Since Thursday, I’ve been hopping with Homecoming madness. The girl came home from school with a note that said something about participating in the Homecoming parade, and I didn’t pay attention to it.
The past week, this pregnancy has really sucked pretty much everything out of me. I just didn’t have it in me to help with a float.
AND THEN.
The day before the parade, my daughter came home from school and announced that she was going to be in the parade. She was going to wear a mask. She was going to throw candy.
Oh, and she was going to have chalk in her hair.
I was at a loss. She didn’t ASK, and she was so dead set on it that there was no wiggle room for me to whine my way out of it, “Can’t we just stay home, pleeeeeeease?”
I mentioned it to my little brother.
“Lacy’s decided she’s GOING to be in the parade. Are you going?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’m in it.” He said.
“You’re going to ride on your class float?” I asked. I was a little confused. It was sort of out-of-character for him.
“No,” he sighed, “I’m on the royalty float.”
And then I proceeded to make a scene, the likes of which I made when my sister was nominated for Homecoming royalty… the likes of which drive my younger siblings crazy. I tend to get worked up about every little thing in their life. My sister put up with it patiently-ish… only a few eye rolls now and then.
Jim made sure to throw lots of candy to his nieces and nephews… and the boy sported his irrigation boots. Thank goodness, I mean, LOOK at all that flood water (*sarcasm*).
We did chalk up the kids’ hair. I didn’t do a very good job since the only colored chalk I have on hand is the dry stuff they use on blackboards and I really should have been using the softer chalk (not oil based) they sell at craft stores. Don’t worry: it’s on my list. The kids absolutely went NUTS for their colored hair.
After the parade, I went to the school pep rally to hear if my brother had won the royalty for his class.
There’s a few things you should know about Homecoming at this point.
1) In small towns, homecoming is a HUGE event.
2) We wrestle in Jell-o.
3) The homecoming game is -without fail -one gigantic reunion when people from miles away come “home” and spend more time visiting about old times than actually watching our football boys play the game (which, by the way, they are insanely good at. Seriously, they slaughter everyone).
My kids couldn’t wrap their minds around the Jell-o wrestling.
Why are they doing it?
Why is everyone yelling?
What’s going on?
It’s loud.
Can we go home now?
Mom, it smells like Jell-o…
My brother and his wife were here for a few days, and we were able to go enjoy Root Beer Floats with them after the pep rally. I had to snap this picture of niece, KyKy. I’ve probably told you this before, but I want to EAT this KID!
My brother and his wife didn’t just bring Root Beer Float fixings with them -they also brought their dogs! We’ve all fallen in love with their Italian Greyhounds. While visiting with my sister-in-law their dog, Rari, climbed up on me and wrapped himself around my belly:
I also scheduled a family photo shoot with Mike and Brittany while they were here. Do you know what that means?!?!!?!
Well, it means you should be jealous -because Mike and Brittany are a husband and wife professional photography team and they are the best!!
HERE is their site.
And here’s what they did for us last year:
I can’t wait for this year’s shoot!!! I know I’ll be as big as a house, but I don’t even care. Their pictures are so awesome that even my housiness can’t mess them up.
Anyway, I stayed at the homecoming pep rally for an hour before I had to leave, and just as I was pulling out of the parking lot… my aunt texted me that my brother had won royalty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had JUST missed the announcement, so I made sure NOT to miss the game!
Whoo-hoo!
It made me nostalgic for my sister. This was 5 years ago:
Five years ago, she held Lacy in her arms while she waited to be crowned:
Five years later, that tiny little thing was shaking her bum-bum with the cheerleaders on Homecoming night:
Because I’ve been hopping all around, I was too tired to cook last night. I ordered pizza from our little pizza shop here in town and as I brought him home managed to spill half of a Root Beer all down the front of myself.
I’m talented like.
Sorry -no picture proof.
Also: sitting in Root Beer while you drive makes you speed. Thank goodness I didn’t get stopped. Can you imagine?
“Sorry, officer, but I’m soaking up carbonation in ways that are just… unnatural…”
AND BEFORE I GO -I have to share you with you perhaps the GREATEST thing that has ever happened to me.
Marriage and kids aside, of course.
I was able to substitute teach SEMINARY! My Bishop called me and asked if I would like to do it, and it was like someone calling and saying -in essence “Hey, would you like to live your dream for a day?”
Um, YEAH!
I was so excited! I read my lesson plan and picked an outfit out and bounced off the walls of my house.
My husband was a little more cautious, “Teenagers can be hard,” he said, “They try to take advantage of subs…”
He doesn’t mean to be a rain cloud, really. And I asked him to please stop raining on my fiesta.
So he did.
And the two classes I taught were AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve known for years that teaching is really what I want to do, but right now I just can’t make a full-time go of it. But to have it for just two hours on Friday meant so much to me.
I was high on life, people. High.
Also: I love teenagers. So much. And I hope in ten years when I’m living with two that I’ll still love them. I’m sure I will… how could you NOT love these kids?
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