Running Away ...

This morning Big D had apparently had enough.  Enough of what?  I'm still not quite sure.  But, being the youngest, being 3 years old and always feeling like someone is either laughing at you, purposely not playing with you, or just not feeling big enough to do what everyone else is doing couldn't possibly have anything to do with it!  It was a pretty ordinary morning.  I slept in ... not so ordinary ... so the kids had been up for awhile and we were trying to get things together to get out the door - Master S had one more day of golf camp.  Everyone was still in pj's, Master S had some homework for golf?!, there was nagging about eating, getting dressed, making beds - the usual.  There was a squabble about a balloon (my birthday balloon) between Miss Lilly and Big D, there was climbing on things that he can't get down from and then there was yelling and a 'I just need to GO! GO! GO!' which I really didn't pay attention to - bad mommy moment - and all of a sudden the front door closed, which I wasn't too concerned about because Big D will often go out the front door and sit on the front step when he has had enough of the craziness in our home.  Usually I'll give him a few and go out and talk, hold him on my lap and coax him back into the cool air conditioning.  But this time, Miss Lilly started yelling at me from upstairs -- "Mom!  Big D is walking away and he is not coming back!"

I was still in my pj's -- I walked out the front door and he was already two houses down, in his pjs, no shoes walking on the sidewalk.  I yelled, he did not respond.  I yelled louder, he did not respond.  I started walking, he started walking faster.  He made it to the stop sign before I caught up with him.  And all he could say was:
"I'm running away!'
What about lunch?
"I don't want any!"
What about bedtime?  Where will you sleep?
"I don't want any!"
What would I do without my Big D?
"I want my Daddy!"
So I picked him up, carried him home, and called his Daddy, where he recounted the whole experience to him through tears, handed the phone to me and literally dried up all the drama in a matter of a second and cheerfully said to Miss Lilly, "Let's go play!"
(figuratively throwing my hands in the air here)
Oh!  I've never had a child run away!  Seriously ... as an oldest child I'm going to really have to think a little more about what it is like to be the last one, the youngest one, the never quite big enough one.  I'm going to have to look into some child proof locks. 

when 96 degrees feels like 115 ...

Heat Index.  It's a new term for me.  One that I'm not sure I'm very thrilled about.  I keep trying to picture the gray skies and ice in the depths of winter, in hopes that it might make me more happy to be enduring 'excessive heat'.  Yes, that is a term used to describe the weather warning here right now.  It is about 96 degrees on the thermometer, but it feels like (according to the heat index) 115.  HOT!  is all I can say.  The kind of hot that melts any motivation.  The kind of hot that makes a milk cartoon sweat excessively even in an air conditioned home.  The kind of heat that makes my hair curl - literally, and I don't have naturally curly hair :)  The kind of heat that actually makes me want to sit in front of a fan and just drink water all day - no food, just water.  I really can't imagine living in Indiana without air conditioning!  Yes - I know my friends in the south endure much worse than this for much longer periods of time, but I don't live in Texas!  Walking out of the house is like walking into a wall of wet, sticky, hot like a sauna, only it is very damp, air.  Even going to the pool wasn't as refreshing as I had hoped.  Just kinda drains all the energy out of you.  It does fit the theme well for our Relief Society meeting tonight - 'Sizzlin Summer Service'.  Thank heavens we will be indoors, enjoying the company of other sisters as we sew blankets and burp cloths for a local hospital's mother/newborn unit.  Just wishing I could escape to the mountains for some cool air today!

July!

Master S and Miss Lilly participated in Piano Camp again this year!  Master S' piano teacher each summer has all the kids she teaches in each age group meet together for an hour each week instead of individual lessons.  They learn to play multiple part pieces (piano duets, quartets etc.) all month and then have a recital at the end.  They get to play on keyboards, experiment with beat and sound and learn a lot about playing together with other students.  There was even a french horn and viola this year which was fun too.  

Miss Lilly's group was called 'The Red Roses' and they chose to wear red and white dresses.  She isn't officially taking piano lessons, but has been begging me - and Master S' teacher knew that, so invited her to participate in piano camp, which she loved!  She learned some simple songs, like chop sticks and monkey in a tree and a simple warm up, hopefully enough to keep her entertained at the piano until she is really ready for lessons - maybe next year.    

Master S and one of his friends from piano camp - their group called themselves 'The Keyboard Kids'.  Obviously much more casual - they chose to wear black and white.  I mistakenly called Master S' glasses, 'sunglasses' and was quickly corrected, "They are shades, (big roll of the eyes) Mom!".

This weekend we get to celebrate the 4th :)  I love this holiday!  Probably because it means, food, fireworks, ice cream, fireworks, late nights, fireflies, food, friends, neighbors, water and swimming, and more food!  Master S and I put together some pennant banners to hang on the porch.  They turned out great and cleaned out some scraps in my overly stuffed fabric bins!  Double yea!  And J.D. got a flag for Father's Day ... we are feeling very patriotic this year.