Right Now
Despite the horrid heat it feels like fall. The boys seem to have fallen pretty comfortably into their new schedules. Knock on wood but mornings have been pretty painless. Owen takes off about 7:15, Leo about 10 minutes later on his bike and then Ernie drives me to work about 15 minutes after that. When we get into non-bike riding weather it will be a whole different story. Cold is fine for bike riding but snow and ice….well, we'll see how it goes.
Leo seems to be doing well with middle school. He tested into honors math and honors reading/writing and I’m pleased----most of all because HE is really pleased. I felt he should have been in gifted classes all along and so maybe this will alleviate my guilt a bit for being so overwhelmed with everything else that was going on in our lives that I kind of dropped the ball on that in elementary school. Owen’s totally different in school….he actually does even better than Leo but I don’t think he tests as well if he’s not focused. I think sometimes people give Owen short shrift. He’s funny and loves music and sometimes I think that's all people see. I don’t think he always gets enough credit for how very smart and intuitive he is. This is all parental bias of course!!! It's just interesting watching my two boys and see the different paths they travel---including the perception of others.
Oh, and speaking of elementary school….Owen brought some form home asking if he was interested in music lessons. He decided on the cello. When Ernie first mentioned the cello Owen perked up and said, “Oh is it this one?” and pantomimed someone playing a standup bass. Man I love my children……..just couldn’t possibly love them more…..
I’m astounded at how grown up they are….and how much freer we are. When I started this blog a little over five years ago it was such a different life. Now the boys are older and the top layer of my sandwich is all gone. Lately it seems that half the friends I talk to are now struggling with care and worry for their aging parents. I listen and empathize and sometimes it brings back the knots in my stomach but it seems far away too. When you’re in the middle of things it always seems endless. When you’re tired from being up in the night with a baby or when you freeze with fear every time the phone rings….it feels like it will ALWAYS be that way. And then all of a sudden….you realize that your life has changed.
Last night I got my first November issue of a cooking magazine. Traditionally I adore getting all the Thanksgiving cooking magazines. Last Thanksgiving was a tough holiday for me---the first one with most of my family gone. I can tell....just by my reaction to the magazine that Thanksgiving will be a difficult holiday for me. Eventually I'll move past it. I'll have to plan something fun for us to do...and try to avoid the meltdowns. I think we're all a little stronger these days however so we should manage it. And that feels pretty good.