Camp School

Wow! What a weekend I had. I had the opportunity to go to National Day Camp school in Covington, Georgia. I'm going to be the programs director for our district's cub scout day camp this year. Really... If anyone is reading this from my past.... you're probably laughing. Me??? A cub scout leader??? Let alone a camp director. Okay, okay... Maybe I was a TOUCH prissy back then! Having boys changes you.... Nuff said. Anyways, I ended up having a GREAT time. I had no idea it would have such an impact. My husband was kind and supportive enough to stay with my boys from Thurday afternoon til Sunday evening while I attended. He did really well! The boys were good too.... aside from one of them throwing up in the mall right in front of JC Penneys.... but that is another story for another blog entry. I'll have to keep you hanging on that one. Let's just say... he had a grand ole' taste of "Mommyhood."

Okay, Back to the original topic. I learned so much. Yes, I learned a lot about day camp and scouting in general... but more importantly I learned about getting along and appreciating other people. I believe I was blessed with the gift of gab. I can pretty much talk to anyone. I came home with several e-mail addresses and a lot of new friends. Here we were.... a class of 105. All different ages, races, faiths, and backgrounds. We had people there from Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. We shared a lot of laughs and I got made fun of because having not really experienced the deep south... I had never eaten fried okra or black eyed peas.... which are apperently a staple in those parts! Umm... Really you're not missing anything if you haven't tried them either. One of the most inspiring times was on Sunday morning. We had a interfaith worship service. Now I tell you.... there is nothing quite like witnessing a beautiful spring day outdoors, being in the company of 105 uniformed scouts singing "God Bless America." It brought me to tears and I get chills thinking of it. It has been too long since I have paused for a moment and felt an Pride for our country. Sometimes we get caught up and busy in our lives and fail to appreciate the simplest of things. It was exhausting... they crammed a lot into a weekend. But somehow.... I came home feeling renewed. I am thankful for the experience and I have come home with a backpack full of scout stuff.... and a closet full of memories.

Rain Rain Go Away!

Ugh! I'm tired of the rain! Tennessee gets too much of it. When other places get blanketed with snow, we get doused with rain. I'm not talking about a little sprinkle.... no I'm talking about a downpour! It's been beautiful the whole week. Friday, the first day of Spring break.... the heaven's open. Do you know what it's like to entertain three boys when you're all cooped up inside? Yeah... not fun. Oh... they have fun.... having wrestling matches, light saber fights, and arguing over such necessary things like... "I get to turn the light off..... No! I get to turn the light off!" Sheesh. It can really bring you to the brink of insanity. Not to mention all their ball games were cancelled for the weekend. What a bummer. We have to make them up next week. They went out to play in our back yard which I'm pretty sure has an ogre that lives there. It's a swamp at this point. I make them strip down to their undies before they come in. They're covered in mud and soaking wet from head to toe! They were excited to have gone swimming!! Dear me.... Will I make it? I question it sometimes.... I am reminded of a few weeks ago when they all went outside to play and came in with mud smeared all over their cute little faces. I was told they were "camouflaging" themselves. They want to be "army men" you see. I always try to look at the positive and well.... I sure was glad it was mud and not dog poop. See... There's always a bright side. So.... Here I am on a Saturday evening.... the rain has finally stopped, the boys are clean and snuggled up watching, of all things, the History Channel, and I am reminded of how lucky I am. They will only be this small for a short time.... make believing and getting dirty. In a few short years, I may have a spotless house and peace and quiet.... but will it be as exciting?? Probably not.

Little League

So begins the days of little league. I had no idea how much fun this would be..... nor how expensive! Jeremiah's game was first. He's a Dodger. He got two hits! His team is hilarious! 5 and 6 year olds running around... having not a clue what to do! The won their game 12-10. It was tied at 10-10 and we ended up having to play an extra inning. I had no idea this was taken so seriously. Trust me... on a cold night in March, I don't think anyone wanted to play that extra inning. Jonas' game was next. He's in the 9-10 bracket and plays for the Red Sox. Don't ask me why his team insists on wearing BLUE socks when they are the RED sox. Doesn't make sense to me.... bu then again, what do I know? It gets tough now.... They don't have coaches pitching to them anymore. He's in right field where there's not much action. He's got a bit of catching up to do since he hasn't played before. He gets up to bat only once and has a hit! Well... if you can call it that... he kind of just tipped it and it landed in front of him. He didn't quite know what to do! I think he was shocked he actually made contact with the ball! He made it to first base. The kid behind him has a nice hit and gets Jonas all the way home. That gave him a boost that he really needed. They were down by five runs at one point, but ended up winning 9-7. I screamed so much I can hardly talk today. Late nights, tired cranky boys... but it's all worth it when Jeremiah says to me on the way home: "Mom.... I think baseball was the best thing ever invented!" Yep... It's good to be me... a mom of boys.

Blog Bandwagon

Well, I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon. I used to journal all the time. Really... I have several books filled from when I was a teenager. They mostly consist of what crushes I had on which boy and what my Mom or Dad did or didn't do to embarass me. I have a feeling this is going to be a little different. I've been meaning to start up my journals again.... and I keep putting it off. I was real good until I had Jonas, our first baby, 9 years ago. Ha! Needless to say things got a bit busy, and three kids later, who has time to write? I am on the computer all the time though... so really I have no excuse. I can't promise it'll be too exciting, but I'm sure there will be some funny stories to share along the way. Our family can be a bit like visiting your local zoo... or better yet the circus. I'll wind it up for now, just wanted to get started. Jeremiah has his first baseball game tonight. He's so excited and he's proud to wear his uniform! I told him I was going to run out on the field and give him a big smooch! He wanted none of it! He's six after all. Sigh. Oh how fast they are growing.... Anyways, wish the Dodgers luck! I hope to post pictures after the game! Toodles!