Only My Child...Only Me

Only Matthew would stand in the middle of the living room yelling "Crescendo!!" over and over while playing with his toys.

Thanks Little Einsteins. Thanks band directing dad.

Only I could have accidentally flung his vitamin lid into the toilet, while he was using the bathroom, while standing three feet away, while trying to screw it back on to the bottle.

Needless to say, his bottle no longer has a lid! You know the saying...couldn't have done it if I had tried.

One more thing, we have our first football game tonight. Wish us luck!!

Trust

School has officially started which means Matt will begin his activities soon. For some reason, choosing activities for Matt has been very stressful this time. Last year I enrolled him into preschool with no regrets. (Probably because his teacher was a good friend and I knew he would be loved). This year has been a whole different experience.

First, because of the move, we did not make arrangements for preschool early on; we decided to wait and see. By the end of July we knew Matt was ready for some kind of group setting and needed to spend time with other kids. I started calling around to different church schools but soon hit a wall, they were all full with a waiting list.

I had also been thinking of other group activities he could participate in like Kindermusik or gymnastics. I finally found a gymnastic class he could join and they even offered a free trial. Matt tried it out a couple of Saturdays ago and loved it. We signed him up and I didn't think much about it because I would be staying with him.

Around the same time we learned of a Mother's Day Out program that came recommended and had space. I called and decided to enroll him only one day a week since he had gymnastics another day. For some reason, I have been struggling with sending him someplace by himself whether it's preschool or MDO. The first day I went to turn his forms in I pulled into the parking lot and looked around, then left; I could not bring myself to get out of the car. This is very strange for me because I am usually the parent trying to send Matt off. I am assuming this has to do with us moving and feeling unsure about our surroundings. A few days later Matt and I took the forms back and met the director. I think Matt would have stayed then if I would have let him. I remember when we were leaving that no one there knew Matt or what kind of a funny kid he is.

It's kind of weird and hard to explain. Back in Brenham it seemed like everyone knew him before he was even born. Once he was born, he just grew up in front of everyone and we were friends with almost everyone who came into contact with him: Sunday school teachers, pediatrician, MDO director/teachers, preschool teacher. Now, no one knows him and how special he is . I guess I am having one of those mother moments where I don't want my child treated like another part of the pack.

I think it also comes down to the fact that we have never felt so vulnerable before. Brenham was such a small town that we knew everyone and their business. We never felt like we were dealing with strangers; instead it felt more like family. Now, everyone we come into contact with is a stranger and I find myself being suspicious of everyone.

Well, I have whined long enough and I didn't mean to get so sappy. Oops, I guess that is what happens when you are stuck at home without a car.

Another Random Comment

Matt is watching cartoons and just told me that he snores at Mother's Day Out. Interesting.

Tokyo's Manager

A couple of weekends ago the whole Lewis clan had dinner at a restaurant called Tokyo's; it is one of those sushi/hibachi grill places. We were lucky enough to get a hibachi grill table so we could watch the "action".

If you are unfamiliar with a hibachi chef, click here.

Matt was very intrigued and freaked out by the whole experience. He would tell us he needed to go poop but then he didn't want to leave. Go figure. I don't think I have ever used poop to get out of a situation; I think he gets that from his dad.

Now a few weeks later, he is obsessed with the "tokyo's manager". Here is the result:

This is one of his new favorite things to do, stand at the island pretending to cook. Usually he makes a birthday cake. Today started out as pancakes but obviously turned to pig slop. Very interesting.

Tax Free

I have two statements to sum up the day:

Kemah Boardwalk good.

Baybrook Mall bad!!

I am exhausted and heading to bed. Catch you later.

Congrats!

Congratulations to my friend and fellow blogger Jana who had a precious baby girl Tuesday night. Her name is Jenna Haley and I hear she is perfect. I can't wait to see her with my own eyes! Please pray blessing and good health for the new family of four.

OK, so I have had one person get the question right (they called me). If you know the answer, write it under the comment section.

I haven't posted many pics lately so that is my focus today. Hope you enjoy them.

Observations

On Thursday I painted our foyer. I used the same bright amber color from our bedroom because our foyer is so dark. I did not tell Richard because I wanted to surprise him when he got home. I also bought a new light switch plate and light as well. Of course I did not install the light but I did replace the plate.

When Richard got home, he walked through the foyer and did not say a word. I immediately went to the foyer and said "honey, look what I did", while switching the light on. He goes "Oh wow" and did not look too impressed. Then I showed him the light and he said "cool, you replaced the switch." It took a moment but then I realized he did not notice the paint; all he thought I did was replace the switch plate. I busted out laughing and pointed out the new paint job. Then we both laughed.

In defense of my poor husband, he was dog tired and had been at work for about 12 hours. He has been working his tale off, but that's for another post. So if I was in his shoes, I do not think I would be all that observant either.

Speaking of observation, I have a question for you. Can you find the common thread between the last six post? If so, I have a prize for you.

Fun, Fun, Fun

Yesterday we were able to go up to the new band hall and help Richard. It looked like a cardboard factory exploded inside. They had just unpacked instruments and uniforms so there was a huge mess.

Matt of course had a great time. He ran around screaming "woo-hoo" at the top of his lungs. (I can only imagine what it would of been like if Leah would have been with him .) He was so crazy that one of Richard's students, very matter of fact, said "boy! he must of had a very sugary snack before he came." Umm...yeah...something like that.

As part of the cleaning, we had to dump a huge box of packing peanuts into another box. Richard had this great idea of putting Matt inside the box before adding another box of peanuts. Here is the result.

So what do you think? Did he have fun? I wish we had one of the these at home!

Survivor

We still have power; never lost it!! The storm has pretty much passed (I think). It has been pouring rain since about 6 this morning and the wind has been gusty.

I can officially say that I have survived my first tropical storm. I think I will celebrate by eating my bread and fish sauce (per Karla's request).

By the way, Matt has been obsessed with "the storm". That's what he calls it. Ever since I told him a bad storm was coming he has been all about it. He kept asking if it was here and would check the windows. Sometimes when I would say no, he would get mad. When he got up this morning, I told him it was here and he yelled woo-hoo. Too cute.

The Thunder Rolls

I have spent today preparing for Edouard's visit. Matt and I went to the Food Town this morning to buy supplies. Where we live, you do not say Food Town but, the Food Town. Since I have never ridden out a tropical storm or hurricane I was not sure what to buy. I bought the basics such as batteries, water, tuna, and chips. However, I also bought things like Italian parsley and fish sauce. Interesting huh? Yes, I do have a plan for these items. Once home, I spent the rest of the day doing laundry, cleaning, and baking.

As of now, we are pretty much done and are watching the weather channel. I am a little nervous about the whole thing but also excited. The things I am worried about most are power outages and fallen trees. I hate the idea of no a/c or my food spoiling in the fridge.

Well, I am exhausted. Hopefully I will be able to blog tomorrow and tell you all about our adventure. I will laugh if this thing completely misses us but it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Riders on the Storm

I am about to go to the store to buy tropical storm/hurricane supplies. Pretty exciting huh?

I am not too sure what to think about my new situation.

Anyone care to comment?