Did Anything Special Happen to You Today?

I will give you a sneak peek into our day ... more fun to come when I edit pictures (a first for me ... I usually just put them up however they come out of the camera) It was quite a day!

As Heard in Kindergarten ... Prepare to Laugh!

It came to our attention today that a mom in one of the other Kindergarten classes is going to have a baby. To which my friends asked when I was going to have a baby.

Um, not planning on it any time soon.

Serick then informed me that I had already had a baby.

Then our conversation went something like this ...

S: If you have another baby, what will you name him?
Me: Serick. (And, I must brag ... I am rather pleased with myself for that quick response because it was quick. As quick as a wink. As quick as a flash. As quick as ... you get my point.)
S: Serick! Is that because I am the best boy ever?
Me: Insert belly laugh here. Loud belly laugh. It tickled me so.

I thought it was funny. Very funny. Obviously ... I am retelling it here so that I remember it always. But, I dare say it might have actually meant something to Serick.

Because when one of my assistants came in he informed her that "IF Mrs. Townsend would have another baby, but she said there was NO WAY that would happen, but if she did, she said she would name him Serick because I am the best boy ever!"

Scrumptious he is. Absolutely scrumptious.

And, then later in the day I heard Rachel say "My mom is 31. She is really old ..." and when she said that last part she rolled her eyes.

And, in an instant my 41-year-old-self felt, well, ancient.

Last year was hard. On a good day I questioned my career choice. Imagine how I felt on a bad day. Funny, I would take every one of them back again ... I loved them that deeply.

But, this class ... what can I say. They are just something special. They have given me something I didn't think possible. Because of this little class of Littles, last year is slowly being erased away until all I can remember is the joyful times. The good days. They are a gift. And, they have given me a gift.

Redemption.

Why I Did Not Call

I did not call my brother and sisters on Thanksgiving.

It wasn't because I was selfish. Or because I was waiting for them to call. Or because I wasn't thinking of them. The reason I didn't call was because this year I was missing the kids table. A lot.

I spent the last two days baking my fingers to the bone. And, all the while I was wishing you were here.

I drank a lot of cups of coffee. And, wished you were with me. And, I would have even shared my Pumpkin Spice coffee with you.

I pulled out the most glorious looking turkey out of the oven. And, I wished you were here. You would have understood why it pleased me so. And, why I took pictures of it.

I got up early to make the rolls. So early. And, wished you were here. Because as much as I grumbled and rolled my eyes about making them, I secretly delighted in making them for you.

I even watched Star Trek for Ryan and Amanda. And, in this moment you know exactly how much I missed you.

I thought of the kids table. And wondered how old we were when we no longer sat at the kids table. Did we know that last year that it would be our last? If we had would we have cherished it? Probably not. Because we were kids and we were stupid like that.

Remember the table from when we were really little ... when we played host and hostesses to Kim and Kelly? When we would see how many olives we could eat before Mom realized we were sneaking olives? When we would laugh until milk came out our noses?

Remember the Thanksgivings with the Roberts? How we looked forward to that weekend. And, then the year the Bowens came too? Bonus.

Remember Dr. Sherwin's pie? Oh how we laughed when we cut into the special pie and there was wax paper in it. I believe that would also be the time we learned that if you save your calendars for 11 years you can reuse them. Double bonus.

Or, the year of the homeless man? I can't remember him being there. There was always a cast of strange people at our Thanksgiving table. He was not out of the ordinary. Isn't that sad?

This Thanksgiving we were over a thousand miles apart. I knew what you were doing even though I was not with you. Mostly because I was doing the same things. I knew what you were eating. Mostly because I was eating the same things. I knew what you were thankful for. Mostly because I was thankful for similar things. I was (and am) thankful for you ... were you thankful for me too?

And, so this Thanksgiving I did not call. Not because you were not in my heart. Not because I didn't think about you. But because I was missing that kids table too dern much.

The First Step is Admitting You Have a Problem

I will admit to my fondness of all things pumpkin. Pumpkin candles. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin pie. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin ice cream. Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses. Pumpkin. Pumpkin. Pumpkin.

Our newspaper had an article about the scarcity of canned pumpkin this year. It seems Nestle (maker of the Libby brand) couldn't harvest it's crop because of heavy rains. So, it can and probably will become impossible to find in the coming months.

I read blogs. I had heard about the scarcity of the canned pumpkin. In some areas. Not in Texas it seemed, because good ole' HEB always had canned pumpkin on the shelves. Subconsciously I may or may not have started picking up cans ...

And, I may have single handedly caused the current pumpkin crisis.
Dean came into the kitchen tonight to see this. Oh, yes intervention is needed. Right after I make some pumpkin bread.

Pumpkin pie anyone?

Arabian Nights

Torrey just completed a three-night run of her last middle school musical. This year they performed "Aladdin." It was amazing ... from beginning to end. Last night we were lucky to have front row seats.

Well, actually we were in the front row of chairs ... there were 12 lucky littles in front of us on "magic" carpets. Most of them are in my class ... I opened snacks and waters and answered "how much longer 'til it starts" about 100 times. It felt like a Monday morning. HA! Once it started ... not a peep. Oh, and there were light up wands. But, they told one rule follower they could only turn them on for a certain song and she made sure NO ONE turned them one before. It is good to have at least one rule follower in the group!

I did bring my camera, but I warn you. I tried to turn off the flash. I should have practiced in advance. It wasn't taking the pictures in a fast enough speed and many of them are wonky. I did get a few good ones. I would love to blame the camera ... but, it was probably the operator!

Quick! Go get some coffee ... you are going to need it to make it through this post!Before the performance, Torrey came out to take pictures with the "golden ticket" holders. This little one could be Torrey's clone ... both in appearance and temperament.

Torrey had two roles ... in the beginning, she was a grocer/townsperson. (She was supposed to have a solo, but everyone wound up saying it because they needed more volume. Her "solo" was actually the word "scoundrel." For two weeks I went around the house trying to get her to say it different ways and verrrrrry long ("scoundrelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!") so that she could make her solo last longer than it was supposed to. I may have burst into laughter if she had actually said it last night.) She ended the night as a Prince Ali dancer.
During "Arabian Nights," there were 77 kids in the performance and all 77 were on the stage during this number. Can you see our girl?
This was the coolest thing of the night (Torrey's "scoundrel" solo WOULD have been the coolest thing ...). This was when Aladdin tricked the Genie into getting him out of the Cave of Wonders. They built a flying carpet ... see the girl's head at the front? She is the flying carpet (usually she was flip flopping around in her other costume). She poked her head through the foam and the Genie stood in the back and pushed the "carpet" all over the auditorium. It was very cool. (Torrey was a bit miffed they forgot to put the Genie's legs on ... oops!)
Here she is as an Ali Dancer during "Prince Ali." Quite the transformation from the townsperson/grocer!
I will admit that rehearsals took a toll on all of us ... but, to see her up on the stage, so happy, made it all worth it!
Gram was able to come and see her tonight ... she really loved the front row! And, yes, Torrey is at least a foot taller than Gram. She had to lean down to her size!
Zac and Nicole came too. Zac is the middle school pastor at HFBC and his wife Nicole is Torrey's small group leader. I cannot say enough great things about Zac and Nicole. We are so thankful that they were willing to come to something that is important to Torrey. They are building relationships in these kids as they are helping them build a relationship with Christ. There is a reason her youth group is so tight ... and it is because of the relationships that are being built.

They also brought their pumpkin Emmalyn with them ... but she was sleeping and we didn't want to wake her up!
Torrey signed a few autographs. Which totally cracked me up. And, totally thrilled her.

And, then she had me scoot around and take pictures with some of her friends ...
Torrey and the Genie. Let me say this, he was amazing. Paul thought he was a teacher and kind of freaked out when we told him he was in Torrey's grade. Fake muscles, Paul. I am pretty sure he will still be blue on Monday!
Torrey and her friend, Susie. Susie was one of the narrators.
Raja, who is a tiger. I mistakenly called her a lion. Sorry. She is clearly a tiger. And, clearly cute.
Torrey and Iago. Enlarge this picture and look at his eyelashes. Go now. They are actually blue feathers. He was amazing. And, a scene stealer. He made the mistake of doing the Iago voice in class once ... and was given the part because they knew he could do the voice. It was the perfect role for him. I kept forgetting he was an 8th grader and kept thinking he was a bird. He was that good.
There is one in every group. Torrey and the Sultan (aka Jasmine's father). He was very good as well.
Torrey and Jasmine. She was perfect for the role and did a fantastic job.

It was a lot of work. A lot of work. My hat goes off to her drama and music teachers who pulled this off. They took a gang of middle school kids, somehow got them to listen and do what they needed them to do and pulled off a Broadway musical.

And, Torrey ... we are so proud of you! You went to late rehearsal more times than we care to count and still managed to keep up your grades. You were respectful and kind ... even though you were exhausted and wanted to scream. You delighted in the parts that your friends got ... even when their parts were much bigger than yours. You didn't cry when I pulled your hair really hard to get it up into that tight pony tail. You encouraged your friends when they were down. You hit the stage and played your part with all that you had. You never once got out of character ... even when Dillon screamed your name. When it didn't look like Lindsay could come, you were gracious ... knowing that it was out of her control. You have amazed us these past few months and we couldn't be prouder to be your parents!

Coming Soon to a Computer Near You!

We are heading out shortly for the last Aladdin performance. When we get home tonight I will post pictures of the fun. Until then ...

Thankful Thursday

Know what I am thankful for tonight?A husband who makes me laugh.

Please pray I don't get into big trouble when he realizes what I have done.