Today was a really nice day.

Taylor on the bench at the big high school.

I had the day off. I have tomorrow off too so I wasn't in such a rush to get everything done all at once. Kay and Jeff and I went out and had lunch together. I think Kay liked having us all to herself for a bit. She also enjoyed cookies and rice and finger painting with sweet and sour sauce.

When we got back home Kay found a marker and redecorated the house. I am really laid back about stuff like that. Marker V. Walls is just one of those things that happens when you have little kids in the house. That girl is fast though. She colored one entire section of wall, 3 pictures hanging on that wall, the TV, the TV stand, the cedar chest, some paper, a ball, a balloon, some wooden blocks, all the rest mats, 2 chairs, a few other toys, her face, arms, hands, feet, shoes, and outfit and the toy piano. Everything was purple and orange. I should have taken a picture before I cleaned up because it was one impressive mess. It all washed right off with a little water. Washable markers are wonderful.

We got most of the rest of the cleaning done too because Jeff and Cam were helping me a lot. I love having a clean house but I also understand that I don't have a lot of free time. I am trying to let it go. It doesn't need to be perfect it is more important to have quality family time. The kids aren't going to remember that the house was spotless all through their childhoods but they will remember spending time together so that is what I am going to focus on. I would like the house to be clean enough to avoid being condemned though.

When Taylor got home I took him to NHN for the course fair. It wasn't real informative because it was so crowded and you couldn't really hear what the teachers were saying. We decided to go off and find our own fun. So we renegades went on a scavenger hunt looking for funny teacher names. I figured we would learn our way around the school that way. I actually went to school there once but it was still Longfellow middle school then so it is very different now remodeled as the high school. I couldn't even recognize the place. It is gigantic. We kept getting lost. We wandered for a long time and I am still not sure we saw all of the building.

Here is what we did learn. Lots of people have giant fros at NHN. Words like boomchickawowwow and persnickety playboy make Connor LOL and LMAO. The bathrooms are painted really cool colors.

You can find lots of fun hiding places.
Taylor's favorite hiding spot near the library.

Even though I am old I can still appreciate juvenile humor. Weiner -- Ha, Ha!

We learned how to be fancy.

Things that make you fancy -- drinking tea, wearing a suit, winning a writing contest.

Some teachers hate cookies.



Taylor got to see what it's like to ride on a zamboni-ish floor waxer.

Kids can get away with stuff if they have an “adult” with them. Shhh! Don't tell anyone I let him ride the whatever it is while the custodian was distracted.

Some of the teachers do have really funny names but they can be hard to find.

Mr. Pigg

Maeder -- Darth Maeder and Tow Maeder

Goodey

ILL

Seriously? Is there really a teacher named ILL? Guess we will have to find out in August.

Taylor is really good at thinking up funny poses and settings for pictures.

He may be laughing but I think he just fractured his spine.

Drama Lama

We got to meet the mascot.

Pick your friends. Pick your nose. Why not pick a timberwolf's nose.

They don't actually offer AP classes until junior year but Taylor can take college prep English during his freshman year. They have fake babies with computer chips that tell on you if you don't take good enough care of them.

They have a class called reading for pleasure where you can read books -- lots and lots of books. That class happens to be taught by Ms. Claudia Swisher who was one of my teachers back in 9th and 10th grade. She is awesome and she remembered me even though it’s been like 19 years since I was at West with her. She gave me a big hug and said “Oh my goodness you turned into an adult. How did that happen?” Then I said “Yeah, and how did I end up with a 14 year old getting ready to start High School?” She was so excited to meet Taylor. She said she would take care of him and that he would hang out with her just like I used to because she is still in charge of teen volunteers. I think Taylor and I both felt better after seeing her. I know she will look out for him and he knows he can find her if he has any trouble. Thank Goodness he isn't as shy as I was back in the day.

When we got home we ordered pizza as a surprise for the kids. We don't eat out much or have food delivered much so it was a nice treat for them. Cam was very sleepy and was having a rough day. I think he was sad because I went out with Taylor and didn't get to spend much time with him. I helped him and Kay with bath time then we drew some pictures. Taylor was helping him make a chalk outline picture. So he was lying down and Taylor was tracing around him. It came out really cute but Cam kept saying it wasn't quite right. He gets a little conflicted when he is tired. Even when you do what he wants it isn't really what he wanted. So he was sent off to bed. That was the only not so great part of the day. I told him we could do something special tomorrow. We are going to go to Aunt Sarah's for a play date. Then I told Cam he can pick something special for just the 2 of us. So we will probably get ice cream or a happy meal then color some more pictures. He is quite the artist.

I am feeling really happy. Life isn’t always easy but it is very good. I think it is really important that I had a special day just enjoying an ordinary day. I look forward to another one tomorrow.