Everyone's got an opinion

Thursday, I was soo jazzed with the lot of them.  It was one of those days when I had fun watching the kids interact with each other that didn't involve bloodshed or the latest wrestling move Ben could come up with.

When I dropped the big guys at school, I was surprised to see them walk away together, and so pleased that Nolan put his arm up around Ben's neck.  Of course, he pushed him a couple of times, but it wasn't obnoxious or anything.  They even raced to the gate without trying to trip each other.  Aww. A Kodak moment.

I realized I had to make a stop in the cafeteria to leave some lunch money for them...and again vowed that they need to start taking lunch from home, or get jobs.  The lunch ladies know me, the Mom who puts Spongebob stickers on the envelopes I send in, and get a kick out of Audrey.  I was about to leave when one of the ladies stops me:  "Your youngest--Ryan, right?--is here at the same time Ben's here.  He runs up to Ben, and they hug, and chat for a minute.  It's the cutest thing.  They are so close!"  I smile.  "Yeah, they are, I guess.  At least that's what I try to teach them to be."  Aww.  I'm grinning without even seeing that Kodak moment.

Later, afterschool, Ben has a running club race at another school nearby.  It's just the two of us and a sleeping Audrey.  I'm chatting with the mom of one of Ryan's friends.  She complements me on how nice Ryan is, that he plays with her youngest child too when he's over, and that he is overall nice to have around.  "What did you do to him?  He's so good!"  (blush) Aww.  Sugar(ryan) rocks!  No Kodak moment this time, just a mental note to squeeze that boy tight when I get home.  She continues to tell me some stories about Ben, from running club practice, and I am able to report that he hasn't done anything that makes him memorable in a bad way, lol.  We hung out at for the announcement of who won in each age group, and I had both Audrey and Ben sitting in my lap on the grass.  It's a wonder I could get up again, but Mom's lap is Mom's lap.  I'll take it that my 8 yr old isn't embarassed to still sit there.

I'm aglow with motherly affection from all this.  I want them to be close, and am happy to hear/see that they seem to be taking it to heart.  I'm relieved to hear that they do okay by themselves without me hovering over them.

Later that night, I'm finishing up getting dinner ready.  My back is to them, and they are all at the table, forks in hand, lol, watching tv.  A Barbie commercial comes on, and I groan, "Oh, no.  Please tell me that's not an advertisement for a new Barbie movie."  See, I've watched and heard Barbie's 'Princess/Pauper' movie enough times to hear myself mentally singing along to it.  I'd rather not be subjected to another one right this minute.  "Yeah, Mom, it's a new one,"  Nolan says.  Fabulous.

Suddenly, I hear Ryan scurry over to the tv, so I think he's gonna change the channel, or turn down the volume.  "Take that, Barbie!"  he says, and then I hear ~well~ a gaseous expression of his opinion.  I look over my shoulder in time to see that he's kinda bent over, and had his butt pointed at the tv as well, while he did it.  The other boys are laughing and totally amused by this, and high fives go all around.  I have to say that I laughed-- I mean, come on, it was funny-- and the little miss did too.

It never surprises me anymore how they bond with their bodily functions. Most days, I don't even bat an eyelash at all when they come up to announce that they've once again managed to clog the toilet; I just sigh and see if I can beat Mr W at 'rock, paper, scissors' so I won't have to deal with it.

Haha, I think.  If only the lunch ladies and their friends' Moms really knew...that all that wonderful closeness starts out with a....bang.