While we were in Alabama, my dad took us on a tour of Ft. Rucker where he learned to fly 30+ years ago. We also got to see where he and my mom were married, as well as their first apartment. As a lover of all things sentimental, I adored the experience!
Grant didn't care so much for the tour, but loved the trip to the airplane
museum.
Over Thanksgiving we went to Alabama to celebrate my grandfather's 80th birthday. It was so nice to be away from my own house, obligations, etc.
Here are some pics from the birthday party:
My Grandpa (on the right)
Kimberly (cousin), Grandmother, Me, & Micah
My mom and her brother, David.
Grant, cutting a rug at the party! 
I can hardly believe Thanksgiving has come and gone. We spent the day with Micah's family and it could not have been a more lovely time!
A picture of the whole family. Grant jumped out of my arms at the last minute . . .
My brother, Jeff, and his beautiful wife, Sarah.
Grant & Micah
Jen & Micah
I had the privilege of watching my adorable and precious nephew, Kieran, recently. These are the pics of Kieran and Grant at McDonald's (or Donald's according to Grant). Kieran, who is all of 3, recently told my mother that he shouldn't go to McDonald's for lunch because and I quote, "It is bad for me". Too bad that didn't hit home for me until I was about 22!
Today began Mission: Get Grant Potty Trained. He has on occasion "put his pee pee in the potty", but nothing consistent is going on. So, with Grant out of school for the next two weeks for Thanksgiving, I have decided to really give it a go with this potty training thing.
First thing this morning I put Grant in his Diego underwear, which he is quite fond of (but not enough to prevent urinating in them).
After several unsuccessful "sits" on the potty I decided to ask him one last time if he had to go. Of course he replied with a long drawn out, "Noooooooo . . ." but the hint of a smile suggested otherwise.
This is where I should have listened to my maternal instinct . . . but instead I returned to my bedroom to make the bed.
Next thing I know Grant runs in shouting, "Mommy, I made a mess! Mommy, I pee peed!" No surprise here . . . he pee peed all over the leather couch.
Fast forward an hour later. Grant (now in a new pair of Diego underwear) announces, "Mommy, gotta pee pee!" The outstanding mother I am, I rush him to his potty and yank down his underwear. . . and a pile of poop lands on the bathroom floor. Excellent. Pee pee on the couch. Poop on the floor. Diapers are looking real good right now.
I was about to give up and slap on a diaper when I thought about the strategies I use with the students I work with. Twenty minutes and one large glass of milk later, I took Grant back to the potty with my camera in hand. This was the result:
And of course . . . he LOVES it! Because who doesn't like to look at pictures of themself peeing while they are peeing.
After numerous phone calls, a hundred miles, and $25, it looks as though I may graduate on time after all!
Today was a whirlwind of hits and misses. I was redirected to about ten different people before a nice, young girl in the Graduate Advising office suggested that if I were to book it to Denton (an hour away) and submit a "good" letter explaining why I missed the graduation application deadline, I might be considered for the December graduation.
Of course, this call happened at 2:00 p.m. and the office closed at 5:00 p.m.
So, after quickly penning a letter describing my naiveté, Micah's sacrifices, and the current economic crisis facing our nation, my mom, Grant, and I piled in the car and headed to Denton. God definitely blessed us with few lights, little traffic, and a front-row-Joe parking spot.
It took visits to four different offices and conversations with six different people to finally get my application on file.
Before leaving the Graduate Advising office I asked the fresh-faced college student behind the counter, "When will I know whether or not I have been accepted for graduation?"
His less than thrilling response was, "Actually, we only contact you if there is a problem processing your application. So basically, no news is good news."
Really? No news is good news. This must be one of those rare occasions where this is true.
Needless to say, I am planning to do the "adult" thing (as Micah would say) and follow up on my graduation status in a week or so.
For the past 18 months I have working on my Masters of Education degree. I am currently in my last semester taking my final two courses. Today I learned that I missed the deadline to apply for December graduation by ONE DAY. So, while I will be finished with all of my classes in December, I will not receive my diploma until May. Needless to say, I am beyond irritated. My husband pointed out that I am an adult and should have inquired about graduation deadlines, but it honestly did not occur to me as I am not planning on walking.
Now, if I decide to apply to districts in December I will have to explain how I missed the graduation deadline. Oh sure, let's hire her - she can't even keep up with her own graduation deadline.
It appears as though I am going to try my hand at blogging. My hope is that my track record with myspace will not be predictive of my blogging behavior. Thus far, this feels quite a bit like journaling- another area I have failed miserably.
I have always had trouble committing my words to paper. It feels so permanent, like a tribal art tatoo in the middle of the back. I find myself concerned that I will be utterly embarrassed later by some trivial thought I felt like sharing in the moment.
That being said- I am going to attend to my son who just got beat up by the cat. More about that later . . .
