Mother's Day

I thought for sure I would awake on Mother's Day to the smell of sausage, eggs, and pancakes. However, I was awakened with about a dozen bottles of various spices falling to the floor as Wes combed the cabinets looking for cinnamon. The breakfast in bed was a no-go, but the boys had this awaiting me instead.

I will take the purse over the calories on my hips any day.

I will also mention that Evan created a magazine for me for Mother's Day. One "article" required him to take the letters in MOTHER and write something about me. For the letter R, he put "Reads a lot!!!!", for O he wrote "outstanding teacher" and for T he wrote "terrific at math." This all made complete sense to me. However, for H he wrote, "hates to be insulted." When I asked him what that meant, he said, "You hate it when people make fun of you."

This response generated even more questions for me, so I bit the bullet and asked, "Who is making fun of me, Evan?" His response: I don't know, but I know you wouldn't like it if they were.

Keagan's school craft project was just as cute. Luckily, nothing was written or said this year about my secret pleasure (so secret I was not even aware of it) of dressing up in a costume and going for a bike ride.

District Soccer Tournament

The U-10 Gator team traveled to Warner Robins this weekend to play in the district rec tourney. For a month or so, we lived with the assumption that we had earned a bye into the state tourney and wouldn't have to go to district. Unfortunately, we are in the same district with the #2 team in the state. We went to this weekend's tourney hoping to get the wild card spot. We didn't and now spring season is over for us. However, we played some really great soccer, and my sideline cheers only garnered one evil look. That's success for me because I yelled, "PLAY WIDE, EVAN" so many times in the second game that I awoke myself and both boys Saturday night in our hotel room yelling it in my sleep. No joke. Once we were all awake at the late, late hour of 9:50, Evan said, "I was dreaming about the same thing, Mama!"

During the third game, Keagan met a boy from the opposing team and the two took off for an adjacent field to kick the ball around. I had never heard of the opposing team's town, but it was obviously not near any major metroplex. When I heard the opposing coach yell something that resembled what we hear in the deep woods of East Texas, I knew we were dealing with the kin of Jimmy Carter. After playing with this other boy, Keagan came back to my seat to ask, "Mom, do you think that kid goes to speech?" Because Keagan is brutally honest, (He tells me every day that my fat on my legs or arms jiggles to

o much.) I wondered if he had made fun of the boy, and when I questioned him, he said, "That boy can't talk right." And I had to explain that the boy didn't have a speech impediment. He had a Georgian accent.

He was taken by the native tongue and tried to talk like a "Georgia person" all afternoon.

First Sleep Over

Armed with a swimsuit, a pillow, and a sleeping bag, Evan left the house Saturday night for his first sleep over, a rite of passage in the life of any elementary aged school kid.

Let me just briefly mention the fact that he was one of 25 boys. Eight, nine and ten year old boys. In one house. Spending the night. It scares me to fathom such levels of responsibility. The parents hosting the sleep over have surely earned themselves some type of award - perhaps a crown in heaven.

I will tell you that Evan was quite upset that the only sleeping bag that could be located in our house was Keagan's, and because it depicted a scene from Disney's CARS movie, Evan would have nothing to do with it. Lightening McQueen is just not cool when you are eight and going to a birthday party of a nine year old. He suggested that he take some quilts instead, and that idea was quickly declared a no-go. He finally agreed to take the CARS sleeping bag IF it was turned inside out and revealed the neutrality of a dark gray.

I know we have at least one very cool military issued Army green sleeping bag, but I looked high and low and could not find it in the ten minutes we had to pack up and go. No doubt it was sent in the luggage to Afghanistan last fall, and still sits in the Resident Agency in Kabul awaiting Wes's arrival. Wes will be there soon enough to retrieve it. Until then, it appears I must invest in a couple of extras just in case we are invited to any more sleep overs. After all, we have reputations to protect.

When we picked up Evan this morning before church, he glazed over a few of the highlights of the night:
1) The squirrel that accidentally took a seat on the power line and exploded was cool.
2) The boy who brought the headless copperhead snake that he shot that afternoon in his backyard was cool.
3) The scavenger hunt that took place in the hundred year old cemetery was cool.
4) Having Nurf gun fights in the dark with glow sticks was cool.
5) The endless supply of doughnuts for breakfast was cool.

I am going to attribute his lack of real descriptors to his lack of sleep, but I have one more thing that I would like to add. Finding damp church clothes in the overnight bag this morning, was NOT cool.

Soccer Snacks

Tonight marked the end of spring rec soccer, and Team Galaxy celebrated the winning season with cupcakes and trophies.
You'll remember that when we lived in Virginia I took fruit as the after-game snack, and I experienced a mini-revolt led by small children. There seems to be some unwritten rule about eating a healthy snack post game, and I was not made privy to this rule.
Because I am now well versed in this rule, I was prepared for this season's upcoming snack day. When April 14 arrived, Keagan looked at me and said, "Mom, please don't tell me you plan to take fruit to this game, too."
There was no doubt I was on my way to winning the "best-soccer-mom" award when I found Keebler's box of 48 individual snack bags that included several varieties of cookies. I have no idea why I bought such a big box for a team of eleven, but I didn't want anyone to have to take a snack that they did not prefer. God forbid any child skip a snack and actually eat dinner. So after last week's game, I popped open the array of "good" snacks, and I experienced yet another mini-revolt led by small children. This is what I was asked: "Hey, Miss Keagan's Mom? I don't eat chocolate. Do you have any fruit?" 

DIY Easter Weekend

The Easter Bunny did make an appearance, but we didn't have any traditional Easter Egg Hunts in the yard, pictures with the bunny, or even Sunday morning photo shoots in the yard before we headed to church. Instead, we spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons on this DIY project. 

A couple of weeks ago, Evan asked me why we always have my dad fix things around the house. Every time he visits, he is given a list of chores to complete during the visit. Evan wondered why Wes didn't do it. So I told him a story.
I told him about the day when we were still in college and Wes came to Mount Pleasant to pick me up to take me back to Sherman, and in the back of the truck was a structure that I was certain Wes planned to make his permanent dwelling place. I later learned it was a dog house - a dog house that could have housed Clifford the Big Red Dog.
Just a couple of years ago there was also the "toy box" that was to house all of the boys' sporting equipment in the garage. When we got that thing in position, the Jeep no longer fit in the garage, and Keagan even found himself trapped in it on several occassions.
So this weekend Evan and I were both dubious about Wes doing any handiwork in the house. I even called my sister to make sure my brother-in-law would be available to handle any emergencies via long distance.
Oh, me of little faith. What was I so worried about? Our new backsplash is beautiful, and nothing was super-sized in the weekend-long project.

SOAR Student

Today Keagan was chosen as the SOAR student of the month for his kindergarten class, a reward given to students showing good citizenship skills. In December, after five months of school and after five students had been named, I asked Keagan why he hadn't been chosen yet, and he said, "Don't worry, Mom. Ms. Banks has to get through all the good kids first. I'm sure I'll be next!"

That kid! Unlike the earlier post about his speed, I do know where he gets his sense of humor, and no, that did not come from me either. There's no doubt he is a hand full in the classroom, but with those big blue eyes, who could not love him? 

He told us today that it was the best day of his life because he got to sit at a special table at lunch, got free ice cream, and got a bag full of treats.

Crowns in Heaven

We have a wise and dear friend in Virginia that often tells us how he believes our actions on Earth are rewarded in heaven with crowns. He believes that the Saints will be adorned with crowns that will be a reflection of the good deeds they performed on Earth. I don't know if it’s true, and quite frankly, it is not something that I would ever debate as truth. However, I have adopted this standard of thinking as truth, and I sometimes, when the boys do something that is just extraordinary, I will say, "You will get a crown for that in heaven." The boys know that although they may not receive immediate rewards for good deeds here on Earth, it is something that God sees.

Keagan was given four dum-dums at the barber shop on Tuesday. He ate the first three and saved his favorite for last. When we picked up Evan from soccer, Evan saw the lollipop and asked if he could have it. Keagan did not want to part with the candy - it was blueberry flavored and it was his favorite - but he gave it to Evan.

As soon as Evan popped it in his mouth, Keagan regretted his decision. He started to cry. As much as I tried to tell him that he had done the right thing, he still longed for the candy. Then I said, "Keagan, you will be rewarded in heaven with a crown for that kind act."

This stopped the tears and he began to rethink his decision. That is until Evan piped in. His mouth blue; his tongue painted almost purple. He gave these encouraging words. "Well, good job Keagan. You just got your first crown. You know I have three crowns, right? Keep trying and you might catch up with me."

I have decided to ask our dear, wise friend if he has any ideas for teaching humility to an eight year old boy.