When I was little I attended a Catholic elementary school. I didn't ever really hate school, but once I started in the public schools, I realized I was much happier. I swore to myself that my kids would never attend a private school. So much for that :-) That was long before the move to Little Rock and getting tired of trying to play the system to get my kid in a school that was good for him. Grayson now happily attends Holy Souls.
The downside to this realization that private school might be our best fit, is that there are always fundraisers. Even before school started we were given raffle tickets to sell. Then there was the Boosterthon where at least Grayson had to run laps to earn his money. We have also had Tshirt sales and Fall Fest (this is only the first 9 weeks people). Every time you turn around there is a fundraiser..... but..... being a Catholic school of course they had the BEST fundraiser idea ever.
GIRLS NIGHT OUT
Complete with Margaritas, Bingo, Wine, Beer, Nachos, Popcorn, and lots of entertainment from the fellow attendees. Never thought a school fundraiser would be good people watching ;-) And of course I didn't win any of the bingo games or the prizes, many of which came with a bottle of wine (who would have guessed that one?).
Anyway ready for Next Year's Girls Night Out Margaringo?!?!?
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Mom is Moving Out
Lately Grayson has had quite the pre-teen attitude. I think some wise elders left out the part that kids aren't sweet all the time before puberty like you are led to believe. Anyway, he has had several moments lately.
Dad tried to floss Grayson's teeth. Grayson insisted that he brush them, then floss them. When Dad argued this was poor technique Grayson responded with "I am the kid and I tell you what to do"
Right.
Grayson also has been very upset with our choice for dinner several nights. On one occassion when I didn't provide the food he wanted he told me (with tear filled eyes):
"You are not my mom anymore, You have to move out"
Oh, and when I made him take a bath the other night, I was relieved of my mom duties then too. Guess one day he'll learn that I just don't go away that easily!
Wonder what he would do if I left when he told me to??? Probably not be so tough like he acts. Or at least that's what I hope.
Dad tried to floss Grayson's teeth. Grayson insisted that he brush them, then floss them. When Dad argued this was poor technique Grayson responded with "I am the kid and I tell you what to do"
Right.
Grayson also has been very upset with our choice for dinner several nights. On one occassion when I didn't provide the food he wanted he told me (with tear filled eyes):
"You are not my mom anymore, You have to move out"
Oh, and when I made him take a bath the other night, I was relieved of my mom duties then too. Guess one day he'll learn that I just don't go away that easily!
Wonder what he would do if I left when he told me to??? Probably not be so tough like he acts. Or at least that's what I hope.
Friday, August 17, 2012
I'm Sending My Husband Back to His Mom...
A few days ago I was scrambling at work to keep up and stop running so late with my patients. I can't stand to be late, but the longer I've been a PT.... the longer it takes me to complete a patient visit. Anyway, the office manager tells me that my husband is on the phone and he said "Tell Stephanie Not to be mad at me but that I have a question if she is around." RED FLAG! Actually there is more than one red flag in this situation.
1: Dusty only calls the clinic phone when its "important". After several years of not understanding that I don't keep my cell phone with me while I"m working with patients he is finally trained to realize that he needs to call the clinic for important stuff.
2: He starts his phrase with "Tell Stephanie Not to be Mad"
Hmmm...
When I get on the phone I get some speedy sentences about some guy showing up selling new alarm systems in the neighborhood and how if he sells so many today he gets extra points towards a trip. (This is one reason I may eventually allow my husband to have an off-site office... so he can't answer the door). I also am informed that there is a 3 day window yada yada yada. Now keep in mind that we already have an alarm system installed. So I tell him that I am busy and that I really just want to talk about this tonight. He keeps on about the fascinating electronic features this system has. He can name 100 I'm sure. I can probably only repeat about 4. None of them are necessities. Just nice amenities. After a couple minutes of him telling me the guy has to know today and its a great deal.... just $15 a month (this seems unrealistic to me considering the increased features and that it will cost less than our current monitoring system)... I finally say "Just do whatever you want then. We can talk about it later"
Lesson for the Guys... DO NOT JUST TAKE MY WORD WHEN I SAY THAT. It really means ... I am tired of you pestering me. Make the decision you want AT YOUR OWN RISK.
After picking up the boys from daycare I make my usual call home to Dusty. He tells me that the installer is there. I pretty much repeated that sentence. Said I'll see you later. Hung up. We have been together for almost 14 years now. He should have this when it is okay to make a decision alone down.
I come home to find this poor college kid installing our alarm system. He had apparently started not too long before I got off of work. I don't know where Dusty got the idea that these things are installed in a short period of time, but since this is the 3rd system we've installed I have noted that it takes more than just a couple hours. Something inevitably doesn't wire up correctly or something.
Problem #1. I have 2 hungry kids. I am hungry. I have a college kid working at my house who will likely be there past dinner time. Do I (A) make dinner and feed my children (B) Take the kids out to eat and let Dad starve ... looking good for option B at this point... or (C) Make dinner and offer some to the kid. After a few minutes of ensuring that Dusty is aware of how I feel about this situation, I choose C. But I make Dusty find enough food in the cabinet and he chooses wisely to be the last to eat to make sure there is plenty.
Problem #2. Installer is still there after 8 pm and is working on taking something or other out of our current glass break sensors. One of these is in Braxton's bedroom. And... its nearing bedtime. I make Dusty tell him he has to come back.
Problem #3. There are lots of questions popping up about this company I have never heard of. These are resolved after several google searches and concerned messages to the sales person (who Dusty politely tells that he was wrong for making this decision alone and is not sure that it will stand up to my concerns) A WISE DECISION
For the great part of this story... Dusty is very trusting. Everyone is "A great guy" until proven otherwise. This is opposite of how I work. The sales guy would never have gotten the opportunity to sell anything to me if I had opened the door. Especially if he started talking about earning a trip. My friends are all aware of Dusty's nature. One of them even remarked when I said that we were getting a new system and I wasn't sure about the company or sales people that "Dusty probably invited the guy over for dinner" Pretty funny considering he ate a couple tacos the night before at my house :-)
And by the way, the system is $15 more a month than our current one. Somehow this miscommunication may have been avoided if he had just listened and read between the lines.
I do still love the poor boy, but I almost sent him back home to his momma for a few days. Let her try to fix the kinks.
1: Dusty only calls the clinic phone when its "important". After several years of not understanding that I don't keep my cell phone with me while I"m working with patients he is finally trained to realize that he needs to call the clinic for important stuff.
2: He starts his phrase with "Tell Stephanie Not to be Mad"
Hmmm...
When I get on the phone I get some speedy sentences about some guy showing up selling new alarm systems in the neighborhood and how if he sells so many today he gets extra points towards a trip. (This is one reason I may eventually allow my husband to have an off-site office... so he can't answer the door). I also am informed that there is a 3 day window yada yada yada. Now keep in mind that we already have an alarm system installed. So I tell him that I am busy and that I really just want to talk about this tonight. He keeps on about the fascinating electronic features this system has. He can name 100 I'm sure. I can probably only repeat about 4. None of them are necessities. Just nice amenities. After a couple minutes of him telling me the guy has to know today and its a great deal.... just $15 a month (this seems unrealistic to me considering the increased features and that it will cost less than our current monitoring system)... I finally say "Just do whatever you want then. We can talk about it later"
Lesson for the Guys... DO NOT JUST TAKE MY WORD WHEN I SAY THAT. It really means ... I am tired of you pestering me. Make the decision you want AT YOUR OWN RISK.
After picking up the boys from daycare I make my usual call home to Dusty. He tells me that the installer is there. I pretty much repeated that sentence. Said I'll see you later. Hung up. We have been together for almost 14 years now. He should have this when it is okay to make a decision alone down.
I come home to find this poor college kid installing our alarm system. He had apparently started not too long before I got off of work. I don't know where Dusty got the idea that these things are installed in a short period of time, but since this is the 3rd system we've installed I have noted that it takes more than just a couple hours. Something inevitably doesn't wire up correctly or something.
Problem #1. I have 2 hungry kids. I am hungry. I have a college kid working at my house who will likely be there past dinner time. Do I (A) make dinner and feed my children (B) Take the kids out to eat and let Dad starve ... looking good for option B at this point... or (C) Make dinner and offer some to the kid. After a few minutes of ensuring that Dusty is aware of how I feel about this situation, I choose C. But I make Dusty find enough food in the cabinet and he chooses wisely to be the last to eat to make sure there is plenty.
Problem #2. Installer is still there after 8 pm and is working on taking something or other out of our current glass break sensors. One of these is in Braxton's bedroom. And... its nearing bedtime. I make Dusty tell him he has to come back.
Problem #3. There are lots of questions popping up about this company I have never heard of. These are resolved after several google searches and concerned messages to the sales person (who Dusty politely tells that he was wrong for making this decision alone and is not sure that it will stand up to my concerns) A WISE DECISION
For the great part of this story... Dusty is very trusting. Everyone is "A great guy" until proven otherwise. This is opposite of how I work. The sales guy would never have gotten the opportunity to sell anything to me if I had opened the door. Especially if he started talking about earning a trip. My friends are all aware of Dusty's nature. One of them even remarked when I said that we were getting a new system and I wasn't sure about the company or sales people that "Dusty probably invited the guy over for dinner" Pretty funny considering he ate a couple tacos the night before at my house :-)
And by the way, the system is $15 more a month than our current one. Somehow this miscommunication may have been avoided if he had just listened and read between the lines.
I do still love the poor boy, but I almost sent him back home to his momma for a few days. Let her try to fix the kinks.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Its Just Sheet
Bedtime at the Weems House is usually fairly tame. We adopted a schedule back when Grayson was little and have adapted it with necessary changes (i.e. Braxton). Usually one of us gives the bath and then we get the boys changed. Braxton is easily coaxed to bedtime with his blanket and paci and most nights I rock Braxton for about 10 minutes, lay him in bed, and he falls right to sleep. Then I go upstairs to hang out with the other boys. It used to be fairly on time....but as time goes on, Dusty has gotten more slack. Grayson tends to not be in bed nearly asleep until 9:30. That is another story.
One particular evening we were finishing up reading Grayson's bedtime story and went to turn off the lights. His "Monkey" (or crib toy that easily adapted to his new bed and plays music with lights whenever he wants) was on and we were on the last stretch. Then my sister comes home. She was hanging out with the latest guy (although he has been around the longest and seems pretty nice) as usual and came home right at bedtime. This is a schedule she perfected when she moved in so that she can try to be strangled if the dogs wake up the baby. If she is seeking out this kind of torture for herself... we may need to get her some counseling.
Anyway, the dogs started barking and Dusty loudly whispered "SHIT".
As dad went running down the stairs to get the dogs under control, Grayson rolls over and looks at me.
Grayson: "Why did dad just yell Sheet?"
Mom: "He was just talking about your bed sheets"
Grayson "But why did he yell it at the dogs" (he is apparently confused)
Mom: "I have no idea honey, but he was talking about your tractor sheets"
As you can see I had some quick thinking to start with (important for any parent) but had to use the final tactic for preschoolers with curiosity and you are at a loss.... just tell a simple truth. Usually this is enough to get them onto another subject. Luckily Grayson hasn't had any discussions with the dogs about his sheets, although that could be highly entertaining to hear.
One particular evening we were finishing up reading Grayson's bedtime story and went to turn off the lights. His "Monkey" (or crib toy that easily adapted to his new bed and plays music with lights whenever he wants) was on and we were on the last stretch. Then my sister comes home. She was hanging out with the latest guy (although he has been around the longest and seems pretty nice) as usual and came home right at bedtime. This is a schedule she perfected when she moved in so that she can try to be strangled if the dogs wake up the baby. If she is seeking out this kind of torture for herself... we may need to get her some counseling.
Anyway, the dogs started barking and Dusty loudly whispered "SHIT".
As dad went running down the stairs to get the dogs under control, Grayson rolls over and looks at me.
Grayson: "Why did dad just yell Sheet?"
Mom: "He was just talking about your bed sheets"
Grayson "But why did he yell it at the dogs" (he is apparently confused)
Mom: "I have no idea honey, but he was talking about your tractor sheets"
As you can see I had some quick thinking to start with (important for any parent) but had to use the final tactic for preschoolers with curiosity and you are at a loss.... just tell a simple truth. Usually this is enough to get them onto another subject. Luckily Grayson hasn't had any discussions with the dogs about his sheets, although that could be highly entertaining to hear.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Our Little Risk Taker
Boys will be boys.... or so the saying goes. Grayson is energetic, but usually a little reserved when it comes to danger. Braxton, well, he is another story. He thinks he is big. He thinks he is 4 like brother. He copies brother...and then adds on his own twist.
I was sitting in the living room chair working on my computer while the boys were playing on their Little Tykes slide. I am used to them running their cars and trucks down the slide and "chasing after them" and I am used to watching for Braxton's attempts to go down the slide while standing. Yep this happens. No ER visit.... YET.
As I am sitting there I hear Grayson say
"NO BRAXTON! You don't STAND on the dumptruck. You SIT on it"
Seeing as how I have come to suspect that things are not always as innocent as they sound, I look up. What I see is Braxton standing INSIDE the back of his dumptruck that is ready to GO DOWN THE SLIDE!
Makes me think I should have paid more attention to the loud noise that occurred just a minute prior to this conversation when I saw out of the corner of my eye a green garbage truck and Grayson.
Maybe the ER visit will be for Mom first.
He Always Looks so Innocent
Sunday, June 24, 2012
It's Just a Frog
A couple weeks ago we were shopping for a birthday present (I'm sure you might remember our pre-party fiasco I blogged about recently) and ran across a $20 kit to raise a tadpole. Being the sucker parents we are, we purchased one for Grayson and were planning to order our "free tadpole" the next day. What we failed to realize was that they do not ship tadpoles when the weather is hot. This meant, no tadpole until November. We had already told Grayson about the tadpole and he seemed excited. Easy fix: visit the local pet shops to find a tadpole.
Lesson #1: Pet stores do not sell tadpoles (unless they accidentally get mixed in with the goldfish?? How that happens I'm not sure)
Lesson#2: Grayson could care less about the tadpole. He is a boy. He wants a frog. Not just any frog. A BIG FROG.
Lesson #3: There are a lot of things you have to do to keep a frog alive in captivity (or so the salesman says)
When we got to petco we found the perfect frog. A fire-bellied toad. Grayson was drawn to him. We talked with one of the salesmen about purchasing a frog and what all we had in our kit. He told us all of the stuff you have to do. Including a weekly run to purchase crickets (yuck). We decided to wait a few days and see if we were really up to adding to the petting zoo.
All week Grayson is asking about getting his frog. Damn. What did we start. So we decide we'll get him the stupid frog. It can't be that bad right? We convince him that he needs to cooperate on our morning errands in order to go get his frog. He even comes up with a name over lunch (dad helped him in this endeavor).
Grayson "We should name him Pito"
Dad " I think Cheeto would be a good name" (think of his orange belly)
Grayson "Well.... Captain Cheeto would work. He is an Avenger" (Of course he is!)
So here we are with a super excited kid who already has plans for his new pet. We go to the store and pick out the frog.
After our discussions about the frog and his size, we opt to purchase the $40 kit they had at Petco that comes with a living space, shredded coconut something or other and moss for the base, vitamins (WTF? For a frog? Even my dogs don't take vitamins), and a vine for him to climb on. We knew we had to buy him a swimming bowl. No big deal. Then as we are talking to the guy we learn that we need a tank heater, UV lighted cover, humidity and temperature gauges. Of course the frog has humidity needs that don't meet human standards. What were we thinking??? His solution to our frequent cricket purchases... buy a cricket keeper and feed hundreds of them at a time with special vitamin enhanced food so they are good for the frog. We veto the cricket farming. Chances of 1 cricket escaping in Grayson's bedroom are high enough. We can't risk an entire colony of them on the loose... our cats are domesticated!
We approach the checkout register feeling good about our purchase. Grayson has his frog in the carrier box and is talking to him "Its okay. We are on the way home. You can get out soon. Don't be scared".... our hearts are smiling he is so happy.
Grand total: $110.
Excuse me? Can you repeat that? We didn't even buy all the stuff he recommended. Ugh. So we buy all the stuff. How can you not at this point? How do you rationalize with a 4 year old that his $6 frog is not worth the $104 worth of stuff he comes with?
Of course... a week later.... we are laughing at ourselves and I firmly believe that Captain Cheeto probably could live without all the extra comforts the salesman suggested, but how do you argue with the amphibian specialist who can probably make the frog live for 10 years. (This last though scares me. I am very convinced that Grayson will lose interest before he turns 14) Captain Cheeto is comfy in his new home. We have to read him books for bedtime and Grayson requests bedtime stories about him. Of course he does....making up stories about a frog who is an Avenger can't be that hard can it? Ha!
Lesson #1: Pet stores do not sell tadpoles (unless they accidentally get mixed in with the goldfish?? How that happens I'm not sure)
Lesson#2: Grayson could care less about the tadpole. He is a boy. He wants a frog. Not just any frog. A BIG FROG.
Lesson #3: There are a lot of things you have to do to keep a frog alive in captivity (or so the salesman says)
When we got to petco we found the perfect frog. A fire-bellied toad. Grayson was drawn to him. We talked with one of the salesmen about purchasing a frog and what all we had in our kit. He told us all of the stuff you have to do. Including a weekly run to purchase crickets (yuck). We decided to wait a few days and see if we were really up to adding to the petting zoo.
All week Grayson is asking about getting his frog. Damn. What did we start. So we decide we'll get him the stupid frog. It can't be that bad right? We convince him that he needs to cooperate on our morning errands in order to go get his frog. He even comes up with a name over lunch (dad helped him in this endeavor).
Grayson "We should name him Pito"
Dad " I think Cheeto would be a good name" (think of his orange belly)
Grayson "Well.... Captain Cheeto would work. He is an Avenger" (Of course he is!)
So here we are with a super excited kid who already has plans for his new pet. We go to the store and pick out the frog.
After our discussions about the frog and his size, we opt to purchase the $40 kit they had at Petco that comes with a living space, shredded coconut something or other and moss for the base, vitamins (WTF? For a frog? Even my dogs don't take vitamins), and a vine for him to climb on. We knew we had to buy him a swimming bowl. No big deal. Then as we are talking to the guy we learn that we need a tank heater, UV lighted cover, humidity and temperature gauges. Of course the frog has humidity needs that don't meet human standards. What were we thinking??? His solution to our frequent cricket purchases... buy a cricket keeper and feed hundreds of them at a time with special vitamin enhanced food so they are good for the frog. We veto the cricket farming. Chances of 1 cricket escaping in Grayson's bedroom are high enough. We can't risk an entire colony of them on the loose... our cats are domesticated!
We approach the checkout register feeling good about our purchase. Grayson has his frog in the carrier box and is talking to him "Its okay. We are on the way home. You can get out soon. Don't be scared".... our hearts are smiling he is so happy.
Grand total: $110.
Excuse me? Can you repeat that? We didn't even buy all the stuff he recommended. Ugh. So we buy all the stuff. How can you not at this point? How do you rationalize with a 4 year old that his $6 frog is not worth the $104 worth of stuff he comes with?
Of course... a week later.... we are laughing at ourselves and I firmly believe that Captain Cheeto probably could live without all the extra comforts the salesman suggested, but how do you argue with the amphibian specialist who can probably make the frog live for 10 years. (This last though scares me. I am very convinced that Grayson will lose interest before he turns 14) Captain Cheeto is comfy in his new home. We have to read him books for bedtime and Grayson requests bedtime stories about him. Of course he does....making up stories about a frog who is an Avenger can't be that hard can it? Ha!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Its Just a kids Party....No Stress
Saturday morning started off like every other normal Saturday when you have a kids birthday party to attend.... and you waited until the last minute to decide if you were going (we RSVP'd at 10:00 the night before): We got up early and rushed around to get everyone bathed and presentable.
This particular party was CARS 2 themed and the invitation said "Bring your Power Wheels for Racing Fun". Well, I wasn't really excited about this to begin with. For starters, Grayson has only wanted to ride his Firetruck we got him for Christmas a couple years ago a few times and each time was probably less than 15 minutes. A lot of work to get it out of its spot in the garage for not a lot of playtime. The other reason, packing it and dragging it to the party. I figured that several kids would bring them and they usually have 2 seats. Maybe this was just a lazy parent thought. Gray's Firetruck also does not easily fit inside our vehicle. The rear seats need to be down and this leaves no room for the most important part of our party plans...taking the kids. The kicker though, Devin's (Grayson's best friend) parents couldn't fit his in their car either. Then we offered. We can take both of them on our utility trailer. No big deal.
TIME 9:20 a.m. (Party starts at 10)
Our trailer is parked in the backyard (a subject I dislike and better a topic for another blog) which is sloped downhill. Usually, Dusty just gets the riding mower out and moves the trailer around where he needs it to avoid any tire tracks in our almost green grass. This particular morning though, the grass was wet. This made getting the trailer moved a little more difficult. It took effort to even get it positioned where you could pull it out from between the trees. The mower kept spinning wheels instead of getting a good run uphill. So I suggested we could move the trailer by our hands. We have done this before. Its not a large trailer. However, I didn't take into account the wet grass on a slope, Dusty wearing crocs, myself in flip flops, or the fact that if the lawnmower wasn't getting the job done... I probably wasn't much of a help. After several attempts and a few almost slips under the trailer, we move the trailer back downhill a bit to get a better start and the pulley thing on the trailer (whatever that's called) is hooked up and tightened down. Dusty lets me get on the mower and he is going to help give the trailer a "man-powered boost".
Grayson is patiently waiting on the side of the house just watching. Braxton is crying off to the side, tears and all. He is tired and wants to be held...and afraid of the lawnmower. For my daredevil this is amazing to me. He can climb on the bar, jump in the pool... but he can't stand noise. So I get Braxton in my lap so he will calm down and we attempt to move the trailer uphill again. This does not really help my driving skills, but it saves some sanity.
Now for those of you who haven't heard. Dusty is not a big fan of me mowing the yard. I did this one time when we lived in a duplex (only 1/2 a yard to mow mind you) and he wasn't pleased. He referenced the neighbors being unhappy with him making his wife mow, but I figure its really that I didn't go in the appropriate pattern and we weren't to that acceptance point in our relationship where you just let your spouse help despite it not looking quite like you would like. This all leads to me not really being skilled with the mower. I did get a brief refresher on the brake and gears before I started. Last time I got this lesson...probably about 2006 when he decided I should know how in case he ever broke his leg.
After several attempts, we finally get a good running start up the hill. Not a fast run, but a run. We move the trailer about 20 feet up hill when I hear him yell "Let Off". So I stop. Now I hear more clearly some words of frustration. Apparently I was supposed to hear "Don't let off". So now we are stalled and spinning wheels again. Back to manual assistance for moving the trailer, only to catch on the side of the fence gait. ...we can keep going and risk tearing the gait up (probably a rather expensive option) or we can nearly cry and finally get it arranged where we can hook up the Yukon to it.
TIME 10:00 a.m.
At this point I let Dusty take over controlling the trailer and getting it loaded with the Firetruck. I run inside to get the camera, diaper bag, and present all collected and ready. Braxton is following me around the house crying. I think he got louder with every new room we went in. Major tears were falling. We were already almost 15 minutes past the start time of the party and we hadn't even started to get to Devin's house to pick up his truck. I finally get back outside and get the boys in the car (unbuckled) so that I can get everything loaded. Next thing I know.... Braxton is standing in the middle console of the front seat holding an open can of coke..... upside down and over his car seat.
I believe my children heard the first time I have ever YELLED a curse word. Not a parent of the year action. I believe my next step was a prayer that neither one of them would repeat it.
TIME: 10:39
We get on the road to Devin's and pick up his truck. We get to the party right about 11 a.m. But we at least made it. By now....we are all laughing at the morning. And the kids had a blast. Although I wasn't excited that we went through all that effort for a stupid birthday party, I was happy to see all the kiddos have a great time. I only wish there were pictures for the above story so that you could all enjoy it even more.
+Devin+and+Grayson.JPG)
FAST FORWARD: 36 hours later. Dusty is rolling the trailer back closer to the fence after dark and while medicated for allergies. He steps away to get a block to keep it from rolling into the fence. 5 steps: no more taillights on the trailer. Perfect Ending.
This particular party was CARS 2 themed and the invitation said "Bring your Power Wheels for Racing Fun". Well, I wasn't really excited about this to begin with. For starters, Grayson has only wanted to ride his Firetruck we got him for Christmas a couple years ago a few times and each time was probably less than 15 minutes. A lot of work to get it out of its spot in the garage for not a lot of playtime. The other reason, packing it and dragging it to the party. I figured that several kids would bring them and they usually have 2 seats. Maybe this was just a lazy parent thought. Gray's Firetruck also does not easily fit inside our vehicle. The rear seats need to be down and this leaves no room for the most important part of our party plans...taking the kids. The kicker though, Devin's (Grayson's best friend) parents couldn't fit his in their car either. Then we offered. We can take both of them on our utility trailer. No big deal.
TIME 9:20 a.m. (Party starts at 10)
Our trailer is parked in the backyard (a subject I dislike and better a topic for another blog) which is sloped downhill. Usually, Dusty just gets the riding mower out and moves the trailer around where he needs it to avoid any tire tracks in our almost green grass. This particular morning though, the grass was wet. This made getting the trailer moved a little more difficult. It took effort to even get it positioned where you could pull it out from between the trees. The mower kept spinning wheels instead of getting a good run uphill. So I suggested we could move the trailer by our hands. We have done this before. Its not a large trailer. However, I didn't take into account the wet grass on a slope, Dusty wearing crocs, myself in flip flops, or the fact that if the lawnmower wasn't getting the job done... I probably wasn't much of a help. After several attempts and a few almost slips under the trailer, we move the trailer back downhill a bit to get a better start and the pulley thing on the trailer (whatever that's called) is hooked up and tightened down. Dusty lets me get on the mower and he is going to help give the trailer a "man-powered boost".
Grayson is patiently waiting on the side of the house just watching. Braxton is crying off to the side, tears and all. He is tired and wants to be held...and afraid of the lawnmower. For my daredevil this is amazing to me. He can climb on the bar, jump in the pool... but he can't stand noise. So I get Braxton in my lap so he will calm down and we attempt to move the trailer uphill again. This does not really help my driving skills, but it saves some sanity.
Now for those of you who haven't heard. Dusty is not a big fan of me mowing the yard. I did this one time when we lived in a duplex (only 1/2 a yard to mow mind you) and he wasn't pleased. He referenced the neighbors being unhappy with him making his wife mow, but I figure its really that I didn't go in the appropriate pattern and we weren't to that acceptance point in our relationship where you just let your spouse help despite it not looking quite like you would like. This all leads to me not really being skilled with the mower. I did get a brief refresher on the brake and gears before I started. Last time I got this lesson...probably about 2006 when he decided I should know how in case he ever broke his leg.
After several attempts, we finally get a good running start up the hill. Not a fast run, but a run. We move the trailer about 20 feet up hill when I hear him yell "Let Off". So I stop. Now I hear more clearly some words of frustration. Apparently I was supposed to hear "Don't let off". So now we are stalled and spinning wheels again. Back to manual assistance for moving the trailer, only to catch on the side of the fence gait. ...we can keep going and risk tearing the gait up (probably a rather expensive option) or we can nearly cry and finally get it arranged where we can hook up the Yukon to it.
TIME 10:00 a.m.
At this point I let Dusty take over controlling the trailer and getting it loaded with the Firetruck. I run inside to get the camera, diaper bag, and present all collected and ready. Braxton is following me around the house crying. I think he got louder with every new room we went in. Major tears were falling. We were already almost 15 minutes past the start time of the party and we hadn't even started to get to Devin's house to pick up his truck. I finally get back outside and get the boys in the car (unbuckled) so that I can get everything loaded. Next thing I know.... Braxton is standing in the middle console of the front seat holding an open can of coke..... upside down and over his car seat.
I believe my children heard the first time I have ever YELLED a curse word. Not a parent of the year action. I believe my next step was a prayer that neither one of them would repeat it.
TIME: 10:39
We get on the road to Devin's and pick up his truck. We get to the party right about 11 a.m. But we at least made it. By now....we are all laughing at the morning. And the kids had a blast. Although I wasn't excited that we went through all that effort for a stupid birthday party, I was happy to see all the kiddos have a great time. I only wish there were pictures for the above story so that you could all enjoy it even more.
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FAST FORWARD: 36 hours later. Dusty is rolling the trailer back closer to the fence after dark and while medicated for allergies. He steps away to get a block to keep it from rolling into the fence. 5 steps: no more taillights on the trailer. Perfect Ending.
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