Yet again...

Three weeks ago, I asked Daniel to go upstairs and make sure that his clothes for his Christmas concert still fit. I told him that I would not be cavorting all over town at the last minute this year looking for suitable Christmas concert attire. He went up over the stairs, where Jamie was, and after 20 minutes came back down and told me that they were perfect. His father verified the story.

It's never been my luck that the day of a big event, I am at home relaxing. No, in fact it is more my luck that the day of
an event, I am frantically driving around the city, looking for whatever it is that someone waited until the last minute to tell me that they needed.

I live a charmed life.

It was only a day or so ago, that I would have thought that Daniel learned his lesson. When his Gingerbread house that ended up being constructed of whole wheat crackers. Had he told anyone more than 15 minute prior to the store closing, he might have had better luck with building materials and his Gingerbread house may not have collapsed. (If have not yet read about the graham cracker debacle, please feel free; http://calamity-amy.blogspot.com/2009/12/poor-daniel.html)

But I digress. Three weeks ago when his father approved his shirt and pants for the concert, I should have known better. Instead, I made the mistake of putting it out of my mind- until this morning.

It was one of those mornings that started out like a train wreck. The alarm clock didn't go off. The baby eventually woke us at 8:15am and got everyone else up. We needed Jamie ready for work and myself ready for the grocery store and out the door with Daniel and Bridget in tow, by 8:30am. Jamie had a conference call, which at this point he was going to have to take while driving to work, as the rest of us ate bagels in an effort to hold tongues still until he was done.

Then I hear those words- my favourite words in the world.

"Uh oh, Aim!"

My blood pressure rockets immediately.

Suddenly, Daniel is in my bedroom with a pair of clam diggers and a ¾ length sleeve shirt on. They used to be pants and a dress shirt. If I wasn't about to have another stroke (this week) I might have laughed. He reminded me of Alice in Wonderland after she drank the first potion. He was literally bursting out of his clothes.

I shoot him the mom look. Then I shoot Jamie a similar one.

"I said I am not driving all over town today. I said it three weeks ago." I will save you the rest, but I reminded them loudly of what I had said, and why I had said it.

"Oh calm down," says Jamie. Right -calm down. "He can just wear my clothes."

So now at 8:25 Daniel is standing looking like Alice in Wonderland after she drank the second potion. It looked like he was in the middle of doing someone's taxes and suddenly shrank- A lot.

So when everyone was safely deposited at work and school, Bridget and I found ourselves at Wal-Mart in an effort to avoid Sears. I ask the nice lady in the boys department if she has any dress pants or shirts for 11 year old boys.

"No, "she says with a smirk. "All of the other angry mothers showed up yesterday."

So I find myself in the men's department, shopping for an 11
year old. I have a pair of pants and a shirt under my arm, hoping to God that this is not going to look the same as Jamie's clothes looked on him this morning. I was not optimistic.

After we survived a major toddler melt down in the cash line that was typical of a cash line a week before Christmas, we headed home. I wrapped a big pile of Christmas presents and waited for him to arrive from school.

The good news is that it all actually fit. The pants were about a foot and a half too long, but that's nothing a mama on a mission can't fix. He didn't look raggle taggle at all, which is what I was anticipating.

It's a good thing it did fit. We didn't have a whole lot of time in which to change and pack Bridget, get her in the car seat and then dash to St. Albert for Jamie. As we are driving along, we discuss hockey, the weekend, what he would like to do over Christmas break.

Then I throw it out there, again.

"Buddy, you can't leave things to the last minute. It's just too hard for me to get things sorted for you, when I don't have any notice." I bring up the gingerbread house debacle. I bring up the tantrum this morning at Wal-Mart and there not being any boy's pants left. I find a few more recent examples and throw them out there. He seems to be catching on.

We stop quickly at McDonalds and order something to eat. We discuss the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. I ask him if he would like to go. He says he does. Then, asks if I saw the first Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. I tell him that they have been around since I was a little girl, so maybe I did get to see the first one. He rolls his eyes and informs me that he was talking about the first one in color.

Clearly, I am a 28 year old antique.

Then he says, "Hey Aim, we are having Pyjama day at school!"

How fun for him! I remember doing those things! Back when I took the horse and buggy to school and came home to watch rabbit ear TV in black and white.

"That's awesome, bud! We will have to get you some new PJ's though; yours are all pretty ratty looking." I say, thinking it must be after the Christmas break, because tomorrow is the last day of school until the New Year.

"Can you get me the Vancouver 2010 Olympic PJ's? They are at Zellers. Zellers has loads of cool Olympic stuff," this kid is like an infomercial. Except he isn't looking for a credit card number, he just takes cash. A lot of it.

I tell him that I can't see why not.

"Oh good, I thought you were going to be mad," he says happily.

I still have a crick in my neck from the massive head snap towards him. WHY WOULD I BE MAD?

"Why would I be mad Daniel?" I say in that voice that indicates that I am trying not to sound mad.

"About having to go buy me new PJ's- for tomorrow."

Well;

The good news is the concert went incredibly well. His school puts together an amazing production every single year. This year, Daniel had a speaking role and I couldn't have been more proud. A pretty awesome thing they do at his school is sell tickets at the door for 'The Best Seats in the House'. All of the money goes towards the school snack program and the winner gets to sit at the very front of the auditorium, on a nice comfy couch!

We won! We got to sit on the couch! The funny thing is, that when I was filling out the tickets, I used my name; Amy Donovan. It's been my name for 28 years. It's not the same last name as Jamie or the kids, but that's alright. It causes confusion at the Doctors office, but that's alright. People can't find us in the phone book, but that's alright. So, as you would assume, since none of that matters to me in the least, I wrote down my name.

When the principal called out "The Donovan family" I raised my hand like I was told! I was very excited. But Jamie, totally confused, hissed, "What are you doing? That's not us!"

"Of course it is," I say, irritated as I packed my camera bag, and purse and diaper bag as fast I could. It was like deplaning during a short stop over. I didn't want to lose my magic seats!

Still not moving, Jamie says, "Amy, that's not our name!"

"It's my name! It's my name!" I tell him.

He wants to know why I wrote Amy Donovan on the piece of paper. I am still gathering coats and bottles and bags.

"I wrote Amy Donovan because it's my name!" I reiterate.

I am still confused about what on earth is it that he thought I would write on a piece of paper where I was meant to write my name!

Congratulations kids and teachers! You did an amazing job tonight! After a childhood filled with music and drama, I was super encouraged to see how well you did! Of course, my costumes consisted of petticoats and our concerts took place in churches warmed with wood stoves!

Happy Holidays to you all!

Happy Holidays!

*Check out Daniel pretending to quiz Santa game show style! I love the cue card of questions he had to ask! If the hockey career doesn't pan out, he might have a future on the Game Show Network!"