Principal's Honor Roll

Report cards came out last week and Annalise did FANTASTIC!!!!  She got straight E's (which are A's when you get to third grade).  She's above level in reading and she is right where she needs to be in everything else.  She made it to Principal's Honor Roll which means she got perfect grades AND her citizenship was excellent.  John and I went to the awards ceremony and my favorite thing to see was that she was no longer "the new kid." It is clear to me that she's made friends, that she has plenty of fun, and that she feels completely comfortable in her new school.

I wrote an entry when she was about 2 years old that was called Angelface/Sassypants.  I think about that one quite often because it still fits her in every way. She's the sweetest little girl I have ever known, but she's clearly never going to be in danger of becoming a wall flower!  Her confidence and creativity amaze me every day and I'm often left wondering if that's really my kid!  One of my favorite quotes recently is about me.  When she says her prayers, she always adds "Thank you for my (insert adjective) Mommy!"  It's my favorite part of the day to see what she comes up with.  The other evening, she thanked God for "this compassionate yet stubborn Mom of mine" and I couldn't help but laugh right out loud!  When I asked what prompted that, she explained that I'm very kind and compassionate, which is good, but that I can be very stubborn when I've set my mind on "No" which she does not like.

Our girl is not only book smart.  She's pretty street smart too!  She's got that going for her, but don't think for a moment that she's perfect because all you need to do is look at her room to see that she's far from that.  She's a bit of a slob...to put it lightly.  We finally got her new room painted and her new bed put in there, which required a heavy dose of shoveling her "stuff" from side to side to make room.  We cleaned the whole room up and told her to keep it that way.  Much to my irritation, it took exactly one day to turn back into a complete disaster and I was at the end of my rope. Yelling was not working so John decided to try and outsmart her.  We got it cleaned up again the way I like it and he told her, "I bet you can't keep your room this clean for three days!" She said, "Bring it on!"  He bet her a dollar that she could not keep it neat (exactly as clean as it started) through that Thursday night.  Well, she won her dollar and John decided to see how far he could take it.  He said, "I'll bet you $2 that you can't keep it that way for a whole week..."  She said, "Nope.  Forget it.  Not worth $2." Her room is again a mess. 

Like I said, the girl is smart!

Superhuman Mom Tricks!

Justin's Top Right First Molar

(Orthodontia Included)

I was sitting at my desk, happily working away, when I heard Justin fall up the stairs.  Yes, up. It's a common issue for him these days since his feet are about 4 sizes bigger than his brain realizes.  I heard him say, "Oh Shoot!" Again, this is nothing out of the ordinary so I kept working and didn't acknowledge him.   

"Mom?"

sigh..."Ugh"..."What is it now?"..."I am WORKING..."

"I lost a tooth!"

I guess I'm going to have to deal with this one.

No big deal.  He's 10 and it's a molar so we're right on track.  The issue is that he has braces, the tooth has a bracket on it, we're "new" in town (translated: I have not gotten around to finding an orthodontist yet), and it's a Holiday Week.  My question is, "Exactly WHO is going to get the tooth out of his mouth that is currently hanging from his wire?"

Google to the rescue!

I called the first place on my trusty Google List, but nobody answered.  At the next place, I got a message saying they're at lunch.  On the third call, the message says they're on vacation but I can dial 9 for "true dental emergencies only!"  I'm not a patient, I wonder how much they will appreciate my particular emergency?  I dialed a fourth office and happened to get a very kind Floridian working in the lab who tells me that the doctor is on vacation. The answer is becoming very clear to me. 

I broke the news to Justin.  I was doing the surgery.  He laughed! I laughed!  Here we go!

We put Justin on the couch, he bit down so that the tooth would stop dangling from the wire and grossing me out, and I went to work with the big guns!  Who needs dental tools?  We accomplished the job with a set of tweezers, a paper clip, and a pair of cuticle scissors.  To his credit, Justin was extremely brave as I came at him with my implements while squirming childishly at the disgusting tooth.  He laughed, made a joke about being in a psychologist's office, and smiled big as I started the work!  A few minutes later, after much coaching and encouragement from my son, out came the tooth and he was rinsing the "affected area" with salt water.  The excitement has died down and he's now back upstairs playing basketball with his sister.

Another successful day at the Dolby House!!!!

Twas the night before Christmas...

 

Twas the night before Christmas...

One of my biggest worries whenever we move is how the kids will adjust to their new schools.  I feel bad for them when they say good-bye at the old school, I feel excited with them when they see their new house, and I feel the fear they feel on the first day at the new school.  

Both kids were scared this time around, even though they won't admit it.  Justin told me, "Mom, the worst thing about the first day is that you don't even have someone to ask where things are."  Annalise would say in her prayers at night, "...and I know I'll always be OK as long as I keep my friends in my heart to guide me..."  

My heart was especially sad for Annalise this time around because she left a community that she had grown up with.  Her kindergarten friends stuck with her through the years and she was leaving some girls that she really loves.  On her first day of school, I worried and waited for her to come home and tell me how it went.  I'm pleased to say that she did great!  She made a friend and she said she loved her teachers. As long as we're admitting things here, the truth is that I miss Salt Creek and my friends so I understand what they're feeling because I was nervous to start over too.

I got my first chance to come to school this week and see Annalise's class.  Justin asked me to give him some space now that he's in 5th Grade, which I happily respected, and I did not go to his Holiday Party.  Annalise, on the other hand, is still young enough to want to show me her school life.  

As you can see, Annalise has adjusted as we would expect - just fine!  She's brought her love of reading with her to Valrico and she's in love with school just the way she always has been.  She was sick this week so we all hoped that she would be able to do her Narrator part.  Her voice came back just in time and she did great!  Her classroom here is a team setting where they have two classrooms and two teachers to take advantage of.  It's amazing!  The room they are in is set up as their reading area and it stays this way all year long.  Their desks are in the other room where they do their desk work and they move between the rooms all day long.  Her teachers work together and make all of the kids work just a little harder because, as both of my kids have mentioned, they can't get away with anything since there's always a teacher walking around.

We're still wearing Salt Creek shirts to school but I think we all feel comfortable now as Valrico Explorers!

The $2 Poinsettia

Teaching kids about money is a challenge.  I am not very good at it, believe it or not, and I'm afraid that I'm not teaching my kids the right way to budget or the importance of saving early.  I am not a very disciplined person and I'm not the mom who gets the allowance out every Sunday (even though I mean to every single Sunday) and I don't do a good job of making them budget for the big things.  I mean to, but I never get around to it.

My frustration with my own shortcoming was unfortunately taken out on my son last night and he fired back with a lesson that hit me square in the heart.

Justin and Annalise both participated in a military kid study several months ago and they each got $15 for it in the mail yesterday.  I gave them their cash and told them they could do what they wanted with it.  I was certainly not a deprived child and I never went without anything I wanted, so I'm not sure how I wound up this way, but I am a neurotic saver.  I hate spending money and I feel so much better when I make a deposit into the savings account than when I buy that gorgeous pair of shoes.  When I handed their cash to them, I assumed that they would proudly deposit the money in their piggy banks and leave it there to count later as I would have done as a child. 

I am not my child and my child is not me.  Repeat.

We went to buy a Christmas Tree last night and Justin had his $15 in his pocket.  I was wandering through the pine tree aisles when he came over to me, wearing a proud smile on his face, and handed me a little poinsettia plant with a gold wrapper. The words flew out before I even thought through them and I said something along the lines of, "Seriously?  What did you spend your money on now?" 

Mouth in gear, brain in neutral. That never ends well.

The smile flickers for a moment and he says, "I bought it for you, Mom.  It was only two bucks..."

Oh, it gets worse.

I groveled all night and tried to save myself by justifying my response to him.  I was a hopeless mess babbling mindless stories about why it's important to save and how we will buy him the things he needs.  He listened politely and didn't say much so I filled the silence with more mindless babble about things he really didn't care about.  I ended by reminding him that the greatest gifts I ever get are things he makes me.  I asked him to make me a card for the flowers. "To Mom, From Justin" or something like that.

When we got home, he asked me for a notecard and pen so that he could write a label for my flowers. He disappeared for much longer than usual so I thought that maybe he was drawing me a battle scene or something like that.  Nope.  Way wrong.  This is what I got:

Trust me, I know that there are many battles and life lessons to come.  I know I have lots to improve on when it comes to being a good Mom.  I know, I know...don't waste time patting myself on the back.  I know all of that, but right now, I know I have done something RIGHT. 

Goalie

Playing for the Aztecs - Spring Season

Another Aztec shot - he got his hands on this one!

He's been working hard on strategy 

and getting the ball where it needs to go.

Action Shot - Winter Season with the Tigers

One of my favorites!  This was a save made playing with the Tigers.

After several years of dedication to his love of American Football, Justin decided to take a break and try his hand at the "Real Futbol".  Hats off to my soccer stud!  He has found a talent that I never dreamed he had!  John was a goalie growing up and it looks as though Justin may follow very successfully in his footsteps. 

I must admit that I love being a soccer mom.  It's so much fun to go to the games and watch your kid play his heart out!  Since Justin has taken on the job of goalie though, I think I've had no less than 47 heart attacks and I may have aged a few years while holding my breath as the other team comes tearing down the field ready to score.  San Diego seems to be a place full of talented young athletes and youth sports are generally places where I find myself blown away by the competition. Soccer around here is generally pretty amazing to watch!

The first team Justin played on this year, the Tigers, was coached by a prior competitive player and all of the kids on the team had played before.  They were tough to beat and Justin had to work hard to keep his spot as goalie!  He's been a part of a very competitive (undefeated is the truth) football team for the past year, and while he had enjoyed the taste of victory, he had not experienced being in the hot seat.  He didn't play quarterback, he didn't play receiver, and he didn't experience the pressure of being the kicker trying to get an extra point to win the game.  Playing goalie brought some new experiences for him!  He stopped plenty of shots, but he got scored on once or twice and had to learn how to pick his head up and get ready for the next one. 

He had so much fun playing winter soccer that he went back for more in the spring season.  This time, his team was a little more green (to put it mildly).  They were rookies and they were just trying to figure out which way they were going for the first couple of games!  Justin took plenty of shots on goal and he came out bloody once or twice!  They lost every game and at about mid-season, his team started taking it out on him.  He came home from practice one day feeling defeated because one of the other kids had said, "Maybe you could start making some saves!" I was sad to see my kid feeling down and out but happy to see him come back quickly when we talked about how many saves he did have and how his odds of success might improve a bit if maybe his defense would help him out.  

His team must have worked it out because they came out for blood the next week!  They played a team that I thought would beat them 25 - 0 (no kidding) and they wound up scoring two goals and losing by only three.  By most counts, a butt whooping, but for this team, it was a major accomplishment! Justin was diving all over the place, he made some amazing saves, and he managed to learn how to get his team to work together.  There were high fives being shared all around and after the game, I had two parents from the other team ask if I was his Mom.  With a puffed up pride I said, "I sure am!" and they let me know that they thought he was a really good goalie.  The only moment that topped that was when I heard the coach of the other team say to himself, "Dang.  That kid's good!" It was such an amazing performance that I couldn't stop myself and I rushed the field at the end to tell him just how awesome he had played! The victory was made sweeter because it was his Tenth Birthday so it's a game we'll always remember.

Justin has won some games and he's now certainly lost some games.  He's been down in the dirt with kids kicking hard at him and he's gotten back up to try again.  He's had kids tell him it's his fault when it goes bad and he's also had them tell him that he's a superstar when it goes right.  He's also endured playing in the hot seat with his whole team counting on him and his family yelling for him.  He's learned under fire and he's certainly earned his goalie jersey! 

Signing off,

The always proud Soccer Mom!

P.S.  I might just love soccer because I have experienced my most memorable moment in a long time during one of the games.   As I mentioned, it was chaotic and there were lots of shots being taken on him, lots of yelling going on, and lots of pressure.  At one point during the season, we switched sides at halftime and he asked me to walk down to the other end of the field with him.  (I had done that the week before because it's a little lonely in enemy territory with all of the heckling that goes on).  I asked if he was sure he didn't want Dad/Grandad to go down with him because they know how to coach and he said, "Nope.  Just you please."  I know that's not going to be their favorite story...but it's mine...and it will be for a long time. 

Family Adventure

Where in the world are we these days? 

Well, with the launch of Petit Bistro Photography, we're commonly found behind the lens.  Justin and Annalise have been very patient about heading out to photo shoots on all (and I mean ALL) of their free time recently.  Here's Justin, muddy knees and all, working on his homework at the baseball field this past week while I did a Team Shoot for the little league.  Annalise found a new friend this particular day (there have been many, I think she was playing with Bella this time) and they were digging up cups of dirt and serving some kind of dust soup to the parents. 

It's not just sports events for us!  They spent John's birthday this year playing in the waves on Coronado Beach while we did our first Family Portrait shoot.  For a minute that night I thought I had lost them and a bit of panic set in for this usually relatively calm mother.  I started the frantic search and thankfully after about a minute, I found Justin's feet kicking up above the sea wall.  I'm not sure what he was doing because I couldn't see his body (just kicking legs - straight out of a cartoon) but I knew the feet were his!  A second later, Annalise's head bobbed up and I saw that she was supervising whatever activity was going on.  I figured they were safe as long as she was in charge. 

Although they usually complain when we head out the door, they always manage to have a good time once we get there.  If our business becomes successful, it will be based on the efforts of all four members of our family and our kids are so much a part it all.  I hope they're making good memories along the way because in this world of digital and electronic everything, at the very least, they are forced outdoors on a regular basis.  With their Mom and Dad.  I love it!

The Bike Ramp

 Gathering the Materials - Two plastic ramps made the journey from Bryson's garage across the street.  Bryson was also kind enough to contribute most of the bike and helmet gear.

Here they are working on the solution for the backside of the ramp. The question is, "How do we make it tall enough?"

OK, Down Ramp...ready to go!  The table can hold the bike's weight but the board fell down while they were pushing it up.  No problem - all you have to do is set it up again before the next person goes.

After the reset, the front is back in business. 

Let's test the back end of the ramp.

Tabletop is OBVIOUSLY not going to work.

...and the testing starts again...

 

Tomorrow's Engineers!

Justin had his buddies (Jordan and Bryson) over yesterday for the normal after school antics.  I was in the back yard doing homework with Annalise when I heard some loud scraping noises that made my ears perk up.  It eventually stopped so I went back to fractions with Annalise.  I got a little worried when it started again a minute later, so I went out front to investigate and, sure enough, my kids were responsible for the noise.  Bryson has two plastic bike ramps that they were dragging over to our house to use in their bike ramp.  The contents of our garage were also being unloaded and considered for the final product.  There were 2x4s and boards from John's last project, saw horses, and every other random thing we might own. 

I knew this would most likely be entertaining, so I got out the camera and found a spot across the street to watch their progress.  Their negotiations were quite spirited and they all found themselves to be fantastic engineers.  They were eventually ready to test the contraption and Justin hopped on his bike to be the first brave soul.  I tried to stay out of their way but when I saw that happening, I had to jump in and ask they they test with a non human object first.

Thank God.

They have set a date for next Wednesday to construct and test the newest version.