settling in

The light is changing, the air is crisp and chill and fall is in full effect.  I've had too long of a day to bring forth anything exceptional, yet there is so much I want to hold on to.  Like how Solomon told me, rather, declared in an extremely loud voice about fifteen times tonight, "I've got a good idea, mom!"  Often that bold statement was followed by him racing off in some direction or another in nothing but mismatched socks of Eliana's (one pink and one blue), a saggy diaper, and a giant, confident grin on his elfin face.  He's becoming this incredibly cool, extremely wacky, heart-of-gold kinda dude.  Today I left him at JPS and he didn't tear up, didn't look back.  I gave a giant thumbs up to the teacher and high-tailed it outta there to teach my eighth graders about writing monologues.    Quick diversion:  I'm really, really digging teaching full-time.  I love my new gig with the middle school, I love my little guys and I love being able to focus all day on teaching.  Of course I miss my kids.  Of course all I want to do at the end of the day is hug them and kiss them and love on them all over the place.  But it's such a welcome change to be able to focus on my job for an extended period of time.  My brain was so used to juggling back and forth all day.  Now the switch is a bit more black and white and, so far, it seems to be a good thing.

Elie seems to be getting her kindergarten groove on.  She no longer looks at me with wild, I'm-not-exactly-sure-what's-going-on-mom eyes when I see her in the hallway.  In fact, she generally doesn't notice me anymore as she's too busy chatting with all her new little buddies (I really want to type boyfriends there, but perhaps it's not appropriate - but she does seem really into playing Princess Leia to many a new Luke Skywalker).

But Elie's biggest boyfriend is her main man at home, little freaky.  This is what their conversations are like:

S:  I've got an idea!
E:  What is it, Sol?
S:  Let's play Wiggles!  I'll be Murry and you be Jeff.
E:  Okay, Sol.
S:  I've got an idea!
E:  Wha, Soli?
S:  I'll be Thomas and you be Percy.
E:  Okay, Sol.
S:  I've got an idea!
E:  I know, Sol, you are Thomas and I am Percy.  Or we're playing the Wiggles but I really want to play Disney princesses, so I'm just going to go over here to my costumes...

S:  I've got an idea!
Me:  What is it, Sol?
E:  You be Peter Pan and I'll be Tinker Bell.  You can't get me, Peter Pan!

And he begins to run around the room wildly.  Elie at this point is naked and pulling costumes from the closet.  I can't remember who I am, but know that as long as I continue to chase, games on.

The cool thing is, as long as I stay in there and play with them, they are generally awesome.  They want to be together, they want to be with me and unless they need food, they are good to go.  I love this.  I so remember these sorts of long afternoons with my sister.  Just us and the stuffed animals, us and our make-believe (though instead of Percy and Thomas it was usually Coco and Miss Grant...which seems pretty weird considering I think we were pretty dang young to be so obsessed with a television show about a performing arts high school...).  I love being with them after the day apart, love that I am so much more present than I seem to be when we're together for days and weeks on end.

So here we are.  A busy day, in a full week in an even fuller month.  Rock and roll.