Mother Hen and Other Stories

I feel like a mother hen with all my chicks gathered 'round. Parker started at the new Tuscaloosa Magnet Middle School for 8th grade, and Neil and Henry are now BOTH at the RISE School at UA. All are within walking distance of our house. What a dream! And, they are all very happy!

The opening available at RISE for Henry was in the 4 year old room (Neil is in the 3). Henry told me last night that he hugs and kisses Neil when he meets him in the hallway. Henry has been so excited about this that one night he named everyone he could possibly think of that he has ever known and talked about having a celebration party with BBQ hot dogs, BBQ pizza, BBQ turnip greens, etc... I think he was still naming people and BBQ'd items when I finally fell asleep. Needless to say it is wonderful to have them in one place.

Dad and Parker have completed the backyard play structure and it is fabulous. Dad spent MUCH of his time securing everything for safety. We tried our best to think like Henry and Neil would. Well, after about a day, Neil discovered that he could climb all the way to the top, get to the slide, raise his hands above his head, hold on to the beam above him, pull his legs up and swing like a little monkey! Terrifying! He does this with one of his beautiful, big smiles on his face. Thankfully, Mom can quickly climb the nearby tree and get to him! So much for trying to stay ahead of these guys. They get us every time!

After six years of competitive swimming Parker thought he'd enjoy a break--and he has. We have loved having him here in the evenings. He wanted more time to play tennis and has joined the Fall USTA team. He has been a part of the Cross Country Team at his school and has enjoyed that. The meets are held in beautiful areas (Arboretum and Sokol Park) and it's nice to see all these children out in the fresh air. As of two weeks ago, Parker started guitar lessons with Tommy Sorrell and is soaking it up. It's amazing what a child does with a musical instrument when it's their idea.

That catches me up to this week. The "piggy flu" as Parker calls it or the "flying swu" as Henry calls it has hit. Parker tested negative but Dr. Pettit says that "clinically" he has it and has been out of school all week. He appears to have had a mild case compared to some I've heard. Neil and Henry are running wide open on Tamiflu to try to prevent it. Richard and I are hoping for the best and taking our C and Zinc.