The Wednesday Night Post

The boys are growing up.  Currently, Little Dude weighs more than Handsome Dude and might be taller.

Their personalities are growing apart as well.  Allow me to elaborate.

Handsome Dude plans to start saving money immediately for his own car.  He will not drive any of his parents’ cars because he will not be dependent on us.  He also has inquired about prepaying his future tithes to the church.  He tries to get the most hours of sleep each night and will comment to me every morning on the amount of hours slept and how he is feeling.  He is extremely religious about his deodorant and can use an entire case from Costco just for himself:  one for his locker, one for his bathroom, one for his bedroom, and one for his backpack.  He is concerned about his appearance.

Little Dude could easily spend $20 in junk food at the gas station.  I never know when he goes to sleep or even if he is sleeping.  I think he might wear deodorant 2% of the time.  He probably doesn’t even know what a tithe is.  Nor does he know what an “appearance” is, for that matter.

The other day, I pull up to the school to pick up the dudes from cross country.  Little Dude walks out to the car first.  He is sweaty, stinky, mismatched, most likely not wearing deodorant, and wearing a girl hair scrunchie around his wrist.  As he is walking towards me I flashback to an article I read on The Facebooks about how middle school girls are giving boys their scrunchies if they have a crush on them.

*gasp*

Me:  Dude, why are you wearing that scrunchie?

LD (shrugging):  I don’t know.  I see a lot of boys at school wearing them.

Me:  Did a girl give it to you?

LD:  No!  Gross!

Me:  Well, I think the boys are only wearing them if a girl gives it to them.  Where did you get yours?

LD:  Sweet Pea (his sister) left it on the counter.

He then threw the scrunchie to the front of the car and shuddered.

LD will wake up only once pleaded with 2.6 billion times.  And then, he usually can only make it to a couch.

Me:  Get up.

LD:  Groan.

And this goes on for 20 minutes.

The other day, he finally got up.

LD:  I feel like I just grew taller.

I looked at him.  And he TOTALLY was taller.  I kept pushing down on his head telling him to knock it off.

LD:  I can’t, Mom!  It just happened!

I measured him up against HD and I am pretty sure he is taller now.  Much to HD’s chagrin.

***

I have a sweet class this year, but first graders will always be exhausting.  I think I will never wear dresses again.  Forever.  I don’t even care.  I am wearing jeans and sweatshirts every day.  I literally crawl around on the floor every day for math.  Begging, nay, pleading, with my small group of six kids to BUILD SIX WITH LINKING CUBES.  I don’t know why this is so hard.  It requires multiple requests.

One of my kiddos is an English Language Learner.  Every year, I have had one, but this one has the most limited knowledge of the English Language.

AND I LOVE HIM WITH ALL MY HEART.

Seriously.

But anyways.  We got a bunch of snow today.  Because, October.  And I am preparing my 25 angels to go outside for recess.  I scan the room to make sure everyone is wearing a coat.  This might seem unnecessary because:

A)  There is snow on the ground.

B)  It is freezing.

C)  I have already told them to put on their coats thrice.

But first graders do not think the way one might think they would think.  So I have to check.  And of course, some kids will be in short sleeves, because, first graders.

I notice my ELL guy is in short leaves.

Me:  Where is your coat?  ( I do lots of motions in hopes that he understands what I am asking)

Student:  (Shrugs and shakes his head)  Home.

Well.  It is like 35 degrees.  So I send him to the office to see if they can give him a coat.  I take the rest of the kiddos to recess and run inside to use the bathroom.   I see my little guy sitting in the office, looking all sad.  He waves excitedly at me.  I try to explain that he is not in trouble, but it is too cold for him to go outside without a coat and the office does not have an extra one for him.  I set him up with some books and head back outside.

Later, it was time for lunch recess.  I really did not want to send him back to the office.  Poor pumpkin.  So I found an old fleece coat of mine and started to put it on him.  As I was zipping it, he looked at me and said,

“STOP!”

Then he ran to his locker and pulled out a lovely winter jacket that his loving mother lovingly sent to school with him.

Me:  Dude!  This is a COAT!!!

Student (clapping with delight):  Yay!  Coat!  Outside!

Me:  Yes, you can go outside!

I touch the coat again.  I say “This is a coat!”

He looks at me with delight.  He touches his boots.  He shouts, “SHOES!”

I said, “YES!”  I will teach him boots later.

Bless his heart.  I love him.

***

I like teaching, but it is exhausting.  If I ever win the lottery, Ima just gonna stay home and pet my dogs and watch cows.  I tell this to everyone I work with.

Me:  “I mean no offence.  But if I get rich, I am ditching you all.”

*Employee of the Month*

And who would have thought I would love cows so much?  I mean seriously?  But I do.  I really do.  Granted, I have only named them and watched them and loved them.  I have not yet eaten any of them.  So.  I don’t know.

But, for now.  I LOVE COWS!

My teacher friend made me this sweatshirt.  And I seriously cannot contain my excitement.

It speaks my truth.

I sent the picture to my teen daughters, because I am a glutton for punishment.

SP:  Mom, I showed your selfie to all my friends.  We laughed.  It is such a “MOM” picture.

What does that even mean?

I don’t know.  I don’t care.  I am old.

Finally, David was THE MAN and put up all of our deck railing in one day.  And now my deck is complete.

You might feel confused.  You might say, “Taylor!  One minute you are talking about snow and the next you are showing me a photo of a beautiful October day.”

This is just where I live.  The weather likes to keep things spicy.  Is it hot?  Is it freezing?  Is it a snow day?  We never know.

Before I go, I shall share some cow photos.  I really like the cows.  Have I mentioned that?
.

Matilda and her calf (once a bull, now a steer because:  I just know.  I watched.) Rocky.

Rosie and her calf (once a bull, now a steer because:  I just know.  I watched.)  Dutch Bro.

Dutch Bro might be my favorite calf.  I think it is because when he was only a day or two old, I had to carry him to safety from a mean old horse who kept trying to hurt him.  We must have bonded.  I don’t know.

And remember the calf that I witnessed being born?  Jesse James?

He is now two months old.  And quite handsome.

I am going to be in trouble when David is wanting to butcher, yes?

Happy Wednesday!