First day of school for Dalton. Oy. Shelby had her Kindergarten assessment. Garrett was hauled around with us where ever we went today. He didn't love it. Neither did I for that matter. In the stroller at 8:15 AM to walk to school. In his stroller while we visit with all our friends. Out of his stroller at 9:15 AM so he can eat breakfast since I forgot to feed him that morning. Back in the stroller at 9:45 so we can walk back to Uintah for Shelby's kindergarten assessment. In the stroller for an hour while I am filling out paperwork and cutting sheets for her teacher. Out at 11:20 when we get home. Then in his high chair so he can eat lunch. Out of his high chair and in to the bath, since he was so covered with the teddy graham goo and juice from the bottles I'd been popping in his mouth. Out of the bath and in to his crib for a nap.
His nap. 12:30-2:30. And what did I do? I can't remember. It's all a blur. I answered emails. I worked on projects for Shelby's class that her teacher requested. I cleaned our filthy house. Then 2:30. Garrett's up. He gets a bottle. He watches a little Diego. And then we are off to pick Dalton up from school. Not that he needs us to, mind you, but I want to. We ride scooters and bikes. But Garrett is peddling too slow. So in to my bike he goes, and we are off. We park our bikes at Uintah at 3:00 PM. We run up to see Dalton exiting his class- the first one. He looks happy. Walks right by us to his locker. He then sees us and gives me a high five. Says it was fun. His friend says the math was hard. I notice the stack of books the teacher has assigned. It's going to be very different from last year.
I introduce myself to the teacher. Garrett is hanging all over me. She makes the comment that "I must be busy". I hate that comment. That's the comment I make to people who have eight kids. Not me. But it's true. I do. Shelby keeps finding my Iphone and playing the games on it. Which is annoying because the volume is up high. I keep having to take it from her. Dalton decides he wants to play with his friend Jack after school. They decide to go to Jack's. Shelby and Garrett and I get back on our bike and scooter to go home. But not before I drop a paper off to the office, give the Principal a hug, hear about her take on the first day, say hi to EVERY friend I see, and then drag myself out of there.
We meet up with the neighbor boys who Dalton usually walks to school with. One asks to come play with Garrett. I say yes. I should have said no. Then Shelby runs in to an old friend, Amy. We ask if she wants to come over to play. Dumb me. She says yes. So we all head to my house. The kids get otter pops. They play on the tramp and in the yard. The boys are downstairs at my house, which bugs me. They are playing with Dalton's stuff, which will later bug him. Who knows if the young boy is sticking Dalton's stuff in his pockets. I talk with my neighbor- the boy's mother. I used to try to give her advise. I gave up long ago, thank goodness. The kids play. At 4:30 I call the lacrosse coach. Yes, Dalton can play on the team. Yes, he has extra gear for us to buy. We leave at 4:30 to drop Shelby's friend at home, go get Dalton's buddy, go get Dalton and another buddy from Jack's home, and go to lacrosse across town at Granite High.
We are 5 minutes late. The coach has already started. We have to try on gear. Shelby is trying it on too, which is bugging Dalton. Garrett is picking up broken glass on the street, trying to hit the coach's dog with a lacrosse stick, and screaming that he is mad that Shelby is playing the Itouch, and that he can't try on gear. Dalton takes forever to find gear that fits him right. They have a bunch of stuff that is too big or too small. Finally we settle on some stuff that seems to work OK. We go back to the field to watch him practice. Garrett is screaming that he wants to play too. He walks on the field and almost gets his head whacked off by a lacrosse stick. I carry him out of there kicking and screaming with him yelling NO WAAAAY! as I try to end a conversation with a Uintah Mom that I really like. I know she's thinking, "She has her hands full". Damn it, I do. Shelby tells me, as we walk back to the car, "Well this has sure been a boring day for me today". I don't answer her, because I can't with out saying something rude.
Garrett bonks his head as he is trying to get in the car. He gets a hand full of the Pirate's Booty I brought in the car. Then Shelby takes the bag from him, so he begins to wail. She gives it back, but it's too late. I drive away, worried he is going to aspirate on Pirate's Booty. Dalton is getting a ride home with another Mom. As I am driving home, I am thinking that the second we walk in the door I am ordering pizza. I had just received a text from Gavin, saying that he won't be leaving Payson until 6:00 PM. He has a client down there. I ordered the pizzas when we walked in the door. 35-45 minutes they quote me. Shelby goes downstairs to play. Thank goodness she plays so well on her own. I feel guilty about that for a minute. Thinking that soon she'll be gone for most of the day, and the last few days I didn't play with her while she was at home. Garrett watches "pic" with me (Diego). He is happy now. Finally unrestrained. What a long day.
Doctors Without Borders calls to ask me to step up my monthly contribution to $45. I have to listen to some poor lady give me her scripted schpeal about how horrible the situation in Haiti is before I tell her that we are donating really all we can. She asks if there is any amount. I can tell that there is some quota she has to meet. So I tell her we can do $1 more a month. She is grateful. Tells me that she doesn't want my husband to be mad at me. He still may be over this. The pizzas come. We scarf a piece down. No salad. Waters only. Oh well. An unbalanced meal once in their lives is not going to kill them. A neighbor brings over a used scooter for Garrett. He sees it and decides he is done with dinner. We scooter outside.
Dalton gets dropped off. He is beat. He and Jack grab a piece of pizza and eat outside. Shelby and the boys whack each other with foam bats. Garrett's mad that he can't get in on the whacking. Jack's mom and I talk about our boys who love all things sports. We joke about what natural athletes they are, and about trying to decide which lacrosse league to have them play on. Shelby and Garrett eat little containers of ice cream, and spill them all over the front steps. Gavin gets home and gets a quick report on the first day of lacrosse and school. Then kids get rounded up and brought in. They all get in baths/showers in rounds. Gavin prints out a picture of Shelby for her school packet. I print out pictures of dogs for an "About Me" booklet that her teacher wants me to make. I try to color it cute, but it turns out kind of lame looking. Hopefully cute enough for a five year old.
Kids in jammies. Dalton reads a book in my bed. Gavin reads to Sis in her bed. Garrett plays downstairs and howls when I bring him up to put him to bed. Gavin tries but he is still up and playing in his crib. I go in and try to talk him in to laying down. He moans and cries. We talk about what a fun day he had. He agrees. We talk about the fun he'll have tomorrow. He agrees. Then complains some more. I zip up his crib tent, and tell him goodnight. I close the door and he cries. Three minutes later he is asleep. Shelby goes down next. She is exhausted. Dalton goes last. He seems like he had a full and happy day. Brought my neighbor's dog back to her, and had a conversation about how hard puppies are. Came back and sat on the couch, watching a special on Afghanistan, with Gavin, while I typed this out. Now I am watching Wanda Sykes on Larry King (he's still alive?!). I like her a lot. I am going to wash my zitty face, pray for clear skin, and go to bed. Morning will come early again.
Thank goodness this was not a normal day.
1 comment:
Somehow reading about your hectic day has revived me from my own exhaustion induced coma which usually comes on at the end of the day. though this post may have just burst my bubble about how much easier parenting would be once my kids start school, hum....and as a continuation of this run-on sentence, I'm coming down to UT for two weeks at the end of next month so I'd love to get together again if you're free.
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