So today was Austin’s honor roll breakfast. I’m so proud of him for being so bright and level headed. I started reading to him when he was brand spanking new. It was one of the things I did as a teenaged single mom that was completely and consistently right. And I think all the books and stories and bonding made for a strong kid– intellectually and emotionally.

Do your remember this? Well the bully is on the honor roll too and his momma was at the breakfast this morning…

I walked into the lunch room, immediately spotted Austin, and we greeted in the middle of the cafeteria. We were smiling and talking when I suddenly felt like someone sitting a few feet away was trying to burn a hole in me with their eyes. I looked over to see if I knew this person and it was just some momma sitting there with her boy. But she was GLARING at me all hateful and nasty. I ignored it and we went and sat down.

She kept turning around in her seat to glare at me hatefully. I finally said to Austin, “What is with that woman?” He said, “Oh, that’s Adam’s (the bully) mom.”

Sooooo,

Dear Bully Mom,

Woman, it’s not my fault your kid picks fights with other kids. It’s not my fault your kid got beat up because he picked on my kid. Get a grip! While you’re getting your grip, grab a brush and some soap too. I can smell you and your son from here.

Sincerely,

Momma-of-the-kid-who-kicked-your-kids-ass

Dude! Today I took Bella to gymnastics and then went to lunch with Amy and her kiddos at McDonalds. Bella and Maggie were eating at another table like big girls while Amy and I sat at our table across the way with the baby boys. Maggie got up from her meal and ran to Amy to give her a kiss. Bella watched and then copied by running to me for a kiss. On her way back to her table, she tripped and planted her head into a metal chair that was bolted to the ground. Oh, man. Oh, man. Dude…

Bella’s entire forehead swelled BEYOND belief within a second of hitting the chair. By the time I ran to her and flipped her over to access damages, her face was ALREADY swollen and deformed. It HURT to look at her, y’all! I have never seen anything like this.

So I took her to the doctor and the doctor said that Bella is fine, which I knew. No head injuries or concussions. He did prepare me for how terrible this is going to look over the next few days– black eyes and blood collecting uder the skin. Seriously y’all, it looks like someone threw a baseball at her forehead. It’s a bad one.

Everytime I look at her, I want to cry. She got that boo-boo because she just wanted to give me a kiss. Ugghhhh. I feel guilt all the time, perhaps even when I shouldn’t. She looks so pitiful that no matter what she’s asked me for today, I have given it to her because she looks like she’s in pain and I want to do whatever I can to make her right as rain again. But, alas, she is acting like nothing happened. She even comforted me today:

“Mommy, it’s ok. Sall better now. Doesn’t hurt.”

When we told the doctor the story about what happened, Bella came right out of the blue with:

“I not go inside Donalds anymore. I go through drive thru.”

Golly, I love her… My sweet little scrappy girl.

Ok, maybe I’ll read the Golden Compass after I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It’s a book about women– mothers and daughters in particular. Sounds like a great one!

I take a lot of photos in a week. Some I try to be more artistic with and use some skill, some I just shoot fast before the moment is over. These were shot fast, but they are still my favorite!

No, this one is not a favorite because my husband is half nekkid. Although that’s a bonus. I just love the looks on the kids faces. They seem to be thinking, “Oh, Gosh. Here she goes again with the camera.”

I love this one because, not only does Noah’s smile melt my heart but Neeners riding in the trunk on Bella’s car is pretty funny!