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It smells like school in the mornings.
I think that every year around this time. It actually smelled that way a week or so before school started. Something changed. Something shifted. One morning, I woke up and went out to my car and there it was.
The smell of school. The smell of change. The smell of … fall. Even before it’s technically here. It smells like fall.
And I love it.
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the smells, the tastes, the colors, the feeling in my chest when I take a long, deep breath. It smells clean. It smells … good.
Fall also means football is here, and that brings a wide smile to myself that most people know is not usually there. (I don’t smile a lot. Kill me.)
In honor of school, air that smells yummy and football, I give you these photos taken a couple weekends ago during a work trip to Arkansas. These photos were taken in the final days of the 56th Annual Kiwanis Kid’s Day Football program in Springdale. All the kids play (or cheer) for free in this event. And it’s super popular. And it’s fun. A LOT of fun.
So happy FOOTBALL SEASON.
And Happy Air Smells Good Mornings.
I picked up my kids at school today so they wouldn’t have to ride the bus home. They are now officially car riders on the way home and bus riders on the way to school. This elaborate plan comes about since it now takes them almost an hour to ride what is only about 2 miles. The genius plan that was supposed to help out the school’s budget now has our kids on the bus for … well, forever.
Anyway, I picked the kids up today and our oldest immediately tells me, “I went to the nurse three times today.” This is after we already got a call from her the SECOND DAY of school because he was wheezing and needed his inhaler. I looked at him and said, “What in the world are you doing going there that many times? This woman is going to think we’re beating you or something.” He said, “Yeah, right Mom. I have huge bumps on my legs and I couldn’t stop itching.”
I tell you what … this kid is the most sensitive little guy ever. The kid woke up this morning with no fewer than four HUGE, RED bumps on his skinny little legs. We were freaking out because this is not the first time this has happened to him while he sleeps. So I’m all freaking out and ripping sheets off the bed and looking for a brown recluse spider family that was feasting on my oldest son’s legs at night. Or bed bugs from hell or SOMETHING.
I found nothing other than a ton of stupid-ass Webkinz huddled in the corner of the bed.
So once we get home, he says, “Mom, you gotta see this one on my leg. It’s huge and getting bigger.” At this point I figure he’s just wimpy, cause he can be. I mean, christ, I saw them this morning. They are BUG BITES. They itch. GET. OVER. IT. Finally, I glance over half-assed and notice A HUGE SWOLLEN KNOB on his shin.
Holy shit pie. The kid is blowing up.
“The nurse said I might need some Benadryl.”
Uh, yeah. You think?
I immediately look all over the very-messy fridge for the nurse’s number and can’t find it … so I call the front desk instead. Hoping the nurse is still there …
“Uh, hi. This is Kasey Jackson, and my son was in your office today like, oh, I don’t know, a zillion times.”
She laughed. Really hard. Then said, “Yeah, he was in about three times and by the end of the day, his leg really popped up with a huge goose egg.”
So we talk and she assures me she believes the bites to be mosquito bites, and we figure he probably got them the night before when riding his bike outside around dusk. Duh. I guess he needs some DEET of the most powerful kind. Kid is getting EATEN ALIVE. I kept saying over and over, “Are you sure it doesn’t look like a brown recluse spider bite? How about a black widow?”
She probably thinks, “WHY DOES THIS WOMAN KEEP SAYING SHIT ABOUT SPIDERS??” I’m guessing she thinks I’m a freak. At this point, the only thing going through my mind is “Please don’t call Child Services on my ass. This kid looks like he’s been beaten.”
Ha.
Not that you care, but I guess I share this story so you all know I didn’t beat him, but I also don’t bother to EVER use bug spray. I think I’ve learned a lesson. If I don’t want my kids to blow up like balloons with allergic reactions to MOSQUITO bites, I’ll invest in some stinky spray.
Lesson learned. 
My latest obsession? Shutter Sisters. I’m up late at night looking, dreaming, wishing I could be …
… Wishing I had one ounce of the talent these women exude from every pore.
I haven’t jumped head-first into actually taking part in their Flickr photo galleries or anything just yet. I’m too embarrassed. I know what’s good, what’s great, and what sucks. It’s hard to put yourself out there for the critiques. The furrowed brows. The rolling eyes.
But beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, as “they” say, so I’ll probably jump in soon. Just not yet.
Photography has been a passion of mine forever. I want to learn more. Part of me wants to take more classes. The photo classes I took for college were so long ago (and were FILM! Again, GASP!) that they seem like they happened to someone else. But another part of me wants to just do what I do best, which is capture what I see and allow it to become whatever it becomes. I’ve mostly taught myself tricks of the trade and gotten a little better here and there simply because I LOVE TAKING PICTURES. I always have. I literally take hundreds (READ: ALMOST A THOUSAND) when I am on vacation or a photo shoot for work (or play). Once vacations are over, I have such a different memory of the entire trip because I was always looking through the lens of a camera. I am the one who documents our family’s lives. I’m the one who my family can thank for having ANY photos of ANYTHING we’ve done. I guess at the same time I’m the one who can be blamed that we sometimes have, like I said, HUNDREDS of photos of the same day or same event.
Blame me for our computers running v e r y s l o w l y … too many HUGE PHOTOS ON THE DESKTOP.
Oops.
But with all of this said, I’m posting a funny photo I just found (on my desktop, of course) of my husband and Middle Man. This photo comes to you on the heels of this post on Shutter Sisters, which was a lovely tribute to boys. As you well know, I’m surrounded by them. I have lots of photos to choose from. But this one? This one rocks my world.
It’s not a “great” photo. Hell, it’s not even a really good photo. I just love it for what it is: A sweet moment my hubby man spent with our son after daddy, the graduate, came home from receiving his well-deserved MBA. The boys had a cute moment outside being silly, giggling and, well, picking their noses.
My husband forbids me to use his photo on my blog or Facebook or Twitter or anywhere else, but I’m making an exception.
This one’s worth sharing.
This one is priceless.
I love my boys. Boogers and all.
Just a few photos to liven up an otherwise ordinary Friday.
If you’re somewhere close to a beach, stick your toes in the sand this weekend. It’s almost fall. Sigh.
