Just Because I Love You!

Just because I love you, I will allow you to do a science experiment on my kitchen counter that lasts for a month and makes people wonder at my housekeeping abilities.
Just because I love you, I will allow you to turn one of my favorite foods into a moldy, rotting, fly-fest. Just because I love you, I will help you document observations, help you take pictures, and actually care about how much mold and rot are growing on each different pepper. I will help you research and weed through scientific documents to help you understand what scientists are trying to say (although it may take an hour first to dissect it myself).

Then, because I love you so much, I will spend money, time and try to use lots of patience while YOU type up the research paper portion of the project (and add words to our computer dictionary instead of fixing the spelling) and make a tri-fold presentation display. I love you so much that when I look at your finished product, I hope the teacher sees that YOU are the one who did this. I hope they can see that I loved you enough to let it look like a fourth grader didn't want his mom doing it for him. That he was so excited about this and cared so much that he didn't want someone else doing it for him. I love you so much I can see every bit of effort you painstakingly put into this project. I am very glad the peppers are in the garbage and our kitchen is free of those little flies, but to tell you the truth -- I care very little about science projects. What I care about is seeing the smile on your face. I would do almost anything for that! I love that smile and those dimples and those freckles! I love it when you actually let me kiss them (when no one is looking). Your smile is worth a million bucks, but oh, you are worth so much more!

I LOVE YOU, Mr. C!!!!!!

And, thanks for the tribute on your science project that you worded yourself, "My mom helped me by buying the peppers, helping me with my research and by putting up with the flies." I'll put up with flies for that smile anyday!

Could I Start This Day Over, Please?

It all began at 1:30am. I had gone to bed with a sore throat and feeling achy (don't worry, no cough -- NO swine-ish-ness about me) to be woken up by the dogs next door howling. Anyone who has stayed with us knows what I am talking about. Then, because of the rottweiler and lab, our little dog thinks it MUST be morning and runs upstairs, ever-hopeful that we will get up with him. Rick took him out, put him back to bed and, I thought that would be it. For some reason, though, I was WIDE awake. Just as I was dozing off, around 2:30, the dogs next door start howling again. At that point I was wishing I had a gun.

To make a long story short, feeling sick and already in pain from a previous fall where I pulled a muscle under my arm, I was pretty off kilter for most of the day. This afternoon I did a doozy, though. Going down the stairs, I fell and landed right on my twisted foot. I hope it isn't broken. That would be a nightmare, but it hurts like bad words and I am once again reminded of what a whiney wimp I am.

Seriously, though, how do stay you off of a sprained foot if it is the only one you have?

To top it all off, I just realized I have been wearing my shirt backwards all day -- running errands, going to the chiropractor, teaching piano. How embarrassing! Maybe I will wake up tomorrow and this will have been a bad dream.

Okay, I am way off here, I know it was 2 months ago, but I want to get this for me.

Spring Break was a load of fun. I forgot my camera for a lot of activities, but we were busy every day!!! The kids and I had a blast -- it made us anxious for summer! We were sad that Rick couldn't join us for most of it, but he did get in on the last 2 days. We camped in our backyard (right up my alley with a close bathroom and running water) and went for a "hike" in San Gabriel Park in Georgetown. Okay, not much of a hike, but the trail was pretty and my wheelchair did well there. Caleb and Emma in San Gabriel Park.

Caleb being silly! At least he let me take his picture!

Emma and Caleb both did a lot with friends this week. But this is the only picture with a friend that I got.

Caleb spent time "manning the fort".

Forever our tomboy -- climbing trees, playing outside. This is also in San Gabriel park with friends.

Impromptu science project: bowl of water with pepper in it. Dab in soap -- watch the pepper jump away! Pretty cool.

Caleb's last basketball game. We won't mention the score.

All in all a very successful Spring Break for us. Lots of good memories. Less than a month until school is out. I can't wait to have my kids home all day and have NO homework that has to get done. The homeschooler in me hates those deadlines, the educator in me demands structure. Summer will be a great blend of both for me. I just fear it won't be long enough.