10/26/2012

1.  Friday!  The big boys had an orthodontist appointment in the morning-- a really quick one this time.  They'll be getting their herbst appliances in two weeks.  I know they are so excited about that.  :-)

2.  Ben stayed home from work to study.  He's been studying SO hard.  I hope he passes his exam next week.

3.  Brigham and Joseph's costumes came in the mail today, which precipitated an unplanned 45-minute diversion from normal schoolwork while they opened the box and put everything on.  They're pretty big costumes (teen size!), but they'll do, and hopefully they'll be able to wear them for a few years at least. They already have plans to dress up in their camouflage fatigues and go prowling around in the forest next to our house.  We made the connection that Brigham has dressed in some sort of combat-related costume for four of the last five years.  In 2008 he was dressed as a medieval knight, in 2009 he dressed as a Civil War soldier, in 2011 he was a British Regular (red coat), and this year he is a modern U.S. soldier.  I'm sensing a theme.  :-)  And if you count Spiderman in 2006 (soldier for justice perhaps?), and a dementor in 2007 (part of Voldemort's army maybe?), that makes 6 of the past 7 years as being combat-related.  Maybe he should be thinking about a career in the military.  :-)

4.  School went pretty well today, orthodontist appointments and unplanned diversions notwithstanding.  Joseph had a bit of a meltdown at the end.  I can't even remember what he was upset about, but I found him lying on the couch in the living room, tears running down his cheeks.  There is nothing that deflates my aggravation more quickly than seeing my boys cry.  If they ever learn to cry on demand, I'm in deep trouble. Anyway, I went over to sit by him and talk to him.  One thing about Joseph-- as often as we go head-to-head sometimes, and as mad as he can get at me, he is almost always affectionate and willing to sit next to me and talk to me.  Makes me feel a little better about the heated words that are sometimes directed against me-- he still loves me.  Anyway, I discovered that he was really worried about his archery competition next week-- his first one.  He still doesn't have his own bow.  He ordered one last week, but it hasn't come yet, and he was feeling panicked that it wouldn't come in time, or even if it did, that he wouldn't have enough time to practice on it and he'd do badly in the competition.
I love that he has something he cares about so much.  I hope he'll be able to maintain perspective and not let the flip-side of that passion give him too much heart-ache.  I tried to be reassuring, but mostly I think he just needed to let that out, and soon enough he was cheerful again.

5.  The boys went to a Halloween party in the evening at the Eckholdts' house.  They had a great time, by all reports.  I went to a dinner at my friend Jacqui's new house in Pflugerville with several other ladies from our ward (or formerly from our ward).  Fun night!  Jacqui had us play a little game-- she gave everyone a secret word or phrase that we had to try to work into the conversation without getting "called out" on it.  It was pretty funny.  Examples were "Too legit to quit," "Hogwash," and "Fiduciary."  Mine was "It's a Christmas miracle!"  And I managed it!  Fun idea for a gathering like that.  I'm glad I went.  My introvert self, when it comes right down to it, would almost always rather just stay home and read or watch a movie or something, but afterwards I'm always glad I went.  It's good to have friends, and I need to work on being a better one.

6.  I stayed up ridiculously late making chili for the ward Halloween party tomorrow.  It's the same recipe with which I won my one and only chili cook-off 7 years ago.  It is a great recipe, but really needs to be made the day before to taste the best.  So on my way home from dinner, I stopped at HEB for a few things, and then stayed up way, way too late chopping vegetables and browning meat.  I made a double recipe, though, one to take, and one to freeze, so it wasn't totally time wasted.  :-)