FYI...

I made it super easy for me to blog at any given moment by pre-loading some pics to write about when I had time.  Epic fail.  It's the end of April and it has been weeks since I've bothered with this.  What happened to the good ol' days?  Yeah, yeah, I know...I had three boys. {who happen to make my life super-de-duper...and busy}

It was my Easter this year, meaning no matter who's weekend it is, I get the boys for Easter dinner.  It worked out snappy because we just headed over to my parent's house after church.  I pre-filled eggs to have grandpa hide in the front yard and I had extra to also hide in the back.  Those six kids are slick...and too grown up to have to really search for any hidden eggs.  I even tried to slow it down by making it kind of like a treasure hunt.  It didn't matter.  This year, however, it did work in our favor because dinner was ready right away. {do NOT be alarmed...Ash wanted blue streaks but the procedure went haywire...and she didn't have them in for church!}

Andrew was cast as a narrator in the middle school adaptation of The Absolutely Insidious and Utterly Terrifying Truth About Cat Hair.  At first, I admit, I figured he didn't have a very good audition to be cast as a narrator, and, as always, I paid no real attention to him memorizing his lines or rehearsing at school because I always love the element of surprise with his acting.  I have to tell you I was blown away.  He did such an amazing job and was told that, after his audition, it was said he'd be perfect for narrator number three!!  Narrator number three already had a personality even before Andrew played him and he fit the part perfectly.  And the best part was that although people seemed to have thought he did a great job with the part, I knew why he did so well.  He didn't fit the part...the part fit him!  The character had plenty of speaking parts and the character's name might have well been Andrew.  Superb job.  Superb play.  Superb directing.  Superb cast of kids. {with a pizza party today to boot}

Andrew turned the big one-three on the fifteenth.  As a plan for the future that started months ago, he was keen on the idea of contacts.  We decided to get him new glasses and contacts.  The glasses are good.  Andrew adores them. {his dad, not so much☺} The contacts, on the other hand, are a bit more than he bargained for.  He was able to put them in while at the doctor's office but hasn't since.  His dad taught him one way but since it wasn't working, Keith tried to teach him another way.  It was so perfect in theory.  K even touched Andrew's eyeball with no flinching.  He tried to put them in for Andrew with no luck.  Andrew's eyelids were NOT going to open.  More trying.  No succeeding.

Spring sports are in full swing.  Baseball takes the majority of our time with both Caleb and Kyle playing.  Andrew is still excited about tennis.  Tennis is a short season and, if it rains, cannot be played on game day.  Fingers crossed he plays the rest of his matches.  Kyle's first game is tomorrow and he can hardly sleep.  Instead of t-ball, he's playing coach pitch, which is more suitable for him.  Last year I was so embarrassed by his "coaching" and his I in team attitude.  He didn't think he was being rude.  It wasn't intentional.  He just preferred to play all positions...at the same time...if someone else wasn't doing their job.  Can you imagine the hilariousness of watching him catch the ball at first and then running to second, or third, to tag another kid out?  And, of course, he always ran home at the end of an inning to tag each kid as they ran home. Something kids get to do in tball.}  He's a beast.  He also has older siblings and has played sports since he could walk.  These poor kids were mostly the oldest sibling in their homes and didn't have experience yet.  I hope Kyle didn't ruin it for them. ☺

For Andrew's birthday, the big one-three, we had a sleepover at our house.  It was lovely.  I met all parents at the church at five fifty five, a bus took them to Second Saturday, I picked them up at ten thirty, they all slept like babies and I got up early the next morning to make them breakfast at the church while K was incharge of getting them all ready.  They really did sleep like babies...you know how babies never sleep through the night?!  Kids sure do grow up.  Those boys playing basement basketball sounded like a WWF wrestling championship instead.  I'm pretty sure they were body slamming the door instead of shooting the ball at the hoop.

Let's see...the play was Friday.  The sleepover was Saturday.  We celebrated with my family on Sunday...the actual birth date.  I made waffles at church for the kids and we had everyone over for a cookout afterward.  There was a cupcake fiasco but I think everyone is over it now. {glad he still had another shot at his dad's house for a birthday cake}  After everyone left, we all commented on how tired we were, including Andrew,who did not sleep the night before.  Caleb and Keith took a nap on the couches and since I figured Andrew was already sleeping somewhere, I fell asleep on my bed.  K woke me up a few hours later to tell me that Andrew was really sad.  It came out that he really anticipated a big blowout of a day being that it was a milestone birthday.  He felt dumped by all of us.  Fast forward twenty minutes and we were on our way to Red Lobster.  Mind you, we were not planning for this outing.  The money had been spent on a gift, treats for Saturday, breakfast for Sunday, the cookout also on Sunday and dessert.  There was really no budget for anything else, let alone Red Lobster, but I felt like a loser mom so off we went.  It got even better when Andrew announced, "Now that I'm thirteen I am never ordering off the kid's menu again."  Whew.  Glad to know that!  At Red Lobster!  To complain real quick, did you know they don't do anything special for birthdays?  Even when it's the actual date?  Our waitress was awesome, though, and she made a little sundae for Andrew...wonder where she got the candle?  Anyway, the poor kid could hardly finish the mini treat.  He had already boxed up his meal to take home.  His meal came with two chicken breasts! {maybe he'll rethink the kid's menu}  We finished up the night renting Jack and Jill.  I think I redeemed myself with my kid.

Caleb took the eighth grade ACT Explore test a couple of weeks ago and aced it.  I was so proud of him.  He received one hundred percent!  Unfortunately, even at this age, kids can be jerks.  He was harassed {which you kind of expect to a degree} but by friends?  Repeatedly?  I don't stick up for my kids near enough because I don't put them on pedestals because I want them to be humble.  I am so incredibly proud of him and the man he is becoming.  At fourteen I sure expect more out of kids, especially friends, than how Caleb was treated.  He shouldn't feel bad because of them...he should maybe feel bad for them!  I know that wasn't nice but I'm angry.  I'll be nice now.  As a parent, can you blame me?  It's hard enough being picked on for something bad, but for something great?  I just don't get it.  Make fun of him now.  Scholarship time will be loads of fun!! ☺