The Latta Family

Ever since Alexa arrived on our scene, Andrew has claimed that a little brother would be better.  I have been unable to convince him that sometimes little brother's can be real pain in the rear ends too.  He's insisted, a little brother would be WAY better, until last night . . . Last night we went with our rec league to the Charlotte Knight game.  There were lots of parents, coaches, and kids that we knew.  We sat in front of a couple of brothers from another team.  They were 8 years old and . . . maybe 6?  The little brother was bugging the hell out of his big brother.  He wasn't doing anything, that any other little brother has never done before.  At one point, he was dropping ice cubes down his big brother's shirt.  There was a LOT of tattle tailing going on.  I was laughing.  (Other kids misbehavior is always funnier than when it's your own kids.) At one point, Andrew leans over and whispers, "Man, they're doing a lot ...

Folks, I must really like the way my foot tastes because I sure do eat it a LOT.  The other day a lady stops to talk to me about Alexa's curls.  She thrills my vain, shameful soul and says, "I just love her sweet curls!  I just want to touch them!"  I smiled and said, "I understand.  I love them too.  However, I am fully prepared for her to break my heart one day and cut them, or color them some weird color, or some other atrocious act."  The lady smiles understandingly, and points to a teenaged girl standing next to her with teal colored hair, "You mean like this?"  Doh!

Thirteen years ago, I doubt Doug and I imagined a rainy Sunday morning with kids racing around the house with Hulk hands, screaming and tackling each other, sticky with syrup from our waffles at breakfast.  On this day 13 years ago, Doug proposed.  Lord, it took him forever.  I don't know why- I prove continuously how delightful I am.  ;-) We had dated for well over a year.  Again, I don't know what the hold up was.  I knew within two weeks of hanging out with him, I needed to look no further, he was It.  Looking back, I am glad we dated for awhile.  We both knew what we were getting into.  We knew I was a neat freak, Doug . . . not so much, we knew how each other grieved (or did not- in my case), we knew how we handled stress, we knew how we made big purchases (I buy immediately, Doug takes over a year to decide). As far as I know, the biggest surprise after we got married was, I was not a morning person.  Doug wakes up...

Andrew has recently begun to act more aggravating than I am capable of sanely dealing with.  Alexa will be playing quietly (really) and some random, testosterone driven compulsion will over take him, and he'll run in and scream "BOOOOO" at her, until she's screaming like a banshee and then he'll walk away as though nothing just happened.  Alexa will jump up and run in to tattle on him, "ANDREW SCARED ME!!!"  (thanks- I couldn't tell- by the abrupt and violent end to our peaceful moment).  Or yesterday evening I was bending over planting some plants and he sneaks up behind me, and smacks me on the rear.  (I have perhaps confessed before, we're a bottom smacking family, the trouble is- Andrew is starting to smack hard.  It really hurts.  Smacks that hurt, are just simply unacceptable.  Smacks for fun . . . totally cool.) This morning Doug was sitting on the couch eating his cereal.  Andrew ran to the couch, just bef...

One day last week Andrew informed me he needed to start wearing a cup when he was at practice or games.  I feel like this topic, is one for his father.  I am no expert on what constitutes wearing a cup or what situation demands a boy to wear one.  I know it is recommended, but let's face it, this generation has no fun for all the safety precautions we're always taking for them.  I suggested Andrew talk to his Dad about it.  I don't know if he did or not, but I am guessing he did not.  For whatever reason, we happened to have a spare cup just laying around (actually it was in Doug's coach's bag.  I had to buy it last spring, in case the tournament Andrew was playing in, insisted on him wearing one).  Andrew discovered it on Sunday and has been driving me crazy with it since. He spent the better part of the afternoon saying, "Hey Mom, throw this ball at me, so I can see if this cup works!"  WHAT?!!!  Who does that?!  Ok....

As I was fixing dinner tonight, I was thinking back on all the dinners I've fixed since Friday and became a bit mortified.  I am so mortified, I'm going to blog about it- and hope my mother and mother in law don't read this post, plus a few other people.  They'll be appalled.  And rightfully so. In the spring, we're like lots of people: busy.  School work is mounting as end of the year responsibilities pile up for teachers.  Doug has several extra curricular activities.  Andrew has extra curricular activities.  There's school programs and celebrations.  Oh yeah, yard work, cleaning the house, laundry, parenting . . . the list goes on.  So in the spring, I have to be willing to let things slide a bit.  I am not willing to let the house slide, I can't stand for it to get messy and disorganized.  I don't let the laundry slide, I hate giant piles of laundry, plus waking up to find I have no clean underwear.  I don't let the yar...

There is no possible way for me to make you understand how much my class, myself, and the assistants LOVE this field trip.  We start looking forward to next year's prom, on the way back from today's.  Let me explain what it is: the Key Club from one of the school district's high school's; plans and puts on a prom for seven of the high school Special Needs classes throughout the district.  It ends up being about 70- 80 Special Needs students.  They hire a dj, a local church allows us to use their fellowship hall, they decorate, and serve us lunch.  We get there about 10am and leave around 12:45.  It is quite honestly my most favorite 2 hours and 45 minutes of the year, and I am not alone.  It's awesome from the moment they walk in the classroom that morning.  They are so cute to each other.  They rave about how good they each look, and brag about their cool tie, nice dress, or new haircuts.  I like t...