The Wheels on the Bus...

My boys have been "car riders" since the dawn of time...or at least since the dawn of elementary school. I used to wake Carter up from his afternoon naps, so we could pick Alex up from school. Inconvenient? Most definitely, but well worth it...or so I believed. I have what some might describe as a bus phobia. Seriously. Every street smart morsel of information that I learned "before my time" was learned on the bus (or from my friend, Miki, but that's another story...).

However, this year I had to confront my phobia (please note that this is all about me...they are fine!) head on. The boys are at two different schools at opposite ends of the boulevard. I simply could not make pick-up without being late. Not to mention that it would take me about an hour and 15 minutes for the round trip. Crazy! I thought about letting Alex ride and continuing to pick Carter up for the remainder of elementary school, but he WANTED to ride the bus. Several of his buddies are on there. And let's be honest, he will probably be the one doing most of the corrupting...

This is a shot of Alex getting off the bus on his first day. Don't worry, we shot it from our garage with the telephoto lense. I highly recommend purchasing one for stalking your tweenager!

Please note the absence of Carter's "first ride" picture. It's missing because the bus driver rolled right through his bus stop (while I was waiting in the yard ready to snap a picture!) without letting my baby off. If only there was video of the panic that ensued. I was a true caricature of a hysterical mom. I got in the car to hunt down the bus while Russ started making phone calls to try to locate him (probably the more logical approach). Twenty minutes later the bus rolls back around and Carter hops off with a huge grin on his face. He was oblivious to the chaos! Turns out he was talking to one of his friends and didn't want to get off yet...claims he didn't hear his stop being called. He went on a little joyride around the lovely, scenic Maumelle. Give me strength! It took everything I had not to scream, "You scared me to death! I knew something like this would happen!" Instead, I just hugged him extra tight and told him he needed to pay more attention the next day. He did. The next day went off without a hitch...except I forgot my camera!

All We Care About...

Shoes. My boys only care about shoes. Tennis shoes. Ask them to shop for anything else and they will say "can you just bring it home and let me try it on?" But shoes are an entirely different story. They are important. I tell myself that it's because they have to wear uniforms which makes the "free choice" of shoes all the more important. I suspect I'm wrong. They don't really care to pick out their weekend clothes and last time I checked those weren't restricted. These are the winners for the 2011-2012 school year. Carter is on the left and Alex on the right. You probably couldn't tell the difference because they are EXACTLY the same size. My 6th grader and my 2nd grader are both wearing a size 6. Geez!

But We Love Them...

My boys simply do not like sno-cones...but they are in deep denial. We go through this every summer. They beg for them, I melt in the heat while they mull over a bazillion flavors (and always choose strawberry...plain strawberry), I instruct them to purchase the smallest size, they argue that they need the large because THEY LOVE THEM...they take a few bites, give the straw a few slurps and they're full. EVERY TIME! I interpret "full" as "this isn't half as good as I had imagined" but they will never give me the satisfaction of admitting this fact...it's a little game we play. I suspect I'm loosing because I continue to take them!

This is their sweet victory for the summer of 2011. I do have to confess that this particular "stand" was pretty darn cute and they did get fancy umbrellas in them (that's dripping with sarcasm in case you didn't pick up on it!).

How Hot Is It?

Apparently, it was not quite hot enough to fry an egg, but we certainly tried! It was 113 on this particular day with 120 degree heat index! Misery!

First Day at Two Schools

The boys just completed their first week of school at two different schools. Alex began 6th grade at Maumelle Middle School with alot of trepidation. Middle School can be a big, scary place, especially when you're the low man on the totem pole. We received his schedule the week before and were able to scout a few friends in each of his classes. This eased his mind a tiny bit. He is taking all AP (advanced placement) classes for his core curriculum. His electives are international cultures and creative writing. He is also taking band. Lord help us all when he actually has to start practicing that trumpet!

I'm thrilled to report that he actually had a wonderful first week. I think "cautiously optimistic" would be the best way to summarize. He found everything without fail and was able to open his locker like a pro (such a blessing that his combo is 10-30-20). He found his friends at lunch and all was right with the world.

Carter was a seasoned pro at CHEMS. He did have some trouble going to sleep the night before (did I mention that I had to drug Alex with Benadryl?), but I think his was from excitement and not nerves! He got Mrs. Branson which thrilled the Galbraith parental units. Carter was much more excited about his classroom social circle. He has Owen Counts and Isaac Wilson in his class so he was on cloud 9 before walking into the room. Whew!

Getting up early hit us all really hard. Carter stumbled to the table.

Yearly shot in front of the armoire. Carter still has to wear a navy, red

or white polo. Alex can wear any solid color polo this

year...and jeans! He played it safe the first day and went with black.

Note the wet spot on Carter's shirt. He cannot brush his teeth without

splattering! We changed after the pictures!

We picked up Alex's friend, Jackson Newsom, so they could

walk in together. It helped make them both more comfortable.

It killed me to just drop him off in the car pool line! It's not

cool to have your parents taking pictures, but I snapped this

one through the car window.

Carter's backpack. Alex's had to be mesh, so it wasn't exciting enough

to warrant a picture. This is the first year EVER that I have

not had their backpacks monogrammed. Instead we had

dog tags made at Wal-Mart and attached them to the zippers. Boys!

Carter outside of his classroom. All smiles!

Posing with my little buddy at his desk. I'm sure he won't let me

do this much longer!

Tooth Fairy...Fact or Fiction?

A couple of weeks ago Carter was hanging out in the kitchen with me. Russ and Alex were out of the house so we were having some one-on-one bonding time. I don't remember what we were talking about, but I do remember when he abruptly changed the subject..."Mom, is the tooth fairy real?" Be still my heart! He is my last baby! He is supposed to believe until I have passed on to the other side! To be perfectly honest, I don't really care if he gives up his great belief in a glitter-winged pixie that sneaks in to steal used teeth. However, I DO care what eliminating that belief will do to the credibility of the tooth fairy's cohorts such as the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus (this above all else!).

I should preface by saying that Alex's childhood unraveled exactly one year ago (he was a little late in "letting go" but who was I to argue!) in the middle of P.F. Changs. One minute he was asking me about the tooth fairy. The next, it was good ole EB and St. Nick. I thought he was asking because he knew and wanted confirmation. Turns out, he was asking because he had "heard through the grapevine" and wanted proof to dispute it. It was a holy nightmare! He was trying not to cry and I desperately wanted to reel in my words. I couldn't even eat my lettuce wraps! It was a long afternoon. A rite of passage? Yes. Time to give it up? Yes. Heartbreaking for both of us? Unbelievably.

Despite the trauma of Alex's "big reveal", I have always said that I would tell them the truth when they asked. That being said, I was a bit more cautious this time around...

Me: "Well, Carter, what do you think?"

C: "I think it's kind of weird. I mean, why does she want to pay you money for old teeth?"

Me: "Do you want me to be totally honest with you?"

C: "Uh, yeah."

Me: "Do you know what a myth is?"

C: "Something you believe is true, but it's really not." (I have to confess, I was a bit shocked by his knowledge on this subject.)

Me: "Exactly, buddy. So, the tooth fairy is a myth. It's fun for kids to believe in and for moms and dads to participate in. It's part of the fun and magic of childhood."

C: "I knew it! This is crazy! Wait until I tell Alex!" (not a hint of disappointment)

Me: "Alex already knows."

C: "Wh-at? Are you kidding me? Who else knows about this? "

This is the point where he grows a bit perturbed. Not about a well loved childhood myth being debunked, but about being kept in the dark while his older brother was in the know. To my amazement, he did not proceed with the natural line of thinking...I heaved a huge sigh of relief when he left the kitchen, chomping on cookie dough. I know that I have at least one more year of him falling asleep with visions of sugarplums dancing in his head...

Star Wars Camp

The event of the summer (at least by Carter's standards) finally arrived the first week in August... STAR WARS CAMP! As I said in an earlier post, Russ created this little 3-day Jedi Training Academy especially for Carter. Carter had great dreams of attending a camp that simply did not exist. Rather than dash his dreams, Russ designed a curriculum and presented it to the Maumelle Community Center for approval.

Initially, I think Russ was a bit disappointed that he only had 8 padawans signed up...by the end of the first day, I think he was wishing he only had two! Russ didn't realize that little boys can complete an hours worth of activities in 15 minutes. Add the chaos of giving them all weapons and he definitely earned his title of Jedi Master Russ. I volunteered an hour each day to help with organizing and photographing. A nice "mom job." In the end I think it was a big hit. The kids all seemed to have a really good time while learning about Jedi qualities such as friendship, loyalty and trust. They had to complete the Jedi trials on the last day to become a Jedi Knight Level One. I'm proud to say my little guy passed!

The first day photo shoot.

Whispering to Natalie (the only girl in the class!) during a "transmissions" class.

Owen and Carter calling upon the force.

Receiving their tattoos after putting in a full day of training.

The entire class practicing their moves. Russ may have

borrowed this exercise from the Jedi Training Academy at

Disney World. Who says those trips don't pay-off?

Carter posing with his planet. The boys had to design and name

their own planet. They had to decide if it belonged to the Empire

or the Republic. Carter was Republic all the way!

Dueling with his buddy Isaac.

All the young padawans with Jedi Master Russ.

Playing a game with R2D2.

Alex was an official Jedi Master, as well. He was a tremendous help.

He lead a discussion on main characters and their characteristics.

I love all those raised hands.

Getting ready for the Jedi trials on the last day. The

boys had to complete an obstacle course while carrying Yoda

on their back.

Each day Russ did a power point presentation on Episodes 1-3.

He would play clips, pause and discuss. I was amazed at how

much the kids enjoyed this.

Bowing to the Jedi Master during the graduation ceremony.

VBS...UGH!

Carter is simply not a fan of VBS. I don't think it's anything against God, I think it's everything against learning...and singing. He HATES singing and he STRONGLY HATES singing with hand motions. Carter is strongly convinced he is 17 years old and no self-respecting teenager would ever sing without an electric guitar in hand. Unfortunately for Carter, he doesn't have his license yet. Until he packs up for his career as a professional surfer in Hawaii, he has to suffer VBS at the good ole First United Methodist Church of Maumelle.

Having Avery and Owen Counts in his group, helped ease his pain.

The theme was Cafe VBS and their group was the portabello mushrooms.

Carter said this was lame...

He did enjoy watching Ms. Michelle get slimed at the end of the week.

He talked far more about the slime "ingredients" than he did the daily lessons. He thinks it was probably made out of glue, food coloring and a little bit of blood. He soooo NEEDS to be in church!

Please note the happy children singing/performing on the last night.

Please note Carter's bitterness...and lack of hand motions.

He survived! Ice cream social afterwards helped a tiny bit!

Sidenote: Alex was too old to attend this year so he helped Russ

"teach" the recreation rotation. It did NOT make Carter feel better

to have his dad and brother present. He said, "I think it's great

that they're helping all those kids, but I want to stay home."

Can't wait for next year!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...Part Deaux!

Russ has Star Wars with the boys and I have Harry Potter. It's our thing. Alex has read all of the books and Carter has watched all of the movies. Side note: Carter says, "It's silly to read all those huge books when you can just watch the movie in two hours." I see Cliff Notes in his future! Anyone surprised?

My Harry Potter infatuation began when I was about 15 months pregnant with Alex. I could not get comfortable enough to sleep, so I would stay up all night watching Discovery Health and freak out about the health of my first born son (you'll have to have Russ tell the story of the morning he woke up to find me in hysterics because I KNEW our baby was going to suffer from dwarfism!). In an attempt to lure me away from the TV and save Russ' sanity, a friend gave me the first Harry Potter book. I laughed at the time, but picked it up around 4:00 a.m. when my only other choices were "Mystery Diagnosis" (I was quite certain I would have the ailment) or Lifetime's "Mother May I Sleep With Danger" (it starred Tori Spelling, enough said).

The rest is history. I absolutely could not put the book down. I read it in one day and rushed to Barnes and Noble to buy the second. I had not read anything so positively genius and addictive since Francine Pascal's Sweet Valley High Series (come on, you know you loved those crazy twins!). After Alex was born, I would read aloud to him during our midnight feedings. It was only natural that he have it in his blood!

My little Harry Potter. Halloween 2006.

Could he be any cuter?

The movie event of the summer!