Early this morning I was busy on my computer and enjoying my mug of coffee when Miss Bit appeared looking rather refreshed after only 8 hours sleep. She's usually an 11 hour girl. For her this day is the equivalent of Christmas morning. The excitement and anticipation make sleep elusive and truthfully unnecessary. She's ready for another day just like yesterday save for the smashed finger. Oh and the bruised ego after I suggested she was being a tad bit dramatic about said finger. She's calling my bluff though and feigning uncertainty over whether or not she can play in the softball game she's been anxiously anticipating since her last game a week ago. I knew it was risky to suggest we call 911. There was half a chance she'd take me up on it. Whew!
I picked her and her most cherished friend up at lunchtime yesterday and took them out for a celebratory end of school year feast. We talked of picnicking that morning, but the day had gone from fair to somewhat foul and eating outdoors seemed rather unappealing. I was about to suggest the art museum cafe followed by a little masterpiece tour by moi, the docent, but the girls buckled in all smiles and with minds made up. We were destined for fast food chicken tenders and french fries. Ugh! And custard. OK. I realized that it was folly to even offer my idea, and I quickly summoned my inner Julie McCoy. I am working on fully accepting the fact that I am merely cruise director for the next 12 weeks, and that it is T. Bone and Miss Bit who will be setting the itinerary. After lunch, we stopped at the park so the girls could explore. Nature may rate even higher than art in my book so I was content. Just as soon as I took a seat under a voluminous tree canopy, I could see the light dancing between the leaves. Clouds parted and the sun showed up as if on cue. I held the to dos at bay while I watched the girls enjoy their first afternoon of happy freedom swinging, frogging, and just being silly 8 year olds. I could feel their joy so that it almost seemed like my own. It is mine...in a way.
T. Bone was still curled up in his dark, cozy cave of a room when I left for work hours later this morning. He was up earlier than usual yesterday. So early, in fact, I had to send his breakfast along for the commute. He requested cinnamon buns and I could only oblige, or rather indulge, despite the time crunch. Thank goodness for plastic plates and a secret stash of BW3 wipes. He was meeting a friend before school, and then after their noon dismissal a band of 6 boys rode bikes to a creamery to celebrate the end of sixth grade with double scoops. I knew before he told me : chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter cup. They spent the rest of the afternoon in perpetual contest and motion. This fact was confirmed when I inquired after the half moon eye lids he was wearing during dinner. A half pound burger put him over the edge into complete darkness.
We went out for an impromptu dinner once we were a family of four with an unexpected free night. Coach cancelled practice thanks to derecho. Suddenly it seemed like the only thing to do after spending the day dropping kids off and picking them up and never really prepping dinner. I also had a hunch that if I was sick of chicken...the rest of the family was too and times ten. So we drove North into the eye of the mounting storm, to relative peace : food cooked for us to order. Miss Bit gleefully ate her second serving of chicken tenders for the day and we let the kids share a slice of their favorite Milky Way pie despite the fact I had just taken a pan of cookie bars out of the oven before leaving. Something tells me they'll get eaten. We toasted another great academic year, 3 months off and our soon to be fourth and seventh graders. Too soon!
So after a rocky start yesterday : drive by breakfast, forgetting to take Miss Bit's end of year photo in our every year place almost resulting in driving home to take the picture, my girl forgetting her sneakers for field day causing me to drive right back to school, drive through lunch, driving rain, driving...driving...driving, it ended up all good, and that is all I can ask for.
I'm gearing up for a summer of shuttling.
