Emily’s Recital June 10, 2009

I wanted to take the time to post some pictures of Emily”s recital. This year’s theme was “The Wizardof Oz.”  Back in February, our dog Corkie auditioned (seriously…Emily dressed her up and everything) and was awarded the role of Toto.  Emily had a ballet and a jazz number. I had to work the morning of the dress rehearsal so JR had to take her and her friend Taylor to Richardson Auditorium at Del Mar College in Corpus.  He said he was the only dad in the house and he had a really hard time finding where the pictures were being taken. Other than that, I think he did a fabulous job!

Emily and her best friend, Taylor

Mannnn….I Thought School Would Close due to the Swine Flu May 6, 2009

We had school’ s close all around us.  The entire district of Corpus Christi closed (like 35,000 students!).  We had districts just north of us close, too.  We’d even had some kids from the middle school that we’d sent home to get tested.  But, noooooooo, the CDC decided we can all go back to school.  It’s probably for the best, though.  Could you imagine how awful the kids would be when they’d come back?  Paul and Emily were also watching the news intently just hoping the swine flu would come our way.  I was afraid Paul was going to start licking water fountains.

As it is, we’re all on the downhill slide toward the end.  The last day of school is May 29th.  My contract has me working until June 16th and then we all will be off until next school year.  I am so very glad that I became a school librarian.  It’s just the best mom job.

The kids have “bridging ceremonies” and school programs are coming up.  In case you’re wondering, a “bridging ceremony” is like a little graduation from one school to another.  All our schools are grade level schools, not neighborhood schools.  Paul’s school houses first through third grade so he’ll be “bridging” to fourth grade.  Emily’s school has just fourth and fifth grade so she’ll be “bridging” to sixth grade, which brings her to the middle school with me.  Don’t get me started on that.  How can she be old enough?  We’re actually having a serious cell phone discussion.  She’s been asking since third grade.  Now…you’d think that no parent in his or her right mind would give a cell phone to a third grader, right? Wro-ong!  We’ve had first graders with cell phones.  Who do you call when you’re in first grade?  Anyway, Emily actually has lots of friends with cell phones.  JR and I are considering giving her a very cheap phone for her birthday.  Maybe. 

Hopefully, when you read this, you and your family are as healthy as mine.  Unfortunately, for the kids, we’re healthy as horses…

Emily with Joy

Off to Houston March 31, 2009

I’m leaving today for Houston.  I attend the Texas Library Association conference each year and this year, it’s in Houston.  My favorite city for the conference is hands-down San Antonio.  I love, love San Antonio.  I’ve been trying to get JR to take me for a weekend getaway there for two years.  If you have any influence….

Last year, I shopped and stocked up the pantry and fridge for JR and the kids and then he went out and bought Lucky Charms and Pop Tarts anyway.  He told them to make sure they ate them all before Mom came home because she would throw them all away.  Isn’t he lovely?  This year, I didn’t waste my time shopping.  Less work for the mama.  (((grin)))

It’s all fun and games until someone loses a kid! March 18, 2009

The kids and I are enjoying Spring Break this week.  I slept in until 8:00!  It was fabulous.  Later on this morning, Mom and Dad watched the kiddos so that I could cover up all the gray hair that insists on growing out even though I spend the big bucks every 4 to 6 weeks to attempt to have the same hair color as my children.  Thank God for them and JR’s mother, Audrey. 

After I collected them, we swung by the house to pick up headgear and headed off to Corpus to the dentist.  Don’t they have dentists closer to home?  You betcha…but we were refered to this dentist after Emily bit the last dentist out here.  Not kidding! Meek little Emily drew blood so we travel to the pediatric dentist, who is also our orthodontist, every month or so.  Totally worth it.

Today Emily got her braces off.  She’s been wearing headgear for almost two years and she’s been freed of that apparatus as well.  I’ll post a picture of her so you can see her nice, straight teeth.  She couldn’t be more thrilled.  Unfortunately, after they took them off, they found a cavity so we’ll have to get that filled now.  Now all we do is wait for all the big teeth to come in that they’ve made room for and see if we need braces again.  Cross your fingers! 

Paul also came along.  In case you’re wondering, he’s absolutely fabulous for the dentist.  I know! Emily’s the biter!  Life is just full of irony sometimes.  He had his x-rays taken and his molds made.  JR and I have the ortho consult on April 16th so the dentist can help us set up a second mortgage on the house to pay for the second kiddos braces.  He anticipates that Paul will be in headgear even longer than Emily.

Since it is Spring Break and we didn’t have homework to finish at home, I decided to take them to that park by the Bayfront they’ve been begging to go to forever.  It was sunny and lovely so why not?  Ugh!!!  I think that the whole city had the same idea.  About two trillion kids were crawling all over the place and their parents were a little scary.  I don’t mean to be ugly, but there were some mean looking folks there.  I was trying not engage in any direct eye contact while keeping up with Emily and Paul.  Since there were  so many kids there, every time I did see them, I would give  them the countdown.  You know…you have 20 more minutes, you have 15 minutes, and so on.  Well, after I gave them the 5 minute mark, I didn’t see them for another  25 minutes,  during which time I went from mild anxiety to full-blown America’s Most Wanted vignettes of my children’s alleged abductor.  I finally found them playing under the wooden metropolis, happy as little clams.  By this time, my stress level was off the scale and they didn’t have any  idea why I was so upset.

Thank God JR was home when we got here because I was in serious need of mommy-alone-time.  I found Dr. Phil on the DVR and an easy crossword puzzle book very centering, especially since his guests were idiots.  I feel so morally superior.  At least I don’t beat my husband senseless with a wooden table leg for cheating on me.  Could you imagine going on national television and telling 20 million people something like that?  No, ma’am, not me.  I’m too busy looking for my kids.

Looks harmless, doesn't it? Now picture two trillion kids on it.

Hello Out There March 10, 2009

Emily and Paul at the courthouse in Waco, Texas

I had an epiphany.  I deliver staff development for teachers to encourage them to communicate with their students using social networking websites like blogs, wikis, Twitter, ect.  Even John McCain has a Twitter account.  Sooo…why am I not using this tool to communicate better with my family?

I think the last picture I gave anyone of Emily and Paul was in 2004.  Paul probably still had all of his baby teeth.  Ridiculous!  So, here and now, I vow (picture my fist in air!) to do a better job letting everyone know how the Reeves family is doing.

Hmmm…let me see…where to start?  Where to start?  With the kids, of course. 

Emily is in 5th grade this year, as many of you already know.  She’s ten years old and fixin’ (I live in Texas now) to go to middle school.  The great part of that is that I’m the middle school librarian so she’ll be here with me; the bad part is that she’s going to MIDDLE SCHOOL! How in the world is she old enough to go to middle school?  How could that be?  Wasn’t she born last week? Ugh!  I’m having a very hard time dealing with this.  She is still taking ballet and her teacher expects her on pointe by next September.  Wow, huh?  She has also convinced her dad and I to let her take gymnastics as well.  Which is probably a good idea.  She’s played softball the last three years, but all the girls are getting so much bigger than her that she’s having a hard time competing.  She has been a straight A student this year and especially love science.  Emily also will tell you that when she grows up she wants to be a veterinarian. 

Paul is in third grade this year.  Next year, he will transfer to the 4/5 campus.  Paul has had a hard time finding his niche athletically.  We tried baseball (flower picker) and tae kwon do (he did well…broke a board by kicking it…lost interest) and now he wants to try gymnastics with Emily.  We’re going to let him try it.  You never know, he might love it.  Paul has also began biofeedback therapy to help him with his aspergers.  The objective is to help the different parts of his brain to talk to each other better.  We hope (Paul, too) that this will help him with his impulsivity and problems in school.  He gets in trouble for talking out in class a lot.  It’s been hard for him because even though he loves to learn, he’s really disliked school for a couple of years.  This year, though, is better than last and I have high hopes that he’ll get Ms. Pugh in 4th grade.  She’s just awesome.

JR is still working at the ferry landing and as I said before I’m the middle school  librarian.  Most of our free time, like most dads and moms, is spent shuttling kids to activities, dentist appointments, doing homework, wiping noses, and loving on our kids.  Honestly, we need to spend more time alone together.  Which reminds me, tomorrow is our 14th wedding anniversary.