A Last Minute Campaign

A couple of weeks ago, right as we were in the trenches prepping for this, Adi came home with a pink-colored paper from school.

"Mom, I want to run for Secretary at school."

Umm... my first thought was: "No you don't.  You might loose."

Then I remembered that I didn't want to pass my own insecurities onto my children.  You know, wanting better for them and all that jazz?  "OK, sweetie.  We'll focus on this next week.  Right now we have to get ready for the Baptism shindig."  And yes, I always speak that calmly to my children (just don't ask them about it).

"But Mom?  I have to have two posters made by Monday."

And it was Thursday.

Friday we had family coming to stay and Saturday was Pipe's baptism.

"We'll make it work.  I promise."  Just so you know: "I promise" are two of the most dangerous words that you can ever say to a child.

Once the multitudes evacuated our house that Saturday night, we took some pictures.

And made a last-minute trip for supplies to Staples and Target (because who goes to Walmart when you can go to Target?).

Luckily we had enough family still hanging around to help us make these:

It should be mentioned that Piper did more work on the posters than Adi did.

It should also be mentioned that I forgot to take pictures of the poster with my awesome camera and the lens of my old iPhone just ain't doing it anymore.

Adi took them to school and taped them to the hall for all to stare at.

I think she enjoyed the fame these posters awarded her for the week.

Another little detail about running for student council?  She had to give a speech in front of the entire elementary school.  I may have panicked at this for Adison.  The whole school?  How horrible!

But Adi just shrugged and said, "Will you help me write it?"  Also: I am slightly a control freak.  And it's very hard to not be a control freak when helping my daughter write a speech.

In the end, it all came together, and I followed her to school one Wednesday morning to listen to her give it.

Thank goodness for best friends.

Who else would help you keep in the variety of pens ad pencils your mom hurriedly stuck into your bun while standing in the parking lot?

That sentence was a mess.

And yes, I looked like a total creeper: standing away from a group of young children. taking tons of pictures.

The moment came:

And she rocked it.

 Proud Mama Bear!

I had to include this pic that I snapped of Pipes as she was heading into class.

It was a tense three days, waiting to hear whether Adi would be the next secretary or not.

But Friday, the last part of school, the announcement came.

And yes, I made her go outside right after she woke up to take these pictures.  She went home from school with a friend yesterday and OP and I were out getting our double date on when she decided to join her family again, so I didn't get the chance to on election day.

I have to say how amazed I am at this little girl's (for lack of a better word) grit.  She never got nervous, she never was embarrassed, she never wanted to quit.  Even when her running mate told her that if Adi won, they would no longer be friends.

Oh yeah, things got serious at the elementary school.

Adi asked me why she would say that, since it was just a school election.  I told her that the little girl was just worried about loosing and sometimes worry makes people act mean.  So Adi decided that she would still be her opponent's friend no matter what.

After I called Orrin to share our daughter's awesome news, and after we both burst with pride and congratulated each other on having such a stupendous daughter, Orrin brought me back to real life:

"So, how much more work is this going to be for you?"

Aw, crap.