Mommy the Procrastinator

Heaven help me.

Tater wants to be a pirate for Halloween. I have known this for at least 2 weeks, but when did I go shopping for his costume? Today. 3 days before Halloween. Did I find a toddler sized pirate costume? Ansolutely not. So... yeah. I have 3 days to get creative and throw together a great costume.

Or at least one that passes for a pirate.

All quiet on the western front

It is 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon, and my house is quiet for the first time in a week. Well, except for sleeping time. But half of my family is at the roping fiesta, and the smallest 1/4 is sleeping. Ahh... peace.

This has not been a quiet week. It's amazing what the addition of one person to a family can do for the noise level. Even though Sam doesn't make a lot of noise, Tater has decided to make up for it. He is not adjusting well to sharing Mommy and Daddy's attention. In fact, she's adjusting a ton better than he is... outwardly anyway. She has made a couple of friends and we're getting to see her beautiful smile more often than not, so that's a good thing. I'm so glad to have her here.

Tater, on the other hand, feels as though he needs to be in the middle of every conversation and between anybody who might be sitting on the couch, and must be touching one of us at all times. He has upped his whininess level about 4 notches the past few days. In fact, the second day Sam was here, he tilted his head, looked at her thoughtfully, and said, "Sammie, you don't have to live here anymore; you can go bye-bye now." If only two-year-olds had filters! But we laughed it off; she thought it was hilarious. They're both just going to have to get used to not being the only child.

But I think they're going to be ok.

Now their daddy and I may age 20 years in the next 4, but that's just the way it goes, I guess.

From now on...

From now on...

• the entire Davidson family is under one roof
• when someone asks how many children I have, I can officially say "Two"
• I am no longer outnumbered in my household
• I have someone to shop with who doesn't get bored after 20 minutes
• we raise a high-schooler and a pre-schooler at the same time
• twice as many prayers are sent up... actually, make that thrice
• my heart is a little more full

Sam is here. To stay. So many emotions have come and gone over the last two weeks... Joy to have her here with us. Apprehension and inadequacy regarding my ability to give her everything she needs. Fear that I'll fail her. Heartbroken-ness for the heartbreak she feels leaving everything behind. Hope that she will take advantage and bloom in this fresh new start she's been given. Excitement for everything our family's future together will hold. Mourning for what it won't. Prayerfulness for the protection of my entire family from attacks from the Evil One. Faith that The Father can heal. Will heal.

Above all, there is love. My heart just spills over, along with my eyes now, with love for my family. My prayer is that she can see how much she is loved here. And that our love, and His, will be enough.

October is here!

This morning on the way into town, I realized it was the first day of October. All at once a little twingle ran down my spine and I got a chill of excitement. I absolutely love fall! I know it's officially been fall for several days, but it doesn't really feel like fall 'til the calendar says "October." My absolutely most favoritest time of year is Christmas, but fall comes in a close second - maybe because it leads up to that magical holiday. But in honor of this season, a bullet post of my favorite things about autumn:

• Mornings just crisp enough to need a jacket
• Gorgeous cool evenings
• Pumpkin decorations
• Pumpkin pie
• Pumpkin bread
• Cinnamon candles
• The smell of fireplace in the air outside
• The fireplace going inside
• Prettier sunrises
• Thanksgiving - and family
• football on TV
• Reds, oranges and yellows in the trees
• Sweaters
• Air that just smells "cold"
• Pictures of my cutie in the pumpkin patch

Ahh. October. Autumn is here!

Pet Peeve

My biggest pet peeve with my students is when they talk back to/argue with me when I tell them to do something. For example: "Johnny, please stop talking; you're distracting people around you." Johnny's response? "I was just asking her if I could borrow a pencil." No, you weren't just asking for a pencil; I've been watching you yak for the last five minutes!
I just hate the excuses and justifications and back-talk and flat-out lies. All I want is a simple "Yes ma'am" or even an "OK."

Well, somehow my child has discovered this, and is exploiting it for all it's worth.

"Tater, don't smack your daddy in the head like that! It hurts!"
"It's ok, I'm just patting him!"

"Tater, please sit down in your chair."
"I am sitting down, Mama!" (when in fact he's standing... in the chair)

And it just goes on and on! Every little thing I ask him to do, or to stop doing! Augh!!!

We'll be nipping that little habit in the bud. He's going to learn very quickly what arguing is and what is going to happen if he continues to argue. And he's gonna get a lot of practice with that "Yes ma'am."

Addendum: We had that conversation about arguing not long after this. I laid out this whole discussion about what arguing is and why we don't do it. He looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "I not a pirate mama." (Now Mama looked puzzled) "I not a pirate. I not go 'arrg.'"

Oy vey.