Blackouts and Stage Fright

For some reason I cannot access my network to post some pics on this computer so I thought I would just update the blog without photos for a change. Adam is now doing choir at church. He loves it. I am really suprised. He loved all the songs. He had his first performance on Sunday. It is funny because it is always the same thing with cherub choirs. There are always a couple of kids (usually girls) who are steeling the show and singing really loudly. Then there are the kids that are just kind of staring at the director. Then there are the kids that are just crying their eyes out. Adam was the staring kind. I kind of had a prediction that he would do that.

We had a our second soccer game on Saturday which was fun but a little less organized since we were missing some players and Dads. Adam played all but 2 minutes of the game. He was worn out.

Funny story from last week. Last Sunday (the 21st) we went to church with Lynn and the message in Adam's class was "God wants us to obey". He has been talking about that a little. Meanwhile on Wednesday we went to church for Wednesday night supper and choir. We got a CD with all the choir music on it and Adam loves listening to it. We didn't really talk about the fact that these two places are church or that those places were where we learn about God. So Thursday when we were getting in the car after school he says, "I want to listen to the 'God wants me to obey' songs". He had drawn that correlation all by himself. It was one of those moments where you realized you had a big boy and not a little baby anymore.

Adam is still making me crazy with the napping situation. I have tried the past couple of days without putting him down for a nap and that did not go well. I hate this transition phase. He just came out of his room for the 10th time while I was writing that last sentance. He doesn't always need a nap but he can't really go the whole day without one either without being completely miserable.

Tristan is a cutey patootie. He is getting gigantic. At his doctor's visit today he was 34.5 inches and 30 lbs. Pretty big for 18months. He knows how to throw his weight around too. As sweet as he is he can throw some fits!! I was proud of both of them in the grocery store today especially since we went right after the shots. Tristan threw a little fit right at the beginning putting him in the cart but the rest of the shopping was smooth. Adam was walking around helping me find things. I don't know why it is so hard for me to catch onto the way he is developing sometimes. I forget that he is pretty big and mature and that he can help with these things now.


And alas....the blackout condition in Athens last weekend. What a tragedy. I have to say I was pretty proud of my Dawgs in the 3rd quarter. I kind of saw it coming with all of the penalties we have been drawing this season. Watching the games for the past couple of weeks I have been a little worried that they might come back to bite them. (actually no pun intended) Hopefully we will tighten up over the next two weeks and destroy Tennessee. I think there will be a rematch in Atlanta in December. I can't believe we dropped down to number ELEVEN in the polls though right in front of Florida who was beat by an unranked team! Alabama looks pretty incredible and I wouldn't be suprised if they win the whole ball of wax.

He's Got the Whole World

Today we went to sign Adam up for the cherub choir at church. He has his first concert on Sunday! He was so cute singing and signing the whole song after practicing for just a half hour. He wanted to listen to the song over and over again.

We definately needed to go to church today. I was loosing my cool with Adam most of the afternoon. We ran a ton of errands in the morning and I was on a mission to get some things organized like the car, playroom and the shoes in our garage. Sometimes when I get too focused in on tasks and getting things done the little ones like to remind you to stay in the moment!

Festivals, Face Painting and First Soccer Game

This past weekend was fun filled and money draining! Saturday kicked off with Adam's first soccer game. He LOVED it! I was amazed at how great they did. They all played so nicely together and it is all that he wanted to do for the rest of the day. Tristan wanted to get in on the action too!

After naps we took a quick trip over to "Suwanee Day" which was pretty fun. There were a lot of people and Tristan loved looking at all the dogs. We had a smoothie and payed for one pass to go on the inflatables and we had spent 20 bucks!!

Sunday we went to visit Lynn. We started out the day early and went to the 9 o'clock service at her church. As I am sitting there I realize that the pastor is my former pastor from Wesley at UGA. I couldn't believe it. Got to talk to him a little bit.

After naps we headed over to the North Georgia Fair which was a definate cultural experience. I can't imagine how people can afford to stay there for more than a couple of hours. I think I spent about 80 bucks on rides, face painting and food! Crazy. The kids had a blast. Adam fell asleep on the long car ride home but Tristan was awake until we got home.

Politics, Thunderstorms and Three Year Olds

Is it just me or is anyone else concerned about the extremism in the presidential race these days? We now have set up a scenerio where there are two polar oposites running against each other. This cannot be good. In Georgia we know what happens when warm moist air and a cold front collide...hellfire and brimstone in the form of thunder and lightening.

Obama and Palin have both had some "splainin' to do" about their religious affiliations. Maybe there is too much spin involved and maybe it is too late and I am reading too much into all of this but it just leaves me more than a little uneasy. I feel like this race is starting to disolve into a debate about dogma instead of democracy. I'm afraid that this election might be determined by 20 second sound bites and catch phrases. As an aside...I found a web site that rates the top 100 catch phrases. http://www.tvland.com/originals/catchphrases/quotes.jhtml I think it is hillarious that "Ask not what your country can do for you" is right ahead of "D'oh". Kind of sums up why we are in this situation today.

Speaking of volatile conditions Adam was absolutely insane today. I really don't know what I am doing wrong. Just a highlight.... We were at the post office with a line a mile long where I needed to wait to send this &%$#*&% package back to Disney. Adam was all over the place and Tristan was in the stroller. I didn't think that he was bothering anybody so while I was filling out the certified mail slip (and becoming certifiable myself) I let him wander a bit while keeping an eye on him. Some well meaning good citizens in line went and tried to coerce him back to me. He came back over to my side briefly but I was having to speak to him every 10 seconds about something he shouldn't be doing. One of the ladies who was trying to corral him said, "He needs to work on his listening skills just a little bit don't ya think." I just looked at her and said, "Yeah, thanks for the tip" Then she says "I don't want to embarass you". I thought to myself, "I'm not embarassed, I didn't do anything, he is a three year old and you are annoying". Ooooh storm clouds were a brewin'!! Electricity in the air.

By the time I got to the front of the line I found that I couldn't send the package certified mail unless I payed for the whole thing myself. (I had already waited for 2 weeks to get this stupid pre-paid label) So I just dropped the package in the mail which is what I could have done 2 days beforehand. Ugghhh. I still was calm at this point and not letting anything get to me. Then naptime came. Adam is just testing me to the absolute brink. I can't even really talk about it I am so just at my wit's end.

For some reason for the past couple of days I have been waiting for storm clouds which never seem to come. The heat and humidity just seem to linger and I am so tired of summer. The forecast says that cooler temperatures are on the way tomorrow but I still sit and wait for my thunderstorm. What is it in us that craves the collision of light and dark, hot and cold, right and wrong. It seems sometimes only in conflict can we usher in a new day. I long to feel the peace of passivity and non-resistance in my heart, in my home and in my country not the harshness of a battle of wills and ideology.

If there is light in the soul, there will be beauty in the person. If there is beauty in the person, there will be harmony in the house. If there is harmony in the house, there will be order in the nation. If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. (Chinese proverb)

Down with the mouse and other mixed blessings

Can I just go on a little rant right now. So as some of you know my credit card info was stollen last month and I am starting to believe it might actually be the Disney Movie Club that started this account fraudulently. They have sent all these movies to my house and said that I am signed up for the Disney Movie Club. Of course this was a fraudlent charge on my account. They will not close the account until I send the movies back. I demanded a pre-paid envelope two weeks ago which has still not arrived. The supervisor actually had the nerve to say that they are victims when this sort of thing happens as well. Right like I am supposed to feel sorry for a trillion dollar corporation. BAD BUSINESS. Anyway, just a very very minor annoyance in the grand scheme of things but one of those things that I wanted to make sure I talk about since I don't want anybody voluntarily signing up for this club!

This afternoon we went to see Grandma Chris and Grandpa Buddy. They seemed like they were doing o.k. Instead of heading back home in trafic we went to eat at the Crescent Moon which was awesome since it was "kids eat free" night and free face painting. (The things that excite me) Face painting just isn't what it used to be. Adam got the most awesome snake on his arms. The food was not at all good which is weird since it used to be my favorite place to go in Decatur.

Later in the evening I found out that my uncle had a seizure in the parking lot on the way to his radiation treatment. He is in the hospital now. Not sure what I expected but I was surely hoping that their first day would be a little easier than this. I know Sharon must be exhausted. For anybody who reads this please keep them in your prayers.

It was one of those days which started out with minor annoyances and ended with God bringing it back full circle and reminding me that all of this is just an illusion. I know that he is telling me to be still and know.

Sarah Palin

I must preface this blog by saying I am an independant. I do not vote the party line. I am not all that excited about Sarah Palin nor am I very offended by her. The past few days have been very interesting watching both the mainstreem media and the alternative press attack her viciously. It is misogyny like I do not remember seeing ever. I think that the extreme left thinks that because she is a conservative woman that she is not really entirely human and can therefore completely disregard her as a person.

I was slightly amused yesterday by her speech (only stayed awake for part of it). To me it was a little like watching a scene from Fargo. So I went on youtube looking for satire about it. I was looking for something that would just make fun of her a little. This is one of the more benign and I think funny things I found on there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEW12XLUM7A (I'm pretty sure that is my friend Nancy.) I am amazed at what horrible things I found. I really do not want to even repeat them here. I'm sure if you look at the post you will stumble upon them. So horrifying.