Today was one of those days that make being a mom one of the most amazing jobs in the entire world. I do not care what I get paid, the lack of social clout, or the "dirty" part of the job...being a mom is absolutely fantastic. I have three amazing children that bless my socks off each and every day. My oldest just happened to have a stellar of a day today (and it is not even over yet)!
Today Z competed in the county spelling bee held at the Elks Lodge here in Chico. He competed against 92 other students from Butte County schools. This was a 4th-6th grade competition and Z knew that he was at a slight disadvantage going in since he is just in 4th grade. Z was the 26th person to approach the podium. He did not seem nervous at all! My heart was about to beat out of my chest! I was nervous for the both of us! His first word to spell was stalwart. The students were able to write the word down on a pad of paper and then spell it aloud to the judges. He didn't even write it down. He just started spelling. Oh my! And he spelled it correctly! I couldn't even spell it! The next few rounds were a little less painful as his words were: puny and hue. Upon receiving his next word, my breath caught in my throat. His word was unscrupulous. This one he did write down and spelled it correctly! It was then down to 13 students. He went on to spell intrigue, intellectualize, and pronouncement. All of a sudden it is down to the final two! He made it to the final two! It went back and forth for quite a few words. The rules are, if one student misspells a word, the other student has to spell that word correctly plus another word in order to win. But if both students misspell the word, then they are both safe and they start again. Z came so very close to winning two times...he spelled buffeting (his competitor spelled incorrectly), but then he missed peripheral (I would have too). The next chance he had to win was when he spelled vilify correctly after his competitor misspelled it, but then misspelled curriculum. It all came down to the word megalopolis. Z misspelled this word, but then his competitor spelled it correctly and then spelled affinity as well. Phew!
Z was so thrilled to win a beautiful trophy, a $50 savings bond, and a chance to compete in the state spelling bee at Sonoma State University in May! This mommy was busting at the seams. I was so proud of him! So, after three hours of competition, this very happy boy busted out of the building with a huge smile on his face. Following happily behind was his very proud mommy.
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