Goggles

Camden's goggles don't actually work. About half the time, when he comes up out of the water, his goggles are filled with water and he's looking at me with those big green eyes, through that water. But he's grinning and doesn't seem to notice, so I don't tell him. I do empty the goggles whenever I can get my hands on him, though.

Dinnertime

Tonight, half-way through dinner, I had to tell Dan to put his toys away because he was distracting the boys. So poor Spiderman got left with his head inside the dinosaur's mouth (he had been demonstrating the proper way to punch an opponent - that apparently went terribly wrong). Once the toys were safely stashed on the kitchen counter, I naively thought we'd be able to focus on the task at hand, namely getting some food into our children. Well, some food did go in, but only in between quotes from Alice in Wonderland and a lot of giggling. Things were going well, though. But then I happened to glance under the table at the floor. "Whose underpants are under the table?" No answer. "Is someone sitting at this table without pants on?" Still no answer. So I began checking (hey, I'm the mom...) chairs to see if there was a naked bumm in one of them. And sure enough, there sat Camden, letting it all hang out. I figured at least he was eating...
Dinnertime at the Orr house. It's a real treat. Sometimes I wonder if this is common in other homes. Here, it's a nightly ritual. And I hope you won't think less of me for this, but I enjoy every minute of it.

Sports Culture

I've been thinking a lot lately about how different the cultures are among the different sports we enjoy. There's soccer, where it is perfectly acceptable for a grown man to roll around on the ground pretending to be hurt. There's hockey, where we think it was a wasted game if some big brute didn't knock the teeth out of some other big brute. There's basketball, where you can watch a coach get an anurism because he can't let his emotions show for fear of being kicked out of the game.
And then there's baseball. A sport where it is perfectly acceptable, and somewhat expected, for a manager to spit, throw things, kick dirt, and throw an all-out hissy-fit in the umpire's face. And that manager may be thrown out of the game, but before he goes he will repeat his hissy-fit a while longer. Oh, and it's really exciting when an entire team will erupt from the dugout to join the fight. Really, it's an amazing thing to watch, that American pastime.
Jake is perfect for baseball. Yes, he's actually pretty good at the sport. He can hit that ball really hard. And he really doesn't need that tee. And more importantly, he loves to play. But that's not why he's perfect for the game. He's perfect for the game because of comments like this:
"If I were the coach, I would have called that a foul!" yelled at the other team's coach.
My boy has the temper - and the mouth - for baseball. I'm so proud.

"That was AWESOME!"

Thanks Poppy and Aunt Fran for a great weekend! We went to Dutch Wonderland, a theme park dedicated completely to young children, and had a blast. The boys and Laura, a cutie-pie cousin, rode just about every ride and had the time of their lives. The grown-ups had a pretty great time, too! Some of the highlights of the day:
*After riding the roller coaster with Dan, who yelled and screamed the whole time, Jake kindly told him, "Daddy, you don't ever have to do that again." Both Dan and Jake (along with the rest of us) rode that coaster quite a few times more.
*Camden, who couldn't ride the big coaster but would have absolutely loved it, rode the smaller coaster many, many times. His grin was priceless, and he loved that "That ride is really fast!" He also got some ideas from the "really neat" diving show, and I'm going to have to watch him like crazy at the pool tomorrow.
*And the word of the day? "Awesome!" Laura proclaimed many rides, and ultimately the whole day, "awesome!" The boys heartily agreed. As did the grown-ups.

Dino Party

We had Camden's birthday party today. Okay, to be honest, we had our playgroup today, and being the slacker mom that I am, I used that as Camden's party. We love our playgroup, but today was extra special because some of our neighbor friends came, too! Even Collin. He was the one person Camden just had to have at his party. Now, this request came as a bit of surprise to just about everyone, since Collin adores Camden and Camden won't give Collin the time of day...
A typical exchange
Collin: "Mom, I see Camden!"
Camden: "euuh"
Collin: "Hi Camden!"
Camden: "euuh"
Collin: "Want to play with me Camden?"
Camden: "euuh"
You get the idea.
Luckily, Collin is very forgiving and willing to overlook Camden's social issues. So he came to Camden's party and... they played together!!! Wow! So, a good time was had by all. And now, I'm off to wrestle with twist-ties and shrink wrap. Oh, and I guess I should try to figure out the new transformer. His head already popped off and it's sitting here staring at me expectantly.

My Baby?

Oh my goodness. It's my "baby's" birthday. Now that he's a big 4, I guess he's not a baby anymore! Happy birthday to my sweet, fun, and WILD Camden. I love that little monkey!

Happy Father's Day

It's Father's Day, and I'm so glad. It means I get the chance to brag about the wonderful fathers I know. There's my dad, who is so much fun and so capable - I still have that kid-like belief that my dad can do anything and is the strongest dad around. There's Dan's dad, who is so generous and caring and will do anything for his family. There's my grandaddy, who is so patient and has always taken such good care of all of us. And there's my kids' daddy. He is wonderful. He is the most wonderful husband and father, and really my favorite person in the whole world. And my boys agree. Happy Father's Day

Tagged (or, everything you never wanted to know about ME)

1. My feet, head, and hands are ALWAYS hot. Dan says I'm like a furnace..

2. I love to watch cheesy dumb teeny-bopper movies.

3. I am deathly afraid of dragon flies. I swear that one attacked me when I was thirteen (even though nobody ever believes me) and I have had nightmares ever since.

4. I used to want twelve children because I loved the book "Cheaper By the Dozen." I have since decided five or six would be nice.

5. I am obsessive about food poisoning, especially when dealing with raw chicken. I do, however, find whole raw chickens absolutely adorable. They look just like little baby bodies.

6. I am really good at push-ups. I can do a lot of them, with perfect form. And not those girly push-ups, either. I'm way too manly for that.

7. When I was a little girl I had a complete set of beautiful hardcover Strawberry Shortcake storybooks. My mom got rid of them. I'm still bitter.

8. I was almost crushed by a crowd surfer at a concert, but my very strong and manly husband saved me (and both of our little sisters) by grabbing the guy and putting him back on the ground. My hero.

Okay, now I tag Bethany, Rachael, Elizabeth, and Socheata. Can't wait to read all about YOU.

THE RULES
1) each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2) people who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
3) at the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4) don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Bugs v. the Monkeys

Last night we went to the Stafford Family Film and Fun Festival. We took a picnic dinner, enjoyed the moon bounce, and made some crafts. And then we settled down on our blanket to watch the movie - The Wizard of Oz. First, though, was a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Jake was terrified. Hmmm. Dan and I started wondering how the real show was going to go over, what with the flying monkeys and all. Luckily (at least for Jake), a severe thunderstorm rolled into Stafford right as a tornado rolled onto the screen. Really, it was the most amazingly perfect timing. The movie cut off and everybody raced for their cars. So, we got to drive on winding, tree-covered country roads through a torrential downpour and lots of really impressive lightning. But at least Jake didn't have to see those monkeys. Bugs was enough for one night.

my little mariner

Watch out Kenji, Camden's after your job.

The Great 28

Yesterday was my birthday! I'm 28 now, and according to Dan that's a "legitimate age." Yeah, a few years ago he decided that I got married too young (and who's fault was that, i ask...) and that 24 is the perfect age to get married. But when I turned 24 he decided that I was, in fact, 4 years younger than the average girl. He came to this conclusion based, I believe, solely on my dental history... So, finally, I'm 28, and he's no longer robbing the cradle.
It was a good birthday. I played with little boys, fed little boys, walked in circles around my house with a fussy baby, played with little boys, repeat again and again. We planned on dinner at Pizza Hut followed by carrot cake, and man was I excited! But, alas, my birthday dinner was doomed from the start.
You might remember my little weather problem. Well, it was my birthday, after all, so I really shouldn't be surprised that the weather wanted to "celebrate" too. Instead of pizza at a restaurant, we ate tuna sandwiches in our downstairs bathroom. That's right, while the tornado was forming outside our front window, we had a little birthday party in the innermost room of our house. The guests: Dan, Jen, Jake, Camden, and of course Mandisa, too. Yes, it was very crowded and VERY hot. Oh, and very loud, since my boys don't really have any volume control and thought the whole adventure was pretty cool. But I couldn't have asked for a better birthday party. I was with my favorite people and then after the storm passed I got my yummy carrot cake!
Oh, and then I stayed up literally all night reading Twilight. Wow.

Yummy

Dan made bread sticks last night. They were soft and perfect. And very entertaining, too.