Bullies, Sneezing and Indian Curiosity

It's been a crazy week.

Everyone is sick.  Everyone is coughing.  Everyone is settling in.

It's been a good week.

It's also been crazy, as we have introduced volleyball in the mix, and we have to drive to 63rd and Santa Fe for practice (zoinks) at break-neck speeds, after zooming to pick up the lovelies and head 45 minutes north to get Hallie.  It's chaos, and it's our life.

Chicken nuggets from Macdonalds are a winner.  20 nuggets for $4.99 with that Sweet chili sauce.  Who knew?  I even partook (is that a word?) of a couple last night myself.  Not bad when you are half starving to death.

Lovely is getting bullied.  I was so afraid of that.  She goes to a middle school that is so IFFY, they don't even CHECK to see if you live in the district, because NO ONE in their right mind would ever go there unless they absolutely had to.  I've transferred Hallie out of it since day 1, but with Lovely having some issues, she couldn't transfer out of the district, so to that school we go.  And of course, her being new, and even though I have her as spit shined as good as this white woman can get her, the 8th grade girls are still picking on her.  It kills my heart.

She didn't tell me, but LB ratted out the bullies on the way home.  He went into great detail, and my heart got heavier and heavier.  It was silent in the car, while I processed what I had heard, and then to my utter amazement, the following words came out of my mouth, "I want to kick their asses".

Stunned silence in the backseat, followed by the loudest WHOOP of happiness and delight ensued.

"LOLLY, you kick their ass? You do that FOR ME??"  (Oh, sigh, for.the.love.)

I had immediate remorse, but inside of me, happiness was there too, that they were so jacked up that I was such a bad ass.  .Who knew?

"You know I would"

"It's ok, Lolly, I can handle them".

And she did.  She totally handled them.  She was back to her normal little mean, smart mouth self this evening, and I much prefer that over the sad, little beat down being, that she is after a hard day.

They are doing better with their homework, and though we still battle at bedtime (me, trying to get them to bed, them not wanting to go), it's been like a "Normal" family.

LB still tells me that I'm still his "best friend in Oklahoma", but Hallie is WAYY up there too.

And I found this on my bed this morning, and I have to tell you...Lovely has an extreme talent in art.

And an extreme talent for melting my heart.  

LB has an extreme talent for making me laugh, and scratching my head at how fun boys really are....

If I don't end up in jail, smacking some smart mouth middle schooler, we will be good.  It may be me AND Lovely sitting in the principal's office, both of us in the doghouse.  And I found myself asking LB, "So, what was under there?" as we walked arm in arm out of the capital.

It's the easiest thing in the world, and the hardest thing in the world, this wonderful job of Foster Mom.