Happy Boys

 After another day of nonstop banging, we have made great progress The roofers are still working on our garage, but our home is now sporting a crisp new roof. While it looks nice, I am more excited about staying dry during rainstorms. I can't remember the last time I was able to watch the weather without anxiety. It will be nice to relax and trust the new roof to do its job properly.

Today our garage should be finished and our new gutters will be installed. It will be more banging but, unlike yesterday, we won't be home all day to hear it. This afternoon we are packing our bags and heading to Pennsylvania. Tonight we will stay at my Mom's house. Tomorrow morning we will kiss Timmy and Friend goodbye before heading to the World War II weekend.

Robby is ecstatic about his favorite weekend of the year. He circles the first weekend in June every time we hang a new calendar in January. He has been busy planning our itinerary for the weekend and evaluating his collections to identify gaps.  Timmy and Robby share many traits, but the love of military history is not one of them. 

We have tried to take Timmy in the past and he was vocal about hating every moment. In Timmy's eyes, "Planes and tanks are boring." This year he begged to stay home.  With my mom's agreement, he will stay with her while we are transported back to the 1940s. Timmy is delighted to have some special time with his cousins and Nana while Robby is content to enjoy his favorite weekend of the year without his complaining little sidekick. 

In a rare situation, it appears that I have made both boys happy!

Roofing

In a few hours our new roof will be installed. This has been needed for a very long time. Scott and I have lamented needing a new roof for several years, with our anxiety deepening with every rain storm. It will be nice to no longer fear precipitation!

The roofers started early (arriving at 6) to beat the heat of the day. Suddenly our weather went from mild to obscenely hot. It would be a miserable day to be on a roof. I don't blame them for starting at sun up, although I do wish we had known to expect such an early morning doorbell. 

My ears are ringing with the constant banging, but I know that we will be happy and relieved when the work is complete. Scott and I have a list of everything that we would like to address before we put the house on the market next year. It looks like this will be the summer of home improvement.

Suddenly 16

I am not sure when it happened, but my sweet little Koopa- my Robby Rotten- turned 16 years old. I know it is cliche, but he really did grow up in a blink. With Robby turning 16, Scott and I enter a new stage of parenting as we introduce driving into the equation. I am not sure I will ever be prepared to see Robby behind a steering wheel, but I know that he is excited about the new adventure.

Looking at Robby, I know that the world sees a "man-teen" at nearly 6 feet tall and the ability to grow a full mustache and beard. In my eyes he is still the little boy pushing trains across the living room floor. I suppose that this disconnect between the brain and the heart impacts every parent as their child grows wings. It is hard watching him leave childhood, but getting the know the gentleman who is slowly emerging has been amazing.

Physically, there is no doubt that Robby has changed over the years. In terms of his personality, he has remained fairly consistent. He remains that sweet little boy who is always quick to help somebody else. He hates bullies with a passion and confronts them with a confident swagger. He is skilled at enlarging his friend circle to include whoever wants to join. 

Robby loves animals and continues to spend hours cuddling Charlie Cat. He complains when we ask him to help around the house, but he is the first to jump up (unsolicited) to lend his Nana a hand. He is funny and smart. He is interesting and complex. He is kind and empathetic.

He makes me proud every single day.  Happy Birthday Robby!

Picnic Fun

 The boys had an amazing time at the end of the school year picnic. Robby immediately separated from us to hang out with his friends. Timmy, not knowing any of the kids, was a bit shy. He stuck to me until the games started. I encouraged him to join his age group for games and, although he was scared and I had to stay within eye sight the whole time, he finally agreed. 

After about 5 minutes of playing I could see Timmy begin to relax. After 10 minutes he was smiling and laughing. By the time the games were over he was busy playing and chatting with new friends. He spent the rest of the picnic playing on the playground with the kids, fitting in as if he had known them forever.

The news the past few days has been heart wrenching. I think that an afternoon of playing and giggling was what we all needed to reset. I know I sure did!

 

Unplugging

I have made the decision to turn off the news when the kids are awake. Timmy became upset after hearing some of the reports. Yesterday morning he asked me, "Momom, if I go to school next year and somebody kills me, will Friend meet me in heaven when he crosses over the Rainbow Bridge?"  My heart shattered at his query. No child should have to have those concerns!

Today I am going to unplug as we spend the afternoon at Robby's end-of-the-year picnic. This is the first year that we are able to attend and everybody is excited. The weather is gorgeous and I am looking forward to just having fun for a few hours. I think we all need it.

While we are at the picnic, Scott will be busy with his last official day of school. This time next year he will be walking out of the building for the final time. It is so hard to believe that next year will be his final year in the classroom. This summer marks his final summer vacation as a teacher. Needless to say, he has already begun the countdown.

Hug your kids today.

Shattered

 Yesterday afternoon I was working on the couch when Scott came into the room with a somber face. I looked into my eyes and, with a hushed tone, simply said "There has been another shooting. It's an elementary school." I immediately felt shattered.

I spent the rest of the evening alternating between devastation and rage. My heart hurts. My head hurts. My soul feels drained. I just cannot seem to fathom the horror of this situation. 

Do something kind today. Try to spread some love to combat the hate. I have no other words.

Illegally Married

 It feels as if the universe is conspiring to keep us from obtaining a new roof. The chimney work  has been done for a few weeks, yet we still don't have the new roof. Between the weather and funding delays, I'll consider myself lucky if we have a roof by the end of the summer.

Scott and I have been trying to obtain a home equity loan to fund the necessary improvements. We hit a roadblock for the most unexpected reasons. Despite our credit being ranked excellent, we have been denied because of our marriage license. Apparently, our Anguilla license is still not accepted in the United States. Yesterday we learned that, despite being married for nearly 18 years, it is only legally valid in the Caribbean. 

Over a decade ago we attempted to remedy our license situation with a vow renewal in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, our witness failed to sign the document and we were not able to file. As the years passed, we became busy with our lives and our kids. Our marriage legality issue fell off of our radar. 

Until yesterday, when I was denied the loan because the name on my bank account (my married name) does not match my license (my legal name). It's ironic, because my bank easily allowed for the name change. It has been nearly two decades, but I don't recall the handwritten marriage license being an issue.  I was gobsmacked by the denial through the mortgage company.

Robby, of course, finds the situation hilarious. When we were discussing the situation over dinner, he piped up with "So you were right. I am a little bastard." He and Scott then proceeded to crack jokes all night about "getting a lot of free milk" and the time he still had "to get out of it." At least we all maintained our sense of humor!

Thankfully, we were able to rework the papers to remove me as the lead signer. Because Scott never had to facilitate a name change, his documents all match. As soon as we get the new roof, I'll bump "get legally married" up higher on our to-do list.