Warnings

I am 29 years old and I am going gray.  Really, I have more than my fair share of gray hairs already.  I'd like to blame it on genetics - my great-grandmother had gone completely white well before she hit 29.  But I don't think genetics is the answer in this case.  No, I blame my five year old.

Camden is a wild man.  He is also sweet and loving and fun.

I believe that the Lord gives us prompting - even warnings - through the Spirit.  And I believe He's been giving me some pretty strong warnings about this boy for quite some time.  As in, since he was a newborn.  I've known since Camden was born that, despite the fact that he was my quiet, calm, easy baby (the complete opposite of his brother), I was going to have to be very careful and protective of him.

See, I have nightmares.  Not the kind of nightmares you have after watching a scary movie (I don't do that) or telling ghost stories by the campfire (I'd rather sing silly songs).  No, I have very powerful nightmares, and they are always about Camden.

When he was tiny I used to have dreams of him disappearing from his crib.  I'd go to check on him in the middle of the night and instead of my sweet baby I would be greeted by a scary adult hand coming out of the crib to grab at me.  Or I would hear him crying and I would get up to go take care of him.  Only he wouldn't be in his crib, the cries would be coming from the basement.  And I would know, as I got to the top of the stairs, that somebody had him down there, and I was alone, and if I went down they would hurt me and then I wouldn't be able to save my baby.  Or even let anyone know he was in danger.  I spent many sleepless nights, even after he started sleeping through the night, just watching my baby sleep.  Because those dreams were so scary.

It's been a few years since I last dreamed about Camden being harmed.  But last night my Camden nightmares came back.  Last night, in my dream, I watched him fall two stories to the concrete floor below.  Thankfully, I woke up as I was running to where he would have landed, so at least I was spared the image of my little boy on the ground after that fall.  It was terrible enough as it was.

I can't help but wonder, what does this all mean?  Why do I dream such horrible things about my sweet little boy?  And it's not because I'm a crazy, paranoid parent (I hope!).  Have I ever dreamed that Jake was in danger?  No, not once.  But Camden, all the time.

I think I am being warned.  He is a special little boy.  He is smart and cute and has incredible energy and charisma.  I have no doubt that he is going to go very far in life.  But he is fearless.  He thinks the crime is worth the punishment.  He doesn't believe me when I tell him something is dangerous or will hurt.  He'd rather discover those things for himself.  And I have to watch him like a hawk.  Because he is a great kid and will be a great man.  As long as I can get him safely to adulthood.

Sometimes I worry that I won't be up to the task.  But as much as I hate having nightmares about my baby, I also have to give thanks for them.  As scary as it is to wake up convinced that my little boy just fell two stories, I am grateful that it didn't really happen.  And I am grateful for the warnings I receive, as his mother, to watch and care for this special little boy.  I know that because of these dreams I pay more attention and am more careful to watch and to teach him to watch for danger.

I just wish these warnings would be a little less stressful for me.  My hair can't take it.

A Positive Spin

Tonight, at his soccer team's end-of-season party, Camden got the "Winning Spirit Award."

Because whenever the other team would score, he did this.

P.S.  Yes, Camden is picking his nose while receiving his award and trophy.  There were other "better" shots, but I liked this one, myself.

Trick-or-Treat! Halloween!

We sure did have a fun time this Halloween!  Granny and Poppy came to cheer on our morning soccer games and then we headed off to fill our candy buckets.

First stop, Trunk-or-Treat with all our best buddies in the church parking lot.

Jake and Grant have got to be the cutest clone troopers I've ever seen.  I dare you to disagree.

Camden was much more interested in the hot dogs than the candy.  So while the rest of the kids gorged on their candy, Cam found himself a quiet spot to enjoy his dog.  Sometimes I wonder who's child he really is.

Upon finishing the hot dog, Camden promptly disappeared.  And I mean, he was GONE.  As in, after a solid 15 minutes of an all out search this mommy was getting pretty panicky.  And then a little voice called out from a tree...  That's right, he'd been in a tree.  Seems Anakin is pretty great at camouflage.  Brown jedi clothes + brown leaves = Panicked Mommy.

So, we found the young Skywalker and headed home to get ready for round two.

Jake was astonished (and a bit ticked) at the number of other Star Wars characters we ran into in our neighborhood.  Apparently he thought his costume choice was really original.  I couldn't bring myself to explain to him that his costume choice has been overused every year since before his parents were born.

At the end of almost two hours of trick-or-treating in the rain with a group of very excited little boys, we came home to inspect the goods.

Now, boys are at school and I'm home alone with the candy.  This could be fun...

Sacrifice

I don't like fast food.  But today was the grand opening of the brand new McDonalds - the one we've been watching construction on for several months.  And my boys were so excited.  So what did we do for Family Home Evening (instead of carving pumpkins)?  You guessed it!  We walked to Micky-D's and ate junk.  Along with everybody else in town.

Was it yummy?  Nope.

Was the service good?  Nope.

Do I have a belly-ache? Yep.

But most importantly...

Was it worth it?  You bet!

(Seriously, do you see those happy faces?)

Honor thy father and thy mother...

Bob (that's my mom) told me to update my blog.  So I guess I'd better do it.

So what have we been up to in the past week and a half?  Well, after the puking stopped...

Jake lost another tooth.  I think he looks pretty goofy.

Camden lost scissor privileges.

I did three photo shoots.  Cute kids, beautiful teens, happy wedding!

We decorated for fall.  Tomorrow those pumpkins become jacks!

I got a new dress.  I love it.  I also love Cam's artistic photography skills.

Or maybe he was dropping the camera.

Oh, and there was soccer.  Lots of soccer.  And PTO.  Lots of PTO.  You get the idea.

Lesson Learned

It is NOT a good idea - no matter how tired you are - to leave the clean laundry in the basket instead of putting it away.  You never know who might puke all over it.

A Perfect Day

I sure do love spending time with these two funny little people.

Today was a good day.  Complete with perfect fall weather, a fun fall festival, pumpkins and pumpkin muffins, and snuggling under blankets to watch some good ol' Charlie Brown.  Oh, and two funny little boys.  Best part. 

Cows-N-Corn

Have I ever mentioned that I really miss my kiddos while they're at school all day?  Well, I do. But not today!

No, it's not because they were so naughty last night that getting rid of them this morning was a pleasure...  What could possibly give you that idea?

Really, I didn't miss them today (well, at least not Jake) because I was with Jake all day!  We went - with all the first gators - to a working dairy farm today.  And when I say working dairy farm, I mean working dairy farm.  None of this cutesy pet the cow, pet the goat, here's a pumpkin type of stuff (though all that was present - and enjoyed - as well).  No, we were there with the cows.  We learned about the cows and how a dairy farm operates, we made - and ate - butter from their milk (yummy!), and yes, we smelled 'em, too!

It really was a great day.  Now we've got to find a time to get back out there with Camden in tow.  Because he will love it!  But until then, we'll have to be content to drink lots of milk. Because now we've met the cows that supply our local Bloom.  And really, how cool is that?!

Enlightening

Anybody who doesn't think going to school is an enlightening experience should have been there with me today.  Because I have to say, I learned a lot!

I learned that Jake made his teacher nearly piddle in her pants the other day when it was his turn to tell the class a little about himself and his family.  Apparently he shared his "how I named my grandparents" story (it is cute, but he must have put a lot of expression into it to make it so funny).  Then he went on to talk about his dog, who "is supposed to hunt lions but she doesn't know how to because she's never been to the zoo."

Jake's teacher thinks he's a very bright boy. Yeah, that's one word for it.

I learned that Camden is, for lack of a better word, very observant.  As I was sitting with him at lunch today, he got very excited and pointed my attention to another kindergarten class. "Mommy, see that girl in the green shirt?"  "Yes.  Do you know her?"  "No.  She's pretty."  He then didn't take his eyes off the pretty little girl (he was right, she was pretty) until she left the room.

So now I know what my boys do at school.  Jake works on his comedy routine while Camden scopes out the girls.

Enlightening.

High-Low

This has been one of those days.  Full of highs and lows, and really not much in between...

HIGH: Camden is taking care of the kindergarten class pet this weekend.  Thank goodness said pet is a stuffed teddy bear because...

LOW: Honey Bear was MIA for a good part of the afternoon.  And since Honey Bear had been at the soccer field for the morning, let's just say the Mommy was starting to feel just a tad bit panicky.

HIGH: We found the bear!  He was behind the couch.  Silly bear.

LOW: Meltdowns due to some seriously tired boys.  And when I say "meltdowns" I mean meltdowns!

HIGH: The workout I got while dragging two melting boys through the neighborhood.  I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!

and...

HIGH:  JAKE SCORED HIS FIRST GOAL EVER IN HIS SOCCER GAME TODAY!!!  We're pretty excited.

So that's one more HIGH than LOW.  I guess that means it was a good day!

What I've Not Yet Shared.

It's October!  It's my very favorite month!  So in honor of this most wonderful time of year, I'll be making my favorite pumpkin chili for dinner.  And I'll finally be sharing a really great story...

Remember how I said soccer is taking over our lives?  Well, it's pretty much the truth.  We spend a lot of time out at the soccer fields.  And this story - like everything in my life right now - takes place at, you guessed it, the soccer field.  Dun dun dun...

Camden was playing a soccer game, tearing up the field, scoring left and right (really, it's true), when Jake appeared by my side in great distress.  Two girls were calling him names on the playground.  Being the compassionate mother that I am I told him - in between cheers for those Tigers - that he could stay by me and watch his brother play or he could go back to the playground and deal with it like a man (okay, I didn't exactly say the "like a man" part, but he got my drift).  He chose to be a man.

Unfortunately, he took my "be a man" advice a little too far.  No sooner had he run off and I turned back to the game than I noticed a commotion over at the playground.  It was Jake beating up on some boy!  My sweet little Jake!  Yeah, that was quite a shock.

I ran, I pried, and eventually I got the six-year-old off of the much bigger kid.  He was steaming mad.  Seriously, I saw the steam.

Apparently, he had gone back to the playground and confronted the girls about their name-calling.  One of the girls had a big brother.  A big brother who decided to step up and deal with the bratty little kid who was mad at his sister.  And I guess the big boy getting involved was just the straw that broke the camel's back.  It was all too much for Jake and he hauled off and went after that kid.  Never mind the size difference.  Never mind the fact that Jake's never hit anyone other than his brother (not very often, I promise!).  Never mind that he's always the one who comes out hurt when he does hit his brother.  I guess he's never been quite that mad.

We've discussed.  We've disciplined.  We've moved on.  And he says he won't fight again.

But here's my question.  Is it wrong that I am secretly impressed and proud of the fact that my six-year-old took down a ten-year-old?  Because he did.  And because, well, I am.

The Beautiful Game

 

I haven't been in a blogging mood lately.  And that's really too bad, because have I got a story to tell!  But that's going to have to wait.  Still not quite feeling it.  It's coming, though, I promise.

In other news, "the beautiful game" has taken over our lives.

He's cute.

And it's his birthday!

Happy Birthday Dan!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Welcome to Camden, School.

You and I already know that my boys are very different.  But this is new information for the teachers in Gatorland.  But they'll learn fast.  Believe me.

Today's after-school conversation...

Mommy: "What did you do in music today, Camden?"

Camden: "I went to time out."

Followed by a discussion about listening to and obeying our teachers.

a little later...

Mommy: "So, Camden, did you cry when you got sent to time out?"

Camden : "Only the first time."

Oh my.  This year may be very different from last.

It Has Begun

Soccer season, that is.

TWO soccer games at ONE time on TWO fields.

You do the math.

But it was a very good day.

And fun!

Do you remember?

Do you remember where you were, what you were doing, who you were with eight years ago today?

I do.

Eight years ago today, I was working out in the gym at George Mason University.  I was only half-listening to the news show playing on the television.  But I heard it.  The chilling announcement that a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers in New York.  All of a sudden my half-listening changed to complete attention - along with everyone else in the gym. We were shocked, and so sad.  What a tragedy.  What a terrible accident.

But then we made a horrible discovery.  As we stared at the tv screen (no one was working out anymore), we watched a second plane fly straight into the second tower.  This was not an accident.

The normally very loud gym was silent.  We continued to stare at the screen, not completely believing our own eyes and ears.  We saw the rubble, the rescue workers, the blood and tears.

But it was happening far away.  Until it wasn't.  Before any of us could gather our thoughts, a new announcement came over the airwaves.  There were reports of an explosion at the Pentagon.  We all knew.  And one man said it out loud.  "It was a plane."  And it was.  This time, it wasn't far away anymore.  It was right here.

We were afraid.  We were sad.  We were devastated.  Our country - our home - was under attack.

As we made frantic phone calls to family and friends - we all knew people who worked at the Pentagon - another tv announcement.  Another plane down.  This one was in a field in Pennsylvania.  In less than half and hour, four planes crashed, three United States landmarks were destroyed, and thousands of people were killed.  Thousands more lost loved ones.  And an entire nation lost a sense of security and safety.

Do you remember the day's following?

I do.

I remember the sense of community.  The national pride.  I remember the blood banks filling to overflowing.  The desire to help others, not just ourselves.  And most of all, I remember the support we all gave to our president and our government.  We turned to them to guide us through this terrible time.  And they did.

We became a stronger, more unified United States.  Party lines were crossed.  We were no longer Democrats and Republicans.  We were Americans.  And we were proud of that.  We would do whatever it took to protect this great nation.

For a while.

But that feeling of national unity went away.  Now, party lines are stronger than ever.  No longer can we be grateful for our liberty; our freedom.  If things don't go our way, we throw a fit.  We complain and rebel against our own elected officials.  We don't support our president and our government.  We don't help each other.  

Why?  I don't know.  I think it's because of pride. And security.  Our government and military have done such a good job of protecting us, of keeping us safe, that we've forgotten what it felt like to have that safety ripped away.

I haven't forgotten.  That is why I am willing to send my husband and my dad far away to protect our freedom.  Our safety.  To protect this country that I love.

Please remember.  Not just today, but every day.  Support this nation.  Support our leaders. Whether you voted for them or not, they are our leaders, and if we want to stay safe, we have to stay together.  Support those who are out there working so hard to protect us.  They are my loved ones.  And I know they remember.

Please remember.

Back to School

Yesterday morning I sent not one, but TWO little boys off on the big yellow bus.

Jake started first grade and Camden is in kindergarten!  They both got the teachers they (read: I) wanted.  They wore their superhero tee-shirts instead of the cute polo shirts I picked out. ("We have to look cool, Mom!")  They got a cookie in their lunches.  And they came home happy.  Hallelujah!

I could wax nostalgic and tell you how emotional this has been for me, but I really don't want to get myself started all over again.  Believe me, it isn't pretty.  So instead, I'll tell you how emotional this has been for the dog.

That's right, you read that correctly.  The dog is having a really rough time with all this.  Yesterday was a perfect Seattle day.  Problem was, this is Virginia, and I don't like grey, rainy days.  Neither does Mayo.  So when we headed out to the bus stop - after putting on new sneakers and sweatshirts (seriously? Sweatshirts on September 8?  I wasn't thrilled.) - Mayo decided not to come.  She was not going to step foot out in such wet weather.  So we left her home.  Poor Mayo.  She sat in the front window and saw the bus come and go.  As I came up the porch steps I could hear my dog already crying.  And the crying continued ALL DAY LONG.  Literally.  She wandered the house, crying.  She laid down on the hard floor - never on her beds - crying.  She poked me, pushed me, and tried to sit on me, crying.  It was a rough day.  She was not ready to send those puppies out into the big bad world without her!  

I had to agree.  I wasn't ready for that either.  But like I said, we're not going to discuss my reaction today.  It may or may not have been pretty similar to the dog's...

Finally, at about 2:00 yesterday afternoon, Mandisa conked out.  All that worry really takes it's toll on a dog, and she fell into a deep - albeit fitful - sleep.  But then, at 4:00 ON THE DOT, she bounced up and raced for the door.  Then she raced back to get me.  See, I hadn't said a word.  I hadn't even put my shoes on or anything.  But Mandisa knew those boys were on their way home.  She practically dragged me out the door, which really wasn't that hard to do, since I'd been counting the seconds all day, myself!

And what a happy reunion we all had!  It was so wonderful to have those boys back home.  I was almost as excited as Mayo.  Almost.

Sweet

Have I ever mentioned that I think my boys are sweet?

You'll agree when you know what I know...

Last week I wanted to get a picture with the whole family.  This involved getting everybody all situated on some rocks near where we were staying.  My Grandmommy - my boys' Bubby - asked for help getting over the rocks to her spot.  Guess who was there first, arms around Bubby...  It was sweet Jake.  (He tried lifting her by her pants.  Too funny!)

That same sweet boy has taken to putting his arm around me when we sit next to each other.  I love it.

And then there's his brother.  The one who likes to give me kisses as often as he can and who told me in all seriousness that, even though I had to get new jeans, I'm still a sweetheart.  I melted.

Finally, on the way home from church today I heard Camden talking to himself.  And this is what he said: "I really love Jesus."

Oh my.  They're just so sweet.

Massanutten

My dad (Della) got a few days off in between training and actually going over to Afghanistan. So we all headed out to Massanutten to enjoy some family time.  Woohoo!  We sure did pack a lot into just a few days, and it was worth it.  So, without further ado, a little taste of our trip to the "mass o' nuttin"...

First up, we spent a day at the very cool and very fun water park.  No pictures.  I was too busy speeding down slides of water and stressing over how deep my boys were getting into the pretty intense wave pools.  Those two tiny boys sure did surprise a lot of people by going down every single slide.  Multiple times.  It was a blast!

The rest of the trip was much more low-key, but just as fun.  

We covered the condo floors with legos and all became pros at tiptoeing in order to protect our feet from pain and our ears from the wrath of little boys.

I took pictures of my little sister.  Because I don't get to see her often enough.  And because she's pretty.

We went hiking.  Four of the five most important men in my life are pretty tough.  The missing one is the toughest - and cutest - of all, but he wasn't there.  Boo.

We ate a LOT of ice cream.  My belly was happy.  My waistline... not so much.

We watched our neighbors the deer.  They visited multiple times a day.  We got to know them pretty well.  I'm sure they miss us as much as we miss them.

I fell in love with this baby.  And his tongue.  His mommy had two.  Think she'd mind if I brought him home with me?

We sped our way to victory at the go-kart track!  Jake talked the whole time.  My favorite quote: "This is the first time I've ever experienced anything like this!"

We played mini-golf.  The boys won big with some impressively high scores, if you know what I mean.  I, however, did not impress.  I needed Dan there to egg me on.  I always beat Dan :)

And yes, I subjected everyone to a family picture.  Nobody complained.  I guess there's a first time for everything!

Everybody needs a best buddy.

This is a picture of my dad with his.

Sometimes a song will come on the radio and I just can't help but sing along.  Sometimes it's a song that really, given my taste in music, I probably shouldn't even know, much less like enough to sing at the top of my lungs.  But guess what?  I do like those songs.  And I do sing them loud and proud.  (My apologies to those who have heard this happen.  I truly am tone deaf.)

I blame Della and Steve for this little idiosyncrasy of mine.  You see, they have been playing this music for as long as I can remember.  I can remember dancing to their songs at luaus and fairs as a little girl.  Usually with a balloon tied to my pony tail.  But that's totally irrelevant. Just part of the memory.  I remember many nights falling asleep with the two of them still singing in the other room.

And they're still at it.  After all these years, these two old geezers are still singing.

My favorites are "Wake Up Little Susie" and "Barbara Ann."  You see, those are their wives. It's kind of silly, but I think it's sweet.