Back in the Saddle

A few days ago I got a sweet message on my facebook wall. It was from my mom and it said, "Clark and I are both having serious Nugget withdrawal. Need a fix. please?" Aw. I thought, they miss me! They want to see me! And then I realized they don't miss me. They miss this silly blog. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

But, since I am nothing if not obediant (right, Mom? Actually, don't answer that), I'd like to extend a sincere and heartfelt apology for neglecting The Nugget for the past month. I have no excuse. I am deeply ashamed. Can you ever forgive me? (Okay, that was all way over-dramatic, but then, I am nothing if not over-dramatic (this time my mom's answer would be a resounding "yes" - just so you know).

Now that I'm back, I figure I'll share a collection of my thoughts on September. Or from September. Or, whatever.


1. When planting a fake spider to scare your mom, it's best to put it in an obvious spot that you know she will look at. Because if it's right at her eye level, she probably won't notice it right away and it will be even scarier when she realizes that spider was right there all along. Thank you, Camden, for teaching us all this valuable lesson.


2. I love my boys for the people they are. I will not live vicariously through them or force them to do things just because I think they are cool. That being said, I really hope they have a band when they are in middle school. Because middle school boy bands are just about the cutest things ever. Seriously.


3. A certain six-year-old who lives in my home recently discovered he has two balls that he didn't know about before. He was concered that there were balls stuck inside there, but we had a little anatomy discussion and everything seems hunky-dory once again. And that's all I'm going to say about that.


4. We've decided to stock up on smoked salmon and spend the winter in the blanket fort we constructed in our family room. It's really cozy and we like it. Only problem is that the majority of the family will most likely die of starvation. Smoked salmon is some pretty nasty stuff.


5.Several years ago, I was watching a US soccer game (on TV - I'm not cool enough to actually go to a game) when I heard the coach tyelling from the sidelines, "Keep running, Clint!" Probably my all-time favorite soccer moment. Especially since I now have two boys who, although they are both very skilled at the sport, have a bit of a laziness problem. Thanks to Clint Dempsey, at least I know they can still make it to the pros. We're loving this soccer season and I'll get around to writing more about it soon.


6. In a conversation with a friend about Sunday-appropriate tv, I found myself saying, "We let them watch church videos and Redskins games." She laughed at me. She obviously is not a Skins fan, because if she was, she would totally understand.


7. Dan's been spending a lot of time in paradise. Only he doesn't think it's so great. That's probably because he spends all his time there stuck in an office staring at a computer screen. Let me tell you, that's not what I'd be doing in paradise. Silly Dan.


8. Remember our pumpkin patch? The one that took over the front yard? Well, we've got lots of pumpkins now. I'm kind of in love with them. And I feel all superior when I pass by the pumpkins at the supermarket. Because I grew my own. So there, supermarket pumpkins!


9. Dan packed up the x-box. And I've never loved him more than I did at that moment. The boys were screaming, wailing, and gnashing their teeth. Dan was silently fuming and putting away the games. And I was falling in love all over again. Already, there have been fewer boy altercations. It's wonderful.


10. A direct result of the packing-up of the x-box was Jake's attempt at running away. Wearing his pajamas and socks - but no shoes - and carrying his pillow, a sheet, and four stuffed animals, the boy set off into the great big world. He made it all the way off the porch before he had to stop to decide which direction to go. And that pause was enough to allow the enormity of his decision to creep in. We spent some time on the front steps and eventually came back in to watch the Redskins game. It was a Sunday, after all.