The Latta Family

This afternoon, I was pulling into the grocery store parking lot, and a lady was walking across the street into the store with the CUTEST 2-ish year old.  She had curly red hair.  Was wearing pink leggings and crocks, and her little feet were just pumping trying to keep up with mom.  I got to missing little bitty Alexa something fierce! Can you blame me?!!!  That girl was so stinking cute.  Temperamental as all get out, but CUTE!!!! So I got my groceries, and came home.  My family came out to greet me, and my children helped carry groceries in.   As I was walking out to the car to get another load- I realized, "Huh.  They got it all."  I didn't have to find a ridiculously light bag for Alexa to carry because she found one on her own to carry, and closed the car up for me.  Andrew actually loves to get groceries out of the car, and likes to carry as many heavy loads as he can.  It makes him feel strong and helpful.  Y'all- ...

Dinner time is always an entertaining time in my house.  Sometimes the entertainment is fun and enjoyable.  Sometimes it's an exercise in patience.  Sometimes you just have to shake your head. Cause, I mean- really?!  Alexa and I walked in the house around 5:15 tonight and I was starved.  I didn't eat lunch today and I was reaching a dangerous point.  Doug offered to go buy something, but I didn't have time for that. Dinner had to happen, and it needed to happen right. this. minute!!!!!!!!!!!!  Since today is Shroud Tuesday, and National Pancake Day (thanks Timehop on Facebook for reminding me) I decided to make a super fast breakfast for dinner: pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon.  Alexa gets her plate first.  I always give her her plate first, so she can get settled and hopefully by the time the rest of us sit down, she'll be there.  Sometimes that backfires and she's still flitting around somewhere. Tonight she was sitting and wai...

The other day Andrew and I went to the grocery store.  I just needed a few things.  I got my items, and an epiphany. When it came time to carry the bag to the car . . . he insisted on carrying it.  I walked out of the grocery store with nothing but my car keys.  I wasn't pushing a cart with a screaming kid. I wasn't trying to keep track of children's items, or thinking I needed to change a diaper before we drove 3 miles home because the disaster was near.  I didn't have toys or Lovey's spilling out of my bag.  I had a debit card in my pocket, and keys in my hand. He carried the groceries.  He got our courtesy sugar cookie from the container.  I just stood there. He didn't ask to get items.  He didn't pout when I wouldn't buy . . . whatever tempting things came into view.  He had an honest to God conversation with me as we walked through the store.  I didn't have to physically steer him around customers.  I didn't have to ...

On Friday, I was talking with a co-worker about my exciting weekend plans and how I was determined to have all the laundry folded when I went to bed that evening.  (Let's just ignore how lame my Friday night plans are- that's not the point of this post). We began a conversation about how much we HATE laundry.  As we were talking, it turns out: she's a far nice mother/wife than I am.   We were commiserating about the aggravations of laundry, but I kept saying, "Oh . . I don't do that." For example:  1. putting socks together for the boys.  I don't do that. 2. When folding laundry- turning shirts/pants/socks/underwear if they're wrong side out- I don't turn them right side in.  Not my thing. (You get them back- the way you turned them in.  Just cleaner- possibly.  If your socks are thrown in all balled up- they're probably not that much cleaner.)   3. Ironing clothes . . . Nope.  Not that either 4. Once I got the clothes, put th...

I think this story of my son and Dad perfectly captures their relationship and their personalities. Andrew, Alexa, and I went down to my parents while Doug went to the Eastern part of the state to help with the Hurricane Matthew rebuilding efforts.  On Saturday evening, we decided to eat some pizza for dinner.   At 6:00, Dad, Andrew, and I set out to go pick up the pizza, so that Alexa could have her dance party without Andrew yelling at her to stop, and her yelling back, and blah blah blah.  Keep in mind the following things: 1. we're on our way to pick up pizza.  2. we had been snacking a good portion of the afternoon.  3. the pizza place is perhaps 8 minutes from my parents house. As we're driving down the road, Andrew turns to my dad and says, "Hey!  We should get an ice cream cone before we pick up the pizza!"  My dad responds, "YEAH!  Let's do it."  The thing is- my dad: an adult, a gainfully employed grown up, the receiver of sen...

Yesterday was a probably the most stressed I have been at school in a really really long time.  With exams starting yesterday morning, it was coo-coo for Cocoa Puffs.  What added to my stress was my anxiety about a student.  He has a VERY hard time dealing with stress.  The days leading up to exams had been . . . emotional for him.  I understand his anxiety- I do not begrudge his anxiety.  However- I had no idea how I was going to help him get his meltdown resolved, and get an exam started with my class- all in a flutter because we were in a different classroom, and answer 5 bazillion questions from the other students who were all thrown off by the change in schedule.  Just thinking about multi-tasking all of that . . . had me freaking out.  In addition to the other crazy things that had happened that morning: like an excessively snotty nose, and a crazy itchy ear from the Poison Oak. As I was walking towards the trailer to start testing, my stu...

I've been with Doug for 19+ years.  You would think at this point he wouldn't catch my by surprise, but every now and then . . . Way back when Andrew was in kindergarten, he told his teacher "my dad's just an agriculture teacher. He doesn't know how to read."  I still laugh about that.  It's just so funny, because honestly, Doug is one of the smartest people I know (obviously- he knew to marry me.  :-)  But Andrew's perception of his dad, and how he told his teacher.  Hahahaha Alexa is watching something on Netflix this afternoon, and one of the characters yells out, "BELLA!!!!!"  Doug overhears it, and yells out, "STELLLAA!!!!"  If you don't know- (which I only know because I teach in junior English classrooms and we read this play) he just quoted "Streetcar Named Desire."  What the what?!  Can you believe that?  Just goes to show . . . Ag Teachers are like onions.  They have layers.