We had a fun experience at church last week. As I was standing in the hall about to collect the boys from junior primary Brett's CTR 5 teacher came out into the hall. She told me that Brett had lice. Now that is what every mother wants to hear! He had fallen asleep during class and when I went in to examine his head sure enough the bugs were visible to the naked eye. I was so grossed out that I could not bear to pick him up but made him stand up on his sleepy, wobbly legs. Poor kid was about to fall over, having just been awakened from his nap, and I was not about to touch him. Had there been a lice colony at my disposal I probably would have committed him. Ewe! The sad thing is that over the past couple weeks I witnessed the child frantically complaining about and itching his scalp and truly thought it was just because it is so dry here. Then Scott tell me he noticed something in his hair and thought it was dirt. Talk about not making the c-o-n-n-e-c-t-i-o-n. I am sure our church congregation here in Frisco, TX is glad we joined the ranks.

On the way home from church we bought lice shampoo and threw him in tub immediately. After shampooing I used the accompanying gel and tiny comb to try and remove the bugs. We did not make much progress. A few minutes into this exercise in futility I reached for the hair clippers and did the unthinkable. Moments later I hardly recognized the child staring back at me in the mirror. Surrounded by his precious, golden locks I was the emotional one while he was completely blase, commenting, "I look like Chad now."

Brett - the AFTER picture

The other boys were not affected but in an act of brotherly solidarity offered to shave their heads as well. Really it was not too much of a sacrifice on their parts as they both needed a trim anyway . Regardless they are now all sporting matching hair cuts - we are calling them the buzz brothers. I suppose this is sort of a motherhood rite of pass age but definitely one I could have done without. A ll of a sudden I found myself nostalgic for puke.

The Buzz Brothers

After the lice outbreak we thankfully had an uneventful week following Grandma Sheryl's departure last Sunday. Scott took David into his office on Monday (Martin Luther King Day) which is something he tries to do when he sometimes has to catch up on the week-end or holidays. They love going to work with daddy (hello Office Supply Closet - no the apples do not fall far from this tree!!). We enjoyed all the inauguration excitement on Tuesday and on Saturday Chad got a bed! What a trooper - he's been sleeping on the floor for a month. But thanks to Craigslist his parents finally ponied up for something a bit more comfortable. We had not noticed so much time had passed until he actually started complaining that his back hurt. Nice parents that we are - one son has bugs in his hair and the other is sleeping on a hard surface for a month. Meanwhile we are nice and cozy in our super supreme cal king mattress downstairs!

Is this what daddy does at work all day??

Smokey and the Bandit

On our way to church - don't we clean up well??

Grandma Sheryl loved our little Evan!

Obviously it was not the original plan to leave the cats in California.  The plan was to bring them with us to the airport and check them in as baggage.  And based on all prior conversations with American Airlines it was a good plan, a sensible plan.  On said day, per THE PLAN, we arrived at the airport ticket counter with 4 children, 4 huge suitcases, numberless carryon bags and two cats in a crate.  Alas we did not count on this fickle thing called weather.  It had dropped thirty degrees in Dallas overnight.  As a result all prior information we had obtained from the airline was now null and void.  Now, with ninety minutes prior to take off, we needed to obtain certificates of health from a vet and a certificate of acclimation stating that the cats could fly below certain temperatures.  Or, as the lady at the ticket counter so helpfully suggested, we could just all come back the next day because the temperature might be warmer in Dallas.  Chad, David, Evan and I checked in and left Scott and Brett to deal with this hopeless situation.  In the end our Temecula vet would not sign off on any health certificates and who could blame him considering he had not seen Smokey in ages and had never even MET Bandit!

Scott made the agonizing decision to leave the cats in the parking lot.  Riverside County Animal Control then picked up the cats after a call from Carrie in Nashville.  The Monday after arriving in Dallas I called animal control and confirmed that our cats were still alive and well.  We really did not know what to expect.  Thus began the saga of trying to get the cats to Texas.  Honestly the whole experience was too frustrating to recount so I will proceed with the condensed version (I would like to not relive the mini nervous breakdown I experienced after repeatedly calling American Airline's 1-800 number).  It was decided, after consulting with American Airlines ad nauseum and literally getting a different answer each time, that it would be best if Uncle Evan flew out with the cats as carry on in separate cat crates.  You are wondering why we did not do this in the first place.  Considering we were traveling with our children and so much luggage we thought it would be easier to check them in as baggage.  So we had them in one crate which is a no-go for carry on.  Oh the joy of hind sight...

Our neighbor Jeff picked them up from animal control and brought them back to Temecula where they lived in our garage thanks to the kindness of the woman who rented our house.  After numerous trips to the vet and a round of antibiotics Evan was able to nurse them back to health.  Certificates of health were procured and Scott cashed in frequent flyer miles to purchase Evan a plane ticket.  We watched the weather anxiously because there was a possibility one of the cats would have to be checked (again difficult to get a straight answer from American Airlines).  The day Evan flew out was cold.  At least as cold as the day we flew out if not colder.  But his ticket agent had evidently attended a different training program because she allowed him to CHECK both cats as luggage and did not blink an eye or make one comment on the weather in Dallas as being too cold.  I do not even think she checked the weather! 

In the end it was a blessing because we got to see Uncle Evan and enjoy 3 full days with him.  He was able to help Scott put some big things together and even built a fantastic cabinet for the niche next to our fireplace in the family room.  He also got to enjoy a bit of spoiling by Grandma Sheryl.  Meatball soup, homemade creme puffs, pancakes for breakfast each day.  Nothing is too hard for Grandma Sheryl.  Evan left on Tuesday evening and we continued to thoroughly enjoy the rest of our visit with Grandma who just left us today.  We are very sad. 

Jumping on the trampoline the boys got for Christmas - thanx G'pa David!

Leaving school on Friday - Chad took home "Bear" from his class

The boys started school on Monday amidst much parental anxiety.  School starts an hour earlier here (7:50 am - oy vey!).  With military precision I woke the boys at the dot of 7 am so that I would have enough time to dress them and feed them before waking the baby to feed him.  It is still VERY dark here in Dallas at 7 am (and gets darker later in the evening around 6 pm) and Brett wondered why I was getting him up in the middle of the night!  To make the morning even more exciting we were experiencing our first Dallas ice storm and freezing cold rain was coming down in buckets.  Side note:  this later turned into icicles which the boys which entertained the boys for hours after school.   

I was actually not sure if I would just fill out paperwork on Monday and bring the boys back for their official first day on Tuesday.  So they brought their backpacks but I did not pack lunches.  After I filled out piles of paperwork (in duplicate of course) the assistant principal took them to their classes.  We were able to accompany them to meet the teachers and say good bye.  After handing each child some lunch money so they wouldn't starve I left thinking that the school was very efficient - it had all happened so fast! 

At the appointed hour of 3 pm I was waiting by the door to see if they survived the day.  To my utter astonishment they exited the building with huge smiles on their faces.  The new school was a hit!  A few highlights from the week:  both of the boys loved buying lunch because, unlike health conscious California, a fun dessert was included.  To say that the lunch menu is a step up is an understatement.  Each day includes three entree choices sure to please any child, even one as picky as David!  Not to mention a slew of sides and desserts.  The boys love the daily C.A.M.P. activities which are computers, art, music and physical education.  And due to the innate Texan friendliness the boys' classmates really made them feel welcome.  Perhaps starting a new school mid-year is not always a bad thing and helped the boys to feel special.  The teachers seem very nice and the homework is somewhat similar in length although my first impression is that it might be a tad easier.  So far the only major downside is the early start time.  

The rest of the week went well.  Brett is not going to preschool right now which for him is great because it is one less place to which he must be dragged.  He is fun to have around during the day and great company for me.  Grandma Sheryl arrived from Nashville on Thursday night and she will be staying until the following Sunday.  It is a joy to have her around!  She is so helpful and generous with her time.  We have also had a special visitor - our Uncle Evan who came all the way from California with our cats Smokey and Bandit.  But that is a story for another day...

One really cute thing that I love about the new school is that Chad picks David up from the multipurpose room and brings him with his class to exit the second grade door.  The school is really organized because obviously I cannot be in two places at one time!