13

Do I have to change my blog name, now that my baby has turned 13?

Family Closeness

My car is sick. It has been for a couple of weeks now, but just like I do with my kids, I waited it out to see if it would go away on it's own. Of course, it only got worse. So I called to get an appointment with the closest Hyundai dealership/service place (an hour away), only to be told that they could not get it in on Friday (one of the few days off I have) and would look at it on Monday morning. Since I have to be at work on Monday morning, my husband decided we'd have to take it in on Friday and leave it for them. There would be no dropping it off Sunday evening in their lot and leaving the keys in the car. He wanted to hand the keys to a live person...leaving me carless and totally dependent on him for at least the next 5 days. Our only other vehicle is his Chevy S10 truck...which is a stick shift...which I can't drive. Oh well, it can't be that bad, right? I'll just have an excuse to spend more time with him.
Did I mention that the seating capacity in this truck is about the size of a large suitcase? When we bought it Hillary was a scrawny little girl and Parker was just a toddler. We all fit neatly across the seat on the test drive, and we thought "This is great! And we have the car, so we won't all need to ride in it very often. But if we do, we can manage."
Can I just say that the only one who hasn't grown in this family is me.
So this morning, we all piled in together to go to church. Being the smallest, I was assigned the sliver of seat by the door...one cheek on Hillary's lap and another cheek pressed against the window. Parker squished in between his dad and sister, legs tangling up with high heels as the stick shift jutted dangerously close to the Temple Family Legacy Maker. The only one who looked comfortable was the driver...silent and sun-glassed.
But we made the best of it...
Mile 1 - "Mom, could you tighten your butt muscles so your bone won't poke so hard into my thigh?"
Mile 3 - "I'm hot!" We turned the "air conditioner" on medium...which means we cracked the window a little more.
Mile 7 - "Hillary, get your high heel out from between my toes!"
Mile 7 1/2 - "Parker, did you remember to put on deodorant today?"
Mile 10 - "I can't feel my foot."
Thank God it's only 11 miles to our church. We arrived, 10 min late, and piled out of that truck like clowns at the circus. Sunday school and church seemed a short reprieve. I think that's the only time I've ever actually wished for Pastor to preach longer. But we managed to get back in the truck and home in one piece, thanks to some yoga moves and olive oil.
Hopefully, that's the last time we all four have to be at the same place at the same time until I can get my car back.
But at least I can say, with honesty, that we are a "tight-knit family"!

They're ba-a-ack!

I remember when I was in junior high, pinch-rolling my jeans to make them tight at the ankle, and my mom laughed and talked about how back in her day the bigger the bottom of the pant leg the better. I just rolled my eyes. How could bell bottoms ever come back?!
Well, of course they did. Not exactly like mom's, but wide-legged and hip-hugging nonetheless.
Not so long ago, my sister and I were laughing over pictures of ourselves in our 80's velour shirts, flats, and one-piece jumpsuits. Surely, the 80's would never return! How could anything so ridiculous looking become cool again?
But everywhere I go, I see long sweaters with wide belts, button-up shirts with cap sleeves, and big plastic jewelry. And tonight, after spending time at the mall with friends, Hillary excitedly told me about a wonderful discovery! "They're like leggings, mom, but they don't go all the way up. Just to your knees. And if I wear them with the same color heels they kind of look like boots."
Those are called LEG WARMERS, Hillary. And do you even know how many jokes have been made about that particular fashion accessory? It reminded me of the time, when she was 5 years old and went to her first dance class, and she was trying to explain about the really cool thing that the teacher used to play the music. "It was like a cd, only bigger." "You mean a record?" Boy did I feel old then.
I know fashion cycles...and I've been known to wear things I swore I would never wear. But all I can say is...if hair "wings" come back, I'm drawing the line!

Girls gone....good!

Hillary and I had the priviledge of attending a conference together this weekend. It was amazing!

The decorations were adorable...the speakers were inspiring...and every detail had been planned to make us feel pampered and feminine.

One of the highlights was a concert by Natalie Grant. Afterwards I snagged her as she was walking by on the way to her bus and we got a quick pic.

How exciting!

After rocking with the worship band and listening to Christine Caine, Vera (Something Russian), and Casey Gibbons encourage our souls, we chilled (literally! ha) outside...roasting marshmallows...listening to a live jazz band...and getting a pink extension put in Hillary's hair. The $5 donation went to breast cancer research.

But even better than the outdoor movie, the jewelry shopping, and the Starbucks, was the time she and I got to spend together. We talked and laughed and prayed and cried.

I loved just watching her as she exclaimed about everything, took a million pictures, and praised with hands raised and tears running down her cheeks. I am proud of the woman she's becoming. I know that not every mother of a teenage girl is so lucky.

"And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good"

First Game

Calling all sports fans and interested family members...Today marked the opening of the junior high boys basketball season. Though Parker has played on a community team for several years, I knew we weren't in Kansas anymore when he dressed in khakis and a collared shirt for school today. I forgot that athletes have to dress up on game day. I oohed and ahhed. I haven't been able to get him into khakis since he was old enough to say, "I hate these pants!" He packed his uniform (#41...his favorite number and also his dad's old number), his basketball shoes, and a snack and left for school. I didn't see him again until the game.

And at the end of the game, he chose to stay with his team and ride the bus home. Where is my little boy who always wants to go with mom and dad? That boy is in my scrapbooks. This young man is in the gym!

Celebrations

Homecoming! A week's worth of assemblies, crazy and creative clothing, special projects, and friendly class rivalries. Hillary (President of the Junior Class) put a lot of hard work into this statue...and it paid off. Juniors won spirit week by 1/2 a point! Go team!



Then, after the football game, it was off to the dance. Or, rather, off to the Mexican restaurant to grab a quick, but somewhat romantic dinner before the dance. How nice of them to invite Mom. I'm sure it had nothing to do with Hillary forgetting something and needing me to bring it to her. I'm just that cool.


Then more celebration...Hillary turns 17! She had a birthday dinner at home (favorite meal cooked by mom) complete with two cakes and red flowers (courtesy of boyfriend, Larry).

Do you see a theme here? Oh, you noticed that Larry was in every picture? By the way, that leads us to the latest celebration. Their "1 year anniversary"! Wasn't it just yesterday she was picking boys up and putting them down again like a distracted shopper? I worried she was turning out to be a heartless heartbreaker. But I'm not sure I'm ready for a relationship this long. Maybe I'm just hard to please! Maybe I should just celebrate like everyone else. Pass the party hat!

Finding Parker

I think the words "junior high" must come from some obscure language where it means "contradictions". At least that's what I've experienced in raising a junior high boy.
He turns 13 in a month...and suddenly he doesn't use our bathroom anymore. He uses the front bathroom (which actually locks and has a solid shower curtain instead of a glass door). He obsesses about his hair and his clothes. But he almost never remembers to brush his teeth.
He isn't afraid to stay home alone..even when it's dark.
But he read Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go" yesterday and declared it the best book ever.
Friday night was homecoming, and we all went to the football game. Parker carried my chair for me. When I told him how nice that was he replied, "Well, I want to know where you're sitting." The strength of a man and the insecurity of a boy.
He left with a group of boys and a frisbee and I didn't see him again for a long time.
When it was time for me to go (which was immediately after the half-time show where Hillary led the band in it's first "moving" field show ever!) I started looking for him. I saw some guys down at the end of the field, throwing a football and running around. I strained my eyes, but I couldn't make out which one was him. I folded my chair up and continued looking around. There were some old people to my right...and a group of teenagers sitting right behind me. That's when it hit me.
Those teenagers weren't teenagers at all! They were Parker and his friends! There he sat, shoulder to shoulder with a cute blonde girl, surrounded by several other guys and girls...looking and acting cool.
I nonchalantly nodded to him. "I'm leaving." "Ok." "Don't let dad leave you." "I won't"
It was all I could do not to take a picture.
But his nervous smile clearly said, "Please be cool."
So I was.
Until I got in the car.
Then I laughed a little and tried not to get a tear in my eye.