Final Debate Thing

Even though the children are home on Spring Break this week, Merlin had a debate championship this morning.  Ty encouraged me to go and see what Merlin does, but it sounds pretty boring and I had an important Pilates class this morning.  I’ll take Merlin at his word that he is really good at it so there is no point in me going at all.

Last time he went I know he felt underdressed so I borrowed a suit for him from Karen.  It belonged to one of her boys when he was Merlin’s age and Merlin looked so grown up in it.

It was nice to have him gone for the day. He is so chatty and energetic that it exhausts me to be around him.

Starling was happily playing secret agent up in her room with the binoculars and Robert’s camera and telephoto lens all afternoon, so after we got home from the gym it was just me and Hummus.  I put him down for a nice long nap and I took a rare moment to myself and watched a few television shows that somehow got recorded by mistake.  I don’t even know how to use the DVR.   Finally, when I just couldn’t ignore Hummus’s screams anymore I brought him downstairs with me and decided to take a few laps around the backyard.  I had totally forgotten that Ty would be dropping Merlin off and so I was wearing kind of a skimpy workout gear, but I am sure he didn’t even notice, we are just such close friends.

It was a tiny bit chilly out, but this is my favorite gym outfit, perfect for an impromptu run around the yard.

Great news!  Merlin won again and he is very young to be a state champion or something.  Anywhoo, I wonder if Ty would like to stop by for dinner sometime?  I will have to ask him.

Nearly a Tragedy

Merlin probably did really well at they debate thingy earlier this week.  I kind of zoned out while he was telling me about it.  It is so boring. But to each their own, I guess.  I want to catch up with Ty and ask him how it went sometime soon.

Today Merlin wanted to practice bow and arrowing again.  I know it is a weird sport that is bound to get him bullied and teased, but he likes it so I figure as long as it is in a place where no one can see him it will be fine.  I helped him set it up behind our house and he was shooting at a target but he never ever misses.  It is crazy, he is very accurate at shooting that thing.  I kept moving him back further and further from the target.

At this point he is clear across the yard, nearly in the azaleas.

I swear I could barely even see the target, but he kept hitting it.  Then he asked if I heard a noise.  I said, “No, keep shooting!  You are like Robin Hood.  Keep shooting those arrows.  Faster!”  But he insisted that we go investigate the noise and you will never believe what we found.  It was Beefeater.  Somehow he had escaped from his house again and his leash was stuck under a rock right next to the target, but you couldn’t see him at all.  He was sleeping back there I guess.  Merlin could easily have hit him and killed him.

How on earth did he get back there? He appeared to have Benadryl on his breath as well.

I had Merlin bring him back over to the Sullivans and put him in the house before Karen got home from shopping.  No need to unnecessarily upset her.

He Takes After Me

In Merlin’s genius class they have been doing debating.  It sounds basically like arguing except that you can’t choose which side you argue about.  I argue a lot so I just know he takes after me. I tried to show him how to cry and flounce out of the room during an argument but he said you can’t do that when you are trying a debate.  Anywhoo, he and his teacher (my close, close friend Ty) were going to some state debating contest today.  I had no idea that this was a big deal.  i guess he has been doing a lot of debating and I just haven’t been able to make it to a single one because of my busy, busy schedule, but this one is very important.  I had to drop him at school early this morning and there were people from the newspaper there to take his picture.  i guess he is the youngest person who debates or something.

So proud!

If I had known this was such big deal I probably would have gotten him a blazer to wear like he has been asking me.