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Ninja Power

Posted on April 20, 2012 by auburnchick

My weekly morning routine is as follows:

  • Get up and get ready for work
  • Get Molly and Pele pottied and fed
  • Leave a chore list for Rooster

Rooster, you might remember, graduated early.  Though he’d found a job, he only lasted one day due to his dislike of the conditions.  So, he’s still unemployed, still sleeping in, and still enjoying his life of freedom.

I would be a bad mother if I allowed him to twiddle his thumbs in boredom each day.

So, I make a chore list for the boy.

Every.  Day.

I wasn’t sure how Rooster felt about it.  He knows not to argue.  Heck.  I’m spending ten hours a day at work.  He knows that doing these chores is his contribution to the household.

What I found on my blank sheet of paper Wednesday morning made me chuckle…

He has a sense of humor, as you can see from his drawing.

He gets it from me, as you can see from my response.

Oh, and just to make my point clear, I left him with a list of new chores (some of them change daily, according to my whim)…

For the record, I’m not telling him to poop.

He’s got that down…mastered that one before he turned a year and a half, thank you very much.

That’s shorthand for “Scoop Poop” (as in dog poop…which there’s a lot of with four dogs doing their business in the yard).

I’ve gotten lazy.

But not so lazy that my Mama Powers can’t beat out his Ninja’s.

😉

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

What’s To Come

Posted on April 19, 2012 by auburnchick

Take a look at the following picture…

On Saturday, the Mr. and Rooster went to Target for a bit of shopping.  They came home with the pillow, sheet set, towels, and kitchen stuff in preparation for August, when Rooster leaves home to attend Auburn University.

Really?

It was a shopping trip that I just couldn’t be a part of.

I’m not quite ready to start preparing for what may be one of the hardest goodbyes yet.

I did it once, when Chicky left, and I don’t even want to think about it again with my youngest Chicklet.

Sigh.

Part of me is excited, but part of me is dreading what’s to come.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

In the Blink of an Eye…

Posted on March 25, 2012 by auburnchick

In the blink of an eye, Chicky appeared, bringing with her a teammate and a huge smile that spoke of the joy that she had in surprising me by coming home for the weekend.

We packed a lot into the day and a half we had together.

First, she got to meet Gambit, who had become an official part of the family after Chicky had returned to school after New Year’s…

Gambit quickly won her heart over.  He is one of the sweetest dogs, as you can probably see from the look on his face in the above picture.

She and her friend went to the beach.  When they came home, we met my mom, her husband, Super Sis, her husband, and one of my nephews for dinner at a local restaurant…a favorite of all who visit my town.

One of the best things about this place is the view you have while you eat dinner…

After dinner, we drove to the beach and went go-carting.  What fun!  Super Sis and I got in a two-seater, and I drove.  Despite my NASCAR prowess, we got beat by a couple of girls in front of us who had a knack for blocking.

After a good night’s sleep, we got up, ditched church (sorry, Lord, but our day was crazy, so I hope you’ll forgive us), and watched as Rooster donned a tuxedo.

He was going to escort Dancing Girl to a local pageant.  It’s a traditional one, held by our garden club.  Girls dress up in hoop dresses, going all out with all of the accessories, including pantaloons!

Chicky, her friend, and I had followed Rooster to Dancing Girl’s house so I could take pictures.

After Rooster and Dancing Girl left to get pictures made at the Garden Club, I took Chicky and her friend back home.

It was time for Chicky to begin the long drive back to school.

The goodbyes were hard.

I think it’s getting harder as she gets older.  I thought it would get easier, but as she gets older, I see her less and less, and the time between visits gets longer and longer.

I gave her an Easter gift before she left…

You really can’t tell from the picture, but it’s a musical bunny (I stuffed it into a soccer ball-Easter basket).  I thought it would keep her Valentine’s elephant company.  The bunny’s ears move around as it sings.  😀

Chicky chuckled as she left, with the bunny sitting in the middle between her and her friend.

It was a GREAT weekend.  Watching as my girl interacted with her “little” brother in such a grown-up way…hugging her every time she came into the room…oh my, but I’ve got tears spilling over as I type this.

In the blink of an eye she appeared.

In the blink of an eye, she was gone again.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

The Sweetest Sound

Posted on March 24, 2012 by auburnchick

The sweetest sound that will ever enter a mama’s ear is the sound that goes something like this…

“Mama, did you miss me?”

That sound must, of course, come from a college-age child who a mama hasn’t laid eyes on in three months.

The words will come from said child as she enters the house full of glee because she spent a week planning the surprise.

This mama is one happy lady who feels a little like the cat in the picture below…

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Leaving the Teen Years Behind

Posted on January 22, 2012 by auburnchick

Today is Chickie’s birthday.

She’s 20 years old today and officially leaving teenager-dom behind.

What’s it like to have a child reach this milestone?

It’s strange, really.

To think that my baby girl is beginning the third decade of her life just seems rather odd.

People always tell you to enjoy your babies…that time will pass by quickly.

It’s difficult to appreciate their words when you’re having trouble staying awake at work because you were up all night with a screaming child who had an ear infection or sat in a steamy shower for several hours to help your child’s croup clear up.

I remember when I quit working to stay home full time.

Chickie was a very active three-and-a-half year old.  Rooster had just turned one.

I wasn’t used to being with them 24/7.  There were afternoons when I laid on the floor and begged the clock to move faster.

The adjustment period lasted three months, and then I got into the swing of things and never looked back.

Being at home for so many years and even working part time later so I wouldn’t miss the important stuff provided many opportunities for memory making.

The memories come flooding randomly these days but, especially, on birthdays.

I remember several birthday parties at the skating rink in south Florida.  Chicky learned how to politely thank her friends for Barbies they’d gifted her but that she already had at home.  She’d look over at me with a knowing look, turn back to the person, and smile and say thank you.

As a stay-at-home mom, I spent a lot of time in Chicky’s classroom in elementary school, and I remember many birthdays spent carting specially-decorated cupcakes for school celebrations.  Chicky’s eyes lit up in anticipation when I arrived with those treats.

I remember the first birthday Chicky celebrated in Podunk, USA.  She’d invited the entire soccer team…her new friends…and though we were renting a small house, the girls had a wonderful time.  I don’t remember exactly what they did that night, but I do remember a lot of laughter and, perhaps, the girls running and jumping off of couches into mattresses?  (The Mr. supervised that activity.)  I made heavily-laden chocolate chip pancakes the next morning.  The girls had to be rolled out because their tummies were so full.

I remember another birthday, this one in our new home, when the girls went out and had a silly string fight.  Poor Chicky and her naturally curly hair.  It took days to get all of the stuff out of her hair.  I was still finding silly string on my garage wall months later!

I remember Chicky’s 16th birthday when she thought she was getting a car (Rooster had given her a keychain) but got diamond stud earrings and a beautiful jewelry box instead.

There were tears of disappointment shed that day, but Chicky grew up a lot because of it, and we laugh about it now.

With Chicky gone to college, we can’t spend her birthdays with her any more, and I find that sad, relying, instead, on the mailman to deliver surprises for us.

Still, it’s a part of life…children grow up, we miss them, and we hold on to the memories of their youth.

At the same time, we anticipate the excitement of the future that awaits our now-grown children who are a little more mature (hopefully) and ready to face their futures head on.

Happy 20th Birthday to my Chicky Poo.  You’re growing into a lovely young lady, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.

I’m so grateful that the Lord brought you into my life, and I pray that as you begin your 20th year of life, you will daily praise Him and turn to Him for all things.  (I also pray that you will remember to send thank you notes for the gifts you receive…Facebook “thanks” aren’t enough.  Thanks for letting me diverge from my topic a bit.)

I love you with all of my heart.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

Bling!

Posted on December 21, 2011 by auburnchick

Tonight, my family celebrated Christmas.

Yes, I know it’s early, but it became our tradition to do so years ago after we moved to South Florida.

I wanted to have time with just the four of us…time to open our gifts to one another since we always spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day at the Mr’s parents’ house.

So, that’s what we did.

Oh, Santa still filled the stockings and dropped off the main gifts at the in-law’s house.  That continues to this day.

We’re getting ready to hit the road for a short bit, so that’s why we celebrated this evening.

It’s amazing how much more fun Christmas becomes as children get older.

This year, all of us sat on chairs, as opposed to the floor.

We had the best time laughing as we took our time digging into our packages.

Chicky and Rooster gave each other Moe’s gift cards.

We gave the Mr. a Kindle Fire, case, and an Auburn Snuggie…

I, my dear friends, got something I’d longed for since August…

BLING!!!

The Mr. got me a pearl ring to replace the one I lost last summer.  He also got me Running Water Sorrelli.  The bracelet (above) is GORGEOUS, as are the earrings (below)…

We gave Rooster a CoolPix digital camera.  He’d mentioned, a few times, how he was the only person in the family without a camera, so when Best Buy had a sale on a bundled package, we took the opportunity to get him one.

Chicky’s big gift was a pair of boots she’d had her eye on for a while.

I think that every single one of us had a great time tonight.  I know that with each year that passes, I enjoy the time even more.  I know it won’t be long before the kids are on their own with their own families.  I’ll be happy for them as new traditions are created, but for now, I’ll enjoy the ones we have.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Chicky’s Coming Home!

Posted on November 17, 2011 by auburnchick

Dear Chicky,

I am so happy that you are on your way home for Thanksgiving.

I plan to fully enjoy your presence…

First, I think I’ll let you make a nice, long grocery list of all of the things we’ll need to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.

Then, I’ll let you do your favorite thing…GROCERY SHOP!  To make things even more fun, I’ll let you use Daddy’s bank card to pay for it.  😉

Next, you’ll get to spiffy up the house.  The floors haven’t been washed in…um…well, they haven’t been washed in a while (gulp).

The dust bunnies have also set up house, so they might fight you a bit as you clean up.

Another thing I’ll need help with is dying my roots.  See, Rooster hasn’t exactly accommodated my requests to color my hair.  It will be nice to have your assistance with this monthly chore.

After you’ve finished with the above things, we’ll be all ready for the fun stuff…

DECORATING!!

I know you can’t wait to dig out the boxes from the closet, get everything out, find temporary homes for the stuff that’s currently in the house, and make this place all holiday-ish-feeling.

Yeah.

It’s going to be a fun week.

I can’t wait to get started!

Love,

Mama

Filed under: children | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

A Mini-Vacation

Posted on October 23, 2011 by auburnchick

I realize that I’ve been quiet the last few days, but I had a good reason.

You see, I went on an impromptu mini-vacation…sort-of.

I drove down to Lakeland on Thursday after I finished teaching first period.  I was going to be attending training on Friday…

My training was scheduled smack dab in the middle of two of Chicky’s games, so by going down early and staying an extra two days, I squeezed in a lot of fun!

Because I had left home so early, I was able to attend Chicky’s game on Thursday night, where I snapped off this photo…

I spent the evening in the hotel with the other teachers who had also gone down for training.

We got up early the next morning and proceeded to have loads of fun at our Kagan training (more on that in a different post).

We got finished early enough that I was able to attend Guy Friend’s soccer game.  The girl’s team had fun cheering on the boys…

That evening, I stayed with Chicky in her dorm room.  I had asked if I could, and her roommates had given the okay.  I had promised not to be in the way and crimp Chicky’s style.  Chicky went with her teammates to her coach’s house to watch game footage, so I stayed behind.

I was one tired puppy from my day of training and crashed at 10pm.  I was dead to the world when Chicky came in later that night.

The next morning, she was up early to take a friend to a hair appointment.

I had the morning to myself, where I ran to Starbucks for hot chocolate and then had a knock-down, drag-out yelling match with my GPS, who decided to take me, unbidden, down a toll road in my quest to purchase gas at a Sam’s Club.

I was ticked off, let me tell you.

You should have seen me throwing things out of my glove compartment, desperate to find my SunPass, which emitted a low, ominous “Low Balance” double honking sound.

Grrr.

I went back to the college a different way and threatened the GPS within an inch of her electronic life.

She obeyed.

Chicky returned to her room, but I stayed out of her way, as promised.  I was content to sit in her room and knit while I listened to the idle stream of chatter in the main room.

My heart swelled with longing.  It’s been too long since I’ve heard females giggle as they gossip in whispered tones.

It was interesting to observe their pre-game preparations as well.

A few of the girls headed to the locker room an hour early to have a “party.”  Chicky decided to go along.  I was proud as I heard the girls say, “It’s not a party without you there.”

I’m so happy that she’s accepted and loved.

Eventually, I made my way out to the field…

It was a cool day.  The sun was shining brightly though.  It was glorious!

I always love watching the girls pray before their games.  In a world where Christ is often shunned…where students and teachers aren’t allowed to mention God’s Word…this sight is both refreshing and soothing…

I smiled as I watched the girls go through their he-woman pump-it-up chants…

Saturday was the last home game, so it had been designated as Senior Day, when the two eldest (*ahem*) players on the team were honored…

Chicky and her teammates played their hearts out, and they won Saturday’s game (not as great an outcome on Thursday night, I’m afraid).

I returned to Chicky’s dorm, opting out of dinner since the group was going to Five Guys.  It’s not exactly a vegan-friendly place.

That was fine with me, though.  I can be somewhat of a loner, so I sat, instead, with the second installment of The Hunger Games.

Chicky came back after dinner, and we watched Chopped together before she headed to another teammate’s house to watch a movie.

As I said, I didn’t want to crimp her style.  I’m trying to mend my relationship with Chicky, and getting in her way wasn’t about to be a part of the night’s plans.

I went to bed around 11:30 and heard her come in around 1am.  Gulp.  She’s almost an adult.  I didn’t say anything except to ask if she’d had fun.

I got up this morning at the early hour of 6am and, after giving Grumpy Girl a kiss, headed home…

My mini-vacation was over.

As I write this, I feel inspired from the training and refreshed from seeing my baby girl, who doesn’t have a clue how desperately I long just to be in the same room with her.  Words don’t have to be exchanged.  Simply being is enough for me.

It must be a mama thing.

Filed under: children, Vacation | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

The Migration

Posted on October 20, 2011 by auburnchick

Dear Chicky,

I’m not sure if you remember your science lessons from of old.

If not, please allow me to refresh your young memory.

When the weather turns cold, birds migrate to the south.

Well, your birdie of a Mama (AuburnCHICK)…and don’t you start saying that I’m flighty and all…is heading south.

That’s right.

I’m heading your way…

To your little ole college town in fact.

Though I’m going down to attend an educational seminar, the timing could not have been more perfect.

You see, I’m going to be able to watch not one but two of your games!

And so, while I’m there, I hope you won’t mind welcoming me into your home away from home (or nest away from nest, if you will).

In between games and educational training stuff, we can spend some quality feather-to-feather time.

I’m sure you’re looking forward to this as much as I am.

If not, play along.

Christmas is right around the corner.

😉

See you soon!

Love,

Mama

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

His Tender Side

Posted on September 4, 2011 by auburnchick

Do you remember the blanket, hat, and booties that I made for Kat and Tyler?

Their baby girl was due on the 1st of September.

Shockingly for a first baby, Baby J arrived on her due date!

Rooster and I went by the hospital for a visit on Friday evening.

The room contained several visitors, and everyone was taking turns holding this precious poundage of love.  🙂

Imagine my surprise when my nearly six-foot, seventeen year old Rooster boy opened up his arms impatiently, indicating that he was ready to introduce himself to Baby J.

This boy has never held a newborn.

He knew nothing, I thought, about supporting a baby’s neck.

Dancing Girl, who was visiting at the time, gently handed J over to Rooster, who carefully sat in a chair.

I sat, enthralled, while this child of mine cradled that sweet little girl.

As she made little baby faces…sticking out her tongue in the process…Rooster imitated her, speaking gently to her in the process.

I snapped a photo, which I wish I could share with you.

Oh my gosh, but my heart was touched as I watched him interact with this wee one.

He loves Kat and Tyler.  He’s known Tyler for a number of years…way before there was a Kat in his life.

Tyler grew up in our church and returned to foster the kids in the youth group.

As Rooster has watched Tyler’s family grow, he has commented on how interesting it’s been to watch Tyler get married and, now, to have his own baby.

Thus, it was quite natural for him to transfer his love for this sweet, self-giving couple to their precious bundle of joy.

As I stood on the sidelines watching my own boy give his love so unselfishly, I was once again reminded how quickly time is flying by…how much my own child has grown in maturity.  I’ve always known that this boy of mine, whose teenage frustration rears its ugly head at times, has a tender side.

It wasn’t a far leap to imagine him, in a few years, cradling his own child.

It was a sweet moment for me.

Filed under: children | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

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