Capture It

I had a moment yesterday (just a moment; don't get too excited) where it seemed like everything was finally going well for everyone - school, work, social life, everything. And I just wished there could be some way to capture that feeling. And then just by happenstance, one of Luke's "just for fun" school assignments was to "draw a picture of how you get to school" - and he went right to work, creating this beautiful masterpiece, my favorite picture ever. He got all of the details right, down to my crooked glasses and flyaway hair, and his extra-large backpack straps and quizzical head tilt. And we're holding hands of course. I was so proud I wanted to pin this picture on my shirt and wear it around all day.

It's not just Luke who is having some good times; Zach seem to be loving the 2-year-old class at school. Every day comes a new report of how he was crazy/silly/happy all morning. Yesterday he had a great time in Spanish class; the teacher brought in all kinds of fruits and vegetables, put googly eyes on them, gave them each a "name" (the Spanish word for the fruit) and started talking to them - which Zach thought was hilarious. Today on the way home, he told me, "I had good fun, Mommy."

Zach and I had a pretty rough summer together, once I weaned him and he was struggling with molars, transitions, etc. But suddenly things seem to be much better and just happier between us. He's very much in mommy-mode, but he's super-snuggly and gives enormous hugs, so I can't argue with that.

Dave and I are each busy with our own projects - Dave is at the apex of training for his half-marathon, and I've been practicing with my swim team. We're not exactly hard-core around here or anything (or at least I'm not) but it's been fun to have that kind of outlet, and while one of us is busy, the other one is having good times with the boys.

Of course we still have issues. Most of them are Lego related. Yesterday afternoon (after my little mommy-picture high) Luke had a total crash-and-burn. Long story short: After I finally explained to Luke that big-ticket toy items were only for Christmas or birthdays, his best friend got a $100 Lego set out of nowhere. Which crushed him. Then Luke went over to his friend's house to help him put it together and when it was time to leave Luke completely fell apart. As a consolation prize Luke took home the box that the toy came in and he has been curling up with the empty box ever since then, fervently studying the diagram of the Lego set. (It's the Galactic Enforcer, for anyone who is so moved by this pathetic story that they want to send him one.)

So let's cheer me up by thinking of some funny stuff. This morning when I put some ointment on Zach's diaper rash, he looked at me and said, "Good job, Mom!" And at night when we say our nighttime prayers, I always end with "A-men!" and Zach always pops his head up and says, "Luke says, "Aw, man!'"

The other day I noticed a piece of scrap paper on the table that had an 800 number scrawled on it in Luke's handwriting. Luke explained, "I saw it on TV, so I wrote it down for you, Mom. If you call this number you can save $599 dollars."

Needless to say, I haven't called the number yet. I guess that's why I still can't afford the Galactic Enforcer.