If you heard cries of joy and saw fireworks in the sky, no doubt you assumed that I had finished grading essays for my five classes. And that would be correct. At 10:02 p.m., I entered the last grades for the main college where I teach. Now, I just need to get through the other two classes, and truly I have very little that I have to do to prepare for class this week. Think of the stress whooshing out of me, at least until I pick up those 27 papers Friday night that must be graded by Sunday.
Even though I've been wading through essays, life didn't stop here. That is why we went yesterday afternoon to pick out a Christmas tree. When we lived in Michigan, we always cut down a tree. Now we just go to the tree lot at the YMCA. The men's group is in charge and they call is the Y's Men trees. Get it?
I had planned to stay home and grade while everyone else picked out the tree, but it became a domino effect. Then Tucker was going to stay home too, and Spencer didn't really care. Earl was feeling sick...
I put down my papers and went along. I loved watching Tucker attempt to shake out the tree.
We left it outside last night during the basketball games and swim meet and then woke up to rain this morning. Today, when it was time to set it up, I'm not going to lie, there was yelling. I find a little yelling with swear words thrown in enhances the Christmas spirit.
The boys moved the coffee table then Grace and Tucker moved a chair so the tree could go in front of the window.
Earl set up the tree in its stand and this evening the kids and I decorated while he was at work.
I had the kids pose with the tree afterwards. Grace and I nearly fell over laughing when we realized that Spencer is unable to sit on his heels. He's that inflexible. Hopefully that is connected to how much he has grown this year and eventually he'll become more flexible than a 90-year-old.
In all sincerity, I hope that I can relax and enjoy my kids a little more now that my grades are turned in. I'm going to make it my New Year's resolution to complain less and laugh more. This weekend was a good start, because the kids made me laugh, maybe even guffaw, at least twice.
