The winds and chill have sped up the leaf turning process so that most are now brown and lying on the ground. I was hoping for the same luxury we had last year of bright gold leaves hanging on for two weeks so I could get more stunning photographs. But yesterday Weston and Daddy went out exploring with his magnifying glass and got a picture of a ladybug for me.
We had a fun playtime at the playground. Weston is tall enough to just barely reach some things now and that has opened up a whole world of possibilities for him. -Can you see Donovan on the swing in the background?
Yesterday morning I slept in. I was so heavy and groggy. Dave and the boys had already eaten cereal at 7am but I didn't pull my breakfast together until 10! I made a couple extra fried eggs because I know Weston loves them. But at first he turned me down. So I came out with my plate into the living room to watch him draw. Of course THEN he wanted eggs AND "honey toast" as he calls it. He said, "I wasn't so hungry when you said it before, but now my body's just begging for it!" So I made him some and set it on the table and he promptly picked up his plate and fork and went to the living room. "No, no," I said, "you eat it in here." Oh my was he crushed. He thought he could eat it in the living room just like I had done. He was so disappointed he slunk down in the hallway and refused to eat at all if he couldn't eat on the little chair in the living room! I felt bad, but I did not want egg or honey on the floor or the couch. Finally I compromised and let him eat in there if he would put a towel under the little chair to catch his crumbs. He obliged, but gave me a disgruntled look when I snapped the picture, as if to say. "Why didn't you think of this sooner when my egg was warm?!"
So... life goes on in this little town with gold and cold in the mornings and evenings. A little less light every day. I really notice it.
Donovan is doing well. I'm glad he's joined kid's choir this year. There's a few friends that don't live in Rosebud who have joined, even one little boy he met at the Passion Play. And when I got home from the office just now, there was message from the principal at Donovan's school (-course I was worried for a split second) but then he said Donovan's name had been drawn to have his school fees reimbursed. Donovan will be so pleased to learn that he is a "winner".
Course he's already a winner to us, but already school friends have a lot of sway for both our boys. Weston informed me the other day after his haircut that I made him look dumb. I thought he looked adorable, but he obviously felt it was too short to be cool. Alas. Peer pressure has begun for even my kindergartener!
This seems to be crunch time for a lot of my students and my heart goes out to them. I wish I could tell them to just keep marching. The reward will come. Don't give up, even if you're tired. You'll kick yourself later if you do.
I forget how huge pressures can seem for them. I'm over here on the married with children side of things thinking 20 year olds have NO IDEA how crazy life can be, but that doesn't change the fact that they are overwhelmed now.
I think the weather is taking it's toll on some.
Thankfully I did get up earlier this morning and even DID SOME EXERCISE! Not just a little walk after the bus drop off, no no (well it was stinkin' cold and burning my lungs with the frost!) I came home and put in an abdomen workout DVD and sweat my face off. Good for me! Then I ate concord grapes and ham with such a relish I wondered why I didn't work out every morning just to get more energy!
May I do it again some day, God. Please! Even though I don't crave exercise like honey toast (or warm butterscotch cookies, or cheesy lasagna or even greek salad...) it's good for me and 'my body's just begging for it!'
So, just like Weston reaching for the monkey bars, sometimes all it takes is the leap. Same for me, same for my students, same for Dave.
May we continue to do so when the nights and mornings are even darker and there's not one leaf left on a tree.
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