Grizzness Time

Grizz win!  Grizz win!

In our first playoff appearance since 2006, the Grizz are making the rest of the league pay attention to the gritty, grinding style we play here.  We made a respectable showing in the first two games in San Antonio, stealing homecourt advantage with a 1-1 split.

Cullen, Steph and I showed up downtown at 4:00 p.m. yesterday to drink up the Grizz fever (among other things).  It's amazing how much sports can bring a city together.  It's the same feeling of community spirit that we have when the Tigers make NCAA runs, except, you know, grittier and grindier.

Pre-game drinks and bites came at our favorite South Main gastropub, South of Beale.

Even more than an hour before tipoff, the plaza out in front of the Forum was hoppin'.

The white Growl towels were draped on every seat when we walked in.

I don't have much from the actual game, as I was too busy wringing my hands and cussing.  But this is the final result:

Grizz up 2-1!  Game 4 is Monday.  I'll be there.

Seen Memphis

Recently, I was approached by the lovely and talented Sophorn McRae of Norococo to be a part of a cool new Memphis street photography blog, Seen Memphis.  I'm humbled by the talent of the six other photogs who are participating, and I think it could be something really cool.  I haven't actually done a ton of this kind of photography (at least not in my hometown), but I look forward to doing more of it for this project.  Check out Seen Memphis here.

Chloe at the Doctor

A month or so ago, Chip and I had this conversation:

"Chip, you know it's time for Chloe to have her five-year check-up and she has to get SHOTS so you need to make that appointment and take her."
"I know."

I took Connor to one doctor's appointment once that involved shots. It was about seven and a half years ago, and I swore I would never do it again. They're so heartbroken when the nurse sticks those needles in! I don't want to be associated with that in my kids' minds! Plus it makes me cry, and that doesn't really help anyone calm down in a tense situation.

A few days before the appointment, I warned Chloe what was going to happen. She's too old for us to just spring that on her at the last minute- she would feel too betrayed by that. Besides, she's our logical child and I trusted her to make sense of it in her mind ahead of time. And it seemed like she did! Sure she cried when I first told her, but then she worked on coming to terms with it. She talked to us and to her teachers and to anyone who would listen about how, on Thursday, she was going to have CLUE and then have her shots and then have an Easter egg hunt in our back yard. That was her treat for dealing with the indignity of shots- her own egg hunt that Connor didn't get to take part in. (He helped me hide the eggs instead.)

Chip and Chloe had a grand time with Dr. Davis Thursday afternoon. After talking to her a bit, he determined that, "She's definitely ready for kindergarten!" Her weight, 52 pounds, is in the 95th percentile for her age. Her height, 4 feet exactly, is off the chart. Way above the 99th percentile. (Although really, it seems like there's not very much room above 99th. But I won't argue.) Chip texted me that things were going fine.

And then the needles arrived.

Apparently, and I don't really have all the details, there was hysterical wailing and thrashing about, and then Chip tried to distract her with candy and she choked on it, and eventually they had to call in several people to help hold her down while the shots went in. GOOD TIMES.

By the time she and her dad stopped at Baskin-Robbins and made it home for the Easter egg hunt, she was all smiles. She even laughed about what a fit she'd thrown! And that, my friends, is why Chip is in charge of taking the kids for their vaccinations.

Weekend Happenings

Friday night we delighted the children by giving in to months of pressure and letting them watch the Karate Kid remake with Jackie Chan and Will Smith's son. Chloe ran around hugging us and telling us we were the best parents ever. I'm really not sure why this was so important to them, but whatever. And let me say- it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be! Connor and I both cried during part of it, and we all felt good at the end. But all in all, I think the kids were a bit young to see the ass-kicking that Little Smith took during the movie. I know, I'm a prude. They aren't scarred for life or anything, but maybe I'm not as good a parent as Chloe thinks I am.

Saturday dawned cold and dreary and I totally skipped out on the opening weekend of the Farmer's Market. I went to Jazzercise instead! I made the kids help me do some cleaning with the promise we'd go see Rio at the movie theater if they were helpful. The truth was, Chip was off taking pictures somewhere and I was tired of trying to entertain them on a cold and dreary day!

The movie, Rio, was cute. I really appreciated that it was a kids' movie that told a story for kids. It didn't spend a lot of time winking at the parents or telling a story that was over the kids' heads in order to interest the adults. (I'm looking at YOU, Rango.) It's okay if parents are a little bored at kids' movies. It's rated G- I know I'm not the target audience. I just want my kids to be happy. And they really were- they talked about their favorite characters and lines the whole way home.

When we came out of the movies, it was sunny and warm! Crazy! I took the kids to Mom's to spend the night, and Chip and I made our first ever visit to the Shelby Farms Greenline. Scandalous, I know! We borrowed friends' bikes and rode to Shelby Farms and back. It's as awesome as everyone tells you it is. I can see why real estate values along the Greenline are going up- I totally want to buy four bikes and a house near a Greenline entrance after that experience.

Sunday morning we were at Woodland Discovery Playground by 9:30- perfect! Not too many people at all, and we didn't even have to stand in line to ride the cool swings. We thought maybe the novelty had worn off, but when we left about an hour later the place was really starting to fill up. So for now, the key is to get there early. And my blog readership is small enough that I can spill that secret without worrying that future early trips will be ruined by the influx of people who saw my tip.

We spent as much of the beautiful day outside as we could- before noon, of course, when we hunkered down on the couch to watch the Grizzlies win their very first playoff game ever! It was SO AWESOME!!!!! I'm still riding that high. Then Connor's good friend, Kelton, came over to play the afternoon away. Kelton recently moved far, far away and Connor has missed him terribly. He counted down the days until Kelton got here, and was not disappointed. They had a great time! Chloe just sat and watched them play, which seems to be her thing when Connor has a friend over. And she doesn't even have crushes on his friends yet! He doesn't know what he's in for.

Chip and I tried to get our little garden plot ready for planting, which I guess we'll do next weekend. While the kids are out of town! And yes, now it's MY turn to count down the days. . .

Friday Brain Dump

Chloe is insanely scared of two things: bugs and "rain sounds."

The bug thing is new. It almost seems like an affectation, a way to be more of a girly girl, but surely she's not old enough to play those games, right? But suddenly this spring, Chloe will scream and cry and panic whenever she sees a bug, even if it's a gnat flying by. It's totally annoying. I'm hoping she moves past it soon so that each trip outside doesn't have to be so full of drama.

Rain sounds have always been a problem. It started off that she was scared of thunder and lightning, which is certainly fair. For some reason, I think this kind of stuff is louder in her room. Connor has the trees in front of his windows, but Chloe gets all the lightning through hers. But she's gotten so paranoid about it, that now she's even nervous about rain since rain often leads to the more intense thunder and lightning. Oftentimes as I tuck her in, she'll ask, "Is it going to rain tonight?" She needs a heads up. Last night she was in bed with us before the thunder was really roaring. "I hear the rain sounds!"

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Our talented friend Richard did a wonderful job in his Commercial Appeal column of summing up the acheivement test experience in the Memphis City Schools. Allow me to add our take to the mix.

This was Connor's first time to take the test, so our first time experiencing it as parents. (Although I still have TCAP nightmares from my days as a teacher.) I hadn't heard him saying much about it, so I thought maybe his teacher was playing it cool. Not so- on Sunday night, Connor was a bundle of nerves. He went on and on about needing to get a good night's sleep and eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast. He was adamant that it needed to be cereal! I realized that he has no idea that all the directives handed out at school weren't aimed at us. They were aimed at people who let their kids stay up all night and then don't feed them breakfast! I said, "Son! We feed you breakfast every morning! Eat what you normally eat and you'll do fine." I didn't step in on the sleeping thing, though. He wanted to get right in bed after his bath, skipping 15 minutes or so of reading time. (We read before the bath instead.) I figured it was in my best interest NOT to point out that he goes to sleep by 8:30 each night and gets about ten hours in before I wake him up. I'd hate to give him the idea that that other people sleep less and maybe he should be staying up later!

I volunteered to proctor the TCAPs a couple of days, and was worried I would have some kind of traumatic flashbacks to my days as a teacher. And I did feel a little bit of that panic. The TCAPs are the main reason I quit teaching- I found myself teaching kids these specific skills and not just teaching them how to learn, you know? And also, I just couldn't handle the idea that my worth as a teacher was judged on how these kids performed on this test. I would walk up and down the aisles of my classroom, silently willing them to pick up the pace, or to stop and think about that one because it looks like there are two correct answers but only one is right!, or just dying inside as I saw answers my best student had marked incorrectly- I know I taught you better than that! I hated that part of the job, that it seemed nothing else I did all year meant anything, just that week of testing. And at that point it was totally out of my hands. I'm too much of a control freak for that. I need a job where my annual evaluation is based on what I've done, rather than what 20 10-year-olds have done. I like going back and volunteering with the kids here and there, but I doubt I will ever relax enough to be able to enjoy teaching as a career again.

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Chip and I spent the week fighting a spring cold. Sunday evening I had a sore throat and a little sinus pressure, along with some sneezing. I thought it was allergies from being outside all weekend. By Monday my nose was gushing, by Tuesday I had a slight fever, by Wednesday it was all in my chest, and by now I feel okay except for the raw skin around my nose from all the nose-blowing. But by Wednesday, Chip started feeling bad too, and went through the same progression of symptoms. So now I'm thinking it was a bug of some kind. Fortunately, the kids didn't get it. But it made for kind of a long week for us. I'm looking forward to putting it behind us and moving on to a great Memphis weekend, one involving the Memphis Farmer's Market and the NBA playoffs! Go Grizzlies!

My Boy

Y'all, Connor isn't my baby anymore. He's not even a little boy- the only thing I can think to say is that he's a kid these days. It's just as bittersweet as I always imagined it would be.

He's still a mama's boy, which does make it more sweet than bitter most of the time. And he has finally, after more than seven years without it, discovered empathy. He realizes that there is a world that exists outside the one between his ears. So when it's bedtime and Chloe is boasting how it's Mommy's night to read to her, Connor quickly retorts that he's glad Dad is reading to him- he doesn't want Dad's feelings to be hurt, and hates to see Chloe act the way he knows he has acted over the past several years towards his dad. He has confided to me that his favorite part of the day is when he snuggles in bed with a parent and we read a book together. I can't think of anything I've ever been told that has made me happier.

The book thing is a huge win for the ol' parents, considering Connor is becoming a gamer. He really loves to play with his Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. So much so, in fact, that we spend a lot of time monitoring how much time he's spending on them, and forcing him to turn them off. And though he's not always quick to comply (don't worry, he gets in trouble), he doesn't do a lot of complaining once the device is off. So somewhere in there he's learning a bit of self-control. Just a bit.


His real passion in life is basketball- playing it and watching it. Intently. He knows everyone who plays for every team, and knows what their jersey numbers are. If I say, "The Lakers won last night," he immediately asks, "What was the score?" as if I can keep that many numbers in my head. So he has learned how to look it up on the ESPN Scorecenter app on my phone. Recently, he and I sat fourth row center at a Grizzlies game. By the end of the warmups, he knew who was going to have a good game and why. And he was right. This is just a dream come true for me and Chip (and a nightmare for Chloe who hates watching sports). We're currently considering mulitple basketball camps over the summer, and Connor is super-excited- despite the fact that he "won't know anyone." The lure of basketball trumps the fear of the unknown.

For some reason all of this just seems terribly grown up to me. Connor seems to have matured so much in just the past four or five months- it's a growth spurt as shocking as when Chloe wakes up unable to fit into yesterday's pants. I suddenly see the young man he's going to become, and in some ways it's very rewarding. But I do miss my baby, just a little bit.

Food! Glorious Food!

Luckily for RJA, today is the day I post pictures of my food on the internet. Check out my review of Chava's over at Dining with Monkeys, and put it on your list of things to do while in St. Louis.

Nobody's Fool

Pranks I did NOT pull on April Fool's Day include:

Telling my boss that the hundreds of letters that were signed, sealed, and stamped, yet contained a glaring typo, had accidentally gotten mailed before I could shred them.

Giving my boss a stack of newly printed, correctly written letters, only putting a horribly mangled letter on top so she'd think they were all wrong and had to be reprinted yet again.*

*Fact: I'm terrified of my boss and would never have actually done either of these. Another awesome prank I did not pull on her a few months ago was to bring maternity clothes and stuffing for all the thirty-something females in my office to wear on her first day back from maternity leave. Surprise! Guess what we all did while you were away!

Dressing Connor in Chloe's clothes, Chloe in Connor's clothes, and me in Chip's clothes to greet Chip for breakfast. Unfortunately, Chip was standing in line at the school board so we did not get to have an April Fool's breakfast together. Otherwise, this TOTALLY would have happened.

Serving a plate of spaghetti with dirt sauce, grass, bugs, etc., for dinner, and the kids and I would calmly act like it was normal while Chip grossed out. My kids are too sensitive about food, though, and couldn't pretend to like normal spaghetti, let alone gross spaghetti, so we shelved this one quickly.

Prank we did play on April Fool's Day:

The kids hid in the dining room. When Chip came home, I lured him into the den and talked to him normally for a minute while the kids ran outside and jumped in his backseat. Then I asked Chip where the kids were and flipped out because he didn't get them. I grabbed the phone to call Idlewild while Chip jumped in the car to go get them. Surprise! They were hiding in the back seat and jumped up and yelled, "APRIL FOOLS!"**

**The kids were super-excited about this prank, and I knew it would be devastating when a) Chip got home before we did, b) the back door beeped when they opened it to sneak out, and c) Chip's car doors were locked. So I asked him to get home after us, leave the back door open and his car unlocked when he got home. It may have tipped him off that something hinky was going on, but at least the prank got to play out as smoothly in real life as it did in my kids' imaginations. So I'll mark this one down as a success!

Leftovers

I kept thinking Chip would share some kind of photographic essay about our spring break trip to St. Louis. He didn't. So I'll share pictures of the kids from St. Louis instead!

We hit the Forest Park area for the first time, which contains both the zoo and Turtle Park. The zoo was sprawling- very different from our own zoo. The animals had much better environments in which to live. However, that meant you could walk a long time and not really see any animals. So, good for them, but maybe not as much fun for us. It was free, so I was happy with the animals I did see! Very close to the zoo was Turtle Park, which is basically a bunch of concrete right next to the interstate. Bad location, and really quite dangerous. But the photo ops are nice.

Forest Park is 500 acres larger than Central Park. Huge! I know there's a lot more to explore there, and I hope we will on a future, warmer, visit.

Finally, the obligatory picture of the Arch.

More Birthday Madness

Our original idea for Chloe's party this year was to have it at the Collierville Animal Shelter. I had heard they had a party room, and Chloe was enthusiastic. In my mind I came up with some awesome theme decorations and party favors. We were ready! Unfortunately, due to understaffing, the shelter has quit hosting parties. Uh oh- back to square one.

I decided to shoot for the moon, and give Chloe every option in the book. Zoo? Chuck E. Cheese? Children's Museum? Build-A-Bear? What's it going to be? She chose the one option I had purposefully left out. "I want to do Chick-Fil-A again!" Instead of Build-A-Bear? Really? "Mom, there's no FOOD at Build-A-Bear!"

As usual, the kids had lots of fun at Chick-Fil-A, eating and playing and fighting over balloons for perfectly-timed ninety minutes. Chloe was thrilled to play with her friends, have her family close by, and to open lots of Barbie, Princess, and Barbie-Princess gifts. A great end to a week of celebrating! Her dedication to the concept of "Birthday Week" definitely made her Leo mama proud.

Thanks to everyone who helped make her feel special! See you again next year- hopefully at a new location, but you never know. . .

(Photos are all by Bwana Chockley, due to the fact that Chip sat in a corner during the party, suffering from a stomach virus.)

Birthday Fun

As part of our Spring Break extravanganza, we all stayed home on Chloe's birthday. She made it clear that she would only accept this arrangement if Connor knew it was "her day." He understood.

She woke up to lots of fun presents and breakfast at Cafe Eclectic. Then we saw Rango and stopped at Muddy's. Not a bad way to celebrate turning five!

Welcome Home Tigers!

After an exciting day of watching the Tigers play Friday, Connor and I were in full Memphis mode. Talk on the internets turned to speculating when the team's plane would land. Realizing it wouldn't be too late, I decided to call Cullen and ask, "Drive me and Connor to meet the team plane tonight?"

What class acts these guys are. Tarik Black was the last to leave the fans, signing everything you threw at him and taking pictures with all of us.

Will Coleman is truly our best ambassador- he came through the line first, then started over and came back through. He is a baby-kissing machine! Charmed the pants off of everyone there.

Connor was up past his bedtime, overwhelmed, and star-struck. It was awesome.

Great job, Tigers! It was a crazy season, but you can certainly be proud of your effort. Hope to see most of you back next season!

Ms. Sandra

Dear Ms. Sandra,

Your birthday is tomorrow. I know this, because Chloe has told me every day for the last two weeks. She has fretted over what to get you, whether to invite you to her party (which is also tomorrow), and whether you will have a proper party for yourself.

Yesterday, we went to the store specifically so she could shop for jewelry for you. She had very particular parameters: not too plain, but not too fancy, nothing too flashy because you have class and so should your jewelry. She handled literally dozens of bracelets and necklaces before picking out "the one."

I know it won't be the nicest gift you receive this year, but I hope you know that you won't receive many that were more heartfelt. You've been important to our family for many years, and we thank you for all you've done to help make sure our kids are loved and cared for.

Happy birthday, Ms. Sandra!

Love,
The Chockleys

Five

When I was growing up, Mom always said, "When you and Shannon were little, we'd tell him to close his eyes and go to sleep, and we'd tell you to close your mouth and go to sleep!" I'd always guffaw gamely, assuming it was just another exaggeration about how much I do, and always have, talked. Then one night, Chloe was in her bed, eyes closing, talking ninety to nothing. The only thing keeping her awake was her mouth. And suddenly I understood that Mom wasn't joking.

Chloe hates the idea of sleep almost as much as she loves talking. It's exhausting and also incredibly endearing. She's just so enthusiastic about. . . everything! And she wants to touch it all and pick it all up and talk about it and share it and sing to it and there's no time for sleep in a world this wonderful. I'm sorry I don't always have the attention span she needs. But on the whole, I'd say I've listened to more of her tales and ideas and made-up words in just five years than some parents will have the opportunity to listen to in an entire lifetime.

In some ways, she's such a girl! She insists on wearing dresses and skirts, whether her legs will be cold or not. She flops dramatically in front of the TV on Sundays, whining that "Football is SO BOOOORING!" And she is as committed to her babydolls and Barbies and Disney princesses as any girl I've ever known.

But she's no princess herself. She's not at all fragile, easily taking what life hands her and not complaining when things don't go her way. She's learned not to dwell on things she can't change, and figured out how to enjoy what's in front of her rather than wishing it were something better. Having a brother who refuses to bend on anything has certainly contributed to her flexibility. It's something I cherish, and I hope that one day she understands how easy she's made things for me in this regard.

Her confidence is shocking- she is so sure of herself, both physically and socially. Other kids are drawn to her because of it. I hope she never loses this "mysterious confidence" (as one of my favorite movies so aptly put it) as she reaches her teens. I want her to always be the first to jump in the pool, to always turn strangers into friends, to always sing at the top of her lungs. I really want her to always be the sweet, smart, beautiful little girl she is now, but I can already see the young woman she's on her way to becoming. And I love them both.

Happy birthday, baby girl!

Between Punches

We're at an age where they bicker and fight and try to insult each other constantly. I guess that just makes it all the more sweet when they stop and play together, or encourage each other's pursuits. It happens- sometimes. I'm always glad when we can get a picture of it!

The shot above was taken when they mutually agreed that walking a quarter of a mile through the park made their legs tired, and they absolutely had to stop. I'm so glad they haven't yet figured out that a mutual disdain for their dorky parents' lame ideas and activities will one day be the thing that draws them close to each other!

Overheard

I want to marry you, Mommy! Then you'll have THREE beautiful rings! Unless I give you a wedding necklace.
- Chloe

Where is the PSP? Can I have the PSP?
- Connor

You know, the more I watch iCarly, the more I realize Gibby is my favorite.
- Chip

Dear March, Come In!

Every year starts the same for me. First, I spend January in the fetal position under a blanket, crying about the lack of sunlight and the weight I gained over the holidays and the unruly children bouncing off the walls of our house because no one wants to play outside. Then I crawl into February wondering if my insurance covers Prozac before remembering that my brain's chemical makeup is actually pretty good, and I should probably just snap out of it. And soon enough, I fit into my pre-holiday pants again and nature provides us with at least one afternoon of early spring and gradually we quit getting on each other's nerves 24 hours a day.

And then there's March. The month of expectation! It starts out with a smile, as Chip and I celebrate our "I like you more than just a friend" anniversary on the very first day. Then it's followed by spring break and Chloe's birthday and March Madness and weekends at the park. I know the weather will gradually improve, and before this month is over, it will be spring.  And that's all I really expect from March- the arrival of spring. Which is a lot of pressure to put on you, March, but it's nothing you can't handle.

Dear March, come in!
How glad I am!
I looked for you before.
Put down your hat-
You must have walked-
How out of breath you are!
Dear March, how are you?
And the rest?
Did you leave Nature well?
Oh, March, come right upstairs with me,
I have so much to tell!

-Emily Dickinson

Harper's 2nd

Our favorite not-by-blood-but-certainly-family-anyway cousin, Harper, had her 2nd birthday party the other day.  It was quite a shindig, with all the necessary components for an awesome 2nd birthday:  family, presents, food, presents, snot, frilly dresses, cake and icing everywhere.  Happy Birthday, Harper!

(That second one is by the lovely and talented Uncle Jay Adkins.)

Click here to see the whole slideshow.

Valentimes

Valentine's Day isn't a particularly big holiday at our house, although I do love an excuse to give my kids a little gift of some type without feeling like I'm spoiling them. The $3.00 I spent on each kid was totally worth it! Plus they got homemade cards. True to their natures, Chloe pointed out that I bought her the wrong brand of strawberry gum while Connor repeatedly told me how much he liked the card that I made for him.

But, as Chloe pointed out this morning, my family isn't supposed to be my "Valentime"- Daddy is! And he is. We too exchanged homemade cards, but we won't do gifts or a big night out. Our dating anniversary is in a couple of weeks, so usually we just go out to dinner at some point in Feb/March and call it our "Valentine's/Anniversary Meal." We will, however, pull out all the Valentine's cards Chip has ever given me and read through them tonight, reminiscing about our first V-Day dinner together and laughing at the wide variety of fart-related cards Chip has picked out through the years. So not a night of full-blown romance, but a little better than your normal Monday night! (We're totally still watching Chuck, though. Some things about Monday nights are sacred.)

One more Valentine's note- this year Chloe is in the Penguin class at Idlewild, which means that Valentine's Day is the day of the "Sweetheart Ball." You might remember Connor's turn with this tradition- I can't forget it. First of all, there was much hand-wringing over the appropriateness of a school dance at this age. (Ah, things first-time moms worry about!) Then there was the epic puking. Take a walk down memory lane with me, won't you? And keep your fingers crossed that no stomach bug comes along to ruin Chloe's fancy new "frilly dress."

Happy Valentine's Day!

More of the White Stuff

This winter has provided us with the most snow Memphis has seen in 20 years.  We haven't had any really big snows, but there have been several smaller events.  The kids were let out early from school on Monday and Wednesday, and were out all day Thursday.  The 3-inch Wednesday snow was accompanied by bone-chilling temps, so we didn't really do a lot of playing in it.

 No, Chloe isn't carrying a snowball the size of her Sputnik head-- that's a basketball.