Intermission

As of 10:38 this morning, I am officially on.... (drumroll please) summer vacation.  Oh my goodness... I don't even know what to do with myself.  Granted it's not an all out full vacation, as I still have plenty of administrative duties to tend to... but I do get a break from teaching for a month and a half.  That translates to a lot more flexibility in my schedule, which as good as it gets in my book.  Besides the obvious time with the family and 1001 home projects I hope to tackle, I'm also excited about catching up with the blog... not to mention a few other artsy fartsy projects I've had in mind.

I'm so giddy about the prospect of being able to blog more often that I might start posting blog entries like the rest of the world tweets...

  

  

 

Five

Charting your child's leaps in maturity is often no different than trying to assess his or her physical growth:  You see them so often that the gradual changes are rarely noticeable.  While that's definitely the case for the physical side of the equation, Jasmine's swings in the realm of behavior and emotional maturation have been so drastic that it would be impossible not to take notice.  To put it plainly, she has come a long way.  

Man, it was a push to get through those fours (and threes and twos and...) but if the last six months or so are any indication, then I'm hopeful for five.  Most of the time, a birthday is no more than a highlighted date on the calendar... but I don't think that's the case this time around.   I think that five means something that four didn't. Yes, she is still struggling to find her place (as most middle children do)... and yes, the drama has not ceased.  She's certainly not conflict-free, and her passive aggressive emotionally charged demeanor may never allow her to be pegged in that category.  Yet, I think we've made some leaps and bounds in the right direction.  She's growing up.  And it's awesome.  Here's to maturation and the evolution of strong-willed child.  Happy birthday, Jasmine. 

As far as birthday parties go, Jasmine could not be more afraid of Chuck E. Cheese.  In fact, she has never been fond of anyone in a full body costume.  Sheer panic is probably the best way to describe her reaction to such characters... which I guess (on the bright side) rules Disney out for the next five years or so.  But yet, Chuck E. Cheese was top choice once again; and so off we went to drop golden coins and collect paper tickets.  Somehow it never gets old.

David

No, he did not wander into the wrong huddle.  And, no we didn't read the sign or the paperwork wrong.  This is really Justin's soccer team.  And with that realization, I spent the rest of the practice terrified... just knowing that this wasn't going to end well.

The way the soccer teams are split up, Justin got slotted for the 1st to 3rd grade group; and so we knew right away that it would be a challenge.  It's no secret that he's small for his age.  On just about every trip to the grocery store, I still get asked if he and Jasmine are twins (no ma'am, they're actually two years apart).   We're not sure where he got the short gene from, and we're also not fully convinced that he won't sprout up at some point (though at this rate, I wouldn't hold my breath).  Either way, the end result is the same:  Justin staying on this soccer team looked like a train wreck in the making. I mean, this is the boy that treats a paper cut like a severed limb.  This... can't... be good.

And so I began to negotiate.  I spoke to coach 1.  I spoke to coach 2.  And I spoke to the director.  And bingo. Hey, Justin... guess what?! You get to play soccer with Jasmine's team.  You know, the same team you scrimmaged with last week.  All of your friends will be there.  Isn't that cool?  And I almost turned and walked away, just assuming he'd be following behind me... until I heard, no thanks.  I rather stay with my team.

And so what could I do?  He wanted to hang with the big boys.  And I couldn't blame him.  Maturity-wise, he had no business with the 4 and 5 year olds (and he knew it).  Even Jasmine ( our ultra-competitive child) looks bored with her team at times.  Granted, there's a good chance that Justin wouldn't even be the tallest kid on Jasmine's team... but stature was the least of his concerns.  The camaraderie of the all-boys team, the excitement of implementing strategy and the competitive fuel that was visibly absent from the mob of toddlers that he scrimmaged with the week before appealed to him.  And so... even though I was still utterly baffled by his decision, I let him stay.  And I held my breath for the next 55 minutes.

In the end, he survived.  And beyond that, he absolutely loved it.  Once practice was over, he was clear to tell me and Venesa a dozen times each that he had a blast.  And so, with the first game scheduled for tomorrow (full speed, full contact, kid gloves thrown to the ground) all I can do now is cheer him on from the sidelines, hide my panic... and keep the car running with the GPS device mapped to the nearest emergency room. This is going to be interesting. Go Hawks.