Karate Kid

I have a baby ninja.  Not everyone can say that, but then again not everyone has a two year old that climbs things just to jump off yelling "Hiya!".  He also has some pretty amazing kicks that he's perfecting as well as dancing by wiggling his bum and doing straight arm karate chops, all while yelling "Hiya!" of course.  I want to look into the place here that teaches karate and see what they say about age limits.  He's obviously a natural.  We all know how much Mitch loves villains of any kind, but now when he sees them I can't tell wether he thinks he is one, or he's fighting them off.  Either way, it's equal parts nerve wracking and adorable, which leaves me worried and delighted at the same time.  He's also ninja fast.  When I'm coaching Jack's team at soccer practice I'll look around and he's right beside me, two minutes later I'll look again and he is all the way across the field taking some other kid's ball.  Does he come back when I call him?  No.  He does not.  He makes me run to him.   I had no idea that I ran funny, but apparently I do since it's all he can do to stand up straight because he's laughing so hard watching me.   It's pretty bad when a two year old can make you worried that you run like a duck.  I don't though.  Do I?

The neighbor's chihuahua was strangely silent last night, but I still had trouble sleeping.  At first I woke up because it was quiet.  Too quiet.  I found myself a teensy bit concerned for the little freak, which led to getting angry with myself for not being strong with the whole idea of peticide.  I'm so weak.  After I'm awake, it takes a long time for me to get back to sleep because I'm unable to turn my brain off.  I start thinking things like "When I wake up I need to remember to ___" or "Tomorrow I need to call ___" and it snowballs from there.  By 3:15 I was pondering the differences in the words Caribbean and  carabiner, and thought I was being completely rational when I got the idea to lift the bed onto risers today while Jordan was at work.  Let me just take a moment to assure everyone that I am fine.  I will eventually regain the use of my left arm and someday I hope to be able speak without stuttering.  The bed looks awesome however, and I have a lot more storage space underneath with the added benefit of the kids not being able to climb up by themselves anymore.  No more monkeys jumping on the bed with soccer cleats.

Pre-School for Jack is going splendidly, and he is still thrilled to go.  I hope he never loses that love of learning, and we are doing everything possible to ensure he keeps it.  His teacher says that he hugs her all the time and calls her honey, which is the highest praise from him.  She'll correct him and he will say "Okay, honey.".  I love it that he loves her, it tells me that he's comfortable there and will listen to her.  During picture day, while they were doing the class pictures he kept checking on her to make sure she was having fun, it was very sweet.  He gave me a thumbs up, then smiled at her to see if she saw his mom.  He did really well with following direction, but he had issues with keeping his hands down for the picture.  Have you seen Talladega Nights?  The part when Will Ferrell is in the interview and he doesn't know what to do with his hands right now... Jack was having the same problem.  Miss Gloria kept reaching over and gently pulling his arms down to his sides, and very slowly Jack would bring them back up and just hold them next to his face with a deer in the headlights look.  The individual pictures were a lot more successful, and they even took Mitch's picture so that we could have them match.  That was an exercise in futility if ever there was one.  Half of the pictures that the photographer took were of Mitch barely in the frame.  I stood next to his chair and would grab him as he tried to make his escape and plop him back down.  Just that quickly the guy would snap a picture, only to have an image of a laughing, running baby.  We finally got one that has him relatively stationary and everyone agreed that that was the best we could ask for.  I'm anxious to get them back, I kind of think we should've asked the photographer to choose the best one of Mitch barely in the frame, since that is how we normally see him.  He is so not the sit still on a chair kind of kid, and it's false advertising to put up a picture displaying that of him.  People are going to get the wrong idea.

We are stuck at home today, which I'd not mind normally, but I had plans for a fun afternoon with the boys.  They are showing the movie Rio at the recreation center here, and having kids crafts as well as lunch and snacks.  I thought it would be a fun diversion and a way to get out of the house, but still stay in Douglas.  But Jordan's truck wouldn't start this morning and he had to take my car to work since I wasn't about to get the kids up at 4:30 am to drive him myself.  Call me crazy, but I had just fallen back to sleep at four and wasn't willing to give that up.  Then I tried to let my friend know that I wasn't going to be joining her, only to find out that she's in the hospital having kidney stones and won't be going either.  I have another friend who is getting ready to have a liver transplant, another friend whose husband was in an accident at work and had to have surgery on his leg to put it back together, and my sister Cindi is waiting to find out if she needs surgery on her heart.  Was it a full moon last week?  It feels like an overwhelming rash of medical emergencies.  My heart and thoughts are with them all, and I wish there was more I could do to help them.  For now, if I can remember what day it is and take people their meals on time, I will consider myself helpful.