Overflowing

Boy Wonder decides tonight that he's going to teach me, his 6 yr. old sis, and his 4 yr. old bro to play touch football in the front yard.

Well, I have never had so much fun in my life. What a hoot! Entire belly rolling fun. Little Red "hikes" it to Boy Wonder way up in the air. Boy Wonder catches and runs...sis and mom two hand touch.

Goldilocks, outruns them all on her quarterback debute. On the kick, she throws her clog over the goal post (tree) instead of moving the ball, though. Uproarious.

Little Red gets a chance to run next. Runs the wrong direction, of course. We're all yelling.

He's a fast little tike. I call him "Flash". I should start calling him that here. Flash and Boy Wonder...that works.

Mom, who, surprising, can throw and kick relatively well. Can't kick straight very often, but can get it in the air.

Boys won...had to go get Halloween Treat Bags from Mamaws early.
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BUT THE STORY GETS BETTER!

So...then we go to Wal Mart to get their "all A" rewards. Long story...I'm not for paying your children to make good grades in general. Just a left handed boy who "can't" slant to the right for the life of him. Now, he can. Thanks Sam.

Anyway, Polly Pocket Magnetic Super Change for Goldilocks. She's been eying that for a long time.

Boy Wonder picks on of those Atari wannabe's that you plug into the front of the TV. PacMan and all that. I'm thinking, after Playstation II at grandparents, he will be bored stiff.

We get home, I'm telling them to turn down the beeps and blinks, I'm cleaning the kitchen, looking for their batteries.

After a while their Dad says, "I hear your Mom was pretty good at PacMan once. Ought to have her show you how."

I'm thinking "Yeah, right. So outdated." Completely unenthused.

They beg me to come see.

So, I go over to watch Galaga and all.

Finally, they insist I play a game of PacMan to get a high score they can try to beat.

I started that game...seriously, it was like a wave of 12-year-oldness just came over me. I don't know what it was! The same energy, speed. It was like I had never stopped playing.

Only, and this was always the unrealized dream...they are CHEERING! Like REALLY LOUD. "Mom, GO, YOU ARE SO AWESOME! WHOA...DID YOU SEE THAT? DAD! ARE YOU WATCHING? How'd she DO that?"

"I don't know son! How DID you do that?"

"Son, did you even know your Mom was so cool?"

"No. I did NOT! Mom, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THIS BEFORE?"

I was too busy to answer... cutting the curves, in and out, up and down, left and right, in and out of the alleys, eatin' up the goblins. Add a life. Whoa.

My first game...made it to the third round. Used to get to 13 or 14, but we all know Ms. PacMan is harder and faster, earlier.

Fantasy. Right there. You are the coolness. The thing. The master. And they are all mesmerized.

My son only asked that I not sneak up at night and waste his only batties on the controller. He wants to see if his big friend can beat my high score tomorrow. Oh, pullease. I'm invincible!

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To add a cherry to that sundae...I also did something new with Goldilocks today. We started a book "reading silently" together today. Anne of Greene Gables.

Here's how that goes: I finish the page first. Look at the drawings on the other page for a while. Then stare at her blue eyes, trying to learn to follow one line of text at a time, sometimes using her delicate little pointer finder to keep her place. Sometimes, she's understanding it, sometimes having to repeat. Her eyes giggle, laugh...she notices me wathing and laughs, asks me what I'm doing and if I'm already finished.

Amazing.

My six year old first grader...reading a real, interesting chapter book with me.

My life is rich today. Overflowing.

~Me