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This boy stole my heart and he calls me....Mommy!

Happy 9th Birthday Gage. (I think a birthday is reason enough to update an age old blog). Gage stole my heart 9 years ago today. What a remarkable gift. It was his birthday but it was a day he gave me the best gift in the world. A son! It is funny how he continues to get older and have birthdays but I stay 29! haha. Gage was a beautiful baby with a head full of dark hair that had blond streaks running through it here and there....so much so that the L&D nurses accused me of running out to have highlights added to his hair.

Each of my children hold a special and unique place in my heart. Gage is my first born. He allowed me to learn how to parent, he allows me to fail as a parent while I am learning and loves me just the same. He was a tiny tiny baby at birth 6lbs 7oz. Nine years later he is a whopping 52 pounds with a head full of blond hair. Funny thing though, I still see my mini munchkin.

At age nine I want Gage to remember that....
Is as active cub scout.
Serves on the Flag Patrol at his school, where he raises as lowers the American flag each day.
Is an avid reader (like mommy)
Still calls us "Mommy and Daddy"
Spends a decent about of time working on getting his hair to look "surfer-like"
Discovered Abercrombie and Fitch clothing but more importantly this year their cologne!
Was MVP for his age group on his summer swim team.
Swims year round for the Gaston Gators.
Won Best Sportsmanship Award for Pinewood Derby.
Has started piano lesson as a means to learn guitar.
Surfed in Costa Rica for the first time.
Attended his first week long overnight summer camp, Camp Seagull!
Found a passion for Zip-Lines.
Enjoys white water rafting.
Still sleeps with his "bear-dog" that he received as a new born.
Is a very loyal friend.
Has lost 8 teeth.
Would rather be fly fishing or swimming or playing in the ocean.
Says he will either be a chef or a MD when he grows up.
Is clueless about girls (lets keep it that way)
Loves English and Science.
Hates Math.
Went deep sea fishing in Costa Rica.
Spoils his youngest brother.
Is annoyed by his middle brother.
Likes to ride bikes with friends.
And loves to eat...anything and everything.
Became obsessed with roller coasters while at Disney this year.
Is learning that being a big brother might just be the most important job he will ever have.

Gage you amaze me daily. You are a wonderful mixture of the Clouds, the Goodwins, the Adcocks and the Roberts. In 9 years you have taught me many things. But most of all you have taught me unconditional love. Thank you for being a wonderful son. Happy Birthday. I can not wait to see what this year has planned for you.

Love you, Mommy

Eat My Bubbles

Summer swim team is here! I enjoy the laid back fun of summer swim! Again this year Davis' meets are at a different time than Gage's. The 6U meets are so funny! I love watching the little ones swim down the pool by grabbing the lanes and pulling themselves down. They are always so thrilled by the time they make it to the end of their 25M.


Davis has really enjoyed these last few Saturday meets. He likes to compete. And he likes to win. But he also likes to stop and see where the other swimmers are in the pool, which isn't so good! I think he is learning though that stopping equals losing time. Sometimes I think Davis believes he is Superman, he likes to get a running start off the wood block.

I love to watch him "prepare" for his swim while he is on the block. He does some little jig that cracks me up!! He swam his little heart out today. Pushed as hard as he could, even after a week of camp and notsamuch sleep he was able to improve his time in all 4 of his events. Which is all a proud mamma can ask for!

TGIF!! or TGIGMKFCD!!

As in Thank Goodness It's Get My Kids From Camp Day!

The week has flown by! I am shocked. As I sit here snuggled with Truman in the hotel bed watching Elmo I hate to tell him that in a few hours his week as an only child will be over. I know he has really enjoyed having 100% of our attention. But I think he has really liked having control over the remote as well as all the toys. Sure he has missed "Bro-durs", but it has mainly been at bedtime. All three of the boys share our bonus room as a bedroom and this week bedtime has been particularly quiet and lonely for him.

One of the highlights for Ward and I this week besides the letters (We got a few more from Gage yesterday that included the actual sharks teeth he had found and of course information about the food he has been eating - burgers and chips!!) has been the pictures of "camp life" that bunk1 post. I have loved that Gage is shirtless in most of his pictures with his hair wild and crazy. I love that Davis is being "Davis" his vibrant personality shows in his pictures which tells me he is having a blast and enjoying himself!

My friends keep asking if I have missed my boys - and I have - it's been a learning curve for me and I have found comfort in keeping busy! I am ready to get them back and hear all their stories. I am sure we will cover a few over our 6 plus hour drive home today.

And I am sure that within a few hours they will begin fighting and I will be dreaming of the quiet times I had while they were at camp. And tonight when I am pulling sharks teeth out of their pockets, making them brush their teeth for the 1st time in a week, and trying to see if there are any clothes that can be salvaged I will hear the giggles of 3 "bro-durs' sharing a room and I will know that I will be thankful they are all under my roof once again!


Future Seaguller!

Letters

My Facebook status yesterday referred to waiting around at the mailbox for camp letters. Over 15 years ago, long before wide spread emails, social networking and cell phone packages there were letters in my life.

Ward and I lived many miles apart and he was a non paid - hard working - over worked - never a minute off medical student. Sure we talked on the phone when he was near one and had a few minutes, but it was also way back when you still paid for each minute of those long distant calls (oh my... some months my phone bill was more than my rent). While I loved the phone calls I cherished the mail carrier bringing a hand written letter. Sometimes the letters were half a page long other times they were a dozen pages long. The pages were quickly worn as I would read and re-read over and over until the next one would arrive. I believe I probably even had a special box that would hold these letters.

I have been a letter or "note" writer for as long as I can remember (at least prior to the addition of the 2nd child) - Ward still teases me that I have boxes of letters from my high school era in my attic. Maybe I do, it's been a while since I have been up there myself but I'll take his word. I am not sure high school friends or sweethearts even write notes in class anymore given the texting options now, but it is such a shame. The thrill of not getting caught while passing a note, or the giddiness (is that a word?) of waiting by your locker for a note from the 15 year old "love of your life"! Anyway, as usual I am off subject.

On the boys list for camp "Stationary, Addressed Envelops and Stamps". I was thrilled. My boys would learn the art of letter writing in an era where text over shadow emails and stationary is a thing of the past. (I always stockpiled beautiful stationary.) In the days before camp I found them cute little blank colorful note cards and addressed the envelops to family. Davis is still very young and just learning to write and spell. Gage being older and my detailed child loves to journal so I figured he would enjoy the letter aspect of rest time at camp.

Fast forward a few days into camp. Truman and I am waiting for our mail carrier. She brought us 3 brightly colored letters. 2 from Davis which read:

"I got a white band" along with a picture of a white band.

Took me a few minutes but I figured out he was telling me about the level he had passed on his swim test. haha

the next letter from Davis read

"I love camp" and showed a picture of a stick man at an archery range.

(I can only assume that he had just finished at the range)

Gage's on the other hand was a little longer as he described what he had been eating, his new friend Spencer, what he had been eating, how many turtles he had seen, that he had loved the fried chicken, and that he was loving camp and the food!!

Neither of my boys signed their names or added what day it was.

Their grandmother said she had received a letter from davis that read something along the lines of

"I am at camp" - no name either....

At the end of the day I was thrilled - hand written letters from my boys who were having a blast. I was so excited and could not wait to sit down and email them their "bunk note" for the day! haha

Learning Curve...Summer Camp

I must admit, I was always way to chicken to spend the night away from my parents until I was about 15 or 16 years old. I would give it a try and then about midnight when the crank calling boys was over and the parents had called for lights out, I would get "sick". The gotta call my mom to come get me kinda sick! Bless my mother, she always did no matter how far or how late/early am it was. I never could go to spend the night camp because I suffered from the "only child gotta be with my parents homesickness". I did not want this for my boys. They have been allowed to spend the night away from an early age. Gage from time to time will get a touch of my sickness but Davis...never! But when Ward and I suggested they think about a starter camp where they would spend the night for a week this summer they were ready to pack and it was only September! We chose a camp that is an all boy camp, that offered a wide range of activities as well as a range of camp options. It also happened to be a camp that I grew up hearing about and having friends attend the all girl sister camp. (Not me though, ya know, homesickness!!)

We work hard to allow our boys to experience many things in life. As parents we both want them to enjoy the chance to do things without us hovering over them. And I will freely admit that in September...I too was excited. But the closer we got to June 11th - the more scared I got.
The wake.up.at.3am.with.the.WHATIFS!!! kinda scared.
The entire week before camp I did not sleep.
During the day I rushed around to purchase items on their packing list, address envelopes for them to write to family and friends, make sure they had the right fans, sheets, towels, toothbrushes etc...
I was inches away from pure insanity,
even joking with my good friend who is also my family DOC that I was going to need to spend the week medicated.
And then at night I would wake up... with my whatif's
WHAT IF
Davis doesn't eat (He doesn't at home why would he at camp?)
WHAT IF
an adult doesn't go down the zip line first each day?
WHAT IF
Gage forgets to wear shower shoes?
WHAT IF
Davis picks his nose and starts a boogie collection on his bunk.
WHAT IF WHAT IF...
What if...they go away and have the time of their life.

I have been reading a book by a Christian author 5 Conversations you need to have with your son. One of the focus points is helicopter parenting - I realized this was my chance to step back and give our boys a chance to put into place and act upon some of the principle that we have been teaching them. And what a better place to do it than at a Christian camp that has been in existence since the early 1940's. They have dealt with far more whatifs that I could ever imagine, even at 3 am.

When it came time to drop the boys off Sunday am I felt an amazing peace. This camp knows it's stuff. While I unpacked Davis and got his stuff situated Ward took G to his cabin (so that he'd be able to get a top bunk!!). Within 5 minutes of me unpacking D he had taken off with some of his cabin mates. Only to track us down at Gage's bunk to tell us goodbye and that he was heading off to go sailing.

Gage took his time helping us unpack and in making his "top" bunk. He had met one of his cabin mates the night before at the meet and greet, which was really nice. Some of his other cabin mates were from New York, Virgina, and North Carolina. Then soon after he was unpacked he took off to go play basketball.

I quickly realized that while my boys may miss us, and while they may forget their shower shoes, start a new booger collection, and even fail to brush their teeth, they will have the time of their life. And that when I go to pick them up this weekend, all of us will be just a little bit more mature!

As a Mom of 3 Boys.....

I long for the days of toilet seats being down. Some days I think I live with animals!

Surfing in Costa Rica

These next few post will be videos for the boys Grandma from our recent trip!

One of Gage's goals while in Costa Rica was to take a surf lesson. I was kinda of unsure if he would go through with it once we go there and he saw the size of the waves. We found a great local guy to give both he and Ward a lesson one afternoon. We were able to surf at an amazing low key beach, Playa Avellanas. There were only about 25 - 30 surfers at best vs 100 or more on some of the more public beaches. It is a beautiful 8k drive down a dirt road. The trees along the road held holler monkeys and gave us some of the best sights of our vacation. Brian our surfer instructor has surfed since he was about 4 - or "all is life" as he said. To say he was amazing is an understatement. He rocked. He had Gage up after about 10 minutes. No kidding. Now, Ward on the other hand was a different story. Don't get me wrong. Ward did well, he was up 2 or 3 times. I am sorry, I really didn't get a chance to get it on the Flip. (And I promise it wasn't because the moment he got up he fell!!). Gage enjoyed it so much that he did not want his lesson to end. We were able to get the next afternoon with Brian as well. Gage loved it. He has been researching to top 10 places in the world to surf after his Dad told him Costa Rica was in the top 10. I have tried to explain to him that Myrtle Beach is really one of them, even though it's not on any of the list. So far he isn't buying it! Davis was more interested in watching the other surfers on the beach and looking for Loyla the pig rather than take a lesson. It was a great place to people watch!!