From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘Alex’

Summer is winding down and I am so sad.

We’ve had a great summer and we’ve made lots of memories. In a matter of four days, I will be answering to my stupid Homemedics alarm clock every morning and the thought of that makes me want to stick my fingers in my ears and say lalalalalalalala. The boys and I have fallen into a pattern of staying up late and sleeping late and that doesn’t bode well for an elementary school schedule.

We’ll do what we have to do, I suppose.

We’ve had many travel opportunities this summer and made plenty of great memories.

Here’s a recap of our Summer.

In no particular order.

1. Visit to Busch Gardens

2. Camping trips with great friends.

3. While camping in the Amish Country, we were treated to a buggy ride.

4. Learning to ride a bike without training wheels.

5. Time with cousins at the beach

6. A glorious week with McDaddy’s siblings and their families.

7. My cousin’s wedding on the beach in Ft. Myers, Florida

8. Boy Scout Day Camp, along with a gold medal win for a BB Gun high score at the range.

9. Saying goodbye to glasses after FIVE years of needing them.

10. Taking in a Yankee Game.

11. Music Camp Water Day Fun!

12. The Summer Centershot Program – Wednesday nights at our church

13. Spending time with McDaddy

Now, I’m off to enjoy the last three days of Summer.

Happy Thursday!

SUMMER IS…..

Sitting beside your brother on a ride at Busch Gardens

Going to a Yankee game with Uncle Dave

Many miles in the minivan as we travel the East Coast.

Music Camp Water Fun

Evening sunrise on the beach

Riding in fast cars

(You knew that was coming, didn’t you?)

This post is linked to You Capture.

To: Stevie and Alex

From: Mommy

Date: August 3, 2010

RE: Just So You Know

Dear Boys,

We have had a very busy summer. So busy in fact, I think I might have forgotten to write a Just So You Know post in July.

And June too, I think.

As soon as school ended, the two of you started swimming lessons. From there, we went camping, camping, and to Florida for a family vacation. I am so proud of the two of you. There have been so many firsts this summer its been hard to keep up with it all.

I am thankful that you guys are such wonderful travellers. We’ve logged many a mile over the past two months and never do we have to worry about how well you guys will be in the car.

—-

Dear Alex,

You had a lot of fun at swimming lessons. While you didn’t learn how to swim, you did become much more comfortable in the water and even learned to ‘go under’ all by your self. I am so proud of you for being a brave boy and working so hard at swimming lessons.

And then.

Then.

There was the little issue of you playing in the garage while Daddy tightened your training wheels. You picked up Stevie’s old bike and took off riding it.

WITHOUT TRAINING WHEELS.

You go, big boy!

I was never so surprised when Daddy called me outside from the garage and you were riding a bike down the road. You go, sweet boy! You are such an independent, strong-willed little fella, and I love you so much!

One of my favorite things is when you walk up to me and ask me if we can cuddle. That makes me smile and I will always, always, always cuddle with you.

We are two peas in a pod, the two of us.

I see so much of me in you sometimes and that, my sweet boy, makes me smile.

I love you, Alex Ryan.

Love, Mommy

—-

Dear Stevie,

When you began swimming lessons, you didn’t really want to give it your all. Day after day I watched you really try to do your best. I was so proud of your progress even though you weren’t quite swimming after lessons were over.

But just weeks later, thanks in part to Boy Scout Camp, just look at what you’re doing now…

Sweet boy, you are a swimmer!

You attended Boy Scout Camp for the first time and you had a great time. You won a gold medal for a first place in BB Gun shooting and more importantly, you were chosen by the parent volunteers as the boy who most represented the characteristics of a boy scout. I wiped away tears as you were presented with the group flag.

Most importantly, you have experienced a major change this month.

We were told by your eye Doctor that you no longer need glasses.

I praise God that your left eye is completely normal and that after five years you no longer need to wear glasses.

I love you sweet boy!

Love, Mommy

Wordless Wednesday is sponsored by 5 Minutes For Mom!

To: The Lady At The Restaurant

From: A Crazy, Mad Mama

Date: Today

RE: Your rude behavior

Dear Rude Lady,

Earlier today, my sweet four year old and I entered a restaurant to have breakfast. As we made our way to the door, my sweet, polite four year old held the door open for you as you exited the restaurant and walked past us.

As you made your way through the door, you said, ”Need a haircut. Need a haircut badly.”

My first thought was that you were making a mental note to yourself, but when I looked up at you, I noticed your gray nappy hair hugged your head, and I knew you had to be speaking to someone else.

Just after picking my chin up off of the floor, I mustered up the words, “Are you talking to him?” referring to my sweet boy and you replied, “Yes, yes I am!”

When I replied, “How rude!” I meant it.

And I would have meant a lot of other things I would have said if I had been given the opportunity. I started to follow you out the  door to confront you but you were old and crotchety and clearly not worth my time. Let it be known however that you have no right to speak to an innocent child that way. With everything in me I had to restrain myself because ain’t nothing worse than a crazy mad mama on the loose. I definitely could have taken you but then I would have had some splainin’ to do to Alex about why I was whoopin’ up on an old lady in a parking lot.

Perhaps you are not a fan of the Mohawk. Perhaps you genuinely thought my sweet boy needed a haircut. I couldn’t care less what you think either way. My boys are being taught to respect adults and mind their manners. Clearly, there is a lot you could learn from them.

The fact of the matter is you are a rude old lady. It’s no surprise you were by yourself.

People like you are why people like me need blood pressure medication.

Sincerely,

A Crazy Mad Mama

P.S. I hope you trip off a sidewalk

Well, I had my doubts about this week’s challenge.

Short of hunkering (is that a word?) down to snap this week’s series of photographs, I wasn’t sure what to do.

I had to dig way down deep in the creativity bag.

In the words of Simon Cowell, off we go…

This is the image you will see when your gas tank gets down low.  Thankfully, I was on the gas station parking lot when I snapped this horribly unimpressive shot.

If you plan on driving one of these suckers, you should be advised that you’ll have to get down low to get into it. Especially if you happen to be 5’9″.

Oh, and I guess I’ve not at all tried to keep it on the down-low that I love the Saturn Sky and its awesomeness.

This pesky creature must have had some idea that I was running around our camper over the weekend swatting the air like a crazy person trying to kill him because the little sucker got way down low on the screen door. I took the opportunity to shoot him before swatting him.

I hate flies.

I have no idea why they are needed on the earth. Are they good for anything?

And last but not least, my sweet Alex had to get way down low to work on his cozy coupe cool car.

Don’t keep it on the down low, tell everyone you know to check out You Capture at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Next Week’s Challenge: Chairs, Hands OR Green  (Our Pick!)

 We had a wonderfully relaxing weekend camping with some families from our church.

As always, I learned all kinds of stuff that I thought might help one or two or ten of you, so let’s get right to this eclectic list of stuff.

1. When you are shopping for a folding drying rack, a metal one is better than a wooden one. If you don’t believe me you can ask my friend from church who broke one of the rods right in half as he attempted to show me how to put it together.

2. If you bring along Hershey bars for S’mores, and the temperature is, I don’t know, say, 112 degrees, you might want to place them in the camper fridge or else they will be a melty mess by the time dark thirty rolls around.

3. When you see this guy jet-skiing on the lake

it will cause quite the stir.

But not nearly as much stir, as this group does on the basketball court.

In fact, a certain blogger (who shall remain nameless) will be so excited, she will ask them to pose for a picture. If this should ever happen to you and you have even the slightest hint of OCD in your tendencies, you should not be embarrassed to ask blue guy to switch places with red guy so that their getups costumes outfits won’t blend together.

Cool, huh?

4. The word bigwig is a legitimate, legal word on Words With Friends. In fact, if you put it in the proper position, it will be worth mega points.

5. If you have a camper and you are in need of a place to hang a wet towel or two, these interdesign hooks will do the job beautifully!

6. No matter how much stuff you buy for your camper, you can always find one more thing you could use at Wal-Mart.

7. If your boys are seven and four, your boys will have the “best camping trip ever” because they are old enough to enjoy riding toys and piles of rocks at your campsite and young enough to not care about extremely hot temperatures.

8. If you are 36,  you will most certainly care about 182 degree extremely hot temperatures.

What did you learn this week?

If you’re linking up for the first time, you can go here to read more about the guidelines.

I love it when these guys

both end up in my bed so we can “cuddle” because they are the best cuddlers in the world and we talk about what we will do that day.

I love it when they wrap their gangly arms around my neck and squeeze me tightly.

I love it when they tell me I am “the best mommy ever!”

I love it that they are the sweet and compassionate boys.

I love it that they want me to watch Monster Jam with them.

I love it that they play with my hair.

I love it when they take their dishes to the sink. And throw things away. And do exactly what we expect them to do.

I love it when they get excited about doing their best or trying their hardest.

I love it that these two sweet boys play very well together 94% of the time!

I love it that they are mine!

I love it that I am changed because of them.

I love it that every night when I crawl into bed, I get to thank God for the opportunity to raise these two special beings.

This post generously provided by: Alex Ryan

I guess I should have titled this post – Thursday Thirteen. Plus Seven.

I did a little interview with my sweet four-year-old a few days ago. Here are his responses.

1. What is something mom always says to you?

To Clean up

2. What makes mommy happy?

Hugging you and kissing you.

3. What makes mommy sad?

Uh, not giving you kisses and hugs

4. How does mommy make you laugh?

By tickling me.

5. What was mommy like as a child?

Did you like ponies whenever you were a little girl?

6. How old is mommy?

I don’t know. Are you 42?

7. How tall is mommy?

About this tall *holding hands about 18 inches apart.

8.What is mommy’s favorite thing to do?

Like shopping.

9.What does mommy do when you’re at school?

Goes somewhere like Stevie’s school or just stays home.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

I don’t know.

11.What is your mom really good at?

Like exercizing and changing laundry.

12.What is something mommy is not very good at?

Fixing something like vehicles.

13.What does your mom do for her job?

I don’t know. Maybe the laundry.

14.What is mommy’s favorite food?

Candy

15.What makes you proud of your mom?

Buying something for me and Stevie.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Jerry

17. What do you and your mom do together?

Shopping to get color changers…  (which are CARS cars that chance colors when they get wet)

18. How are you and your mom the same?

We’re both persons

19. How are you and mommy different?

Because you’re a girl and I’m a boy.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Becuase you rub my back.

You are so right, sweet boy. I love you so much!

And now, I’m off to do some laundry or something.

You know, because it’s my job.

And becuase I am really good at it.

Happy Thursday, y’all.

After a fun day filled of swimming lessons and a workout at the Y,

I went with this guy,

and these cute little fellas,

 for an off-roading extravaganza in this heap,

er, I mean, Jeep.

McDaddy navigated creeks and rocks.

And tree limbs.

And lots of mud.

We saw three turtles.

And a turkey.

There were times when McDaddy had the heap, er, I mean Jeep at full throttle.

And there was one time I grabbed the door handle and closed my eyes.

Throughout most of the ride though, I just sat and I smiled.

I smiled because these two little fellas - who love rocks,

and water,

and of course, Jeeps -

had a big-eyed time in the back-seat repeatedly reminding McDaddy how much fun they were having.

And nothing makes this girl

any happier than to have fun with her fellas.

The End.