The Greatest Boy in the World...

I am not sure if you know this or not, but the Greatest Boy in the World lives at our house. He happens to be my son. The only reason that I can realistically say this is because I only have one son and, well frankly, this is my blog! If you don't like it or disagree, log off. Just kidding!

M calls G The Greatest Boy in the World quite often. I have to admit, sometimes when he is irritating one of his sisters, I do not think this is a deserved name. But, nights like this remind me that it is very well-earned.

G has his first flag football game tomorrow night. This child is OBSESSED with football right now, but he is too young to play. The closest thing we have for 6 year-olds is flag football. It is really a great sport to watch (and play).
{Side note: M and I played in Atlanta a few years just before and right after marriage for fun. It was REALLY fun until I got paired to defend "Pat," a 6 foot 3 inch, 200+ lb "woman" just because I was the tallest female on our team. I was scared to death. I just let her run on by and do whatever she wanted to do on that field. I do not think we won that game.}
Anyway, the boys have plays that they run. It is adorable. Of course, M and great friend L are the coaches. I am actually not sure who is more excited about the game tomorrow; the boys or their dads.

So, I am laying down, tucking G in tonight and he says, "Hey Momma, which play in my ESPN movie is your favorite?" Ummm...thinking..."The one we bought this summer?" (This was a $5 Wal-Mart purchase to ease the pain of no cable in the apartment during the move.) "Yes" he says. "Honey I don't really remember any of those plays. Which is your favorite?" He goes on to tell me about many of the plays in that movie (it is a highlight show).
Keep in mind that he hasn't watched this thing in months. I am looking at him thinking, "Boys are SO different than girls!" I remember while dating M being amazed at the sports information (stats and whatnot) that he could remember, but how quickly he could forget something that we had just talked about. It is a male quality that is with them at birth. And apparently my son has inherited this.

While watching the trailer for the new Richard Gere movie, my heart skipped at the intense romance...in the commercial! And I thought to myself, "What would M say to me responding like this?" And "Is this the way he feels when he sees a commercial for The Masters or The SEC Championship?" Heart skips a beat, he loses a breath? Probably. And is this how G feels about his game tomorrow and the favorite plays from last weeks game on tv? Probably.

So, not only is G obsessed with flag football, but he loves UGA football. He reenacts Knowshon Mereno and Matthew Stafford at home. It is great. He jumps over chairs, dives onto furniture catching balls, and runs through foam chairs pretending they are people. This is what a boy with only sisters has to do until Daddy gets home!

But one thing that truly surprises me about my boy is how smart he is. When E was born, I did everything with her. I played Baby Mozart, read to her in the womb, followed the book to turn her into a smart over-achieving first born. When G came along, I didn't have as much time to spend on his "early development." I was still busy with his 18 month old sister. (I had a lot of work to do.) And God showed me through all of that, that it didn't matter what I did for her or him (to a certain extent). He had a plan for them both and it did not include flashcards and sign language. G is very smart...on his own. When we sat down for his first Pre-K conference, our friend/his teacher told us that he was exceeding her expectations in her class... I was speechless. Honestly, I thought he was just going to be an athletic boy who did just enough to get by in school. His Kindergarten conferences were the same way...still shocked. Now, next week we have our first First grade conference, and I will let you know...things could be changing, we will see.

So, I tell you this, not to brag (only!), but to let you know what God has done so far in G's life. He has instilled in him a love for sports, school, his family, and for Him. G knows when he has gone against the Lord, and he has a truly repentant heart. He wants to be a good leader and make good choices. He obviously has a long way to go, but I know that G is going to continue to make us all proud. After all...he is The Greatest Boy in the World.

She's pretty "fly" for a...

I hate flies. They really, really annoy me. If there is one in the room, especially the kitchen, I cannot concentrate on anything else except killing it.

My family loves to leave the doors open. I am guilty of it too. It feels so good when the slight breeze comes in the house...the smell of outdoors...the sounds of laughing kids playing...it is all exciting.

But, with one...you get the other. (At least at my house this time of year.)

Today, was a day like many others where a tiny, virtually weightless creature (God's creature, I might add) was driving me crazy. I tried all day to kill that thing. I missed every time. While I was cooking dinner, E-straight from dance-was in the kitchen with me. I told her that the thing had been there all day and I could not catch it. She said, "OK, I'll get it!" I told her to "go for it" knowing that the fly would still be flying around well after bedtime.

In one swat, she nailed it! I was so happy, I gave her a dollar! (I do not normally hand out money for silly things like this, but it has been a running game this summer-you get a dollar if you kill the fly. They really tried hard, but I had never actually given any money away!) Anyway, 30 minutes and many door openings later, there was another fly on the window that we noticed during dinner. E got up, walked over to the window, took one swat and GOT ANOTHER ONE! We couldn't believe it! (The gross part was what was left on the window-he never even saw it coming.) But, the FUNNY part was how she calmly said, "Got it" and walked to the sink to wash her (gutsy) hand. I laughed for 5 minutes...it was too funny!

I did not give her another dollar...she knew better than to even ask...I think all E needed to know was that out of everyone, SHE got the flies! Those are a few things I love about her: she is not afraid to get her hands dirty and she thrives on making people happy. She will hold you in her arms forever at night just because she wants to be with you. E was like that when she was born...never an independent one, always a social one. Her teachers always say "E is a friend to everyone, and everyone wants to be her friend." Not because she is the most popular girl, but because she is a sweet girl who adapts to many circles and is nice to them all.

We are very proud of E. Not because she is the "Fly Girl" (although she is one "fly" girl!), but because she is God's girl. She truly understands His love, compassion, grace and mercy. She probably couldn't define those words if you asked her, but she lives them everyday and I personally grow because I am her mom. I have learned so much from her and thank God that she is in our family (and can kill flies!)

He has returned!

The Prodigal Son came home...this morning. I looked again last night, and nothing. But this morning (about 6:45am) he came walking up. Head down, not looking me in the eyes, but awaiting an applause or something. I still have loved on him. I am letting him know my disappointment. So, his homecoming was not like the one in the Bible. (Sorry, God.) My arms were not outstretched, although my heart was elated.

Georgiamom is right when she says that he is a "playboy." As M says, Buddy is "still in the game," if you know what I mean. If I made him an appointment to "remove" his manhood, he may stick a little closer to home. Come to think of it...I know a few men who may need that same kind of treatment. (That was low, sorry,)

So, if someone in our area has some beautiful chocolate lab puppies for sale in the next few months...get one. They may be just as beautiful (though wandering) as their father!

He's run away, again.

And at this moment I do not even care. That sounds terrible, I know. Who is she talking about? And more importantly, why doesn't she care? It's not my son. It's not my husband. It is my (sorry for the bad word, kids) STUPID DOG!!!

We have a gorgeous, chocolate Lab named (how original is this?), Buddy. He loves everyone. Kids can lay all over him, you can step on him, and he is perfectly potty trained. But, one thing that he likes to do is run away. He does this about once a month. He is very quiet and sneaky. Tonight, he pushed the iron gate open with his nose (I'm sure). It wasn't all the way closed because it is coming loose...long story...but I didn't think it was a problem because the thing weighs about 230lbs. Buddy found a way past that.

So, I get in my car...fuming...and go look for this dog...that I love. He likes to cross the interstate that we live on (some call it a 2 lane road, but I have watched cars FLY down it like they are about to take off) and visit the neighborhood across the street. It makes me very nervous with him crossing the road.

I drive around the neighborhood with my brights on, hoping nobody thinks I am looking for houses to break into, looking for his eyes to reflect back into mine. Most of the time I find him. Tonight, I have not. Sometimes he "spends the night out." Either way, when he gets home, he is exhausted. I don't do a good job of exercising Buddy, so when he returns from being out on the town, he gets very tired. He gets so tired that he cannot sleep. We say he gets "Jimmy legs." He cannot sit still, let alone sleep. This lasts for about 24 hours. I feel like I have a newborn when Buddy does this. He keeps me awake therefore, I am a grump.

So back to why I am so mad about this child of mine running away. What is he running from? What is he running to? Is it so bad here that he has to leave us once a month just to get a taste of what a good life is? He eats yummy food. He has a nice bed. We pet him everyday. I just gave him a bath! What more does a dog need? What more does a dog want?

I am off to look one more time tonight. He may have to spend the night with a friend. But, if he comes back tonight...I am on the lookout for doggy Benedryl.