Ciao,Italy

Two weeks ago Wes had the day off, but he had a meeting to attend at Fort Belvoir. It was supposed to be a quick meeting, so quick that he assumed it wouldn't be worth the drive. However, at the last minute he was convinced that he needed to go. When the boys and I got home from school that afternoon, Wes hadn't returned. I thought nothing of it and we left for Swim Kids. During the half hour drive the car was incredibily quiet. No arguments, no singing, no retelling of events from school, and I was deep in thought. About a half mile from the nursing home where we take swim lessons, I made this random statement. "Boys, I think we need to be open to where God might want to send us instead of asking that God send us where we want to go." I know this statement was meant for me more than anything, and the boys were mystified because instead of thinking of another PCS move Keagan was probably debating the superiority of Batman and Evan was conjuring ways for trapping solar energy to produce electricity (or something similar). What was I talking about? I didn't know really myself except that I felt certain that my desires to move back to Germany might not be a reality. Keagan suggested we think about moving to Texas, and Evan said that he would be okay moving anywhere that didn't have hurricanes. At this point, I felt certain God was preparing me for a move to Fort Polk, Louisiana, which in case you didn't know, is about the worst place you can go if you are in the Army. Just then the cell phone rang. It was Wes. He said the meeting had run late, but what would I think about moving to Italy.

Yeah right, I said. Just four months ago we were planning for Wes to spend a year in Afghanistan. Six months prior to that we had plans to move to Schweinfurt, Germany. Six months prior to that Wes was offered a job with some secret squirrel unit that would have left us here in Virginia for another three years. I no longer believe anything that comes my way from the Army, but that doesn't mean I didn't spend two hours every night reading everything that I could find on the internet about Vicenza, Italy, US Army Africom, and Caserma Enderle. Knowing it would take months to get Wes's application read by command, knowing it would take even longer for the interview process to begin, and knowing it would take even weeks more for the paperwork to be processed, I knew it was all wishful thinking.

On Sunday Wes came home with the news. He got the job and he reports on 06 JAN!!! I have never seen the Army work so fast. In two weeks they have accomplished work that usually takes months. I was so excited to hear that news that I jumped up and down and screamed for at least five minutes.

Ciao, Vicenza, Italy! The Toole family will be there soon enough and you will never be the same again.

Movies on Demand

We have Fios with Verizon and we have the option to order movies on demand. Each month the choices change. This evening, when the boys were supposed to be watching Jimmy Neutron on Nickolodean, Evan crept up the stairs and whispered so that Wes would not hear, "Mom, can you come downstairs for a sec?" I knew it was bad because besides whispering he was also biting his nails. This was a sure sign he was nervous about something. When I got downstairs he stated, "I think we just ordered a movie. I think we just ordered Bridge to Terabithia." What???? I don't even know how to order a movie with the Verizon remote, but when I asked Evan how he did it, the process was simple enough. He pushed "on demand" and then scrolled through the icons until he found the movie he wanted. Unfortunately, it was too late to cancel the movie and so we now owe $4.99 for the movie that the boys will watch half an hour of before it is time for bed.
When I informed them of their mistake and that they now owed me $5.00, the boys quickly got nervous. They decided they would go through their piggy banks and scrape together the money necessary to make the needed amount. When they decided that was too much work, both boys returned to me and said, "We don't have five one dollar bills, but we think this will be about $5.00." And then I got the biggest laugh of all day! From behind his back Evan pulled out the prized possession worth five dollars. Somehow, when the Verizon bill arrives next month, I am supposed to pay the bill with his plastic dinosaur that accompanied last month's Happy Meal! 

Pumpkin Patch

This time last year we were moving into the house we are in now. I remember the weather being just perfect for the boys to play outside and to spend an afternoon raking a few leaves. This year we skipped fall and headed straight to winter. It's 41 degrees and we have pulled out the winter clothes and coats. I refused to allow Evan to wear any gloves today because the only place anyone should be required to wear a full winter wardrobe in mid-October is the Arctic Circle. When I got home this afternoon I decided we better get a few fall pics taken before the snow starts to fall! 

We muddled through Friday afternoon traffic to Lakeridge Nursery to see the Pumpkin Patch and play area. I bet it is a great place to spend a warm fall afternoon, but when it is 41 degrees and raining, playing outside is not really my idea of fun. I also didn't realize that it cost $15 a person to play amidst the fall decor. Maybe it was because we were the only ones there, maybe it was because it was too wet to blow up any of the moon bounces, or maybe because the cashier was too cold to meet us outdoors, but we got a free visit of the place and the boys got to spend a full five minutes running around before Keagan said his feet were cold and Evan sprained his right arm when he slipped off the wet rope swing.

I still consider the trip a success. I got a few fall pictures after all, and I found the Vera Bradly city tote in the new fall collection. As it turns out, the local plant nursery sells more than just cabbage roses and mums! I made sure Evan remembered my purse of choice, but in case he forgets, Wes, it is the new city tote in the color wine.

A Day in the Life of a Teacher

1. Begin the day answering a string of emails that were sent while I was carrying the boys to swim, listening to chapters three and four of Evan's AR book, and folding laundry last night. All emails were pertaining to an irrate grandmother who was upset about multiple tardies to fourth block, a class in which I do not even have Granny's student.

2. Picture day. Came to school with hair not meant to have been photographed. Three weeks overdue for a cut because I spend every Saturday on the sidelines cheering for homeruns, touchdowns, and goals.

3. Open attendance to find one of my students has been assigned out of school suspension. Spend five minutes trying to figure out what such a nice guy did to get four days of OSS.

4. Listen to a class of 32 kids complain that the CRITICALTHINKING exercise is too hard. Try to explain that critical thinking means you must think. Students complain that they just can't do that. I can't help but think that this is a task my own son craves and is never provided.

5. Two girls called to office to settle a "dispute." Girls return an hour later to tell me that they have been assigned in school suspension. I don't even ask why because I am sure it is a he-said, she-said scenario that isn't worth repeating and I don't have the patience to listen to it.

6. Run into principal in the hallway. As a side bar she mentions that one of my students was born addicted to crack. Child's mother is not really the mother. Girl is adopted. I walk away confused...

7. I find a set of notes taken in class on integers with sketches of a boy shooting himself in the head. Referral to guidance is a must but no guidance counselors are available today. Hum....

8. Decide dosage of sinus medication is a necessity because I feel like I have two black eyes and my head is pounding.

9. On my way back from guidance I break up a fight between two boys. Must now write a discipline referral. Meanwhile I must find someone to begin my next class because I have 26 students entering my classroom.

10. I must keep my ED, bipolar kid that weighs 200 pounds from attacking the sweet kid with good intentions that talks too much. You can't help but feel sorry for the bully. He has moved four times in 12 months, his dad just went to prison for murder, and he is 13 working on a third grade level.

I walk in the door and Wes says, "So how was work?" I tell him I need a nap.

Did I mention arm farts? Yes, I am just as surprised as you that this should be mentioned on my blog. This morning we all woke up to Evan's arm farts. It seems that he practiced it for hours last night when he was supposed to be asleep and he couldn't wait to show us all this morning. So in the wee hours, way before the sun came up, we awoke to the sounds of flatulence. Good times, good times....

First Football Game

No practice. No hour long drills. No skills camp. This was the real thing. Evan's wish to play a game of football finally came true! I have always hoped that he would find something other than football to love and play. Even if I grew up in Texas where football players are next in line to God, I have always thought that most football players are just plain dumb. Very few players actually have much going on other than speed or a tight spiral, and because my boys are near geniuses, they really should be playing some sport other than football. Or so I thought until today. 

Watching my baby score his first touchdown and make more tackles than I can count was enough for me to change my mind. If I can be a soccer mom, then I can be an even better football mom. And with Wes wringing his palms together while pacing the sidelines next to me, I think we can even be the parents that wear matching jerseys with our son's number 19 and TOOLE emblazened on our backs. Watch out Team 3! We're ready for some football!

Homerun King

Every player is allowed to cross home plate and "score" in t-ball. Today Keagan was the last batter, and as the last batter he is allowed to round the bases and cross home for a homerun. He was pretty proud of himself for hitting not one but three "home runs"!

Big Hit

Running to second base

Lapping a player between second and third

Crossing Home

Rounding third

Hartland Orchard

For the third year in a row we made the drive out west on I-66 to Hartland Orchard to pick apples. This year it was cooler so there were fewer bugs buzzing around our faces; there were fewer people so we found an apple picker tool for Evan; and there were hundreds of apples on the tree so I am now tasked with the job of making apple pies. Evan, the connoisseur of apples, was more than pleased to make the trip. The boy can name more varieties of apples than most adults, and because he usually eats one to two apples a day, making the hour long drive to the orchard to buy bushels of apples is actually our way of stretching the dollar as much as a past time. 

Keagan climbed every tree he could find and practiced his baseball skills with every apple thrown to us on the ground. On our walk to the farmhouse, the horses were placed in the stable prepared for their daily brushing. All three of them had covers around their eyes to keep the flies out, and Keagan declared, "Look, Evan! The horses have underwear wrapped around their heads!"