What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger...

Today I started the day out earlier than usual. Instead of bringing Harry to the bus at 6:45am, I had to drive him to school at 6:15am. I thought it would be a nightmare to get Harry up at 5:30am in order to leave on time. Surprisingly, Harry was up at 5:00am in order to take a shower. As I forced my eyes open and my legs out of bed, Harry came in wide-eyed and anxious to make sure I was already up. At no point this morning was I faced with the sometime snide comments that can be heard in the morning or complaints about lunch making or other necessary morning chores. The reprieve was nice, I'll admit, but I am hoping that this is the first and last detention I have to bring Harry to at school.

Harry turned 13 in December and since then I have really noticed he is growing up. I'm not just talking about the physical changes like his deeper voice, his new found interest in daily grooming, and his rapid growth. I am mostly stunned by his intellectual changes. Just last week he was discussing his thoughts on the U.S. constitution and his feelings about the 2nd amendment. This was prompted by his history lessons at school. The conversation was not long, but I was surprised by how thought provoking it was.  Not that we saw eye to eye on his interpretation of the 2nd amendment. He wondered why we couldn't live in a world similar to "Call of Duty", where everyone is in charge of their own protection. The use of guns and weapons would be self regulated. Man, he took that "right to bear arms" stuff seriously! I did comment that his idea scared me a little, but I was just proud that he was really reflecting on stuff he learned and then putting his own spin on it. He does this almost daily now. The other day we were listening to the news and they were talking about Maryland passing gay marriage. Harry thoughtfully asked why there was all this commotion and discussion on gay marriage. He said, "Seriously, Mom. Who cares who marries who? I don't get why people care or why it's a big deal." Out of the mouths of babes...

In the same mode of Harry wondering about various things, he has been a bit fascinated over the last few months about detention. He has wondered out loud what it's like and what goes on during it. I told him it was really boring, you can't talk, and you just sit quietly and do homework. Not that I would know, it's just what I heard :) So last week, Harry comes home to tell me that he got a detention for rough housing and being sarcastic to one of his friends. The note from the teacher called it "bullying", but Harry doesn't agree. The teacher did say that Harry is a very good kid and that he just had a bad day. Well, I have conferences with his teachers this week, so I hope it goes well.

Ahh...the trials and tribulations of being 13. Can't say I miss being that age...

I Made it Through the Rain...

So last week I spent a 1/2 hour looking all around the house for something that was in my pocket. This week I have frantically been searching for my ipod; sifting through disgusting garbage, shoving my hand down areas in my car that aren't big enough to fit a pinkie. And there it was yesterday; sitting in a pile of melted snow at the end of my driveway in the gutter. Wow, I must be turning 41...

The great ending to the ipod story is that it still works! With a little help from Bella's dry and store (a machine we use nightly to extract any moisture from Bella's cochlear implants) and a few heartfelt prayers, it was back up and running. Sure it has some surface flaws. A few more scratches, dents and dings, but nothing that inhibits it's purpose of playing music. Kind of how I feel about turning 41, a few more surface flaws, but still fully able to perform.

The last four weeks have been pretty light on blog posts due to a busy schedule. Erick has been traveling a lot, including a trip to Brazil, so I have had to up my game to keep up with maintaining the household. Having William, our Chinese exchange student has been a rewarding experience, but has also added more activities. Tomorrow he is returning to Bejiing. It will be hard to see him go, as he has really become a part of our family during his short stay. During his time in Minnesota, he has visited two universities, the Mall of America, gone to a hockey and basketball game, and shopped at an outlet mall. Last night, we attended his farewell banquet. It was fun to see all the pictures that have been taken during the students' visit. Especially since I have not done a good job of taking photos. I usually give camera duties to Erick and as he has been gone a lot, I failed to find a replacement photographer.

A few weeks ago, Harry had a Chinese New Year event at the Saturday Chinese school he attends on a weekly basis to learn Mandarin. Below is a picture of his performance. He is in a 1st grade class since he has just started learning the language. As you can see, he is quite a bit bigger than the other students in his class, but he was a trooper about going. I have been warned that next year, he will not be participating.