sharing Mommy

Dennis attended four days of school this week. I had to substitute teach one of the 4 year old classes today and I took him with me. He has some friends in that class, so I expected him to have a good time. He had a tough time, though, and he seemed to want special treatment from me all day. He didn't want to clean up, and he wanted to help me teach and distribute materials and everything. I felt bad for him trying to fit himself in, but he soon started a rousing bout of firefighter play with the other boys in the class. He makes friends easily and very quickly! He is especially tired tonight--that 4th day of school apparently exhausted him! It makes me feel a little bad when he asks "are you all mine today, Mommy?". It looks like the preschool is dropping afternoon care (enrollment for that is down to 3 kids) after this month. My paycheck will be cut in half, but I'll have afternoons free for Dennis. That will be especially nice for this last year before he starts kindergarten!

he blames the Sierra Mist

I'm thrilled to report that Dennis once again had a fabulous report at his dental checkup. This is especially good news since he is the one who is solely responsible! He brushes and flosses and rinses with an anticavity mouthwash, and he's been doing it all by himself since even before his previous checkup. No cavities, no soft spots, a super-easy cleaning; the staff had nothing but good things to say about Dennis' mouth. We're so proud!

On the way home from his dental appointment, he and David met up with Gran and Pop, and they brought him to meet me at the gym for his Taekwondo class. He was a totally different kid tonight in class. He was literally vibrating with hyperactivity, and he had to go to the bathroom 3 times during his 40 minute class. His instructor suspected that he'd had coffee, but he admitted thar he'd had Sierra Mist and Cheetos. He said "Sierra Mist has actual sugar--I think it made me act crazy!". So no more of that before class!

fire station field trip

Today might have been the highlight of Dennis' entire preschool career. The four year old classes walked to the fire station today and had lessons on fire safety. They got to walk through the truck and the station, and they got to watch as a volunteer teacher or parent got into the bucket on the hook and ladder truck to ascend to a height of 100 feet. That volunteer was me. You get a nice view of Clanton from 100 feet up, but even better than that was becoming a hero to my own child (because HE wanted to go up and couldn't) and many others at the preschool! Dennis posed with his class, tried to walk through the truck more than once (but was very recognizable in the fire jacket he wore from home and refused to take off even as the temperature rose). He must have charmed the firefighters because he got a special tour of the pumper truck and they let him ring the bell on the front. Each kid received a fire safety coloring book and Clanton firefighter hat and junior firefighter badge. Dennis proudly announced to any adult that would listen that he became a junior firefighter today. I enjoyed listening to him try to convince the firemen to let him slide down the pole ("I practice at home all the time--I slide down my pole over and over, and I put out fires--just pretend fires--every day!"). But when asked if he was going to be a fireman when he grows up, he'll tell you "I'm going to be in the Army--the 'ground' Army." He's not interested in the Navy or the Air Force for whatever reason.

boat birthday bash

I'm 36 today. When I got to school this morning, the preschool director called me into her classroom (where she was watching the students who come for early morning care). It sounded ominous, but when I walked into her room, I was serenaded by all the kids singing "happy birthday". My own class sang it to me at snack time. Also, my class gave me an excellent gift: no poopy diapers today! I don't know who gave them the message that's what I wanted for my birthday, but they collaborated and complied. Very nice. If only the afternoon care kids had taken naps, it might have been the perfect preschool day.

I had a lovely birthday chili supper, served on the pontoon boat as we took a sunset cruise on the lake. This, incidentally, might be the perfect way to unwind after a hectic day. Dennis enjoyed it all, and I'd love to say that he was well-behaved all day (but I would be wrong). He tested the very outer limits of my patience (and believe me, I have a decent supply of patience these days) with his flagrant disobedience and constant whining. But there were lots of cuddles and kisses mixed in with the badness, and that made it tolerable. It was a good day, good and long, and it's early to bed for all of us. Even Lemonade has sacked out early!

we heart fall

Dennis and Lemonade spent some happy hours outside this morning, mainly playing together in the sandbox (with Mommy nearby, keeping a watchful eye, mindful of another recent mountain lion sighting). Lemonade follows Dennis wherever he goes, and it gives me a very Norman Rockwell sense of the perfection of the "boy and his dog" relationship the two exhibit. You can't help but smile at the two of them as they romp together. I love watching the pup chase leaves blowing across the driveway in the breeze.

Dennis was my dinner date this evening--we headed to Cracker Barrel after his Taekwondo class. He was actually excellent company. He made observations about the decor, discussed his day, told our waitress about his new dog, and kept me nicely entertained. We worked on the kids menu riddles together and he solved most of them on his own. We shopped together afterward, admiring Halloween and Christmas things. He didn't like the long drive home, though, and told me "I don't like the dark in the car." And there were repeated questions of "how much longer?" and "are we almost home?". I handed him my phone and had some moments of peace while he played a game.

Tonight he complimented David, telling him "Daddy, you're smart like my dog!".

celebrating St. Francis

Today was so special. It started at church, our church, this morning. I was so busy getting the bake sale up and running that I forgot to wonder where Dennis was. I needn't have worried. He found Grace and they went to their Sunday School classroom and stayed until it started. I left the church service when it was time for Communion and quickly went to get Dennis. He was out on the playground with his class and didn't come when his teacher called him. I yelled out to ask him if he still wanted to go to Communion, and he stopped what he was doing, yelled "Communion? YEAH!" and came running! I can't find the words to express what it means that going to Communion is important enough to make him voluntarily (eagerly) leave the playground! David and I were charmed as we watched him solemnly bow his head and fold his hands (and we both noticed that his fingernails were completely gross). He is used to Communion by intinction and today we had to go up to the altar rail and take the juice in individual cups. He was excited by the idea as he watched the groups go up and whispered "do we get to do that, too?". When it was our section's turn, he stood at the altar rail beside us (he tried kneeling but couldn't see) and asked "are those the blood cups?" as he noticed the empty cups along the back of the rail. Afterward, he held a hymnal and sang just like us, and after the hymn concluded, asked "now how do I learn that song?". He was eager to talk tonight about Communion and he told me the crucifixion story and the last supper and the body and the blood (and he had everything right) and the soldiers casting lots ("playing a game to win Jesus' robe") and the tomb ("and the three ladies that came and found out that he rose from the grave"). I'm so proud and so touched by his spirituality.

This afternoon we went to the Blessing of the Animals service at the Episcopal church. Dennis loved this, loved seeing a horse and lots of dogs and cats and even some flying squirrels! Dennis held Lemonade in his lap as the priest came by to bless him. He'd been dipping a sprig of rosemary in holy water and letting each animal sniff it before he anointed their heads with it. Lemonade bit off the end of the sprig of rosemary and ate it (to the delight and amusement of the crowd). He still received his blessing!

Though it isn't technically his feast day, we honored St. Francis of Assisi today at the service. Animals are a blessing to us, and often a great source of both love and entertainment. This morning a bird was flying around in our kitchen. We were holding our basket of bake sale goods to take to church, Dennis and I, and we went into the kitchen to turn off the light before we left. There, flitting from cabinet top to pot rack to light fixture, was a tiny bird, panicked at finding himself in our kitchen. I've no idea how he got in but suspect some opening in the remodel project. I started to worry, looked at my watch, and decided "oh, well" and left for church. I left the bird to do as he pleased rather than get worked up over it and be late for the bake sale setup (since I was in charge). He'd flown out by the time we got home. This morning in my Sunday School class? Genesis 40 & 41, wherein the Pharaoh's chief baker dreams in prison about holding a basket of baked goods while birds ate all the baked goods. Joseph interpreted it as rather unfavorable news for the baker. Imagine reading that after a morning where I held a basket of baked goods as a bird flew around inside my home. Eerie!

pups in the patch

It was so beautiful out today, way too gorgeous not to take advantage of it. Sunny, breezy, highs in the sixties, first day of October...sounds like a Pumpkin Patch day to me! Dennis and Lemonade and I met Gran and Pop and Hobbs, and we spent a terrific afternoon picnicking and playing outside. Lemonade and Hobbs got lots of attention from the people there, and the dogs seemed to really like going on the hayride to the patch to frolic among the pumpkin vines. We humans enjoyed some frolicking as well, picking out big, pretty pumpkins to take home (thank goodness we brought our wagon!). Dennis rode the tractor train and spent so much time playing on the giant inflatables that he didn't complain when it was time to leave!

Lemonade's brain is showing some signs of intelligent life. Dennis let him out of his crate and didn't tell us, and I happened to wander by Dennis' room and saw the pup sitting calmly (!) on Dennis' discarded shirt. Dennis said he'd let him out "a while ago" and I panicked and checked for surprises he might have left, but the floor was clean. He wasn't chewing on anything either, also weird, and I chalked it up to his being completely exhausted after our outing today. But tonight, he ran to the front door when he needed to go out. Twice. I'm not kidding myself thinking there won't be mistakes, but any potty success (in a not-quite-seven-week-old puppy) after just 2 days of living here is encouraging!

The bake sale for my women's circle is tomorrow at church, so I've spent hours bonding with my mixer. I went on a grocery and saw blade run earlier, and while I was at Walmart (because where else could you buy groceries and a saw blade?), I picked up the last size small Optimus Prime Halloween costume that they had in stock. Guess who spent hours as Optimus tonight! I loved surprising him, sort of. I think he must have expected to get an Optimus costume because when I arrived home and presented it to him, he said (while jumping up and down in delight) "my Optimus Prime suit finally came! Thanks, Mom!". Maybe he'd prayed for it? Or maybe he'd asked for it enough times that he expected us to get it. He's had a happy week for sure: the county fair, a new puppy, a football game, AND a pumpkin patch trip. And it's all been so much fun!