Do you think there’s a student in the high school who doesn’t know where we live yet?

I spent some of the time we waited taking pictures.  My camera is starting to show its age, but I got a couple worth sharing.  Please note that Roegen got in on the action, although his bowl of Life isn’t quite as exciting as a backpack.  He was flabbergasted when the older boys left and he was the only one still home with me.

Breydon didn’t want to have to waste time with pictures.  He didn’t care that he still had another 34 minutes before his bus was scheduled to arrive.  But then, he’s the only child I know who opened his presents Christmas Day and then wanted to go to school.

Jude was absolutely elated to head off to kindergarten.  I wish I could bottle that smile.  I also wish there was a way to slow down time.

I was in a silly mood so I asked, “Do you like your penis?”

The reply? “No.  I LOVE my penis.”

First, there’s Scott who is preparing for his first year in a new job.  He’s jumping through hoops to get his Wyoming teacher certification processed, learning the basics for his district, choosing which books his students will read this year (so far his choices include Robert Heinlein’s Tunnel in the Sky, John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charlie, and The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac - so different from Dickens, Dickens, and more Dickens that I read in high school!), spending hours making the mental switch from full-time speech to full-time English (although speech and debate are integrated into the English curriculum here), and planning which speech and debate tournaments his team will attend this year. 

Second, there’s the older boys.  Breydon will be starting second grade in a new setting and Jude begins kindergarten.  Breydon is excited; he loves school, has met his teacher and aide, knows where his desk is going to be, and can’t wait to start learning new things — because the things Mommy and Daddy teach are getting “boring.”  (I suppose I should be grateful that he likes school so much.  He’s the only child I know who opened presents on Christmas Day and then asked to go to school.)  I’m concerned that he’ll have problems making friends or being accepted because of the autism but I’m trying to stay positive.  With his love of school I’m sure he’ll be fine - but I’m a mommy and it’s my job to worry.

Jude is anxious.  He’s excited because Breydon is excited but he’s also nervous.  He’s having a lot of trouble coping with all the recent changes and keeps asking questions like “what if the school bus forgets to pick me up?” “what if I have to go to the bathroom?” “what if I’m hungry and it’s not time to eat?”  I know that once he’s into a routine things will be much easier but for the interim I keep reminding him that the bus will come when it is supposed to, he can ask the teacher if he needs to go potty, and that he’ll be able to eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks at school just like he does at home.  I wanted to keep him home one more year because he *just* turned 5 and will be so young compared to many of the other students but he’s so smart it’s hard to keep him back. 

Roegen is the person who I think is going to have the hardest time with everything. Right now he’s asking for Scott several times a day while Scott is in inservice.  I don’t know what he’s going to do when both of his brothers are off to school and he’s the only child left at home.  I have a feeling Independence is going to find her sleep-filled life a thing of the past.

As for me?  I’m planning on finishing my final year online through Linfield College.  If everything goes as scheduled I’ll graduate at the end of summer. 

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There are two teachers for every grade at the boys’ elementary school.  Without meeting either of the options for second grade, Breydon decided that he was going to have a specific teacher.  Regardless of how many times he was told that we had no way of knowing who he would get, he continued insisting that she was his teacher.  Oddly enough, he was right.  I wonder if I should send him out to buy me a lottery ticket.

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Toby the panther never showed up during the move from Oregon.  I’m baffled as to what could have happened to him.  We tried ordering black panthers from various online sites in hope of finding Toby, but either they have been sold out or they look identical to each other.  Jude decided that the first new arrival was Toby’s sister Tabby.  When the second model arrived Scott bribed Breydon to not ruin it for his brother and Jude believes that Toby has come home.  I’m glad he’s happy but I still feel bad.

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This past week-end was my 20 year high school reunion.  With the move I wasn’t able to attend but the pictures I’ve seen make me think that everyone had a lot of fun.  I just can’t believe it’s been 20 years already.  And I’ll tell you something - I may be closer to 40 than 30 these days but I still feel young!

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Life is good.  We’re very happy.  I’m not blogging much because I’m trying to get everything unpacked and put away, but I’m still around.  When things get a little more settled I’m sure I’ll have lots to say.

Monday, August 4th, I buckled the boys into the car to return the cable boxes, feed them Burger King, and keep them out of the way while the truck was loaded.  Two hours later the moving crew still had not arrived.  Thirty minutes after that the loading was underway but the kids were at the end of their patience.  So, Scott decided to have us go on ahead even though he had wanted us to caravan.

As the boys and I navigated our way through Portland, the moving crew told Scott that they had another job scheduled and had to leave.  About half of our belongings were still in the house.  Fortunately the truck driver was an amazingly patient person and waited for Scott to find another crew, but loading was pretty much stopped cold until the second set of movers arrived.

I had the tire blowout about the time everything was finally on the truck. 

Since it was fairly late in the day Scott stayed in the Oregon house that night, planning on heading out early the next morning.  But Socrates got loose and while the boys and I continued East Scott spent much of Tuesday trying to catch him.  From what I’ve been told, it’s amazing how many places a cat can hide in an empty house, and when Scott finally tracked him down he needed body armor before he could put Socrates in the cat carrier.

Tuesday night the boys and I slept in a hotel about five hours from our new home.  Scott spent another night in the Oregon house.

Wednesday Scott finally got onto the road early in the morning.  I pulled into the driveway of our new house at around 3:15 that afternoon.  The truck driver knocked on the door fifteen minutes later.  My dad picked up the boys and at 6:00 a wonderful group of men from my parents’ church arrived and unloaded the truck. 

Scott arrived Thursday afternoon, which made Jude very happy because he was terrified that Daddy wouldn’t see him on his birthday.  Our guests arrived a few hours later and things have been busy ever since.

Maybe next week will be calmer?

I could have been angry.  The move had already been hectic and chaotic and the tire was yet another delay.  But instead I felt Zen.  We were safe.  I might be blocking an exit but at least there was an exit when I needed it.  We were in a pocket of cell service so that I could call roadside assistance.  The tire was under warranty so once it was changed I could find a local shop and have it replaced.  And we’d just stopped for a potty break a few minutes before so it should be a while before nature called.

The boys and I sang songs.  They told me the same “knock knock” joke about 50 times.  Roegen tried to push Breydon out of Breydon’s carseat because he wanted the new spot.  The Highwaymen played on the car stereo.  And we were still okay.

Roadside Assistance eventually arrived and the young man quickly and efficiently got things taken care of.  It turned out that the tread had separated from the tire, which is what caused the problem in the first place. 

Sixty-five miles later the tire was changed.  The shop was very nice and made sure I was taken care of despite my arrival 15 minutes after they were scheduled to close for the day.  After a 3 1/2 hour hiatus the boys and I were able to resume our travel to Wyoming.

*We’re here now.  I’ll have more to say about our trip soon.

We received word shortly after my post yesterday that one of Scott’s former students was killed in a car accident.  Driver fatigue may have been a factor.

So we’re going to caravan together rather than pushing ourselves separately.  While it’s frustrating to put things off yet another day, in my heart I know we’re making the right decision.

Plus, this way Breydon can ride WITH Socrates (and Scott) and that stress will be alleviated for him.

Hopefully things will go smoothly.  The last big move we had Breydon’s cat died so I’m praying that Socrates makes it to Wyoming in one piece.  There have been a lot of tears as he worries about his best friend.

In case you’re wondering Toby never showed up.  The new panther looks different.  Fortunately Jude has decided that it is Toby’s twin sister Tabby, and she has been hanging out in the washing machine since we moved from Texas.  I’m not about to correct him although I wish I could figure out where Toby vanished to.

I’ll post again after we arrive. 

Pray for my sanity.  Me and three boys, alone in a Ford Taurus.  Sounds like a blog article to me!

Yesterday while I was out running some of these errands Scott tripped over a small wooden chair and performed a Charlie Chaplin/Harold Lloyd pratfall for the boys.  The skin on his right shin has been rearranged and he seriously wrenched his back.  He’ll be okay but because of this (and for a ton of other mundane and boring-to-read reasons) the truck will be arriving on Monday rather than tomorrow.

Breydon is having a lot of problems with this.  I’m sure it relates to the autism but he’s had several tearful outbursts today because we’re leaving a different day and staying in a different hotel in a different town. I’m not sure how to reassure him that everything truly is going to be okay.  I’m sure in the end he’ll figure that out, but in the meantime I feel badly for him.