So when #2 got the letter that he qualifies to take the test, I prayed that he would pick me to go. One day, he won't want to spend time with his mommy...he'll want to hang out with the guys...and I just wanted this time with him...AND I GOT IT!!!!!
Friday, #2 and I left for Louisville. We got up and packed our last minute items and headed to Chick-Fil-A...I mean, we've got to start the day off with a great breakfast! We met Hubby there and you could see the excitement in #2's face! He was ready to go on this trip! We ate and said our goodbyes to Hubby and then got on the road.
So my dreams were that we'd talk all the way to Louisville...have some bonding conversations...laugh a little...make some memories. Instead, it was like this...
As we got into Louisville, I tried to wake #2 up from his deep slumber. Let me tell you, he was in a DEEP sleep. He wasn't moving and then...
Me: #2...we are here...in Louisville!
#2: WHAT?!?!?! WE'RE HERE!?!??!?
...it was like I offered him gold. He was wide awake and taking the city in...looking and asking questions about all the buildings...talking about the players pictures on the buildings...asking when we're going to our first event.
We get to our first event...an escape room. #2 has wanted to do that for a while and I thought that is something that we could do together...we're both competitive...we both work together well...and the only problem is that we'd be locked in a room together and if we started fighting, it would be like I'm arguing with myself....at least the peeps behind the camera would get a kick out of it.
So we start this room and #2 is frustrated 10 minutes into the event. He's really good at figuring things out, but he doesn't like the clock. In the end, we didn't finish the room...he was bummed...and I mean BUMMED. He didn't want his picture taken, but did it anyway. And when he got in the car, he said he wanted to do it again and beat it. Let's get real, this is where we differ...I'm not paying another $50 to do a room that we 3/4s of the way already accomplished. But I did tell him that maybe we can do that this summer at one of the places in BG. He'll hold me to that...I'm quite confident that the first day of summer I will hear "when are we going to the escape room".
After the escape room, we decided to go to the hotel room. When we got to the front desk and as I'm checking in, #2 looked at me...
#2: Ummm...Mommy...
Me: Yes?
#2: We don't belong here.
Me: Yes honey...this is where we have reservations.
#2: No, we don't belong here.
Me: Why not?
#2: Because this place is way too fancy for us.
...now, I will agree, the front was a little nice. A little nicer than a few hotels that I've stayed in the past...
Front Desk Lady: Okay, you're on the first floor.
Me: Ummm...I'm not really a first floor person.
Front Desk Lady: Oh....
#2: She's afraid someone will crawl up the wall.
Front Desk Lady: OH!
Me: So...do you have something on the second floor?
Front Desk Lady: No...our first floor is the only thing that we're booking because of all the construction.
Me: Construction?
Front Desk Lady: Yes, our hotel is being renovated.
...so my anxiety is through the roof because now I have to stay on the first floor...and then we went to our room.
After we passed the lobby, our eyes were opened...the paint had been scraped off the walls in the hallway, the carpet was ripped off the floor, we walked into the next hallway and the wallpaper was coming off the walls, the lights didn't have all their lightbulbs...#2 and I looked at each other and we could read each other's minds...we were very scared of what our hotel room was going to look like.
We opened up our hotel room and the room was surprisingly nice. We got all of our clothes out and checked the place out...
#2: What are you doing with that piece of paper?
Me: Nothing.
#2: Seriously...what are you doing?
Me: Checking for bugs.
#2: Do you do this every time you stay in a hotel room?
Me: Maybe.
#2: Interesting.
...he says interesting like I'm nuts, but he sure did ask a lot of questions and started looking at the paper as a checked around the place.
I then went to the window and closed the curtains....
Me: Will you bring me a hanger...one with the clips?
#2: For what? The closet is right here.
Me: I need it for the window.
#2: What??!?!?
Me: Just bring me one.
#2: I can't get it off the rod.
....so I go in the closet area and when I come back, #2 is looking out the curtains...
Me: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?!
#2: Waving at that guy.
Me: WHAT!?!?!?
#2: There's a guy out here...he parked his car under our window. I thought it would be rude not to wave.
Me: GET. AWAY. FROM. THE. WINDOW.
....and I proceed to clip the curtains together with the hanger....
Me: THIS is why I don't want to stay on the first floor. THIS is why I clip the curtains with a hanger.
#2: Interesting.
Me: AND STOP SAYING INTERESTING!!!!
#2 gets ready for the pool...second event for the day! He is so excited to go swimming in January...and then we get to the pool. First of all, 1/2 of the pool is taken up with lanes. Then there's a group of 70+ year old ladies who are floating and gossiping in the middle of the rest of the pool. #2 wants to swim and at this point, he can only swim in the shallow end. He's not happy. Goodness gracious, I cannot make anything go right on this trip. I finally let him go to the deep end to swim and he's goofing off for a while and then he gets tired and realizes he can't swim very well so he uses a noodle. He uses that for a bit and then slips...he comes up...
#2: I'm tired and I'm thinking I need to get out.
#2 gets ready for the pool...second event for the day! He is so excited to go swimming in January...and then we get to the pool. First of all, 1/2 of the pool is taken up with lanes. Then there's a group of 70+ year old ladies who are floating and gossiping in the middle of the rest of the pool. #2 wants to swim and at this point, he can only swim in the shallow end. He's not happy. Goodness gracious, I cannot make anything go right on this trip. I finally let him go to the deep end to swim and he's goofing off for a while and then he gets tired and realizes he can't swim very well so he uses a noodle. He uses that for a bit and then slips...he comes up...
#2: I'm tired and I'm thinking I need to get out.
Me: Good call...let's go.
#2: Hey...there's a shower right there...can I go in and shower off and then go back to the room?
Me: Sure. I'll wait right outside the door.
...the kid goes in and five seconds later....
#2: Nevermind...there's a naked man in there and I'm just not doing that...no clothes...no curtains...no thank you.
...and we immediately head back to the hotel room...I mean, after I yelled "that's disgusting" loud enough for that man to hear.
#2 decides he wants to go to Red Lobster to get a lobster pizza...and when I found my gift card, we both smiled and knew it was fate. We get there and he asks me to sit on his side of the table so we can play tic tac toe. We did a ton of people watching...which we probably should have gotten in trouble for...we watched it rain outside and a lady pulled her coat over her head so she wouldn't get her hair wet...we watched the couple across from us complain about the lettuce in the salad and even though she complained to the waiter about how much she hated iceberg lettuce, she still order that salad, we heard three ladies complain about the temperature of their coffee...#2 and I literally sat in the booth laughing so hard and nobody knew why. We were the happiest people in a restaurant FULL of complainers. I think it made the day of the people who worked there because we were so loud and when people would complain, we laughed even harder and the waiters would look at us and laugh. They knew what was up...and they were laughing at us because they knew they couldn't laugh at the people they were waiting on.
After that we decided that dessert was in order...so since we both love cheesecake, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. I haven't been there in forever and when you stop and see all of those cheesecakes and narrow it down to one, it takes a while. We took our desserts to go and headed to the car...ready to head home...but first, one more stop.
#2 doesn't want anybody to know, but he's got a really big heart. He wanted to get his brothers a stuffed animal since he was getting to go on the trip. I couldn't find a toy store, so we ended up at a bookstore and we searched for a stuffed animal. He picked one out for each of his brothers and himself and then headed back to the fancy hotel.
I got ready for bed and #2 took his shower and we sat on top of the covers and ate cheesecake...
#2: This is the best ever!
Me: What?
#2: We are actually eating IN bed! I mean, I've always wanted to do this and now my dream has come true!!!!
...apparently I hold back some of my number's dreams. ;-)
Bedtime was coming so we brushed our teeth and I pulled one of the things on the door over the peep hole...
#2: What are you doing? Did you just rip that off?
Me: I'm covering the peep hole.
#2: So no one will see in our room?
Me: Yes.
#2: (huge sigh) Okay...
So I pick up the phone to get a wake-up call. No dial tone. I'm pushing the button over and over. What? Maybe the phone isn't plugged in. Check plug. It's in. No dial tone. No noise. The phone doesn't work at all. We're going to die in this room and I can't call out to warn anybody.
As we were going to sleep, I realized I forgot the fan. I had no cold air and I had no noise...which then made me hear every little sound. I could hear the cars outside our window and that's when my brain started racing...
What if someone crawled up the wall and broke in our room through our window? What would #2 do? Could I protect us? Why are we on the first floor? Why didn't I just change hotels? What if my phone dies and I can't get in touch with anybody? Why doesn't the phone work? This was a bad decision. I'm a horrible mom. I need air. I need to make sure the window is locked. If I look outside the window, will I see anybody outside the window? I'll run. Check window. Window locked. Jump into bed. Plug phone up. No plug near bed....WHAT?!?!?!? Only plug is across the room. Now the killer that is going to break into our room will also grab my phone. Cue sometime I feel asleep and woke up many, many times throughout the night.
We got up for this continental breakfast...at least that was coming with this hotel. We get to the room with the food...oh...cereal, biscuits and eggs that look like foam in the shape of a circle. Seriously. As we're eating, we discuss the test. It's no big deal...just practice.
We drive to the school and it's raining...like it has all weekend. We wait in the car and we're just talking about our weekend. We finally get out and head inside for this big 3 1/2 hour test. As we are sitting at the table after check-in, I'm trying to calm #2's nerves...
#2: I'm so nervous. What if I don't do well?
Me: Think of it this way...this test is like your football or basketball practice...nobody is keeping score, this practice doesn't count. This test is to help you when you play the real game...which, in this case, will be high school. Don't fret over a test...a test tells a small portion of who you really are. You're a Christian, you're an athlete, you're kind...none of that shows up on a test, but that actually matters more.
#2: Thanks Mommy...I love you!
...now, I'm telling you, that it's not one minute later that the lady across the table from us is scaring her daughter to death over this test....and she's kinda scaring me...
Lady: This test is everything! This test will get you into the best colleges! You have to concentrate! We're studied for months for this test! You have got to do well!
Daughter: (tears in her eyes) I will mother. I won't let you down.
...okay, first of all, she isn't getting into college in the sixth grade by this test. And when she said "mother" I almost laughed out loud. I mean, the pressure and the formal name had me chuckling inside.
When they called #2's room number, he gave me a hug and then looked at me....
#2: Mommy...she has a banana. That's her snack! What do I do?!?!?!?
Me: Calm down. Tell the adult. Don't sit beside her. Don't hold her hand...and no kissing.
#2: (laughing and shaking his head) Love you Mommy.
After the test, #2 came out smiling...
Me: Hey little man! How did it go?
#2: (smiling from ear to ear) Oh it was terrible. I did horrible. I knew nothing. But now I know what it's gonna be like when the real game is.
We then decided to eat at a place that got rave reviews...Jonella's. That was the best chicken I've had! #2 loved it...
#2: Next year when we come to take the test, I wanna come here again to eat!
What I heard...
#2: I love you so much and I pick you for our trip next year!
We headed home...still in the rain...and again, the kid slept all the home home. This time it took him less time to go to sleep. So I put on some music and sang all the way home. When we were about 30 minutes away from home #2 woke up and I turned down the music...
#2: Oh no...turn it up Mommy...I love to hear you sing.
...and this week...and that comment...is why this weekend ranks up there as one of the best Mommy and Son trips ever in Our Life By Numbers!
#2: Hey...there's a shower right there...can I go in and shower off and then go back to the room?
Me: Sure. I'll wait right outside the door.
...the kid goes in and five seconds later....
#2: Nevermind...there's a naked man in there and I'm just not doing that...no clothes...no curtains...no thank you.
...and we immediately head back to the hotel room...I mean, after I yelled "that's disgusting" loud enough for that man to hear.
#2 decides he wants to go to Red Lobster to get a lobster pizza...and when I found my gift card, we both smiled and knew it was fate. We get there and he asks me to sit on his side of the table so we can play tic tac toe. We did a ton of people watching...which we probably should have gotten in trouble for...we watched it rain outside and a lady pulled her coat over her head so she wouldn't get her hair wet...we watched the couple across from us complain about the lettuce in the salad and even though she complained to the waiter about how much she hated iceberg lettuce, she still order that salad, we heard three ladies complain about the temperature of their coffee...#2 and I literally sat in the booth laughing so hard and nobody knew why. We were the happiest people in a restaurant FULL of complainers. I think it made the day of the people who worked there because we were so loud and when people would complain, we laughed even harder and the waiters would look at us and laugh. They knew what was up...and they were laughing at us because they knew they couldn't laugh at the people they were waiting on.
After that we decided that dessert was in order...so since we both love cheesecake, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. I haven't been there in forever and when you stop and see all of those cheesecakes and narrow it down to one, it takes a while. We took our desserts to go and headed to the car...ready to head home...but first, one more stop.
#2 doesn't want anybody to know, but he's got a really big heart. He wanted to get his brothers a stuffed animal since he was getting to go on the trip. I couldn't find a toy store, so we ended up at a bookstore and we searched for a stuffed animal. He picked one out for each of his brothers and himself and then headed back to the fancy hotel.
I got ready for bed and #2 took his shower and we sat on top of the covers and ate cheesecake...
#2: This is the best ever!
Me: What?
#2: We are actually eating IN bed! I mean, I've always wanted to do this and now my dream has come true!!!!
...apparently I hold back some of my number's dreams. ;-)
Bedtime was coming so we brushed our teeth and I pulled one of the things on the door over the peep hole...
#2: What are you doing? Did you just rip that off?
Me: I'm covering the peep hole.
#2: So no one will see in our room?
Me: Yes.
#2: (huge sigh) Okay...
So I pick up the phone to get a wake-up call. No dial tone. I'm pushing the button over and over. What? Maybe the phone isn't plugged in. Check plug. It's in. No dial tone. No noise. The phone doesn't work at all. We're going to die in this room and I can't call out to warn anybody. 
As we were going to sleep, I realized I forgot the fan. I had no cold air and I had no noise...which then made me hear every little sound. I could hear the cars outside our window and that's when my brain started racing...
What if someone crawled up the wall and broke in our room through our window? What would #2 do? Could I protect us? Why are we on the first floor? Why didn't I just change hotels? What if my phone dies and I can't get in touch with anybody? Why doesn't the phone work? This was a bad decision. I'm a horrible mom. I need air. I need to make sure the window is locked. If I look outside the window, will I see anybody outside the window? I'll run. Check window. Window locked. Jump into bed. Plug phone up. No plug near bed....WHAT?!?!?!? Only plug is across the room. Now the killer that is going to break into our room will also grab my phone. Cue sometime I feel asleep and woke up many, many times throughout the night. We got up for this continental breakfast...at least that was coming with this hotel. We get to the room with the food...oh...cereal, biscuits and eggs that look like foam in the shape of a circle. Seriously. As we're eating, we discuss the test. It's no big deal...just practice.
We drive to the school and it's raining...like it has all weekend. We wait in the car and we're just talking about our weekend. We finally get out and head inside for this big 3 1/2 hour test. As we are sitting at the table after check-in, I'm trying to calm #2's nerves...
#2: I'm so nervous. What if I don't do well?Me: Think of it this way...this test is like your football or basketball practice...nobody is keeping score, this practice doesn't count. This test is to help you when you play the real game...which, in this case, will be high school. Don't fret over a test...a test tells a small portion of who you really are. You're a Christian, you're an athlete, you're kind...none of that shows up on a test, but that actually matters more.
#2: Thanks Mommy...I love you!
...now, I'm telling you, that it's not one minute later that the lady across the table from us is scaring her daughter to death over this test....and she's kinda scaring me...Lady: This test is everything! This test will get you into the best colleges! You have to concentrate! We're studied for months for this test! You have got to do well!
Daughter: (tears in her eyes) I will mother. I won't let you down.
...okay, first of all, she isn't getting into college in the sixth grade by this test. And when she said "mother" I almost laughed out loud. I mean, the pressure and the formal name had me chuckling inside.
When they called #2's room number, he gave me a hug and then looked at me....
#2: Mommy...she has a banana. That's her snack! What do I do?!?!?!?
Me: Calm down. Tell the adult. Don't sit beside her. Don't hold her hand...and no kissing.
#2: (laughing and shaking his head) Love you Mommy.
After the test, #2 came out smiling...Me: Hey little man! How did it go?
#2: (smiling from ear to ear) Oh it was terrible. I did horrible. I knew nothing. But now I know what it's gonna be like when the real game is. We then decided to eat at a place that got rave reviews...Jonella's. That was the best chicken I've had! #2 loved it...
#2: Next year when we come to take the test, I wanna come here again to eat!
What I heard...
#2: I love you so much and I pick you for our trip next year!
We headed home...still in the rain...and again, the kid slept all the home home. This time it took him less time to go to sleep. So I put on some music and sang all the way home. When we were about 30 minutes away from home #2 woke up and I turned down the music...#2: Oh no...turn it up Mommy...I love to hear you sing.
...and this week...and that comment...is why this weekend ranks up there as one of the best Mommy and Son trips ever in Our Life By Numbers!
