A Little Disagreement

My children think I take too many pictures.
They're wrong.

Setting the Record Straight

I just want everyone to understand that life around here isn't all fun and games. Take our little Jamestown adventure, for instance. Sure, we had a blast at some neat historical sites. But we did something else, too. We forced our poor children, who would have been perfectly happy to stay forever in the Powatan Village, to walk away from the job of grinding cornmeal (we'd been pounding that corn for a while, don't let them tell you any differently) and dragged them to... a water park. Meanies.

Have you ever hurtled down and through a funnel with your seven-year-old? Or laughed as your six-year-old wiped out while catching a wave?
I have.
And I highly recommend it.

Wrong Turn?

A couple weeks ago (it was a Thursday), we all piled in the car to drop the boys off at school. But Daddy took a wrong turn and got lost! By the time we "realized" the problem, it was too late to get to school on time... so we decided to just continue on our drive. A few hours later, we arrived at Jamestown. We figured that was as good a place as any to spend a hookie-day.

The boys thought this was the greatest day of their lives.


My boys studied nautical navigation. They learned all about reading a compass and charting their direction and speed - early 17th century style. I spent my time on the ships deciding that I would have stayed in England. It may have been stinky and crowded there, but it was way stinkier and more crowded on those tiny little boats!


Once we arrived at James Fort, we geared yp for guard duty...


...and checked out the "cannon holes." (What do you call those things?)


Finally, we were put to work building a canoe. This was, by far, Camden's favorite activity of the entire day. Jake and Dan much prefered the musket demonstration, and went back to watch it again while Cam and I remained at the canoe site. For a long time. Then it was off to a cabin to sweep the floor. Cam stayed there a long time, too. Yes, he is a little odd. But those colonists would have loved his work ethic!


The next day (Yep, that's right. We played hookie two days in a row!) at Yorktown, we had another navigation and map reading lesson. This time we learned about troop movements.


Jake really likes troop movements.


And Camden really likes turkeys.

By the way, if you've ever met our Mayo, then you already know what this wierdo turkey was like. Could have been Mayo's long-lost twin.

We had a blast learning about our country's earliest beginings. Good thing Daddy missed that turn. And Mommy just happened to have clothes and toothbrushes packed in the back of the car... :)

All is Right in Camden's World

Camden has two great loves: Gardening and Organizing.
When he can combine his passions, well, that's when Camden is a very happy boy.

And yes, he is in fact cleaning his pumpkins with baby wipes.

No Explanation Required

Back in the Saddle

A few days ago I got a sweet message on my facebook wall. It was from my mom and it said, "Clark and I are both having serious Nugget withdrawal. Need a fix. please?" Aw. I thought, they miss me! They want to see me! And then I realized they don't miss me. They miss this silly blog. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.

But, since I am nothing if not obediant (right, Mom? Actually, don't answer that), I'd like to extend a sincere and heartfelt apology for neglecting The Nugget for the past month. I have no excuse. I am deeply ashamed. Can you ever forgive me? (Okay, that was all way over-dramatic, but then, I am nothing if not over-dramatic (this time my mom's answer would be a resounding "yes" - just so you know).

Now that I'm back, I figure I'll share a collection of my thoughts on September. Or from September. Or, whatever.


1. When planting a fake spider to scare your mom, it's best to put it in an obvious spot that you know she will look at. Because if it's right at her eye level, she probably won't notice it right away and it will be even scarier when she realizes that spider was right there all along. Thank you, Camden, for teaching us all this valuable lesson.


2. I love my boys for the people they are. I will not live vicariously through them or force them to do things just because I think they are cool. That being said, I really hope they have a band when they are in middle school. Because middle school boy bands are just about the cutest things ever. Seriously.


3. A certain six-year-old who lives in my home recently discovered he has two balls that he didn't know about before. He was concered that there were balls stuck inside there, but we had a little anatomy discussion and everything seems hunky-dory once again. And that's all I'm going to say about that.


4. We've decided to stock up on smoked salmon and spend the winter in the blanket fort we constructed in our family room. It's really cozy and we like it. Only problem is that the majority of the family will most likely die of starvation. Smoked salmon is some pretty nasty stuff.


5.Several years ago, I was watching a US soccer game (on TV - I'm not cool enough to actually go to a game) when I heard the coach tyelling from the sidelines, "Keep running, Clint!" Probably my all-time favorite soccer moment. Especially since I now have two boys who, although they are both very skilled at the sport, have a bit of a laziness problem. Thanks to Clint Dempsey, at least I know they can still make it to the pros. We're loving this soccer season and I'll get around to writing more about it soon.


6. In a conversation with a friend about Sunday-appropriate tv, I found myself saying, "We let them watch church videos and Redskins games." She laughed at me. She obviously is not a Skins fan, because if she was, she would totally understand.


7. Dan's been spending a lot of time in paradise. Only he doesn't think it's so great. That's probably because he spends all his time there stuck in an office staring at a computer screen. Let me tell you, that's not what I'd be doing in paradise. Silly Dan.


8. Remember our pumpkin patch? The one that took over the front yard? Well, we've got lots of pumpkins now. I'm kind of in love with them. And I feel all superior when I pass by the pumpkins at the supermarket. Because I grew my own. So there, supermarket pumpkins!


9. Dan packed up the x-box. And I've never loved him more than I did at that moment. The boys were screaming, wailing, and gnashing their teeth. Dan was silently fuming and putting away the games. And I was falling in love all over again. Already, there have been fewer boy altercations. It's wonderful.


10. A direct result of the packing-up of the x-box was Jake's attempt at running away. Wearing his pajamas and socks - but no shoes - and carrying his pillow, a sheet, and four stuffed animals, the boy set off into the great big world. He made it all the way off the porch before he had to stop to decide which direction to go. And that pause was enough to allow the enormity of his decision to creep in. We spent some time on the front steps and eventually came back in to watch the Redskins game. It was a Sunday, after all.