces. This time they were drizzled with maple syrup. Once again she said, "Eat, eat, eat." So I ate, and it was really good. She asked, "You like?" After I said "Yes" once again she asked which I liked better. The apples with maple syrup were really good. Really they were. I'm thinking... add some toasted walnuts, a few more pieces of diced apple, warm the whole dish up and we have an honest to goodness dessert. We had a winner in the first Food Challenge held at the Meyers house.

I hope she doesn't prepare two baskets of identical ingredients and then tell me we each have 30 minutes to make an entree using all of the ingredients in the baskets. At that point I will have to find a Food Network Anonymous chapter for us both.

Post-It Notes

Post-It Notes were on Emma's school supply list. I bought her a pack that had 3 or 4 fluorescent colors. This morning I opened up her homework folder to remove some papers. Under the papers were two bright orange Post-It Notes. The first had the phone number for one of her new friends. "That's so sweet," I thought. Directly under this was another that read, "Pick on Cameron this afternoon and then call Isabelle."

I'm glad she thinks of her brother when they are apart, and it's good to know our money went to a school supply that is enriching and aiding her social skills.

I'm being sarcastic.

Pretty boring... after the running

Not much is going on, and I can say that I am thankful for that. The first week at work after surgery and short term disability is over. I worked all week and was exhausted by Friday. I did not want to let anyone know this though. I am now off for at least one and probably two weeks due to lack of orders. My definite return to work date is 10/19. Things look to be good through the end of the year. Anyone want to buy a concrete mixer in January?

Pher spent the weekend at Zeke's. Nothing new there. Zeke, his mom, and Pher took Zeke's cousin back to Kalamazoo College this afternoon. Another college that Pher has expressed interest in and he had the opportunity for a spontaneous college visit. Cameron spent Friday night with a friend and then they came here for a Saturday night sleepover. Emma had two birthday parties on Saturday. For the second party, she spent the night with Aunt Marla.

There was supposed to be a campout Saturday night for Cameron & Todd, but that got cancelled. I didn't know this was cancelled until Saturday around 3:30 when Cameron and his buddy let me know that the other boy did not receive authorization from his dad. Just a minor detail that was overlooked! I have come to the conclusion that kids take for granted that everything will be approved. Todd was counting on the campout because that meant he would have an opportunity to enjoy the bonfire. I tried to send him to his sister's (Marla's) around 9, but he wouldn't go. At that point in the night, he wanted to lay in the bed and bug me instead. I knew she was having a bonfire for her party, and I really wanted him to stop bothering me. He did end up going to Dave's house and let me watch The Food Network in peace. I love Iron Chef America!

We were supposed to have a get-together with couples from church at 4 on Saturday. Since the campout was going on and I knew that I was driving Emma all over, we respectfully declined the church group gathering. Now I wish we would have fit it in. I can say that in retrospect since the campout was cancelled. Two new couples came, and it would have been nice to meet them. We will be hosting the next Young Adults Group get together in January. Since we did not make it to the gathering on Saturday, our home was volunteered for the next event. I'm looking forward to it!