Freeze!

You know how sometimes on Mondays you move a little more slowly in the morning than on other days of the week? This past Monday proved no exception.

We had visitors for the weekend (my sister Edwina and her husband Mark came down from Northern California) and Sunday was a particularly physical day. We went to the Wild Animal Park and trudged all over the park on foot for several hours. Normally, I wouldn't be too affected by this (he says in his deep, manly, strong, vital voice), but... within about 50 yards of walking into the park, Noah forgot how to walk, and needed to be carried. The whole way. All day long. (I hear you laughing... well... you try walking with an extra 30+ pounds attached to your hip up hill through the snow and the rain and the... wait... where was I?)

Ah yes... Monday morning. The alarm went off at 6:00, its usual time. I am assuming this, because there was no reason to change it to 6:40, when I actually started hearing it. So I reached over and woke the boys up, and altogether we made enough noise that we woke up Mattea on the other side of the house, and Theresa, who was sleeping downstairs in the guest room (see prior post!). We're running around like crazy, trying to get ready and not be late (Mattea's first bell at school rings at 8:10 AM). So with all of our hurrying and scurrying we managed to get out of the house in... one hour and twenty five minutes! We saved a whole five minutes!

Fortunately, Mattea's school is just a couple of blocks away. But there is the dreaded traffic light at Ted Williams Parkway between us and the school. Dreaded, because Ted Williams is very heavily used in the morning by commute traffic. Also, because the school is right up the hill from the light, all traffic going to the school from the south must pass through this intersection. So, it took us two cycles to get through the light, with the toes of my left foot tapping out a manic beat on the carpeted floor of the van, with one eye on the clock and a firm grip on the steering wheel. I have had to go the "The Office" before, and I didn't want to have to do it again.

As we drove up the hill to the school, I lowered the passenger's door window to listen for the coming bell. We arrived at school prior to the electronic tone, so with relief I pulled up to the curb along with all of the other "life on the edge" parents. We said our quick goodbyes, and Mattea was off with the raft of other children heading for the gate. Then it came. The first bell.

And Mattea froze. Right where she stood. Just like a statue.

It was like some time warp scene from a movie, or some television commercial where the hero is standing there, and everything around them is moving in fast motion.

Let me digress. When the kids are out on the playground in the morning, and the first bell goes off, they are instructed to freeze. Stop playing. Stop yelling. Stop doing whatever it is they are doing. And then the playground monitor has control, and can say something like "Okay, let's line up for class!"

But Mattea wasn't on the playground. And as her time froze, everyone else's time around her went into hypermode, as kids, knowing that they were on the edge of being late, scooted past and around her.

In a moment (or possibly two or three), Mattea realized that people were actually moving past her, and she saw one of her classmates running by. She latched on to him, stopped him in his tracks like a wild animal hit with a light in the dark, and gave him a great big hug! Then, off they went, running to not be late for class.

The world of my little girl.