DRY Ink

After running errands, including Target, Lowe’s, registering Jacob to take the GED, (again), doing dishes, laundry, feeding the cherubs breakfast and lunch, uploading files, sending work emails, calling the LPC board to check my status, (again), and installing trim in the mudroom, (all while possibly complaining about it), (loudly), (possibly), Emie said: “There’s a lot to do when your the mom.”
To which Jack responded, “That’s why I’m glad I’m gonna get to be the dad.”

I love the support I get around. Really I do.

Jax,

Happy happy birthday. Today was a really big day for you, and everyone turned out in droves to help celebrate. In fact, I have spent half a utility bill on cakes and cake like confections, because everyone and their brother wanted to celebrate this momentous occasion with you. That, and they wanted cake. In fact that seems to be the theme of eight, cake. It’s also entirely possible that I’ve gained another five pounds this weekend. There will retribution for that little fact, but there’s no need to dwell on that in your birthday letter. There will plenty of time for that, like at 12:01, you know, once your birthday is over.

You have some how managed to turn your birthday into a birth weekend. Why I’m surprised by that I don’t know, it happens every year with you and your sister. But somehow here I sit amazed.

So we started off Friday night with a small ‘friend’ party that consisted of 24 cupcakes and 5 eight to ten year olds. Suffice it to say that there was laser tag, fart jokes and well, farts. And lots them. All of them. Luckily for all involved, your father took the bullet on that one and was able to enjoy watching the hours of laser tag. Thus saving my brain from rolling out of my ear. Thank you daddy.

Saturday was spent relaxing. By that I mean, you had a friend stay over Friday night and stay allllll day Saturday, but hey, at least we were down to only four cherubs, three of them being native. I put you all in bed by 9 o’clock. I’ve never been so glad to see bed time in my life. Why you may ask? Because there was more to come on Sunday.

We kicked Sunday off with a rousing session of church, followed immediately with your baptism. It went brilliantly, and half the ward turned out. I was so surprised at the number that turned out. We were down to the wire with the cake. (There’s that damn cake again.) I almost lost it multiple times during the program. I had thought I might bear my testimony while you were getting dressed, but when the time came, I was so emotional, I just couldn’t. I almost lost it more times than I can count. If you tell anyone about that, your bear just might disappear. I’m not threatening here, just saying things happen.

But we have survived all that and live to tell the tale. Lived to tell you all the things I love about you. Like how you accept everyone and make them a part of your life. Your friends are diverse as your pokedeck. I admire that about you. You have remained positively passionate about video games. Pokemon still reigns supreme, but I’m hoping that will start to wain shortly. Please? Soon? You show occasional glimpses of maturity that blow my mind. They way you process information and seem to just ‘get’ whats going on is nothing short of impressive. School, of course, continues to come easily to you. I love that you just come in and do your home work these days. I rarely even have to check it at this point. It’s so nice being here with you.

Jackson, I love you. I’m so ridiculously happy you’re a part of my life and this family. You are kind, and sweet and smart. Your getting so big, I can’t believe you’ll be in third grade next year. Where did the time go? I swear I just birthed you last year. Please don’t ever lose your love of learning and sense of wonder in exploring the world. I so enjoy watching you figure everything out. I’m proud of you, and all that you have accomplished so far. Thank you for bringing that to our family and thanks for being my little boy, even if just for a little while longer.

love,
Mom

*I was going to post these tomorrow, so as not to double post, but I just can’t wait. We make this look good.*

Saturday, we headed out to the State Capitol for a family photo shoot. Our photographer took some fantastic pictures. Becky treated me to a sneak preview, and now you get to see them too. Lucky you!

Look at that crowd. You do not want to meet them in a dark alley.

Hard core cherubs. Do not make any sudden movements.

Oh look, the gangs all here.

Becky kept saying “She has so much personality!” Were looking into where that came from.

Dance baby, dance.

Awww, look what we made honey.

My monkey. I love that buck toothed boy. Even if he is the world’s youngest teenager. And yes, I am running his life.

How did he get bigger than me. I did not approve this people.

Really, I’m the only one who committed here. Work with me people.

My stair steps. Sorta.

A big thank you to Becky Thalgott Photography for her amazing pictures. You can see more a few more here. You know you want to!

BTW Becky has a guest post up over at Lexi’s blog (which is how I found her), where she gives some fantastic basic photography tips.

Guess who got to ride down the mountain in the arms of a hunky ski patrol member?
a) Me
b) Emie
c) Jack
d) Jeff

After finishing up their first day in ski school, the cherubs were jazzed and wanted to show off what they had learned. We go up to the top of a green mountain, for the last run of the day and wouldn’t you know it, all hell breaks loose. Emie is scared because she hasn’t been up that high, but is totally getting it because we go the easiest way. Jack is having a really tough time because, wouldn’t you know it, it’s too flat. He is falling apart. I tell him to take his snowboard off and walk to me. Well, that doesn’t work out at all. The board goes flying down about 40 feet below us. Evidently you don’t take your snow board off, because well, it slides. How am I supposed to know? I’m a skier, not a boarder. So I pop off my skis I go down after it, until a ski patrol guy wants to know why I’m down in thigh high snow out of bounds. I explain and he gets the board and gets me back to Jack, Em and dad, where guess what? Em is having a huge nose bleed. The guy is freaked, but I assure him it’s normal and clots that big are actually a good thing. I get it stop and start down the mountain again with Jack, still struggling. Of course, Em’s nose starts again, and she can’t even see enough to ski any more. The snow is really picking up about now and I’m totally stressed how I’m going to get the cherubs off the mountain. About that moment, the ski patrol guy just sweeps Em into his arms and zips down the mountain with her into her waiting father’s arms. Who is really worried why everyone has come off the mountain, but um, his entire family.

Guess what the first thing Em asked to do again this morning was?
“No, Em, you can’t ride down in the ski patrolman’s arms, but you can ski down with me.”
Yeah, she thought that sucked too.

I’ve mentioned to myself that I’m back, so I suppose that means that I actually should write something. Here. To entertain you. Both of you. Okay so obviously, I don’t do this to entertain y’all. It’s to entertain myself. Usually that comes pretty easily to me. It’s just I haven’t been very entertaining lately. Actually I’m kinda of overwhelmed. But I told myself that that is no excuse. I’m kinda bitchy like that. Even to me.

So here goes. I have work today. A lot of work today. I am not happy about that. Can’t work manage to spread its self out over the week better? Some of this may be my fault for canceling last week due to the flu, but let’s not dwell. You know how I hate to dwell.

STOP DWELLING.

Okay, where were we. Oh yeah, funny. That would be Jack trying to explain why he had a great day! He got points off! When Jeff asked him what was so great about that, he stated, “I had fun.” And I had to bury my laughing face into a pillow while Jeff calmly explained the purpose of school is to learn not to have fun. Man, am I glad one of us is a grown up. I told myself right then and there, when I grow up, I want to be just like him.

Jeff, not Jack.

Maybe.