From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘Stevie’

To: My Two Sweet Babies

From: Your Mom

Date: March 8, 2010

RE: Just So You Know

Dear Boys,

So much has happened in the past two weeks that I wanted to get it all down while the information is still fresh in my mind. You boys are the light of my life and even though I say it all the time, I am so thankful to be your mama. You are both growing up so quickly and with everything in me I would love to stop time. This season in our lives is so very special and I am trying to take it all in because I know it will pass so quickly.  

Like today when the two of you climbed up on my lap. As I hugged you and kissed both of you on the top of your sweet little heads, I inhaled because I wanted to remember the smell. I wanted to feel your short stubbly hair on my cheek. I wanted to remember the moment forever. I love those moments. The moments when the two of you climb up on my lap or into my bed and we talk and laugh and act silly. Sweet babies, those times are precious to me and I want to remember them always.

Love, Mommy

——

Dear Stevie,

We were told when you were two years old, that you needed glasses. I cried on the way home from that appointment. Not so much because you needed glasses, but more so because I wanted your eyes to be okay. While your right eye is normal, you are far-sighted in your left eye and have been for five years. During our visit to your eye Doctor last week, she was pleasantly surprised that your left eye is getting better. So much better in fact that your Doctor reported that in six months you may not have to wear glasses any longer. She also reported that in small children where there is such a drastic difference in the eyes, they rarely ever get better to the point where a child no longer needs glasses.

I say glory!

Your glasses are a sort of trademark now and I can’t hardly imagine you without glasses. We will leave it in the Lord’s hands and pray about it.

This has been an exciting month for you.

For the father/son Scout cookoff, you and daddy prepared a Beach Cake….

And YOU were so excited when they called your name and presented you with a 2nd place trophy…

Sweet boy, I was so proud of you (and Daddy) because I can certainly tell you that you did NOT get those cooking skills from your mama. So yes, winning an award for your baking is a pretty big deal. You were so very proud of your trophy and are still talking about it.

After a couple of weeks of practice, you have finally mastered the art of tying your shoes! You want to be the best at everything you do and that motivates you to be better, and faster.

You are such a joy, Stevie. You are kind, and funny, and cute, and loving. And on top of that you are a great big brother.

I love you!

Mommy

——

Dear Alex,

One day a week or so ago, Stevie and I were practicing his memory verses for the Pioneer Club Youth Service. The same verses that you have – time and time again – refused to practice with me. After reciting his verses perfectly, I was so surprised and proud to hear you recite those verses without prompting and with a beautiful, big smile on your face. Daddy and I are so proud of you for learning Psalm 119:105, Hebrews 12:2 and the Pioneer Club aim (that we may glorify the Lord Jesus) sweet boy. Way to go!

I love your smile, your giggle, and your sweet hugs. I can always count on you to give me a hug for absolutely no reason whatsoever and my favorite thing is when you ask me to rock you. I know those opportunities are going to be few and far between now that you are four, but sweet boy, I will rock you any ole time you ask me. Gladly.

Last week, both of your Sunday School teachers (independantly) made a point to report to us that you were kind to a little boy who was having a very bad day and crying in class. They both mentioned how patient you were andtold us what a good friend you were to him. My heart leaped with joy and I would love to have been secretly hiding in the room to see it for myself. For a little boy who has two speeds (wide open and asleep) it is great to know that you have a caring way about you.

You have learned to fasten your seat belt on your own. One of the funniest things about you is how much care you take in matching your socks and shirts. My OCD appreciates that so much and more often than not, you match them nicely. You are also really good about picking your toys up and putting them away after playing.

Oh, and you were thrilled to be star of the week at school a few weeks ago.

Sweet boy, you are a bright shining star and we are so proud of you!

Love, Mommy

I don’t know about you, but in my humble opinion, the Olympics are addictive. It is so easy to get caught up in Apolo Ohno’s latest short track event or the wild and crazy fearless few that compete in the skeleton.

Seriously, competing in that sport would take some ginormous nerve. At what point in one’s life does one say, “Why yes, I think I might run real fast beside this sled and then jump on it and see how fast I can go!…. Head first!”

It most definitely wasn’t me who has stayed up way too late partying with Bob Costas every single night of the Olympics the past week because I couldn’t care less about Apolo Ohno and his beloved headband. Or Bode Miller. Or Shaun White. I couldn’t stay up way late because its not as if I have absolutely no responsibility and am not required to get up at O Dark Thirty to get a child to school in the mornings.

Likewise, in an attempt to settle my nerves while watching Lindey Vonn and Julia Mancuso, it wasn’t me who had the hair-brained idea to eat a Snickers Ice Cream Bar well after midnight.

Folks, believe me when I say I knew better.

I did not sit in my big, blue, bloggy chair, chowing down on the awesomeness that is the chocolate, the peanuts, the ice cream and the caramel while whoopin’ and hollerin’ for each and every American Athlete no matter what the event.

An hour or so later, it wasn’t me who found herself wollering around in the bed like a brown bear trying to root out a spot get comfortable and get to sleep.

Nope, not me. No way!

I did not lay there compiling this post in my head trying to keep myself still so that I wouldn’t wake Papa Bear McDaddy knowing full well that I should have pulled myself right up out of bed to get the mess out of my head because of the very real possibility that I wouldn’t remember it three days later.

It also wasn’t me who beamed with pride as Stevie made his way to the front of a crowded room to accept a 2nd Place trophy for the Father/Son Cub-Scout Bake-off on Saturday.

Oh, and there’s no way I let out a big squeal seconds after the announcement because for one, I am much too refined for that, and for two, well, because I am typically quiet and reserved.

Not necessarily in that order.

AHEM!

Way to go fellas! I AM very proud of both of you! Your beach cake was yummy!!!!

For more things that people did not do, (probably because they too are quiet, refined and reserved) head over to MckMama’s place.

Kisses.

That’s this week’s You Capture challenge.

I tried to figure out the best way to shoot me kissin’ my fellas, but ultimately I figured y’all might not appreciate pictures of my playing kissy-face, so I movedrightalong to something else.

Yes, you are welcome.

I couldn’t pass up the chance to shoot these because after all? They are Hershey’s ace in the proverbial hole.

And because no post about kissing would be complete with my three favorite fellas, here they are in all their glory!

And this?

I kissed this bad boy the minute it met my finger. It is my Birthday/Christmas/Deployment present and I love it! Sadly, of the 412 pictures I attempted, I was unable to get the flash, the macro, and the zoom to love on eachother.

Clearly, I’ve got more learning to do.

You Capture is hosted by I Should Be Folding Laundry.

To: My Sweet Boys

From: Your Mama

Date: February 10, 2010

RE: Just So You Know

Dear Randy and Ralphie Stevie and Alex, 

I cannot be sure but I think I missed doing a  Just So You Know post last month. Just so you know, I am so sorry about that. Since the great basement project of 2009 started, I am a little behind on most things and a lot behind on some things such as my scrapbooking. As you know, the great basement project of 2009 has evolved into the great basement project of 2010. We are working hard to get the playroom in order, and you should know that once that happens, I don’t expect to see one single monster truck or CARS car on the coffee table ever, ever again. Thank you very much.

Rarely a night passes that there isn’t something with four wheels on the coffee table and really, we have toyboxes, buckets, and baskets for all manner of toys so I am confused as to why they are left out every. single. night. Can we work on that? Pretty please?

Dear Stevie,

You had a great time working on your pinewood derby car last month. Unfortunately it was a tough lesson in sportsmanship for you, but you must remember it was your very first year doing the derby. You designed a great car and you did 97% of the work all by yourself. If you ask me, your car was the coolest one there. For someone that really didn’t want to do Scouts, you certainly enjoy that hour a week you spend with the Tiger Cubs. We are proud of you for trying something that you didn’t really want to do and even happier that you really enjoy it!

You were also the cutest wise-man ever in the history of church Christmas plays this year (which by the way was held in January because of the stupid snow and its erratic behavior!)

Regarding your teeth. Most every kid in your class has lost a couple of teeth. You, on the other hard are still holding on to the same twenty-one teeth you’ve had for the past six years. It’s as if they are holding signs that say “Don’t mind us, we actually like it here!” Child, if genetics has anything whatsoever to do with teeth, you should know that you are in for a long, frustrating road of orthodontic treatment and appliances. And if I’m being honest, I love your baby teeth. Especially the right one in the front that sits a bit crooked because that extra tooth had to have somewhere to hang out. I’m kinda dreading you losing your teeth because there will be pain, and well, blood. Which is a no-win situation for you and me. So, no, I’m in no hurry for you to lose your pearly whites. I will tell you that daddy is a floss fanatic. You should totally follow his lead because I am not so fanatic about the flossing and well, your teeth will be much healthier if you floss often.

You really enjoy first grade and have lots of friends. You are a reading machine and enjoy riding the school bus one day a week to attend gifted. I am thankful that you enjoy school. I love you sweet boy!

Love, Mommy

——–

Dear Alex,

Sweet child. Where do I begin?

First let me start by saying, I understand the stubborn streak. Shoot, I may even be to blame for it. So, understand me when I say I get it!  That doesn’t mean that I enjoy it though.

Last week at school, for instance, the monthly calendar asked us parents to work you our sweet children on the Pledge of Allegiance adding that each student who could recite the pledge would be given a flag. To my surprise, you knew the pledge word-for-word. When I asked if you were going to recite the pledge at school the next day, you replied with, “We’ll just have to wait and see!” I explained to you that I would not be a bit happy if all the other kids recited the pledge except you. When I picked you up on Wednesday, every. single. child. in your preschool class, except you, came from class carrying a flag.

When I asked you why you didn’t say the pledge, your response was, “Well, I really didn’t want a flag.”

Sweet mercy, child. You are so stinkin’ frustrating.

It’s a really great thing that you are so darn cute!

After a ten-minute rant, I took your favorite shoes away and promised you would not get them back until you said the pledge. Sadly, the whole shoe bit really matters to you. The next day, I was happy to see you carrying a flag. It would be nice if you would just do things when people asked you to instead of requiring a bribe or issuing a barter.

While I have your attention, can I also mention one more thing? Dinnertime is an important time for our family. I attempt to fix something that will appeal to all four of us, however, that is not always possible because we must eat, um, I don’t know, vegetables and healthy stuff from time-to-time. Your cooperation on days that dinner does not appeal to you would be appreciated. When I gave you a pre-dinner pep talk today, explaining that you would eat what was put in front of you without quarreling, you replied, “I might just cause some trouble!”

That statement stopped me in my tracks. There’s going to be trouble alright. Between you, me and the Pampered Chef spoon if you decide that causing trouble is acceptable because clearly, it is not. I would be lying though if I said that you’re statement did not make me chuckle inside.

So often I see mannerisms that remind me of myself (foot stomping and door slamming) and I am reminded that there is a God and that He does have a sense of humor. I love you very much, but you have to understand that you may not stomp your feet, or slam your door. Mkay? Thanks. Let’s just hug and kiss and love and smile instead.

Your new favorite thing is to play is kitchen. I love our lunch dates and I enjoy every meal that you fix for me. You are the best chef I know and I will join you for lunch any ol’ time. I am thankful that you are mine! I love your big hugs and your sweet smile! Oh, and just so you know, we love your manners, too!

You are really into Monster trucks, Tom and Jerry, and Brown Sugar and Cimmanum poptarts. And you call license plates – silence plates. And I would bet the farm that you are the best medicine taker / breathing treatment patient that there ever was. Seriously, you are a champ!

Love, Mommy

Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by. If you are one of my eight loyal blog fans, I appreciate you and hope you learn something about me you don’t already know. If you are new here, I sure welcome you to visit any ole’ time. I just love having company.

For starters, I started blogging in June, 2006 for myself and 200 of my closest friends on mySpace. After deciding that me and this bloggy gig could be a happy couple, I decided to take the bloggy plunge and join the blogosphere. That whole Inmates to Playdates title? Well, let me just say that my title has nothing to do with me finding love in jail. Before hanging up my handcuffs to be a stay-at-home-mom, I was an inmate counselor at a Regional Jail.

I am 36 and I am married to McDaddy who happens to be the most patient man on the planet. He is a control systems genius engineer and also a member of the WV Air National Guard. He was recently deployed for six-months at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where he diligently protected our butts, our freedoms and whatever else needed protecting . I talk about him often here at Inmates and I so proud to be his wife. Oh, and did I mention he is hot?

I have a seven-year-old son named Stevie. He is a cool kid who loves Lightning McQueen, Monster Trucks and his beloved DS. He is one of the sweetest kids I’ve ever known and I’m not at all just saying that because he is mine. He is thoughtful, polite and loving. (He’s also very smart but I don’t want to sound like one of those mothers).

I also have a four-year-old son named Alex. He has two speeds. Asleep. And wide open. It is comical to watch him in action. He loves to run, jump, climb and bulldoze. He also likes Lightning McQueen, Monster Trucks, Tom & Jerry, and his Leapster. He is sweet, independent and cute as a button.

My boys are the joy of my life and I am thankful for the privilege of being a [stay-at-home] mother. Even though I always thought I would have a daughter, I am thrilled that my boys are the best of friends and wonderful playmates.

As my tagline says, I am a self proclaimed princess who gave up a career in corrections for stay-at-home-mom royalty. I have a truck-load of quirks and I am gifted in the art of conversation. Just ask anybody. I enjoyed my time in jail very much but I enjoy motherhood even more. I love the Saturn Sky, Reality TV, and Dr. Pepper. I am also a Longaberger consultant and scrapbooker.

This blog is like a bag of chex mix. Sometimes you get a boring ole raisin and sometimes you get the M&M. Either way, when enjoyed together, it is a great mix.

I have talked at length about my funeral, watching an embalming and even pap smears. Some days I talk about my sweet boys, my hubby or my Jesus.

Although I realize you have a lot of stops to make, I invite you to nose around and enjoy my daily dose of crazy. Believe me, there is plenty to go around.

It was nice meeting you! I hope to see you soon! Many thanks to Household6 Divafor hosting this party for those of us who couldn’t make it to blissdom.

There is nothing in life that makes me happier than the three special fellas in my life. Well, except maybe, a big, fat diamond, or a chili pepper red Saturn Sky.

Oh, I kid.

Sort of.

Especially when the three special fellas are smiling. And sometimes, even when they are not smiling because I love them unconditionally even when they won’t smile for my camera because they are too darn stubborn. (Ahem!)

Have a look at my sweet Alex Ryan (who will smile for my camera if I beg plead bribe -

And my sweet boy, Stevie (who will smile for my camera on demand just because that’s what you’re supposed to do when a camera is pointed in your general vacinity) -

And their sweet dad, McDaddy (who would rather have a tooth pulled than smile for my camera), well maybe not a for-real tooth pulled, but you get my point, right?

Dang, he’s handsome.

You might recognize this girl (who smiles for my camera every. single. time. because she’s crazy like that!) who is blessed beyond measure -

Yes indeed, just face it – Faces make me so happy!

For more happy faces, visit Beth’s place – I Should Be Folding Laundry.

There are three types of people in the world.

People that make things happen.

People that watch things happen.

And people who say, “What just happened?”

McDaddy is 100% the kind of person who makes things happen.

For instance, this week, we are in the midst of some major basement renovations. Or I guess if I’m being honest, I should say, McDaddy is doing most of the work and I am doing most of the picking out and cleaning up. And it is coming along nicely. In fact, if you come back tomorrow, I’ll show you a picture of the walls. Half of the wall is bright red and half of the wall is bright yellow. And might I add, it looks fabulous!

Also this week, McDaddy helped our sweet Stevie put the finishing touches on his pinewood derby car.

Where again, McDaddy made things happen.

The car started out as a block of wood. And if you, like me, knew nothing of the pinewood derby car before now, you should know that the pinewood derby car starts out as a plain block of wood. Period.

Without wheels and without an axle.

I adore McDaddy because instead of taking that block of wood and modifying the crap out of it making a souped up mini-version of the heap (ahem! I mean JEEP) that would plow over and ahead of any competition that stood in its way, therefore all but guaranteeing a trophy for our boy, McDaddy opted to let Stevie do 98% of the work. The picking of the design, the sanding, the cutting, the painting of the car and the little driver, and the helping to knock the nailed wheels into the groove.

My contribution to the derby car was to find Jimmie Johnson stickers.

Which by the way was an impossible task because apparently there are no Jimmie Johnson stickers within a 271 mile radius of the McResidence. That simple fact did not matter to my sweet Stevie because how can you have a Jimmie Johnson car without the Lowe’s racing logo and number “48 thingamajig”.

I then had a decision to make. Break Stevie’s heart because we couldn’t find Jimmie Johnson stickers, OR, be one of those people who make things happen.

This is what we did.

We made a visit to Google Images and searched for Jimmie Johnson’s logo and Lowes Nascar.

Then we cut out the logos and put them through my handy-dandy Xyron sticker maker that my in-laws gave to me for Christmas a few years back which is super simple to use by the way.

And voila’

A Jimme Johnson pinewood derby car.

More on our first pinewood derby race coming soon!

Google and the Xyron Sticker Maker worked for me!

Head over to We Are THAT Family for lots more Works for Me! Wednesday posts!

I’ve seen more snow in the last month, than I’ve seen in the last three years.

And seriously. I. AM. DONE!  Blankets of the white powdery stuff has covered our yard for weeks. In addition to that, when it snows, I’m pretty much stuck on top of the hill that we live on because I am too chicken to risk my life and the life of my precious boys venture off of it.

So yes, you could say I’ve had it with Winter. The bad part is we are only a few weeks in to the season which I despise.

I never remember caring about the snow when I was, say, eight.

Or even twelve.

But now that I’m 36, not so much.

This week’s You Capture challenge is Your Winter. Beth couldn’t have picked a more fitting challenge for a gal who lives in the hills of West Virginia in the middle of January.

Because look y’all!

We got snow! And lots of it!

As well as rosy red cheeks. And big ideas. And hands full of snow. And snow on our camera lens.

Grab some hot cocoa and head over to I Should Be Folding Laundry to see what kind of winter everyone else is having - You Capture.

——-

NEXT WEEK: Love around your home.

I had this moment the other day, where I was walking around upstairs and looking at things and it took me a second to realize that I often think about how I love certain things.  For instance, my son’s blanket and this particular bird on my shelf and these plates that my sister-in-law bought for me.  There is so much that surrounds me that actually fills me with joy, so I want you to share it with all of us.  What you love, what fills you with joy but remember…GET CREATIVE with your photography.  Try new angles and different perspectives, edit the photos differently, make these everyday items into ART.

Stevie has been asking me for weeks when he could “Take more pictures for Thursday Thirteen on your blog” and for weeks I’ve been putting him off.

You know, because of child labor laws and all.

But lo, last Tuesday was a snow day and after his limited amount of time on various electronic devices, he was bored out of his mind and posed the question again. The snow day provided the perfect opportunity to take 13 pictures of random things in our home that he wanted to tell you about.

Each caption is a direct quote.

Are there Child Labor Blog Laws?

Anyone?

Okay, I didn’t think so.

Off we go.

1. I like my DS because I got two new games for Christmas and I like the new Transformer case because it can hold two games at a time.

2. I love my mom because she is sweet. She lets me do Thursday Thirteen stuff. She lets me take the pictures and tell her about the pictures.

[In my defense, it was a snow day. I haven't the first bit of make-up on and I was caught off guard and didn't have the wherewithall to hold my head up to hide that second and third chin.]

3. This is mom’s nightstand. I like the lamp because you touch it to make it come on. If you touch it after it goes the brightest, it goes off. I like the clock because at night, it shows the time up on the ceiling.

[I should take this opportunity to say that I also had a box of kleenex on the nightstand prior to the shooting extravaganza. For some wild reason, my nose has ran for two weeks without a break.]

4. I like the snow. I was hoping I could go outside someday and clear our block off with my gator, but we have not got a chance to. I like the snow because it looks nice with its white, shiny color. The step on Dad’s truck is icy and the truck looks pretty snowy as shown.

5. This is a map downstairs in the basement. It has flags on each state that mom and dad, me and Alex have been to. Some of them are from when we weren’t born yet. And mommy said she was behind on a couple of them because we are out of flag pins.

[Seeing this picture reminds me how far behind I am on mapping our adventures. Must. get. flag. pins.]

6. Daddy has two computers beside of his computer because he is working on Cindy G’s computer. Dad has been working down here a lot now. He used to be working away from the house a lot instead of downstairs, but now he is starting to work downstairs more.

7. I like my 4-wheeler but one thing I do not like about it is that it is one-wheel drive and if you get that one wheel off of the ground in the field and your back is facing the hill, then you are gone unless someone helps you. It has two gears, training and normal. The training is for small places and for people who are just learning how to drive it. The normal is someone who knows how to drive it already and its for wide-open places.

[I did not get to vote on the giving of this thing. McDaddy's siblings went together and purchased it for Stevie's birthday this year. Hearing my sweet seven year old say the whole line about the one wheel being off of the ground and then you are gone unless someone helps you, makes me aware that I need to  have a very long talk with McDaddy regarding this thing.]

8. This clock may have Chick on it, but it has two cars on it because it is a 3-D clock and it turns from Chick to McQueen. It has a different sentence on the top of each car. I cannot remember the sentence above McQueen. The sentence above Chick is The Challenge is on!

9. These are our Wii games. I have lots of fun on them, but my favoritist out of all of them is Monster Jam because I have won almost every single one and you can even move a bus out of its spot with your truck in freestyle. I have unlocked one of my most favoritist trucks ever which is El Toro Loco.

10. This is Alex and Dad. I love both of them and they are playing on mom and dad’s bed. The whole family has lots of fun together. Me and Alex like both mom and dad. Daddy works in the Air Force and he is gone of course today, and we miss him very much. One time he had a deployment for six months. We missed him but the very last day he was gone, when he came home, we showed our posters to him and we were glad that he came back. He has had to leave again but just for a few days each time.

11. This is our toothbrush and toothpaste basket. Me and Alex have Spiderman toothbrushes that can brush our teeth for us. You just press a button and the toothbrush brushes your teeth for you. We can tell them apart because mom wrote an “S” and “A” on the bottom of them.

12. Me and Alex are a big fan of Jimmie Johnson. This is our cool car turned into a Jimmie Johnson car. I was the one that got this plan. We printed the “48″ and the “LOWES” and the “Lowes Racing Team Sign” from the computer and then the first 48 I cut out, I accidentally cut the eight off, but we printed another one and I kept both of them together that time. I used tape to put them on the car. Alex was pushing the car once and pulled the Lowes Racing Team sign out of the tape and now it flies up when we go real fast with it.

13. This is the table behind the big couch. You think it might look beautiful with just that, but there are two things that didn’t fit in the picture. It is a vase and a picture of  me in gray (black and white). The real big picture in the middle is a picture of the whole family’s feet and it has a verse written in cursive at the bottom.

Now, wasn’t that fun? Yes, I thought so too!

Ten years ago, I walked the halls of South Central Regional Jail counseling inmates about their behavior and incarceration.

Today, I walk down our hallway here at the McResidence counseling two little boys about their behavior and punishment.

—

Ten years ago, the only cell I inspected was a twelve by twelve concrete cell.

Today, I inspect my cell daily for e-mails, blog comments, and facebook statuses.

—

Ten years ago, I scheduled visits for inmates and their family members.

Today, I schedule playdates for my boys and their friends.

—

Ten years ago, I daily spoke with mamas who were at wits end with their children for the latest, dumbest stunt.

Today, I AM the mama at her wits end with her children for their latest stunt which is usually something like jumping from the top bunk.

—

Ten years ago, I ordered inmates to their cells, and scheduled their in-house hearings.

Today, I order little boys to their beds and cancel their daily television programming.

—

Ten years ago, I carried a walkie-talkie with me and called for assistance when the inmates got rowdy.

Today, I carry my iPhone with me and I’m the one called for assistance when the playdate gets rowdy.

—

Ten years ago, I spent time in the booking department calculating release dates.

Today, I spend time booking playdates and calculating how long it’s been since our last potty break.

—

Ten years ago, I was swamped with jail paperwork and inmate files.

Today, I am swamped with PTA paperwork and insurance files.

—

Ten years ago, I worked with folks charged with all a host of crimes.

Today, two little fellas charge at me in Batman and Superman capes as they fight crime.

—

Ten years ago, I found myself sitting in court waiting to take the stand.

Today, I find myself sitting courtside, screaming like a crazy person in the stands.

—

Ten years ago, I thought I was living the best years of my life.

Today, I KNOW I’m living the best years of my life.