The Great Outdoors

Growing up, "camping" was staying in a cabin for a week in Wisconsin Dells. Mom packed lots of food, Eric and I packed our swim suits (and maybe a few outfits) and Dad drove us all to our resort. Grandma even came with us most years, teaching us how to fish. Eric enjoyed it much more than I did. I preferred to swim at the beach with my vacation friend. Every night we roasted marshmallows around a campfire at the resort. That's camping, right?

Meeting Derek changed my definition of camping. Being so in love, I agreed to go camping with him for a few nights of our honeymoon. Notice I didn't agree to every night. We set up a tent and roasted hot dogs over a campfire. I quickly learned how my cabin in the Dells was drastically different from camping. Time went by and we went on a few more camping trips. We learned not to camp over Memorial Day weekend. I learned how to camp with a toddler. I also learned I didn't like it very much. Zipping up my sleeping bag (and failing) while 7 months pregnant with son #2 was all I could handle. No more tent camping for this girl.

Derek's been dreaming of buying a camper for a few years now. He thinks I will enjoy camping again if we have a camper. Maybe I would. But for now, I'm quite happy to let him camp with our boys. He knew my "camping" experience when he married me, and once a cabin-in-a-resort-girl, always a cabin-in-a-resort-girl. :)

I love to ride my bike, swim in pools and lakes, and go for walks. I catch lightening bugs and ladybugs with my boys. I think I'm a pretty cool outdoorsy mom, regardless of my feelings towards camping. But at the end of all that outdoor fun, give this girl an air conditioned house and a comfy bed. The other night while letting Ginger out one last time, June bugs buzzed clumsily around my head, mosquitoes buzzed in my ear, and I couldn't wait to get back inside. The slithering snake I'd seen a few hours earlier was burned in my brain too. I always knew there were snakes in that alfalfa field, no matter how Derek tried to convince me otherwise!

All that to say, I'm raising my boys to love the outdoors. I'm also showing them it's okay to pick and choose how much to like. Or I'm showing them they can marry a resort girl like their dad did. Maybe she will agree to go camping on their honeymoon. :)

Some of the fun we're having this summer in the great outdoors. :)

Sons and Fathers

Braylen had fun with his camping buddy

Braylen may be on the verge of adolescence, but on Friday I couldn't tell. I pulled into the parking lot at camp and was welcomed with a hug from my son. He watched for me and sprinted across the grass to arrive at my door before I turned the engine off. Oh, that does a mommy's heart good. :) While holding him close I noticed three things. First, he didn't smell like he'd been at camp for a week. Second, he looked tan--not burned. Third, he seemed taller. Maybe that last one was because I'd been with his shorter brothers all week. Still--seeing him healthy, whole, and CLEAN was such a relief. Camp looked good on him. :) As the day unfolded, I learned more about his week. Yes, he had fun with the other guys. Yes, he did plenty of swimming. Yes, he camped outside one night and loved it. Most importantly, he committed these verses to memory. He's recited them several times since he's been home.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes through strict training. They run to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I will not run like a man running aimlessly. I will not fight like a man beating the air. NO! I beat my body and make it my slave. So that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

There's no better way to use his memory skills. He also learned to "redline" his faith at camp; to live for Christ at top speed, with high rpm's. Carspeak for my boy who has always loved cars! I think it's funny that when Grandma asked him about his favorite things at camp he replied, "eating and sleeping." Thankfully he did more than that. :)

For Father's Day weekend, Derek enjoyed a fishing trip with his dad and brother. They might not have caught many fish, but they sure had a good time. The boys and I joined him at the lake on Sunday, effectively ending their time of R&R. :) I tubed with Braylen, the boys tubed together, and I planned on skiing. Slicing my toe on the prop changed those plans. Big bummer. After warning the boys to stay away from the prop while we swam around the boat, I had to go and do it to myself. I guess there's always next time, right?

Derek with his dad and brother. Don't they all look alike?

Back at home that night, we celebrated Derek. I knew I loved him when I married him, but seeing him as my sons' daddy adds a whole different dimension of my love for him! Braylen made Derek a duct tape wallet. Doesn't every dad need one? ;) Aaron made him three cards because one is never good enough. Kaleb enjoyed the honor of presenting Derek with our brand new "time in a bottle" Father's Day gift. Each boy decided how he would like to spend one day with dad all to himself, wrote it on a slip of paper, and put it in our special bottle. Derek has a whole year to decide when to do each special day. Braylen wants to spend a day 4-wheeling with Dad. Kaleb wants to spend his day at a local fun center. Aaron wants to spend a day fishing with Dad. Good thing Derek has all year. :)

13 Years and Counting

How can I be married for 13 years when I remember what it was like to be 13 years old? One of life's mysteries. :) June 21st is one of my favorite days of the year. It sure was the most anticipated day of my life! Happy Anniversary to the one who waited for me, pursued me, and asked me to become his bride! How glorious to celebrate our wedding day on the longest day of the year. :) I love you Derek, always and forever!

Number 13 falls in the midst of our topsy-turvy summer. Still--you make do with what you've been given--so we grabbed a few hours this afternoon and had a fun picnic in the park. Kid-free. In fact, we brought Ginger along instead of the kids. She needed the exercise, and we love to ride our bikes together. We always have. I pray we always will.

I remember the moment when I knew this boyfriend of mine was going to be my husband. I remember saying yes. I remember saying "I do." I remember our first apartment, moving to Ohio, and then moving back. I remember telling him he was going to be a daddy. Three times. I remember him changing diapers and warming up baby food. I remember him teaching all three boys how to ride a bike. I remember our camping trips and our magical week in Hawaii. There is no one else I'd rather share these memories with. Derek makes me laugh. He listens to my wonderings and my worries. He takes me by the hand and suddenly I'm complete.

Being married for 13 years is SO much better than being 13 years old. :)

Big Brother

Braylen is at camp this week. That means Kaleb's enjoyed a week of being the big brother around here. He sits shotgun in the van, calls himself the man of the house, and leads Aaron around all day long. He's also discovered what's NOT so good about being the big brother. The other night he said to me, "Why are you so nice to Aaron and give him what he wants, but you're not nice to me?" Welcome to the life of the firstborn. Braylen will resume his role tomorrow when we pick him up from camp! Last summer he brought chicken pox and impetigo home with him. Hopefully this year he'll just bring home his dirty laundry.

I'm excited to get my boy back. I've missed him. I think his brothers miss him too.

We sure have been busy while Braylen's been gone. I'm looking forward to the weekend so I can get a little break from all of these fun activities I've scheduled for us! Whatever happened to lazy summer days, I'll never know.

Aaron's given me a few funnies this week. The first two center around cereal. My boys LOVE cereal. They like to eat a bowl of healthy cereal for breakfast and finish it off with a "dessert" cereal; usually Apple Jacks or Froot Loops. This week I shook things up a bit and bought Fruity Pebbles. Every morning Aaron says, "I want some of those fruity petals!" :)

Aaron's favorite healthy cereal is Life. He said, "We should get a Life plant. Then we wouldn't have to buy it at the store." I thought he said a "live plant." I had no idea what he was talking about. It didn't help that I hadn't had my coffee yet. I finally figured out what he was saying and felt like I'd accomplished something great. Yes Aaron, I'd like a Life plant--and a money tree too. :)

Finally, Aaron watched his big brothers put some models together last week. Braylen built a fighter jet and he helped Kaleb build a red car. Aaron just watched. When he found a model that hadn't yet been built, Aaron wanted it. I told him to ask Daddy, since they are Daddy's models. Aaron carried it around the house and said, "Can I have this object? I want this object!" His word for model is object. :)

Aaron and Daddy's Campout

Sometime this winter Aaron started saying, "When can I go camping with Dad?" Wow, did he have a long time to wait! Imagine his delight when Derek told him he'd be going camping on Wednesday! Thankfully he only had a 4 day countdown. The perfect amount of time to be excited for his big adventure.

They loaded up their gear and their bikes, Aaron changed his shirt to match Derek's, and away they went.

Highlights include:

A stop for some donuts and orange-strawberry Sunny D. Two essentials you need to go camping with Aaron.

A 5 mile bike ride which included a stop at the burned-out-bridge, Aaron's favorite sight to see.

Riding around the campground to scout for firewood, and then loading it into the vehicle.

Using that firewood to build a great fire to roast hot dogs and marshmellows.

A game of flashlight tag.

A night in the tent with Daddy all to himself.

As my mom likes to say, our older boys might have received more height and athletic ablility; but Aaron got extra in the brains department. This boy can wear you out with all of his questions and deep thoughts. When Derek asked him how he got so smart, Aaron replied, "God made me that way you know!" At least he's giving credit to the Right Source.

In the morning Derek and Aaron went fishing and played catch. Good thing they got an early start because it started to rain. Aaron came home happy and full of spunk from this time with his daddy. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Derek needed to sleep, and so he did. :) What a wonderful daddy he is to our littlest son.

Picking Up and Dropping Off

When I drive 47 miles in one day and never leave town, I have no doubt that my life is spent "picking up and dropping off." Kaleb loved soccer camp this week. These sports camps are not cheap, but we agreed to let Braylen and Kaleb each pick one. And just like that--they're all done. I was impressed with both camps--basketball and soccer--and it gave each of them something to look forward to. Aaron gets all month to enjoy t-ball. I was thrilled to exchange his "adult small" t-shirt for a "youth small" this week. My tiny son was swimming in that big shirt, and tucking it in looked like he had a diaper hiding beneath those baseball pants! Kaleb tried to tell Aaron that, but I cut him off before he could say it. :)

Aaron in his big shirt :)

Swimming lessons are going so well this year. Thanks to some teachers who teach my kids strokes--instead of games like Mr. Shark and Marco Polo. Aaron told me his favorite stroke is the "breath" stroke. I think he called it an appropriate name, since you can take a breath with every stroke! :) Braylen can swim freestyle with continual breathing--finally! Both Braylen and Kaleb like the backstroke, and they continue to impress us with their swimming. Being a swimmer myself, I'm so proud of my boys' efforts in the pool.

Ginger decided to go for a swim today...in our backyard pool. She hopped in and tore the pool cover with her weight, frolicked around till her heart's content, and I found her dripping wet on the deck. Oooo, was she in T.R.O.U.B.L.E!!! Her only saving grace was the pool's condition--nothing looks damaged. Except the cover of course. There was plenty of hair in the water, but that's fixable. We cleaned it out as best we could and the boys went swimming twice today. I guess that's one way to give our dog a bath...

We sure enjoyed Derek's days off this week. The boys played like pirates in a new park, Aaron had his own special time with Daddy, and I made the most of my time with my big boys. How relaxing to take them to the evening swim and let them jump off the diving boards and slide down the waterslide...all by themselves while I visit with friends! A trip to Dairy Queen and a Stanley Cup win by the Chicago Blackhawks made for a great night all around.

a view from above at our pirate park

Of course there were some tough moments this week. There was some trouble in our neighborhood, and I'm still not sure it's settled the way it should be. Kaleb played at his friend's house, the friend who was hit by a car in April, and they had fun together. Even so, this family is still going through some tough times and Kaleb had to learn to deal with plans that fell through. A 3 day headache for me that varied in intensity, but didn't leave until late this afternoon. PTL it's finally gone. I get so weary of my boys' fighting. Even with our fun activities, there's still plenty of time for them to fight at home. Or in the car. Or out in public. To quote a country song, this paragraph "sounds like life to me, it's no fantasy, just a common case of every day reality."

So, that's our week. My next post? Derek and Aaron's special adventure together. :)

Still Here

Blogging is hard to do in the summer. I can hardly justify sitting at the computer when my kids are home with me all day. Actually...we're not home very much.

a trip to the park

Basketball camp kept Braylen busy this first week of June, Aaron started t-ball, and I tried to find my way into this new summer of mine. Derek's work schedule makes that difficult. And that's putting it mildly. However, I'm trying to find the good in this. My neighbors have really rallied around us--one good thing. My sister-in-law brought pizza over one night--another good thing. Braylen slept over at a friend's house, which meant one less trip to basketball camp for me--yet another good thing.

Less time with Daddy means my boys can get pretty cranky. Especially Braylen. His "Daddy tank" was on empty this week. He was moody, irritable, and just plain grumpy. What he needed was a fishing trip with his dad! They dug the rowboat out from behind our shed and spent several hours together on a small lake. I suggested a few topics for Derek to discuss with our oldest son--I like to think I'm being intentional, and not controlling. :) It was time well spent. Braylen caught some fish and Derek captured his spirit.


We started off the boating season on Memorial Day. Lots of fun in the sun! All 3 kids rode the torpedo tube since the fishing was lousy. Aunt Sarena and her friend Dave swam with the boys and I'm not sure who had more fun!


This weekend we've enjoyed Derek at home with us. (Yay for time off!) Whether I'm painting a bathroom with him or on a family bike ride, I've enjoyed every minute of it. We took Ginger to a swim beach for the first time today to see if she could swim. Of course she can--but it was so much fun to see! Our boys threw her ball across the water and Ginger paddled right to it. I laughed and laughed--and am so bummed I forgot to bring my camera! Our boys and our dog swimming together. What a great summer day.

it's a dog's life

Aaron and Kaleb did this 100 piece puzzle while Braylen and I began our huge project of the summer...more on that in a later post!