"Courage"

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost (1874–1963)

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

***I stole this from a friend's website 2day. I remember reading it years ago, and thought it was a good reminder that whatever it is you do in life, be courageous in it!

Silly Reese

Reese runs out of the room to grab his juice box, but not before instructing me, "Mommy! Don't touch my game! I be right back!"

Yeah. As if I'm gonna grab up his controller and start playing his video game. A boy's gotta make sure, I guess. lol.

Christian School Kid...

Mark told me that a kid wasn't being very nice out on the basketball court at recess. He kept bugging Mark and his friends.

Mark's response?? He told his friends: "The Bible says that being nice to an enemy is like pouring hot coals on his head. So, let's be real nice to him when he comes back."

Hmm...I hope his kindness what out of the right motivation...
But, this story makes me chuckle. At his age, I wouldn't be caught dead telling my friends, "The Bible says...." LOL! So, that part makes me really proud of my son!

Season Opener=Major Upset

It was the 2008 season opener last night. BEARS v COLTS.

We invited friends over to watch the game. And being the only Colts fans in the house, Ryan and I proudly wore our Manning jerseys. We ate a lasagna dinner (thanks Heather!) and ate some football and helmet shaped sugar cookies that were frosted with each team's emblem (thanks Kristi!) But, after all the festivities, the final score was more than disappointing. (For Ryan and me, anyway). The Bears played an outstanding game! I'm interested in watching all their games this season. They seem to be on fire this year! Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know I live in Chicago...so I should be a Bears fan anyway. But, as much as I love my Colts and will forever be a faithful fan, I am very proud to be a Chicago-Bears fan at the moment. They deserved that win last night. Regardless of how upsetting it was for me....and poor depressed Ryan. :(

A New Fascination

I have a new fascination. And her name is Governor Sarah Palin from Alaska. Like many, I never heard of her until she was added to the ticket as John McCain's presidential running mate. Until she appeared...I had become frustrated with this entire presidential campaign. I was pretty sure I would not vote for either candidate. I'd rather sit this one out than try to decide between a man with lofty words but no substance and a man with substance that I didn't always agree with. But now, with Sarah Palin by John McCain's side, I have a renewed excitement for this election. FINALLY! Someone with hardcore, conservative views like my own. Someone who has not been tarnished by Washington rhetoric. But who has actually accomplished something worthwhile in her short time in office. I missed her speech last night, since my evenings are filled with football practice, homework, dinner and bedtime. But I caught the bulk of it today online. And boy, was I blown away! I got goosebumps several times throughout her speech. Tonight McCain speaks. I'll probably have to catch this online tomorrow, as well as Juliani's speech that I also missed. Then, in order to have a well balanced viewpoint, I will try to catch up on some of the democratic speeches. I've heard bits and pieces along with commentaries on the radio, but I want to hear them straight through for myself. I'm back in the game, so to speak, with renewed excitement about this election. And, I admit, I'm fascinated with this lady called Gov. Sarah Palin. I've even spent an hour or so, looking up family photos and past news stories online, just to feed my sudden interest in this spitfire woman!

Nasty! Nasty! Nasty!

We're out on the football field. Practice as usual.
Marina says, "Mommy! I have to go potty!"

I'm annoyed at her choice in timing, yet happy that the potty training is working. So, we walk to the port-a-let that is at the edge of the field. I HATE using those things.
So nasty!

When we step inside, I tell her sternly, "DON'T touch ANYthing! Keep your hands to yourself!" As I'm laying paper down on the seat, I look over at her.........

........and to my DISGUST, she is bracing herself with the urinal! YES! Her hand was IN the urinal! Nasty! Nasty! Nasty!

We bolted from that Pit-Of-Germs and quickly flagged down another football Mom who happened to have antibacterial gel in her purse. Let me tell you, I used almost the entire bottle on her little hand, trying to wipe away any memory that her hand had touched that filthy thing! Oh, the stories we have, out on that football field!

Kindergarten

Who knew there were so many requirements to fulfill before your kid could start kindergarten?? Yikes! Physical exam @ the doctor, including 4 nasty shots...Dental exam...Vision test...bus route paperwork...plus all the shopping for school supplies and clothes! Phew! After all that, the first day of school finally arrives, and here I am, waving goodbye to my sweet little boy. With a lunchbox in his bag and new shoes on his feet, he enters the huge school, holding a teacher's hand, ready to face his first full day without Mom. And I drive away, fighting back fears, ready to face my first full day without Reese. Sad day.

Reese is attending Churchill Elementary this year. I love his teacher. She seems strict, yet loving. He will be in a normal half day kindergarten class, with 25 children. That is an overwhelming number of kids for me, but I know he'll be fine There will be an aid in the classroom to prompt Reese when he needs special help. Then he will be pulled for lunch with the other special needs kids, and then attend an afternoon diagnostic class. This class is intended for kids with delays (such as speech or occupational delays, like Reese), and it is meant to give those kids an added boost as they reinforce the things they've learned in the morning session.



So, in essence, Reese is attending all-day school. My hope is that he will succeed in this program and catch up to the other kids his age. That way, we can enroll him at CCS next year, like his brother. But if he still shows delay, then we will keep him in the public school system so he can receive the special help he needs. (Private schools just don't have the resources to aid special needs kids). Either way, we are so darn proud of Reese. He's such a fighter, and works so hard to overcome obstacles. He is so brave, to enter into new settings without Mom and Dad, and to participate in class.

It's so difficult to let him go out on his own. I'd rather be there beside him, explaining things and making things easy for him. But this program is what he needs. To learn on his own and face tough academics head on. Without Mommy there to give him the answers. It will make him a better student for life. So, here I sit. Rooting for him on the inside. We prayed for him before bed, the night before. And Mark had the same anxieties that I had. He was in tears for Reese, afraid to let his little brother start a new school alone. Sweet Mark decided to sleep in Reese's bed and comfort him all night. What a great, protective brother!

Reese happily came off the bus at the end of his first day. I tried to get as much info as I could from him, before he completely forgot what he'd done at school. He seemed to like it. He liked recess. And storytime. And he was so happy I'd packed him an extra juice box and pretzels for lunch. That's all I could pull from him, before he got frustrated and wanted to run and play. That's enough for me, though. Enough to calm my fears and know that he is in good hands. Even if those hands aren't mine. xoxo