16 more days

It is 16 more days before I get to the 2nd ugliest age ever invented (31 being the first, 32 being the second). 32? what in the world IS it? It doesn't relate to anything and it sounds bad. there's no symmetry in 32. I'm not saying I'm old because I don't think 32 is old, I'm just saying it's ugly. ugly, ugly.

We just spent the last 9 days with Gabriel's brother and his family who stayed with us while. We are changed Sanchezes. Sarah and Sergio (that's their names) are those people who don't ever yell. I mean never. They don't get that fire of hell look in their eyes when their children whine and act out. NO, Sarah and Sergio don't play that...they fight fire with bubbles and naughtiness with tickling. I admire most everything about them as parents. So far we have quite a few days of not going ballistic on our children and our children are quite happy and, in some cases pleasantly surprised I'm sure, that we have had a live in example of how to be better and we're practicing. I have prayed and prayed for answers to my prayers and I have been frustrated to tears with my inability to see changes or even know what else to do. Thank you, Sarah and Sergio for showing us the way. Sometimes you get feelings and sometimes you get houseguests....they're all answers.

Yesterday was major drama at the primary program. Dellah has had her line memorized for 2 months."the prophet teaches us to be honest and pay our tithing". If you know her you know that she can't stop singing EVER so she knew all the songs too. We get to church early and she's wearing her pretty pretty dress and her magenta tights and her red patent maryjanes and she goes to sit on the stand. The program starts and she's fine. I am a child of God goes off without a hitch. She goes up to do her line with her trademark impeccable e-nun-ci-ationnn and she gets the appreciative giggle that comes when folks see such a small girl with such a clear voice.
Then we get to the rest of the songs and program where it was a cattle drive to the front of the podeum every time there was a song and there was no adult regulation of size order or shoving. Little 30 pound 4 year old Dellah kept getting shoved by these 6 or 7 year old kids and even one kid who's her age and, after 2 songs behind some mean huge kid who only thinks of themselves, she totally lost it up there on the stand. She's crying and saying,'but they're pushing me and I can't see and they're just pushing me and I can't see and they keep on pushing..." you can imagine. Her sweet teacher holds her for the rest of the non-song parts and the kids get the hint, sort of, that they need to ease up on the violence. She didn't sing any songs for all the drama. We are the parents of a Primary program sub-plot in carnate....nice.
I felt this uncontrolled urge to get up and shout, "what is wrong with you people, can't you see that all these big kids are crowding all these tiny little kids who have never done this before and no one can see them?!!!! there was a stinging in my eyes and a saliva building in my mouth from the rage.
Then I decided to ignore it and tell Dellah she did great (because she did) and try to say we should be more like Jesus and forgive people for pushing us when we're 3 1/2 feet tall and they're huge and could be seen easily with no effort BEHIND the tiny kids but they didn't move because they're lame (I mean kids).
Now she says that the next time she has a program she'll wear the same dress and sing all the songs loudly. Here's to missed chances and kids with no social graces.
hip hip hooooorayyy.

down below here I have a post about my sister you should read.

thanks for playing.