joy, and stuff

Thing Two got a hit his first time up at bat in his first tee...

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:01:38 -0500

Thing Two got a hit his first time up at bat in his first tee ball game this week. I posted a video of it on Facebook, and our friend Greg, a sports editor, enjoyed the video. He said to tell Thing Two that he hit that ball so hard he tattooed it! Greg always wants to know the boys’ responses to his jokes, anecdotes or messages, so I recorded this one.

Thing One does the mile run at school tomorrow. He decided he...

Wed, 01 May 2013 19:54:52 -0500

Thing One does the mile run at school tomorrow. He decided he needs to make sure he’s properly fit. I won’t take him to a gym tonight, and he doesn’t want to run around the neighborhood, so he’s doing my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. His brother is “helping.” I love this on so many levels.

Thing One brought basketball logic to a whole new level this afternoon. He turned and started to...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 21:46:31 -0500

Thing One brought basketball logic to a whole new level this afternoon. He turned and started to walk away before I was done talking. When I accused him of leaving prematurely, he said, “but Mom, I didn’t move my pivot foot.”

"James, you should have been the big brother instead of me. I bet you wouldn’t have tormented..."

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:15:58 -0500

““James, you should have been the big brother instead of me. I bet you wouldn’t have tormented me at all.””

- Thing One, after having been chastised for bothering his little brother

A PSA about the cool new Vine app — don’t use it to film...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:27:42 -0600

A PSA about the cool new Vine app — don’t use it to film action. Thing One’s first basket in a few games, and I missed it because my six seconds ran out. “He dribbles, he shoots, he …”

As much as I love that the boys are getting old enough to play...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 19:06:48 -0600

As much as I love that the boys are getting old enough to play more grown up games, I’ll be sad when the Mouse Trap phase of life is over.

So, Thing Two has been asking me tonight to sing the song I sang...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:08:31 -0600

So, Thing Two has been asking me tonight to sing the song I sang to him “10 days ago, or maybe last week.”

“You know, Mom, it had a sort of low tone and a nice beat, and you kept hitting your leg to keep the beat..”

“I sang it in my head all day after that. Will you sing it again?”

We listen to a lot of music around here, and we’ve been particularly fond of a Stevie Wonder Pandora station lately. The possible options here made for quite a long list. (I was sure it was going to end up being “Lean On Me,” but nope.)

Well, I’m thrilled that it ended up being this song — one of the all-time greats. Thing Two and I had a nice dance around the living room this evening, singing it to each other and making up dance moves and hand motions.

There are cheerleaders at this Upward game. Here’s what my...

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 10:40:09 -0600

There are cheerleaders at this Upward game. Here’s what my 9-year-old just said: “They’re so tall and cute and pretty. I just want to kiss them.” Heaven help us all.

Thing Two’s first introduction as an Upward basketball...

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 12:22:13 -0600

Thing Two’s first introduction as an Upward basketball player.

Thing One got this dressed up today for P.E. class, of all...

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:28:05 -0600

Thing One got this dressed up today for P.E. class, of all things! It was square dancing day, and he’d gotten paired with a certain young lady. He wanted a tie. He waited until after breakfast to put his nice shirt on. He wanted hairspray. He said he wouldn’t pick his nose at school. It was huge.

And then … there was a substitute. No square dancing. Sigh. But, he told the young lady that he’d dressed up for her, and they had a “date” during indoor recess, playing a game together. So all was not lost.

Did I mention he’s only 9?

The best relationship advice I've ever gotten

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 22:14:05 -0600

This weekend, Joe and I celebrate 12 years of marriage. Anniversaries are convenient times to reflect on the institution of marriage, and this one has me thinking about some wise advice we received during a premarital seminar at a church in Sarasota, Fla.

The couple running the workshop said this to those of us gathered:

Love isn’t a feeling; it’s a decision.

It means this: You can’t always wait or expect to feel in love. You have to act out of love. You have to decide to love.

A couple of years ago, I tracked down that couple, to thank them for the advice. I told them that after 10 years of marriage, I felt more in love with my husband on some days than others. But I wrote that I thought the real success stories of our relationship weren’t the days that showing our love came easy. The victories came on the days that loving was difficult, and we choose to do it anyway.

I’m truly fortunate to feel deeply in love with my husband a whole lot of the time. I also hope and pray that we both continue to choose love, even on the hard days, for many years to come.

So Thing Two, having discovered an inherited love of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, took one...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:05:00 -0600

So Thing Two, having discovered an inherited love of peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, took one to school today, the first day after break. But he came home having eaten only a few bites of it because kids were making fun of the sandwich. He said he felt like he would need to hide behind his lunchbox to eat it, so instead he and his hurt feelings “just sat there in despair.”

We’ve talked about what else he could have said, how the other kids’ not liking pickles is a matter of perspective, and how much fun it would be to instead grin, take a big bite and let them know what deliciousness they’re missing out on. He’s game to try again tomorrow.

If that doesn’t work, we might need to stage a four-generation peanut-butter-and-pickle sit-in, with me, Bill Mathis and Donald Mathis.

While cooking oatmeal, Thing Two pauses for a snack of dill...

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 08:49:48 -0600

While cooking oatmeal, Thing Two pauses for a snack of dill pickles. He hasn’t really stopped smiling or pacing yet today!

Eagerly awaiting a return to school ...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:15:41 -0600

I have my regular volunteer time in my kids’ elementary school tomorrow morning, and I realize that it’s exactly what I’ve been craving since Friday.

I want to sit cross-legged on the floor of the hallway, helping kids tell stories.

I want to witness the smiles and the calm, the learning and the routines.

I want to keep a spying eye on what my first-grader is doing while I work with his classmates.

I want to hug his teacher — a woman we’ve spent four years with now, who has helped raise both my children. Who I know loves them deeply and who I hope feels an equally deep sense of ownership and pride in what she’s helped create.

I want to remember why I love our little elementary school and allow myself to feel safe … while sitting cross-legged on the floor of the hallway, helping kids tell stories.

Thing Two’s performance as a little drummer boy.

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 16:46:02 -0600

Thing Two’s performance as a little drummer boy.

Thing Two’s first sleepover is going swimmingly. All three...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:09:10 -0600

Thing Two’s first sleepover is going swimmingly. All three boys are getting along great. We’ve moved from ice cream to legos to watching Home Alone in a tent. Six-year-old boys know how to live, man.

Today’s craft project (yay YouTube videos!) brought Thing...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 20:26:48 -0600

Today’s craft project (yay YouTube videos!) brought Thing One closer to ready for his Drama Club performance on Thursday. The frog part of his role is done. Now, onto the prince part. (Thing Two decided to make a monkey.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:49:23 -0600

Happy Thanksgiving!

Please, can’t I finish this chapter?

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 20:00:32 -0600

Please, can’t I finish this chapter?

So, we seem to have a new friend! Unless somebody claims him...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:53:21 -0600

So, we seem to have a new friend! Unless somebody claims him soon (and has a good explanation for why our friend found him trying to cross I-70 way east of Columbia), we’re going to keep him.

He’s a Great Pyrenees, probably about 2, and is the most gentle dog I’ve ever met. He’s only about 70 pounds, so he’s likely mixed with a smaller breed.

Thing One wants to name him after a Pokemon. Thing Two has settled on Bert (short for Engelbert, apparently). Thing One’s response is to challenge the rest of us to a MarioKart battle for naming rights.

So if you know anyone who’s lost a seemingly perfect dog, let ‘em know to get in touch soon, because we’re already in love!