Forgiveness

"My heart felt like a volcano mommy, so I had to go to sleep to feel better."  Oh. My.  Kyle stole a piece of gum from a store on Saturday.  I knew something was wrong the minute we got in the car and I turned to do my usual double-check of Kyle's seatbelt.  Kyle was pale and looked like he might throw up at any second.  The words actually thundered in my head, "Ask him what he has!"  Oh. My.  His little hand unfurled and there it was - a piece of sour apple gum in the wrapper.  The tears started immediately.  The sorrowful wailing.  A calm, rational voice (was it really mine?) telling him that we had to go back.  He had to admit to another grown up what he had done.  He would be punished.  Not only by us, but maybe by the store.  It was a long walk across that parking lot.  He was sobbing and begging me to help him tell what had happened.  Luck was with us, there was an older employee right inside the door.  I think she knew what was coming the minute we walked in the door.  He told her.  Oh. My.  She started to cry a little over this heartbroken little boy, but she did not say, "It's okay."  She did not say, "It's alright."  She did say, "Thank you for telling the truth."  She glanced at me with those mommy tears in her eyes echoing my own and nodded at me.  We left.  It was a quiet ride home, with a lot of sniffing and tissues for both of us.  He told his dad what happened and went to his room.  The sobs didn't last long.  He slept.  Slept some more.  When I went to wake him up, that's what he said.  "My heart felt like a volcano mommy, so I had to go to sleep to feel better."  I am so very glad his heart hurt, because I don't think I could have stood it if it hadn't.

His time

I recently finished reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and one thing Lily talks about is the different stages in a woman's life.  "Daughter Days," "Hair-Pinning Days," and "Rice-and-Salt Days" are some examples.  I have firmly decided that for Kyle, these are the "Sand Days" - we could start a desert with the sand that comes home with that boy each day when the weather turns warm.  Sand in his hair, sand in his shoes and sand in his pockets.  Our nightly ritual upon returning home involves dumping out shoes, shaking out hair and washing hands.  It was only tonight that I realized I needed to add "remove pants and empty all pockets" to that list - and that was only after a pound of sand was left on my sofa.  

Of course I will admit that while emptying the assorted pockets on his carpenter jeans (why so many pockets?) I realized I needed to treasure these "Sand Days" as soon they would give way to the "You are not the boss of me" days.

Peep Show...

HAPPY EASTER!  Thanks to Peggie for the hilarious email!

See?

I told you posts were going to be few and far between for awhile!  

Before I forget though, the Michael Buble concert in Charlotte on Tuesday night was beyond awesome.  He is truly an amazing entertainer with that rare gift of turning an arena filled with 10,000 people into a small and intimate affair.  I feel so lucky to have been able to go.  Oh and Angela and I ate some good food and did some serious shopping while she was here.  The shopping was funny because it was short and intense bursts with the frenzied buying of clearance clothing...there are some serious deals out there right now!

The trial is still scheduled to begin April 14 so we continue to work and work like crazy.  There is a slim (oh-so-slim) chance that it may be continued to August, but we don't have time to waste sitting around waiting for the Judge to rule on the continuance so we march on.  I have those moments of HOLY SH*T where I wonder how I can fit all that needs to be done into each day between now and then, but for the most part the highly organized part of my brain has kicked in and I spend a good deal of the time feeling pretty good about our progress. Now if I can just get through it all without crying at work anymore, we'll be just fine!  ;-)

Ha!

I crack myself up!  I was coloring at the table with Kyle after dinner (a form of PMS therapy...for me, not Kyle) and out of his box of 120 crayons I picked out a sickly greenish color, whose name was wholly unoriginal for this particular box of crayons, it was "yellow green."  So anyway, I look at it and start to giggle (did I mention the PMS?) and Kyle asks me what's so funny.  So I tell him, "This crayon looks like pee."  Oh that did it - he was off and running with that one.  Worse still?  I then looked at the label and thought how funny it would be if it said, "urine" on it.  Uh, apparently I said "urine" out loud because the next thing I know Kyle is asking what urine is.  So I tell him (oh wise one that I am) that it's another name for pee.  Again, he was off and running - even going so far as to ask David if he could "urine" on him.  Needless to say, David did not find this nearly as amusing as we did!

I mentioned the PMS, right?

Bathroom - After!

Woo hoo!  We did it...a few minor decorative touches and the bathroom we stalled out on (after starting in August) will finally be finished!  Here's before and during pictures to show you how far we've come!  I'm still stunned that someone put a full-size vanity in this teeny-tiny bathroom! 

I've also started on the hallway bath, but that vanity will have to stay for now.  We're just painting and installing a new toilet until our home-improvement budget gets bigger.  It's good to see things coming together!

 

Whew

This has been a hard week.  I've struggled to keep my head above water at work - I'm in constant fear of forgetting something or messing something up.  It's not going to get better either...full on trial prep from now on.  But (and I'm going to brag on my husband now) David has always been so great at times like this.  He knows what our life schedule is and who has to be where when.  Last night while I was making dinner I looked down in the family room and there he was folding the laundry that he had started.  He cleaned up after dinner.  He just seems to know when I'm beat down and ready to fall apart.  He is a true participant in this family and I'm so grateful for it!  Love you, honey!

So, all that to say that my posts may grow few and far between for awhile as I dig in and get ready for this trial.  Although I will say that there will be some interesting "during trial" posts come mid-April!

Oh and my bestest friend in the whole world will be here next Friday!  Shopping, eating, drinking wine and a Michael Buble concert!!!

It's a good kind of tired!

New York City.  Rockefeller Center.  Late '80s.  That was the last time I went ice skating - until yesterday!  Kyle had a cub scout outing yesterday so David and I joined in the fun.  And it was fun.  Of course by last night it hurt to get up, it hurt to walk, and I woke up several times during the night with my legs aching.  But, we'll go again.  Plus, Kyle was such a trooper.  It was his first time so he fell down a lot, but he didn't give up and was having a great time.  I think we'll sign him up for lessons since some of the moms were saying that the skating rink was a favorite place to have birthday parties for the older kids...he would definitely have a better time if he has some basic skills under his belt.  Heck, I'm even considering lessons - I figure it's good exercise and something we can all do together in the middle of the H O T Georgia summer!  Sorry there are no pictures - didn't want to chance falling and breaking the camera!  (But just for the record, I didn't fall once!)

  

Oh and Kyle placed 2nd in the Pinewood Derby!