School has started. The pools have closed. The temperatures have dropped. The kids are looking at Halloween costumes. And yet my swimsuit still hangs hopefully in the shower stall, in denial, I guess that another season has passed it by. Here are the major highlights I've missed:
1) I flew to Boise for a weekend to surprise my mom. My other sisters were already there for vacation, so we made it a girls weekend and got our nails done, had a nice lunch, and celebrated Mom and Angie's birthday. It was a quick trip for me, but always fun to see family.
Sure enough, the dark magic bounces off the shield for awhile. Hermonie looks in awe at the firecracker sparks it creates and says, "Isn't it beautiful?" just before Voldemort destroys it and the forces of evil come tearing through the school. Before the end of the night, Voldemort will be destroyed and right will triumph, but not before one of the Weasley twins is killed.
I feel like Mrs. Weasley sometimes. Like the most I can do is raise my wand and create a shield the best that I can, and am grateful that there are wonderful teachers, friends, leaders, grandparents, aunts and uncles that raise their wand with mine, but that eventually the kids will be out there, in the world, and hopefully they know the spells that will save them. I wish I could take the kids who bother Tritan and teach them a thing or two. I wish I could teach Apollo the difference between a "d" and a "b" so he could get a good grade on his spelling. I wish I could take all their hurts and pains and make them disappear. But they are on their own path, and I am so proud of their courage and strength and I can only hope that in the end their personal demons will be destroyed and right will triumph.
2) Tritan's 14th birthday. His voice is so low now, and he's covered in fuzzy, dark man hair. I wouldn't be surprised if he's shaving by 16. He eats more than some small nations, and has dilligently mowed the lawn every week this summer. He had a camping trip on his actual birthday, so we waited a week to celebrate as a family. We went to Dave and Busters, an arcade and restaurant, so that was perfect for Tritan--gaming and eating. It was inside a mall, where Tritan also found a kiosk that will print out designs and put them on t-shirts, so he used one of his original designs to create a birthday shirt. We went to the Lego store--apparently you are never too old for Legos (and I speak for myself). And we went to an outdoor shop that had a climbing wall inside--Tritan discovered that he was naturally good at rock climbing on his camp out. He joined a climbing gym and climbs with a teen group on Friday nights now.
3) School started. Paris moved up to middle school, so now I have an 8th, 7th, and 6th grader--we've taken over the middle school! So far, everyone is doing well...Tritan had some trouble with some kids making fun of him, but he's been sticking up for himself and getting help. Paris went from being the class clown/little bit of a troublemaker in the 5th grade to trying hard to be a good leader. He was voted homeroom rep for student council and has been taking his responsibility very seriously. I have to say that despite the horror stories, middle school has mostly been a positive change for my kids. Hopefully, high school will only get better.
Have you seen the new Harry Potter movie? Yeah, old news I know. But there is a scene that I love that epitomizes what it feels like to be a parent. Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) and Mrs. Weasley (Julie Walters) are outside Hogwarts. They know Voldemort and the Death Eaters are on their way. Professor McGonagall animates the stone soldiers around Hogwarts--she titters a little and says, "I've always wanted to do that". She glances at Mrs. Weasley, to share a little in the humor to ease the tension, but Mrs. Weasley just looks back all serious, all business--not even a sympathtic nod. There is no joy for her in the upcoming battle, even if she would like to kill a few death eaters--she knows her children are at Hogwarts, she knows that they will have to fight tonight, that they will get bruised and broken, that they will have to endure pain and inflict pain, and she knows that they could very well die that night. She raises her hand and sets a spell that will shield the castle. She does it slowly, mournfully--she knows that this is all she can do, and that it probably won't last long. The other professors raise their wands with the same solemn determination to complete the shield.
Sure enough, the dark magic bounces off the shield for awhile. Hermonie looks in awe at the firecracker sparks it creates and says, "Isn't it beautiful?" just before Voldemort destroys it and the forces of evil come tearing through the school. Before the end of the night, Voldemort will be destroyed and right will triumph, but not before one of the Weasley twins is killed.
I feel like Mrs. Weasley sometimes. Like the most I can do is raise my wand and create a shield the best that I can, and am grateful that there are wonderful teachers, friends, leaders, grandparents, aunts and uncles that raise their wand with mine, but that eventually the kids will be out there, in the world, and hopefully they know the spells that will save them. I wish I could take the kids who bother Tritan and teach them a thing or two. I wish I could teach Apollo the difference between a "d" and a "b" so he could get a good grade on his spelling. I wish I could take all their hurts and pains and make them disappear. But they are on their own path, and I am so proud of their courage and strength and I can only hope that in the end their personal demons will be destroyed and right will triumph.
