A Call from the Principal's Office

***If you are visiting via the Ultimate Blog Party, you can read my original party post here.***
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Yesterday morning, our phone rang and the boys' school name came up on the Caller ID. This always makes me nervous, though it is usually something fine. (I am always worried that it means someone got sick at school.)

So, I expected to hear a woman's voice, just thinking it was probably one of their teachers. (Although Noah does have a male teacher and a female teacher, it is more often the female teacher that calls me.) Anyway, it was a man. I thought, "Who in the world is it?"

"Hi -- is this Angie?"

"Yes."

"Hi! It's (insert principal's name) and Noah's here in my office right now."

(gulp)

He then continued after a dramatic pause. "He got a (school mascot name) award for doing his personal best, and we just wanted to call to tell you that we're all proud of him."

WOOHOO!

I thanked him for calling, and told him to be sure to tell Noah that we were very proud of him too. I then proceeded to call my Mom and Eric to tell them the good news.

Isn't this just the coolest thing that they do at their school? When the kids get one of these awards, (they are awarded by their teachers, and can be for just about anything that the teachers think warrent it.) they get a paper note put on a big bulletin board about their good works/deed, a trip to the principal, and a chance to pick something from his "treasure box." And, then the principal calls home while they are still in the office so that they can hear the principal tell their parents what a nice job they have done. It's supposed to not only be for the kids, but so that parents also get used to that it's not always a bad thing to get a call from the principal.

Now, I will say, he actually would have gotten some calls like that while he was in kindergarten, but every time the principal asked for his phone number, he said he didn't know it. LOL So, then that principal (it's a new one this year), would just write a short note on the back of one of his business cards. So, though Noah has received these before, this was our very first actual phone call.

When he arrived home, Noah declared, "This new focusing medicine sure is helping a lot, Mom!" LOL

So...with the Ultimate Blog Party still going on, I now have a whole new reason to celebrate!

Life is keeping us busy!

***If you are visiting via the Ultimate Blog Party, you can read my original party post here.***
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It seems that life has taken over my, um, well -- life. I realized that it had been several days since I was able to come and blog, so I decided that I just needed to do it this morning before I did some other things that are calling to me.

I have been busy doing developmental therapy sessions a couple of times since my last blog entry (I have three scheduled for today -- one of which is the last time I will see that little guy, as his third birthday is this week). Then, my other business has been keeping me busy as well. I have had to finish working on a maternity (photo) session. And, then I also had to do a shoot for a local magazine, and then got that done and turned in to them. Whew!

But, the most exciting thing that has happened since my last entry is that Eric and I got to go to the "Rite of Calling the Candidates to Continuing Conversion" at the Cathedral. It was the first time that we had been in the Cathedral -- it was SO beautiful! Lots of blue used for the ceiling, and my favorite part was the baptismal font (and a "pool" below it) that had running water. It is full all the time and circulating with holy water. Very, very cool. (This would apparently be a step above our parish, where our RCIA members who have to be baptized at Easter will apparently get to take a stroll in a kiddie pool. Can you tell that I am particularly pleased to have a baptism that is affirmed by the Catholic Church already? LOL)

Anyway, at our Rite that we went to, the Bishop spoke to us for 30 minutes prior to the service. Then, there was a reading (it was read in Spanish and printed in English), the Gospel (read in English, but written in Spanish), and a homily, as well as singing, of course. Each parish (64 parishes) got to present their candidates for conversion (those that need to be baptized went the Sunday before us). Each parish's candidates then got to walk up front with their sponsors and meet the Bishop. He would greet each person by name (we had name tags) and he would ask each person a question or would talk to them briefly. I told Eric that he asked me, "Are you looking forward to Holy Saturday?" I told Eric that I said, "Why? What's happening that day?" LOL Okay, I really did tell Eric that I said that, but he knew better. I actually told the Bishop, "Yes, very much."

So, it was a nice day. Oh -- well...mostly a nice day. In the morning, our parish had us all up in front and was affirming that they were supporting us and sending us to the Cathedral later that day. Well -- we had to take Molly up with us, and she apparently thought this was the portion of Mass where a two year old is supposed to go up near the altar and announce to people that "there BIG rocks ober dere!" and "LOOK! I can JUMP!" (complete with demonstration). On the up side, all of the candidates said that it took away any nervous feelings of being up front. Apparently Molly is just all about making people feel comfortable.

Being an adult can be harsh

Okay, so there are a whole lot of reasons that being an adult can be harsh. One of those reasons came to my mind this morning (as it has before).



We were rush around...um...I mean getting ready for school this morning. Noah wasn't really paying attention to me, and it got to the point where I thought I would have to drag him out of the house to get down to the bus.



So, anyway, as I am trying to get him out of the house, I spun around at the door to call him to get going, and I hit my hand on the door frame. I thought, "OUCH!" Then I looked down to find that I had a flap of skin just hanging there (holding on tight on one side) on one of my fingers. I felt a little bit better to understand why in the world it hurt like that. And, in a move that is classic of my own mother, I said, "Noah -- look what you made me do!" (Not in an angry way, but in a "feel sorry that you made me do this" way. LOL)



Okay...so where is this going, you may ask? Does the picture help clue you in? Yes, this is what is harsh about being an adult. As a kid, when you get hurt, your Mom can drag you into the bathroom kicking and screaming, and insisting that she WILL need to put peroxide on your wound. As an adult, you just have to walk to the bathroom thinking, "Dang it -- this is REALLY going to hurt."



Sure -- I could have thrown myself onto the floor and kicked and cried, but then I probably would have just made one of the younger kids wake up. Geesh -- being an adult really is harsh. (Can't even throw a good tantrum without consequences.)



Okay...now me and my sore finger should get off the computer. Darn finger!

Welcome to the Party

If you are visiting via the Ultimate Blog Party and it's your first time here on my blog -- Welcome! If you are a regular visitor, well -- then Welcome to you too! :)

We have lots of snacks at our party -- Molly and I have managed to snack on several things as we have sat here at the computer. (Molly is only two, so you can blame me for her yucky snacking this morning.) Between the two of us (and you are welcome to snack along), we have had: jelly beans, one of those awesome Russell Stover Coconut Nests (you know -- with the jelly beans in the middle), some Goldfish crackers, and a few tortilla chips. It has not been pretty. But, this is a party, right? And, darn it, parties aren't pretty. ;) And, as I type, Molly says, "I makea lunch." Molly also had a mixed drink, since it is a party, afterall. (1/2 white grape juice and 1/2 water -- she's a party animal.) I had a Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. The one food you are not likely to find at our party today is meat. It's Friday...It's Lent...and we're about one month away from being Catholic. So, no meat. If you have a hankering for a thick cheeseburger (doesn't that sound good?), you will have to go elsewhere for it today. But, if you want to stick around for tomato soup later, then you're in luck.

If you would like to become a regular reader of my blog (or even just comment today), that would be great! :) Let me tell you a little about our family to help you know if you would like to pop back by again. I'm a 30 year old mostly stay at home Mom who also happens to own two of her own businesses. I have been married to Eric for almost 11 years, and we have three beautiful children.

Our oldest two (both boys) have special needs -- Noah is seven and a half, and has Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning Autism) and he's a doll. When I meet people at his school and they find out I'm his Mom, they usually tell me how much they love him. (Though, I will admit, at a meeting a few weeks ago, I did find out that a few substitute aides have complained about him not wanting to work. Hmmm...) Noah's future aspirations include either working at Walmart so he can "sell games" or being a race car driver (though that would scare him to death).

Jack is five and a half, and currently receives school services under the category of an "emotional disability." What does that mean? Well -- Jack is sweet, but can be a bit high strung. He easily gets anxious and can fly into a rage at a moment's notice. But, as trying as he can be -- people sure do love him. He can be pretty darn sweet. Jack's future aspiration is for the tooth fairy to "accidently" change him into a girl. (He said it, not me.)

And then there's Molly -- the two year old Queen of our household. She is determined, persistant, can count to 10 in English and Spanish, can spell "milk," and she has big brown eyes. She climbs on anything, and has now taken to saying, "I never (insert whatever she wants to do)" (example, "I never get play puzzle!"). Her future aspirations are unclear, but I suspect they involve world domination and someone feeding her jelly beans at her request.

My blog generally just features our life around the house and in our world -- including, but not limited to -- how we dance around the house like we're in an iPod commercial, my monthly menu plans, our continuing conversion (as a whole family) to the Roman Catholic Church, interesting reflections by the kids (did you know that bad men took huge canons and shot the United States right in half to start the Civil War?), and other random musings that strike me.

Welcome again, and I hope to see you around again soon!