Since I am so far behind anyway...

How'd you like to hear about the first day of school? OK, so it's a rhetorical question. I obviously wouldn't have asked if I didn't intend to tell you and frankly if you didn't want to know - well you wouldn't be here now would you?

Everything started innocently enough. He got right up, put on his clothes with no fight, ate all of his breakfast and grabbed the 462 pound backpack and headed for the door. On the way to the door he reminds me not to forget my camera, he wants some good shots (his words, not mine) of the day.

Who the hell is this kid? Freaking future creative director or something... see and it always, always goes back to the whole thing about nuts and trees.

So Mr. Creative Director steps outside and the facade begins to crumble.

He: It is still DARK out here!! We will not get any good shots, I don't care how special the new camera is.

He: It is humid Mamma. I hate that. It makes me feel gross.

He: I don't want any pictures, just forget it. I don't care.

Me: HOLD IT NOW!

He: Dissolves into hysteria complete with flailing arms, flopping body, dramatic sighs strategically placed for total emphasis of the abject misery he is currently in.

All this Tony-worthy drama because it is 6:30am on a Tuesday morning, in Florida, in August which translates to dark, nasty, humid, yuck. He IS NOT new here, this is SOP. The only time we love it here is those few gorgeous days of 10% or less humidity and a temp at 70 or under... the rest is, well, gross.

I try to divert, cajole, bribe, plead and am close to hysteria myself. The clock is ticking and the ONLY thing I am asking for today is ONE LOUSY HALFWAY DECENT PHOTO. Doesn't he understand? Doesn't he GET it? In less than an hour I will be ALONE, utterly and completely. The house won't have multiple TVs on with him in a room away from any of them building things and narrating with his constant soundtrack of effects. The animals will actually go lie down and sleep meaning I won't have an obstacle course to deal with. There will be no whining, no strange noises that when queried about their origin will be attributed to "nothing Mamma". The phone can ring and be answered without any interruption... except for the trembling of my weepy voice missing my loud, dirty, rebellious boy and all the hugs, kisses, and "Hey Mamma lookit this-es" that I got so used to over the long hard summer.

It is a happy day to be certain. He is in second grade and excited. He has several of his buddies in his class and he loves to be at that school, loves to learn and it is exactly where he should be. It is a good day for me too, I need to have some alone time to try and get a grip on my life and make plans and accomplish things.

He looks so tall and grown up today, full of purpose, hope, excitement. The baby has all but vanished from him, chubby cheeks gone. The legs that were once so fat that we were worried he would never be able to hold his own weight now long, straight and strong. Chubby little fists have grown into beautifully graceful, long fingered, little boy hands... and I am blessed that he still holds mine in his as we walk together to school.

Scouts is once again underway...

Here is our Wolf in his uniform. It is crazy how much he has grown since last year. Thankfully though his shirt is still too big and his shorts still fit him... for now at least. Rob and I are both Assistant Leaders this year lol. Rob is still waiting for his patches to be sewn on his shirt. That will happen once my hands have healed from sewing mine on! Those suckers fight back!

The first "real" den meeting was hysterical. We were working on the first achievement which had the boys doing crab walks, flips, etc. We finally decided breaking them down into "platoons" would make it much easier to accomplish all we needed to. Unfortunately none of those pictures came out well...everything is a big blur. I don't know why I expected otherwise with 20 something 7 year olds cavorting about like demented wood nymphs.

I did manage to get a few pictures of our opening ceremony for your entertainment though.





They are a great bunch of kids, no matter how crazy they get. We have some new kids this year and they all seem to be really quiet. I hope they are just nervous and the quiet wears off lol!!

Ever see something so funny

that you HAVE to take a picture?


A friend of ours gave us a hammock swing the other day. I had to run a basket to UPS and as I was leaving I heard Jack begging Daddy to put the swing up. When I got home I looked out the kitchen window and saw Jack sprawled in the swing oblivious to everything and singing. I snatched up the camera to try and take a pic from the window but it wasn't working out. Then I snuck outside but he caught me. It was still a funny photo op until I saw him thru my viewfinder...


Ever see something so gorgeous it takes your breath away?




He is just so stinkin' cute sometimes. Of course you can't hear him screeching at me in pictures....

Jack and Blake have a playdate....

Via Webkinz.com lol

Pool Party!!!!

We had a Pack Pool Party in July. The rec center we went to had two huge waterslides!!!! Jack did not go down them but *I* did lololol Oh how I dread the day I become uncool!! Those boys sat on the side of the pool and cheered, hysterical!

Pics below.... yeah, don't get excited. I know that Gwen took incriminating photos of me on the waterslide but they won't be showing up here thank you very much.

Jack and I do love a good sunset...

Saturday was a sad and empty day. The poor boy was exhausted but already pining for his friends. We went to Dorian's and were all supposed to go to the beach and watch the sunset. The plans changed to a cookout and then fell apart all together. Jack and I were headed home when I realized he was crying.

"All I wanted was to go to see the sunset Mamma."

We raced out to Indian Rocks Beach - our favorite beach. Quiet and clean, usually not too crowded and then only with locals. We parked at our usual place - not telling - and hit the sand. Jack had a couple of army trucks with him and got busy with one of his most favorite activities. That boy loves to dig and make roads - especially at the beach!

While he created his city I people watched. I also noticed a rather worse for wear egret walking with some irritation up and down at the water. He wanted his dinner and there were too many people around for him to get it! A family nearby had sparklers and yet another with a brand new baby were dipping their toes in the water. The breeze at the beach is always a pleasant bonus, it was a gorgeous peaceful evening.

Jack was getting frustrated because we didn't have his buckets along. He ended up making friends with a small boy of probably three and they dug together. Neither spoke the other's language but still they communicated in the international language of boys, cars and dirt!

We spent a couple of hours out there just being silent and listening to the day say goodnight. I love those moments with my son. Just being there together, each doing our own thing but still together. Life can be so busy and hard sometimes that we forget what is truly important. Thanks Jack, for making me change the plan once again!

And then it was over...

Just like that it was suddenly Friday. The day was PACKED with fun and Pirates.... no, I still can't give you an answer about the pirates. The boys played games, played on the waterslide, took their swimming tests and tried to qualify for the Jr. Shooting team.

Uh huh. Yeah. Shooting. As in guns. As in my baby had a BB gun, that he himself loaded, in his hands. And then he shot it. Jack was shooting a gun. There's the proof...

Know what? He OUTSHOT his den! Took him twice as long, my precise wee man, but he qualified on his first try. Do you have any idea how conflicted I feel about that????


Oh well, whaddaya gonna do?

Daddy came up when he got off work for the closing ceremonies. Each den did a skit and there was a pirate invasion. It was tons of fun and we are so ready for next year!!!!