Formal Wear

Side by Side

The Man In the Yellow Hat

"It fits!" Sophie, after placing this hat on Topher's head.

Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda

Peter spent the last week in Palmyra, New York at Boy Scout camp. We were nervous to send him so far away for a whole week, especially since he would need to depend on others for his food. Bryan and Peter spent the two weeks leading up to camp preparing. They made sure he had all the required camping supplies, sprayed all of Peter's clothes and sleeping bag with permethrin, and stocked him up with a week's worth of canned food just in case the food in the cafeteria was not a safe option.

Last Monday, Peter came in during the wee hours of the morning to say goodbye to Topher. I got a hug too.

Then Bryan and Cooper (because he wanted to see Peter off) delivered Peter to our church building at 4:45 in the morning.

Bryan and I worried about Peter and kept telling ourselves that no news was good news. On Wednesday afternoon we got a treat. The boys spent time on their own that day, praying and pondering in the Sacred Grove. Peter specifically asked one of his leaders to send this picture to me.

We missed Peter while he was gone. On Wednesday night Cooper told me that he was having trouble remembering what Peter looked like. I pointed out the many pictures of Peter we have around the house. Then Cooper said he was also starting to forget what Peter sounded like. I certainly felt his absence. Peter has become quite helpful around the house. He's great at cleaning the kitchen, he can hold Topher if I need him to, and he's even started changing wet diapers. I hadn't realized how much I've come to rely on Peter until he wasn't here for a week. I know Bryan missed hanging out with Peter in the evenings after the other kids were in bed.

By Saturday afternoon, we were all eager to have Peter back. Bryan sent me this picture from the pickup.

Peter was exhausted (he took a rare nap after church on Sunday, proof of how tired he was even after a full night's sleep), filthy (two showers were required), and sunburned. What he was not was covered in bug bites. Apparently two of the other boys had fifty bites each. Peter, who is usually a magnet for mosquitoes, had three. The time it took to cover everything in permethrin was well worth it.

Peter had a wonderful time. He did actually eat some of the food served at camp (breakfast and hot dogs) and also ate almost the entire supply we sent with him. He was able to watch the Hill Cumorah Pagent and have some sweet spiritual experiences. He's convinced that Sophie grew taller during his six day absence, but I think he's the one that grew. He seems older, a little more mature than when he left, more of a young man than a kid.

I suspect that's the true purpose of camp.

We Didn't Start the Fire

Looking for some excitement for your Wednesday night?

May I suggest smelling an electric/plastic burning smell somewhere in your basement? Not only will it keep you and your spouse on your toes as you search for the source of the odor, but if you're really lucky and have your home office setup in the area in question, you (or your spouse) might just get to take the entire thing down and spend the next several days slowly rearranging and plugging things back in one at a time, all the while sniffing to detect if the telltale (and still hidden) scent of something burning has returned.

On second thought, don't do that.

The Good Old Days

Yesterday as the kids and I took our new stroller for its maiden voyage at a local park, I felt a strong sense of nostalgia. When the boys were little, we spent most of our summer mornings walking to and from the park or strolling the neighborhood. That was before the time of chores and piano practice and begging to play video games. It was when they woke up wanting to go play at the park.

It's comforting to know we still have days like that. 

It's the Cheesiest

Each of the big kids is in charge of lunch one day each week. The rule is that everyone needs to eat (or at least try) the meal, even if it's not something they would normally choose. Sophie decides what we eat on Tuesdays. That means we will probably eat macaroni and cheese every Tuesday from now until school starts.

Summer Glow

Rollin'

This summer I signed the kids up for a free bowling program. Each child can have two free games each day, not including the shoe rental. We took a Saturday and went as a family. I held Topher in the Bjorn, so I didn't bowl, but we decided to pay for Bryan to join the kids. 

I hadn't realized that Sophie had never been bowling before; she was especially excited about this adventure. She rolled the ball exceptionally slowly, but still managed a strike. She also almost bowled down the wrong lane on one turn, so that was exciting.

The kids all used bumpers and the girls alternated between using the ramp and not. Phoebe got two strikes and let her fiercely competitive nature shine through each time.

After each roll, Cooper celebrated with a dance. That was quite possibly my favorite part of the day. The boy has skills.

It took Peter a bit to get into the flow, but he got two strikes right at the end and got the highest score of the bunch.

It wasn't until we were almost done that I discovered Bryan was trying to get the lowest score instead of the highest. He nearly succeeded. I think Bryan's favorite part of the game was changing how the kids' names showed up on the game screen.

We only used one of our free games and were ready to be done when that ended. After the cost of the shoe rental and Bryan's game, our free bowling adventure cost nearly $25. Now, that's not terribly expensive for a family our size, but it's also not a price I'm going to pay that often. I'm not sure if we'll go again, but it made for a fun Saturday.

The New Normal

My sweet sister-in-law texted me at the end of last week asking how the first week of Bryan being back at work had gone. It took me a bit to respond because at that point on Friday my brain was kind of fried. After the kids were calm and I was able to reflect and form sentences again, I answered her.

"Well, it had its ups and downs and I'm really glad it's bedtime on Friday night. We did make it to the park one morning and the kids did chores everyday, so those are wins. Of course, I'm so tired that I spent most of yesterday thinking it was Tuesday and it took a solid minute for me to remember the name of the town we live in, but that's normal, right?"

This week has been a bit different because we've been up and out of the door most mornings to get Cooper to Cub Scout Day Camp ontime. Here's the breakdown:

• We've hit the park or the grocery store each day. 
• Chores have suffered dramatically because both boys lost the chance to play video games, so for them there's no reason to fulfill those responsibilities now. 
• I made dinner one night and we ate leftovers, prepared frozen food, and cereal the other nights.
• We've done a load of laundry each day because Cooper had to have his one Day Camp shirt clean every morning. This means our playroom is covered in piles of clean clothes waiting to be folded and put away. And yes, three of the kids fold their own stuff. See the above bullet point about chores for further explanation.
• I exercised two of the days and napped on one.
• We stayed up late one night for a bike rodeo Pack Meeting. That means that the next day was rough on everyone.
• We want to have a family adventure tomorrow, but I keep thinking about the sleep that I could possibly get if we stay home and don't do anything, and I simply can't decide which I want to do more.
• My brain is still fried. I can't find words that I want and feel dull-minded. I was starting to wonder about early-onset dementia when I remembered I went through a similar experience when Cooper was two-months old. That's what led to the birth of this blog, so maybe there's something about two months of sleep deprivation that makes my brain feel mushy.
• I adore Topher more today than when he was born, and I adored him then too. I feel a happy sense of contentment when all five of my children are in the same room, like we're all where we're supposed to be.

I like to think that this week has been slightly easier than last week, but Cooper's been at camp for most of his waking hours, so that might account for the difference. No matter, I'll count it as progress.