Our Weekend Trip

This past weekend Cade and I went to B****** with Mom, Charity and Avery. These little trips with Avery are a good reminder for me to be content with my life as it is. As much as we want another baby, I have to admit it was nice having only a 6 year old to take care of. I got to read a book for awhile Saturday morning. Charity didn’t have that luxury. But aside from that there were other reasons…… and sorry this post seems to be long, but there was a lot that happened.

We got there Friday evening and we met at Ruby Tuesday’s. Everything went pretty well during dinner. Then we decided to go to the Landing. Avery likes to push her stroller….with no help from an adult. If you try to help steer her from her course filled with the backs of shopper’s legs she screeches at you. We watched the water show, which was supposed to be neat. It was one song long and Avery got scared. By the time we got in the car that evening we had decided one song of CCR’s Round the Bend set to water and flames was really not worth dragging two kids and a hot pink umbrella stroller around.

The next morning we woke up to rain…that was supposed to last all day. What do you do with two kids in a town geared towards outdoor activities? We were driving around trying to decide and we noticed there was a Croc store at one of the outlet malls. Avery loves her Crocs so I said something about it. I had no idea my boy had such a deep desire to own a pair of Crocs. He really wanted to go to the store – so we did. I’ve never been sure of the idea of Crocs on boys. I think Cade's mentioned it before, but I recessed the memory. We got in the store and it was a rainbow of Crocs hanging on the walls. I don’t even care for the shoes and I have to admit it was intoxicating. There were so many to pick from. Cade was so excited so I let him pick out a pair. He said he wanted blue. There was a navy pair that I tried to get him to look at, but he didn’t want any part of that. He wanted a bright blue pair. Then he wanted a charm to put on them. I tried talking him out of the charm but he was set on it. He is now the proud owner of bright blue Crocs complete with an octopus charm. Something about the Crocs seemed to change his outlook on life the rest of the day – he skipped instead of walked. I can’t begin to describe how funny he looked skipping/dancing down the Landing that evening in a yellow polo shirt with a blue stripe (that matched his shoes), khaki shorts and his bright blue shoes. He was in his own little Croc heaven. The only thing missing was the Zippity Doo Dah Zippity Ay My oh my What a wonderful day song playing in the background.

After the Croc store we took the kids to a pizza place that has games and an arcade and an all you can eat pizza buffet. This is where the day got funny for me, stressful for Charity. Mom dropped us off at the door. We walked in and got over to the side of the room to wait on mom. There was a wooden bench that Charity stood Avery on. Charity was trying to convince Avery to let her put the “ponies” back in her hair. Avery wasn’t sure she wanted them in. There was some discussion between the two of them and then Charity turned around to get something out of the stroller. Somehow Avery slipped off of the bench and fell in the crack between the back of the bench and the seat of the bench. I saw it happen but there was nothing I could do about it. Charity turned back around and Avery was on the floor. We each grabbed an arm and tried to pull her back up, but there was a board going along the bottom of the bench that she had also slipped through. Her head wouldn’t fit back through the bottom board. She was stuck in the bench. A guy came over to help us and he tried turning Avery’s head so Charity could pull her out through the bottom. I stepped back and all I could think of was 1. someone’s going to have to get a saw to get her out of this thing 2. It’s a good thing it wasn’t Cade because we never would’ve gotten his head out. Then the daughter of the guy who was helping came over and tried moving the bench and I thought oh she’s going to pull Avery’s head off. Finally the guy got Avery to turn her head and Charity pulled her out. She was fine, just scared. So Charity and I each sat down on the bench, exhausted from the ordeal and mom walked in at that moment carrying Avery’s pink Dora backpack and asking us what we were doing sitting down. That’s when I started laughing. Then later I called Jay and tried telling him about it, but I was laughing too hard for him to understand. Later that night we were talking about it and I started laughing about it again. Charity said that she didn’t think her child almost getting decapitated by a bench was that funny. It had to have been a one in a million thing for her to have had this happen – I’m laughing just typing this. I guess I can blame it on my weird sense of humor.

Things didn’t get any better for Avery in the pizza place. Charity pulled on a chair that Avery was leaning on and she fell down. The floor was so wet I almost fell twice. It was loud, noisy and no fun for a two year old. Cade had a better time, but I’m not ever going back. We’ve had our fill of pizza/game places for several years.

The rest of the trip went about like the first part – our trips together always seem to turn into one issue after another. Like waiting over an hour for Joe’s Crab Shack and then having Cade cry for most of the time we were waiting on our food because it stunk. Or waiting for 20 minutes for our food at Taco Bell and then I hit Avery’s head on a dryer in the bathroom. We did get to go swimming yesterday at White Water and we had a really good time there. At least with our trips we can say we made memories. When Avery gets married and at her shower if they ask for family members to tell their favorite stories I already have mine. The sight of her sucking on her Nini (pacifier) falling between the boards on a bench and Charity trying to pull her out from the bottom will always be stuck in my mind.

Now I have to add - I hunted up the pictures on the Internet of what Cade got on Saturday. I kept calling this an octopus. He kept calling it a giant squid. Naturally he's right - this is supposed to be the Kraken from Pirates of the Caribbean which to him is a big giant squid. How do kids get to be so smart?

Finally Done

The closet is officially done. It's been built. It's been painted. It's been filled to the brim again. In the midst of putting everything back I was only told twice that I wasn't using my nice voice. That's probably a record for me when Jay and I work on something together. I tend to get a little bossy......I know that's a shock to some of you.

On Monday morning Jay and I woke up and felt physically ill because of the condition of our room which then made the rest of the house not look so swell. The laundry had piled up because 1. we had a very busy weekend 2. why bother? there was no where to put the clean stuff. We decided a sick day was in order to get everything done. I informed one of my co-workers that I would be taking off on Wednesday. I figured that my house was making me sick and due to a difference of opinion between me and two of my co-workers I was sick of looking at them so that qualified to use sick time. We worked from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on our closet. We'd did some serious clean out. I try to go through it periodically, but this was the first time in a long time we took everything out and thought about it before we put it back.

Those two sweatshirts that I wore when I painted the house that I held on to because you never know when you might want to paint in cold weather again - they're gone. Those jeans I bought in 2002 that I'm going to get back in to but even if I could ever fit back into them they'll be out of style - they're also gone. Jay's 15 button down shirts with the stains on them that should also be celebrating their 9th anniversary this year that he might wear to school in the summer when he's working - they're outta there. Jay's good button down tie wearing shirts that he's had for years that have the stains on them and the khaki pants with the belt loop torn off that I don't remember about until I'm 3/4 of the way done ironing them - bye bye.

Between the give away clothes, the throw away clothes and just trash in general - we purged 12 sacks of nothing but crap out of the closet. It feels great. On Wednesday we kept walking in to the closet just to admire the beauty of it. It's great. Thank you Jay!!!!

This is one of the shelves he built. All of this stuff, minus the shoes, had been on one of the wire racks. No wonder the shelf pulled away from the wall. There had to be a couple of hundred pounds hanging on it.

This is my new shoe shelf. I can fit all of my summer and winter shoes on it. No more storing the off season in a rubermaid tub. This is one of Jay's favorite things to look at. Also, notice the ties neatly lined up against the wall. It's very exciting for us.

Another favorite of mine - hooks for my jewelry. I had several necklaces that I never wore. Some were hidden in a drawer and I forgot about them. Others were shoved in my jewlery basket and got in a knot the size of a baseball

The crowning glory of the whole thing......An empty floor. No shoes hidding under dresses and pants along with the ironing board, vaccuum cleaner, boot box, ties that fell down, etc. Just bare, empty space....and beautiful visible carpet

The Closet

You may not be able to tell it by Jay's comment, but we really do get along. Our marriage is not in any trouble - we just don't work well together on projects. At least we recognize this. I told him I was going to post pictures of the closet today, but he didn't believe me. The closet has been an example of us not working well together. Most of this goes back to the whole right brain/left brain thing I posted about yesterday. I was trying to make a point that men are wired differently. I found that radio program to be quite informative. I also learned that men can visualize things much better than women. I realize this every time we go on a trip. I look at the mound of luggage and think there's no way that's fitting in the trunk. I can not see it. Jay on the other hand knows it all will fit, he can see where each piece will go.

The closet has been the same way. I haven't been able to visualize a single thing he's said he was going to do with it. He'd have me go to the closet and he'd explain what he wanted to do several times over the last couple of weeks. I couldn't understand it. I told him just to do what he wanted, I knew it would be fine. Last Friday we started on it by dragging everything out of it. Getting dressed around our house has been entertaining - it's like a scavenger hunt. There are about 5 different places that one shirt we want could be lurking. Our hopes were to get the closet done this week and I'd get it put back together tomorrow. Well that's not going to happen. Since I couldn't visulize how it was even going to look, I underestimated the amount of painting I'd have to do. The painting is going to take much longer than I had thought. But once it's all done, it's going to be so nice. Jay built shelves for my shoes - I'm so excited! I'll post some pictures once it's done.

Last night I was in the closet painting and I heard Cade yelling for me and I told him I was in the closet. Jay was on the phone with his dad, so he couldn't hear any of this. This was the first opportunity Cade had to be alone with me last night. Here's how our conversation went.

Cade: I need to tell you something
Me: Ok, what is it
Cade: (his face was bright red) Uh, Daddy got a speeding ticket today
Me: Oh really ( I had to turn around because I was trying not to laugh because Cade looked so stressed about it)
Cade: (he grabbed me around the neck) He really did, I'm not joking
Me: I know you're not, what did daddy say when it happened
Cade: Nothing
Me: We're you scared?
Cade: No, but I thought we were going to jail
Me: Did daddy say how much it's going to cost?
Cade: No

Jay came back in the closet then so I asked him how his day was. He just said fine. So then I asked if there was anything that happened he wanted to talk about - he looked at Cade and then said "what have you heard". It turns out he didn't get a speeding ticket, just a warning. Cade said that it was embarassing because people could see him stopped by the police. When Cade got to school Neilson told him he couldn't beleive his dad got a ticket. I guess that was the scuttlebutt on the 1st grade playground.

Oh so many memories have occured in and because of the closet this week.

Another Charlie Tail

Ok, I thought I’d try to go at least a week before I posted another Charlie story. But it just didn’t happen. The dog is absolutely insane. I’ve got customers who have Corgi’s and they’re not nuts, why is ours so crazy? I know everyone is probably tired of the dog stories, but if you could ever see Charlie in his prime you'd understand.

In the evenings we attach Charlie’s leash to a chain that hangs on a wire strung between two of our trees. I know, it sounds like all that’s missing in our yard is a trailer and rusty cars sitting on concrete blocks. Really though, it doesn’t look bad. Cade was outside playing on the side of the house, probably annoying Charile. He likes to just stay outside Charile’s radius so I’m sure the dog was itching to jump on him. Jay was in the garage using power tools and I was in house looking for some OFF. I heard Cade screaming and I thought Jay was taking care of him. I waited a moment and heard Cade scream again, but then I heard Jay turn the saw on and start using it while our son screamed and screamed.

I heard on a radio show not too long ago that men don’t have the ability to do more than one thing at a time. If they’re working on something, they have no idea what is going on around them. Women on the other hand multi-task all the time, we are constantly aware of what’s going on around us. I think it has something to do with men only being able to use one side of their brain at a time, while women can use both. I had never thought about it before, but shortly after listening to that I saw an example of it in our own home. I really have tried to be more patient with Jay, because I’ve learned that is the way he’s made….but sometimes I forget. Last night was another example – if thoughts showed up like marquee’s Jay’s would’ve said….I’ve got to saw….I’ve got to saw….I’ve got to saw….. Mine would’ve looked like….Gotta find the OFF for Cade, then get out the VBS stuff……I know we have OFF, We need how many teachers this year……Why is Cade screaming, surely Jay will get him……Where did I put the OFF, Who will take care of snacks……Cade’s screaming, Jay’s sawing again…….Why is Jay still sawing…..

So when Jay turned the saw back on, I came running out of the house yelling at Jay and asking him if he even heard Cade screaming. He had a blank look on his face, he had no idea something was wrong with his child. I got around to the side of the house and Cade was crying. Charlie was on the loose AGAIN. Jay grabbed the box of dog biscuits and coaxed him back to the house and then he asked me to go get the leash off of the chain. I got the leash and it was wet. Charlie chewed his leash off of himself. He probably sat there chewing on his leash and plotting his revenge against the little boy who would just get within jumping reach. Unfortunately for him (lucky for us) he got sidetracked from his plan by the big guy shaking the yummy biscuit box.

Jay tied the leash back together and then he went back to his saw. Cade decided he wanted to play with Charlie for awhile. One tug on the leash and Charlie was loose again. He ran right across the road into his favorite fescue field. This time I started yelling at Jay and Cade to bring me the biscuits. I didn’t want to take my eyes off the dog because I knew he’d be gone. I wanted them to bring me the biscuits. I must’ve said Bring Me The Biscuits 50 times. Finally Cade processed it enough to go get the biscuits, Jay just started up the saw again. Cade then got about one step out of the garage and stopped. I really yelled BRING ME THE BISCUITS. Jay must’ve had the saw off finally because he heard that. I got the biscuits and Charlie came back to the yard.

Charlie got his little rear tied up after that. Jay was laughing, wondering what the neighbors thought. Both of our neighbors have their houses up for sale. I told Jay it’s lucky for them they didn’t have anyone looking at their houses right then. I would’ve killed the deal. Who wants to live by someone who appears to be standing still in an empty yard yelling BRING ME THE BISCUITS.

The Last Game

Tuesday night was our last game of the season. Our tournament started Monday night and we won that game so we got to play Tuesday evening. We only lost by 1 run. The kids did a good job last night, they were hitting the ball really good, but couldn’t get on base. The other team’s pitcher was a good little player. Actually, to be completely honest, the kid got on my nerves. He always stopped the ball and was able to out run our kids to first base. After sitting through 3 innings of seeing the same thing happen I was tired of it. Occasionally, if we could hit the ball past the pitcher, we’d do really good because the rest of the team was just so-so. You could tell the team was built on that one kid and if he didn’t have the ball, it was chaos. I’m sure we’ll be meeting that little boy again over the next few years.

Last’s night excitement during the game, at least for our family, revolved around Cheetos. Papa Kerry came to the game with a sack of them. Before the game started Cade saw the Cheetos and took a handful. During the first time at bat he came back to get more. Papa Kerry, being a grandpa, told him just to take the whole sack. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I was defenseless against it. As Cade was running off I did yell out “Your Daddy isn’t going to like that”. Right before Cade got up to bat he ran the Cheetos back to us. He was afraid someone would steal them while he was batting (like he’s around a bunch of criminals). As soon as the annoying pitcher tagged him out, he ran back and got the Cheetos. I figured since Jay hadn’t said anything yet, we were safe.

In the second inning things changed with the Cheetos. It was Cade’s turn to bat and Jay saw him slowly walking towards us with the Cheetos. Jay yelled at him to get back. Cade slowly turned around and sauntered back, licking the yellow cheese off of his dirty fingers. Not only was Jay’s head about to pop off, he was grossed out. Jay confiscated the Cheetos.

Down on our end Jim looked up and saw Jay with the Cheetos. At first we assumed Jay was eating them. Then I saw him put his phone to his ear and I knew what was coming. About 5 seconds later I heard my familiar ringtone. When I answered, all he said was “Come get the Cheetos”. I made the walk of shame in front of all the parents to collect Papa Kerry’s Cheetos. Jay gave me a somewhat irritated look and then said the Cheetos were driving him nuts.

After we got home Jay told me the part of the Cheeto story that we couldn’t see from our seats. I guess while Jay was trying to get the kids to sit on the bench in their batting order Cade went down the line and gave each kid 1 Cheeto. There was some begging so he went down the line again, only distributing 1 Cheeto. Then he told the kids that was all they could have, the rest were his and then he proceeded to shove handful after handful in his mounth. He would stop only long enough to lick the yellow processed cheese powder off of his grimy disgusting little fingers. When Jay saw Cade getting ready to bring the Cheetos back to us, he lost it. That’s when I got the phone call. We all had a good laugh once I got back to my seat with the bag of Cheetos. The story probably is funnier when Jay tells it, because he can demonstrate Cade sucking on his fingers. I noticed this morning that there are yellow finger prints on his ball pants. Note to self (and anyone else attending Cade’s games) – no more Cheetos at baseball games.

As for the sharing part – I don’t feel much sympathy for Jay. Cade limiting the kids to one Cheeto apiece is not that much different than his father. I see that look of irritation and the blowing out of air whenever I ask Jay if I can have a bite of his dessert. The apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree in our family.

Charlie Meets the Vet

I know a lot of my posts so far this summer have been about our dog. I’m not sure what that says about our life – either it’s very boring or it’s because we don’t know how to control our dog. I remember when we were contemplating having Santa give Cade a dog for Christmas. Every time I thought about it my hands got sweaty. It was harder deciding to get a dog than it was deciding to have another baby. I guess maybe I should have reflected more on those feelings of anxiety over getting a dog. Maybe Somebody was trying to tell me something? Obviously I didn’t listen so now we have a physically small dog, but a giant monster on our hands.

We have decided that fixing Charlie would maybe keep him from running off. I don’t know if anything will help, but it’s worth a try. Since we’d have to be nuts to think about letting the little guy reproduce, we don’t have a problem getting him fixed. Jay called the vet last week to set up the appointment and he found out Charlie had to have shots first. Most of you dog lovers would be appalled to think we’ve had the dog for almost two years and we’ve never taken him to the vet. Jay and I both grew up on farms where pets are pets. We love them to an extent and if they were to die we’d grieve for a day or so and then we’d move on. Charlie does not rank up there with Cade or anything in how we look at him. He’s a dog.

Saturday morning dawned and I got the heck out of the house. I met Charity to go shopping and I let Jay deal with Cade and the dog. Cade loves to watch Transformers on Saturday mornings at 9:30. Charlie’s vet appointment was at 8:45, things were going to be rough around the house and I didn’t want any part of it. After much crying and whining Jay got both Cade and the dog loaded to head to the vet. The minute Charlie got out of the truck he started barking. Jay referred to it as Charlie saying “I’m short, I’m small, I’m here”. I wish I could record his piercing bark so everyone who reads this could experience it. It’s like someone is taking a little hammer and nail and piercing your brain every time he barks. It seriously is a painful experience. Jay said once they got in the waiting room Charlie continued to bark. He was the only dog in the whole place barking. Then Charlie took the biggest leak Jay said he’d ever seen right on the waiting room floor. Jay thought it was at least a foot wide. Jay got to clean it up.

Then they got called back to the room and Charlie continued to bark. When the vet tech came in she even commented on his bark. While she was examining him, she also took his temperature you know where. I remember having to do that to Cade one time as an infant and I remember what it caused. It did the same thing to Charlie. He then took an enormous poop right on the floor after the vet tech left. Jay got to clean that up also. Once Jay got that mess cleaned up Charlie decided he needed to pee so he did that again on the floor.

When the vet came in he asked “Well how’s Charlie feeling today?” Jay had to answer for Charlie. Then the vet looked in his mouth and asked Jay if he knew Charlie had an under bite. Since we avoid getting too close to the dogs face we had no idea. The vet was concerned we wanted to breed him. Obviously he was busy earlier in the morning or he wouldn’t have asked. Charlie actually did pretty well getting his shots, I don’t think he made too much noise. As they walked back into the reception area Charlie spotted an enormous chocolate lab. The chocolate lab eyed Charlie, probably thinking he’d make a tasty appetizer. Jay hurried Charlie out the door before there was a confrontation and tied him into the truck. Jay went back in and paid. For $57 Jay got to clean up two pees and a poo and answer the vet like he was Charlie. Money well spent I say. Jay said the vet kept referring to Charlie as going to be neutered. Jay prefers the term castrated because it sounds more violent. I guess he’s getting Charlie back for the last few months?

Jay’s original plan was to go to our church and work on the flower bed as soon as they were done at the vet. After his experience he had to take Charlie home. At least Cade made it home in time to watch Transformers. All was well in his world again. Jay on the other hand hasn't quite recovered from the experience yet. At least we have to wait a couple of weeks before we get him neutered......that should give Jay time to get prepared.

Baseball Snapshots

Here are a few pictures from last night's game. I think the kids are ready to be done with the season. Every time Cade batted he didn't even try to hit the ball. He would just swing, twice he struck out so quickly that I didn't even see him bat. All the kids look alike at this age when their wearing a batting helmet so sometimes I don't always realize who's up to bat. I know, that would probably be a red flag to some that I'm a terrible mother.


Cade played catcher last night. If you look closely at the helmet you can tell it's too small for his head. The part that he's supposed to look out of is on his forehead. It's a family trait.


This is one of the few times he actually made a move to go after the ball, most of the time he'd just stand there.

After he'd pick up the ball he'd have to kick some dirt around before he'd throw it to the pitcher.

and my favorite picture of the evening.....the mother duck (or should I say Cardinal) and the baby Cardinals on the way to start the game after a bathroom break.

Miscellaneous Information From The Week

This past week Charlie only disappeared once, but we were able to handle that crisis in house. None of the neighbors had to be involved. I watched Jay try to entice Charlie back to our yard by shaking a box of dog biscuits. Charlie really faked him out that night – he ran at Jay full speed until he got within Jay’s reach. Charlie then veered off to the left and ran around the house. That dog is a mess, but Jay’s going to get him back. He’s calling the local vet today to make an appointment for a little procedure (snip, snip)

Cade’s last regular season baseball game is supposed to be tonight (weather permitting), which is a good thing. Last night we played two make up games and I think every one from the kids to the coaches are done. I know by the end of the 2nd game my rear end was done. All of the kids had a hard time focusing. Cade played catcher in the first game and didn’t even attempt to catch the ball. He was too busy kicking the dirt around. Jay about lost his patience. Then Cade kept running over to me and Papa Kerry and Grandma Robyn getting snacks and asking if I’d get him a ring pop after the game. I wish I’d had a picture one of the times when Jay yelled at him to get back over there. Cade was explaining to me that Jessica said they use a gun to pierce ears. Important stuff to know during a ball game.

Jay’s toe seems to be healing nicely, at least as nicely as something that no longer has a toenail can. Cade had a round of strep last weekend, but he’s back to normal and thankfully he didn’t pass it on to me or Jay.

More From The Charlie Chronicles

Oh where to begin on this post. There were several little things that went into the making of yesterday’s excitement. I think I’ll start with Jay’s trip to the doctor. He had another ingrown toenail that he couldn’t extract on his own, so he was forced to visit Dr S. Dr S ended up removing his whole toenail, which I learned this morning will never grow back. Jay’s feet will forever look funny in a pair of sandals.

Last night we had one of those moments where we decided that Cade had watched too much TV and we forced him outside. Since the family was out, it was only fair to include Charlie in the fun. Jay and I were sitting in lawn chairs in the driveway and we let Charlie loose for about a minute. Then Cade decided he wanted to play with Charlie. The only way the dog will play is if you hold onto his leash, otherwise he just runs off. Cade and Charlie were playing around the side of the house and we started hearing Cade crying. We went to check out the situation – Cade had dropped Charlie’s leash. I swear the dog thought “hey the kid’s dropped the leash, I’m out of here”. Charlie was already across the road in the field of fescue hopping like a rabbit with his blue leash blowing in the breeze. We yelled and yelled but the dog ignored us and disappeared into the sunset.

Cade was distraught. I was worried because Charlie had on the leash and if he got caught on something that would be bad. Jay and I were both concerned because if Charlie didn’t come back, Cade would be upset because he was the one who let go of the leash. Jay and I played catch in the yard hoping the ball would attract our dogs attention and he’d come home. Cade played in the gravel (typical for him).

We were outside about 30 minutes and heard some people on bicycles coming down the road. I looked up and saw Charlie was running with them, but he didn’t have on his leash. About that time Charlie ran under one of the bike tires and the guy completely ran over Charlie on his bike. I’ll never forget that moment. Charlie flipped over and then the guy almost wrecked. The guy asked us if we knew who’s dog that was. We admitted he was ours and I know the guy felt terrible because he’d just ran over our dog right in front of us. Then he told us that he had taken Charlie’s leash off and hung it on a fence post down the road. He was concerned that Charlie would get it caught on something. I have no idea how long Charlie had been running with them, probably driving them nuts. I tried telling the guy that Charlie had ran off with his leash on, but I think he thought we’d turned him loose with it on. We probably really looked guilty considering our dog was out roaming the country and we were playing catch like we didn’t have a care in the world.

I got Charlie and held onto him while Jay started walking down the road to retrieve the leash. The way it sounded, the leash was just a little way down the road so we didn’t discuss who should go after it, Jay just took out. Charlie was quite subdued while I was waiting for Jay. I don’t know if it was exhaustion from running hard for 30 minutes or the fact he was ran over by a bike and it knocked him silly. Whatever the reason, he didn’t put up too much of a fight. I waited and waited and waited for Jay. Finally I coaxed Charlie over to his chain and told Cade to get in the car. I thought Jay’s toe had given out. As I was moving our lawn chairs so I could back out the car, Jay appeared in the yard. I heard him yelling “No one will leave my dog alone”. These people were trying to be nice, but they had left Charlie’s leash a quarter of a mile from our house. Jay had to hike ½ mile total with a missing toenail to retrieve it. I put the leash on Charlie and started walking him to his pen. We took about 10 steps and the dog refused to go any farther. I had to carry him the rest of the way. I’ve never seen the dog lay so still before. I think he was glad to get back to his pen.

When I got back to where Jay was standing I looked down and saw what he was wearing – white socks and sandals. The tip of his sock that was on the hurt toe was bloody. I started laughing so hard that I could hardly stand up. Why is Jay always wearing something strange every time the dog disappears?

Jay checked on Charlie this morning, he seemed to be fine. Jay thought he was a little sore because he wasn’t jumping like he normally does, but he got right up when he saw Jay. I hope this little incident teaches him a lesson, but I doubt that it will. I’m sure in another week or so I’ll have another Charlie incident to report.

ETA: Mom asked about Jay's toe and I don't think it's was as sore this morning as it was last night. We're supposed to have a ball game tonight so I don't know how it will feel after 11 5 & 6 year olds stomp on it. I'm still a little disturbed by the fact that his toenail won't grow back. What is his big toe going to look like?

Another Day at Summer School

Cade talked some more last night about his “yelling” teacher. Really I don’t think she yells, she’s just gruff. Jay and I had a hard time keeping a straight face at the dinner table. Cade is so serious when he talks about her. This morning as I was driving to work and reflecting on this situation I thought maybe having her as a teacher isn’t so bad. Maybe the fact that Cade doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of her “yelling” will make him more attentive to the things going on around him. Goodness knows our years of yelling haven’t gotten him to speed up his morning dressing routine. I think he long ago gave up actually listening to us. Our voices are like an annoying gnat flying around in the background. Maybe he’ll take notice of someone else yelling? If her yelling gets him out of La La Land, we may be willing to try it for a year.

Also, yesterday we got a letter from the gifted teacher saying that Cade would be tested sometime Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. We had met with her and Mrs L at the end of April to talk about Cade and the gifted program. They think he’s a candidate for the program, but unsure if he’ll be able to test into it. He’s got some major test anxiety. He took a state standardized test at the end of April and we got the results back last week. He tested in the 94 percentile on his reading which was way above average. His math skills were way below average, so his total test ended up being average, which is just fine to us. They could’ve photocopied my old test scores and used them, because they were the same. Good at reading, terrible at math. So I don’t know how this gifted thing will turn out. I want him in the program just because he is displaying some classic signs of a gifted kid with the perfectionism syndrome. As a person who’s lived with perfectionism and anxiety her whole life, I really think it would be a good thing for him. If he doesn’t get in that’s why I’ll be disappointed. It’s not that I want my child to be the smartest, I just want him to know that he’s not different and the way he feels is not weird. We’ll find out in August how he scored.

So last night Jay and I were trying to approach the subject about a man (who supposedly looks like a big friendly grandpa) who will come and talk to him without causing any anxiety. I think I hit the jackpot with how I handled it. Jay wasn’t so sure…..

Jay: Cade, there’s a man who’s going to come and ask you questions sometime this week. You need to go with him and answer them.

Me: Yeah, he’s supposed to look like a grandpa, I’m sure it will be fun

(Cade was still staring at the TV, ignoring the annoying background noise)

Me: Do you want to get out of Mrs S class for awhile

Cade: YES

Me: Well go with the man and answer his questions really good. The longer you stay with him the more time you’ll be out of Mrs S class.

Cade: (with a huge grin on his face) OK

Jay told me my ways are somewhat unorthodox most of the time. I just shrugged it off and told him it seemed to work ok. Jay said it worked this time, but what about 15 years from now. Cade will have his own blog and he’ll write about how his mother tried to scare him away from a teacher. Oh well, I guess I’ll cross that bridge if/when we get there.

Summer School

Cade started Summer School yesterday as a 1st grader. I'm not sure how this is going to work with the teacher that he has. This teacher was recommeneded to us by his Kindergarten teacher, but I'm not so sure. After going on the Field Trip with them last month I had my doubts....after yesterday we all have our doubts. It's not that she's a horrible teacher because she's not. She just doesn't have a nice voice. Jay and Cade had this conversation yesterday.....

Jay: How was your teacher

Cade: She yells

Jay: Oh really, what happened

Cade: She yelled at a boy, I'm glad it wasn't me

Jay: What did the boy do

Cade: Beats me, but I'm glad it wasn't me she was yelling at

Last night Cade rode home with me from his Baseball game. We had the following conversation

Me: How was Summer School

Cade: My teacher yelled

Me: Why did she yell

Cade: I don't know, but she yells louder than Daddy

...there you have it.....we may need to request the other teacher for next year......