BRAG!

That's exactly what I'm doing! BRAGGING!

Background info:
For Christmas, I gave Mesa some round looms to learn to knit with. Morgan gave her a box full of yarn so she had supplies. She and I learned how to do it with the included directions and she had knit a newborn size hat before she left my house that day. It was really neat and just the creative type things I get into. I tried really hard NOT to get myself a loom because I wanted Mesa to feel good about herself doing something creative that her mother (who is always doing creative stuff) can't do. I couldn't hold out. I had to get myself a loom. I was a good girl, I got a totally different kind from Mesa's so she can be better than me at round things and not get intimidated. (Yes, I really worry about that.)
Well Christmas was Wednesday and today is Sunday. I had gotten a skein of yarn and made a narrow scarf last night. It took me 4 hours and I used the whole skein. It wasn't quite as long as I would have liked, so I looped it on my neck and pinned it with a brooch Tommy had given me 24 years ago for Christmas (awwww) and felt pretty good about myself at church today.

After church, Jared was determined that HE was going to knit too! Do you see how big that word
D E T E R M I N E D is? I was ready to rip out hair! That was just after one hour of his nagging me! I had some stuff to take to Mesa and my loom does flat panels. I figure it could probably do round ones too if I'm creative with it, but I haven't done much yet so why tax myself and hate knitting on the second try? I went to Mesa's house and we traded one flat loom for one round loom. I showed her how to do a flat panel and then came home and showed Jared how to use the round loom. I only had to show him one time. Look at this kid!









Seriously...He is so proud of himself, as he should be! I'm just as proud. He's also won out....he'll be getting his own loom asap!

SURPRISE!

You probably thought I had neglected my blog,...maybe even figured I had forgotten I had one...or perhaps I just felt you didn't need to know anything in my life anymore....right? wrong.
In fact,... back a few weeks ago, I got a text message from Mesa and the whirlwind began then.

What whirlwind? ... you ask....

That's what I got on my phone. Two pink lines means that in August, we should have one pink baby too.

Do not call me Granny, Grandmaw, Grandma, Gran Gran, Mawmaw, Nana or anything else. I'm not old enough for such language! I'll wait for the baby to start talking to me and tell me what my name is. *shivers*

So your mind is reeling with questions, right? I'll answer a few:

• Due date is August 5th. 
• Yes, morning sickness has struck....hard.
• If you ask her what she wants, she'll say "a duck", because in reality, she doesn't care so long as it is healthy.
• Is she excited? Like a little Justin Bieber fan!
• Is John excited? yep.
• Am I excited,............ ummmm....... 

Well, let's say it this way, when there is a baby in my arms, I'll be thrilled. Between now and then, I see a belly full of stress and worry. I have PCOS and it has caused me difficulties with every pregnancy except MAYBE Manti. Mesa has exhibited several of my symptoms already and has had a little spotting. So I have concern there. I feel like they as a couple are very ill-prepared for such an adventure, but as I have said for nearly 2 years now,....this isn't MY lesson to learn or my reward to earn. I have a hard time shutting my mouth and letting go, but I really do try. I worry myself silly and I do too much...and a baby is going to increase all of that for me. But the good news is.... I have till August to work through that and find my excitement too.

Now before anybody scolds me or preaches at me, I am NOT disappointed or upset and I am NOT downplaying this special time for Mesa and John. I'm just feeling cautious and concerned and motherly worry for the health and safety of my daughter.....and my unborn grand-daughter (yep,...that's what I'm guessing at this point.)

So there you go! SURPRISE!

Road Trip- Part 1

This story will be a little heavy on the pictures, so I'll tell it in 2 parts.
Part one started with a special scout camporee. This particular camporee we attended to support a patrol mate of mine from my session of Woodbadge training. His name is Al. While we were at Woodbadge, there were a few times we needed to adhere to the "buddy system" and Al happened to be MY buddy. He's a great guy and I admire how he talks about his family. That man LOVES his family!
So anyway, this camporee was a part of Al's project (also known as his "ticket")...to prepare it and document the planning and to provide a guide for others to follow in putting together future camporee programs in his district. I don't live anywhere near there, but Al invited all of our patrol and it just so happened that I got to go....AND I got to bring the whole family! (Everybody but Mesa that is.)

Off we went to the North Georgia Mountains to the Woodruff Scout Reservation where pitched a few tents and hunkered down for our first night of camping.....where it promptly dropped dramatically to 26 degrees!!! No I'm not joking! Tommy was on a cot. Manti was on some animal hides and blankets. Morgan was in a tent with his buddy, Adrian (where I had to help him remember how to sleep INSIDE a sleeping bag! go figure!), Jared was on a narrow air mattress and I was on a good sized air mattress with the best sleeping bag EVER! We were fine, but boy were we surprised at the temps! We survived, but wow!

It was a great camporee (a first for me and Morgan and Jared!) and I got to spend it with two of my best friends (Sara and Tommy) and my favorite boys. What a blast we had!

BUT....the story doesn't end there!

Sunday morning, we got to experience a "scouts own" service, which is a non-denominational religious service planned and prepared and presented by the boys themselves. That was first for my little boys too. After we did that, we took down our tents, packed up the car and headed....

NORTH!

Yep, north....to Cherokee North Carolina. It was a nice scenic view all the way. From all the walking during the camporee, I could barely get my legs to work so I got Tommy to drive me around like Miss Daisy :D Ahhhhhhh the life! That means I got to take pictures! And that means YOU get to see some of them now :D You thought I'd never get to this point, right?

 

This is a distant view of the mountains as we were coming up on Blairsville Georgia, the area where the scout camp is located.

 

Manti standing in front of this sign. Who cares who William Bartram is, it's Chief Atakullakulla we were interested in, because he is a REALLY distant ancestor to Tommy's side of the family. Neat, huh?

 

 Morgan was easily excitable this whole trip. We're standing at the edge of an overlook, looking down at the Nantahala River.

 

 And this is the Nantahala River.

 

This one is inside the Cherokee Reservation. This is the Oconaluftee River that runs through the middle of town. I found it sweet how the boys followed Manti around wanting to see everything that interested their older brother.

 

 This one was taken over near the Kituwah Mounds. The area has been through a lot of changes. It is now strictly used by registered members of the tribe for hunting and gardening. Visitors may drive through and look, but may NOT leave the path or touch anything. Their gardens were unbelievable! I've never seen so much corn in one place in all my life! Anyway, the view of the mountains from those fields was amazing. It was a foggy morning and the haze over the whole town was gorgeous.

See what I mean? Gorgeous!

The Answer!

I never knew why I have to go through such "crap" some days. Now I know why...it's where I live!

Bead Shop

After setting up a vendors booth at the most recent powwow, I decided that I needed to spread my wings a little. I dislike Ebay. They should hire people who can think for themselves. So that meant finding another place to sell from. My sister-in-law sells her cookie jar lids and potpourri dolls on Etsy.com so I thought I'd give it a shot and see how I could do there too. Last night I started setting up shop and found it wasn't impossible...so now it's open.

You should go have a look!

The Rest of the Story...

So Wednesday, Manti left Albuquerque New Mexico and flew to Atlanta. We arrived at the airport and had about 45 minutes to anticipate his trip up the escalator to us. I couldn't sit... no way! I stood at the rope in front of "the line".... ok I stood in FRONT of the rope.... and I bounced on my heels the whole time as if my bladder were overfull. I kept crying too...the entire 45 minutes. I don't know why,...really I don't!
As I wait, a lady comes up to me and says "I'm a church member too, so I understand your excitement and anxiety. May I take pictures for you?" I told her yes but it really didn't sink in what she was saying and I didn't care. All that mattered to me at that moment was that nobody prevented me from my first glimpse of Manti on that escalator. That was the LONGEST 45 minutes ever!! I stood the whole time, bouncing and crying. Finally he appeared and Mesa saw him first. She said "there he is!" and I looked where she pointed and yep, it was him! I couldn't help it,...I screamed and ran to him. I was aware of the DO NOT CROSS line and stopped at it. He stopped too because of the commotion and my screaming. I called to him and told him GET OVER HERE! so he came. I hugged him. He let me. He didn't say a word and didn't try to rush me, just let me hug him. He hugged back and his arms around me were so solid and sure. I don't have better words to describe it.... heavenly!

I had a stroke of conscience I guess, and remembered the rest of my family. So I walked him over to the others and shared. I couldn't even talk really. It was just joy....pure and absolute joy.

And then the lady who took the pictures came back up to me and asked me to gather all the family together so she could take a group picture of us. I did, and she handed me a slip of paper with her email address on it. She said to send her an email and she would send me the pictures. That's about the time I realized what this lady had done for me. Mesa had my phone, and the camera in my phone is a really good one, but you DO need to know how to use it to get the best pics out of it. She got a video, and I did post that....but she just got her brother and close friend back and her emotions wouldn't let her think as clearly and focus on photos either. I didn't expect that of her because I was so caught up in having my child in my arms the first second I could get him there. This lady gave me a treasure. She told me a little about herself and then we left after I thanked her. I emailed her, she flew back home to Colorado, and she emailed me the pictures. They are SO good! Here they are in order as they took place.

Manti Came Home!

I'll have more to show on this and tell you after tomorrow. (It's a really really neat story, but it has to wait till I have the pictures to go with it.)

So it took 45 minutes from the time we arrived inside the airport until he came up the escalator. I didn't think I was going to make it! I stood right in front of those escalators the whole time, bouncing up and down and crying. The pictures look like I'm chewing my fingernails, but really...I wasn't. We had some New Mexico flags and a small banner I had made that said Welcome Home Elder Bailey, but he didn't even see those at first...thanks to me :D

So here's the video of the first hugs....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NpKoZoiGKQ&feature=youtu.be

As Promised...

After talking to Mama on the phone, I promised her I would get another blog entry posted. So as I promised, here it is....and it's a mish-mash of stuff, so you might want to put a seatbelt on for this ride!
First: This morning I saw a link on facebook that made me stop and think. So I'm sharing the content of that link.

The Weight & Burdens of Life's Stresses

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. 

As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the 

“half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, 

she inquired: ”How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. 

If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, 

I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb 

and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, 

but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued, “The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. 

Think about them for a while and nothing happens. 

Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. 

And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. 

As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. 

Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. 

Remember to put the glass down!

Second: Jared lost a tooth. Tell me this isn't a funny look for him!

And for now, THIRD: My nosebleeds.
It's ok if you want to be concerned about them, I am too. But please don't be "worried" about them. My blood pressure is not the cause and that's the worst scenario from what I understand. I saw my doctor and he said it was probably the weather causing the problem. When it rains this much, mold is bound to be an issue in a lot of places. I already know I have it to deal with in parts of my house. I'm sure it is somewhere in the building the shop is located in also. We live under a LOT of trees which means a LOT of leaves. There is bound to be stuff in those leaves bothering me too. They tell me that all the barometric pressure changes and the stress to my immune system and the weather encouraging mold growth is probably what has irritated my mucous membranes. The extra burden of preparing for Manti's return home has meant lifting and bending and irritability beyond what is normal for me, so there is my trigger. I've figured out that if I depend on other people to help me (which I hate doing VERY much) and if I prioritize things better (to include my own health) and if I  refrain from rubbing, blowing, bumping or otherwise moving my nose in anyway, I can keep the bleeds under control. I have a scab that has formed and it itches like crazy as it heals,....but I'm not rubbing! I put some of my salve on there and it sped up the skin closing and it hasn't reopened since. So truly, I'm ok. Life is hard on everybody, but it isn't impossible :)

Pioneer Day

Our church commemorates July 24th each year in recognition of the pioneers who traveled west and suffered much affliction for their religious freedom. Much happened over that period of time, but that's not the point of this post.

This year, we did the day up big....bigger than in the past. This time, it incorporated several units in the region (known by LDS as wards in the stake). Volunteers came together to present examples of things done in the past to give children and others a touch of history in the present day. There were non-member participants too....it was a big thing.

It was staged at a park in Douglas County. Friday night, anyone who wanted to was invited to camp together and share dinner and campfires and whatever else. There was dutch oven cobblers and much more. The next morning, we awoke to set up storefronts and such. This was my part in it. Tommy and I ran the Apothecary. We had lots of fresh herbs, lots of dried herbs, lots of preserved herbs, and some that were in the process of drying. We dressed in pioneer style clothing (except for my hot pink shoes) and shared things we knew with others. The kids ran off to experience other activities like a tug of war game, walking across a rope bridge built by scouts, peek inside of tipis, watch their daddy use a huge saw on a log, see what old time undertaker might have used in his work, .... there were beekeepers, covered wagons, handcarts, old-time dentists, an old school room, goats and chickens and horses, spinning wheels, pottery, food preservation,..... it was a cool experience. Here are a few pictures....

New Cub Scout in the Family!

Right now, I could care less what the stupid decisions that got made recently about BSA guidelines. They don't currently affect ME or my kids, so I'm ignoring it and taking the time to utilize what resources are not affected and teach my kids to be survivors, to be comfortable in their world and to be proud of their heritage. For now,... that's how it is.

So moving along,....

I am currently the Wolf den leader. In LDS scouting, that is very first rank you work towards and you start at age 8. I did have 8 AND 9 year olds, but recently we split them up. Right after that happened, I had 9 year olds turn 10 and move up to Webelos, and I had 8 year olds turn 9 and move up to Bears. That left me with ONE LONE WOLF! Well that's not fun for the kid, not enjoyable for me, and not abiding by scouting rules (youth protection says I shouldn't be alone, one on one, with any kid not my own. Not good. Jared turns 8 in October. It is too early for him to join scouts in our pack and be awarded for his efforts. BUT....special circumstances exist! I need at least 2 scouts,... Jared would have been the next new scout to move into my den anyway....he's my kid, so chances are he'll be coming with me anyway.....he's INTERESTED and willing to work....he needs the social interaction badly, .......plus he got registered already so he could attend twilight camp this summer. We got special permission and now Jared is my newest Wolf Cub Scout. He has been with me for so many years now, that he has already earned his first rank....Bobcat! It can take a boy a few weeks to memorize all that stuff, but Jared had it memorized in just a couple days. He passed it all off to the cubmaster instead of just to me, and he gets his first awards ever this coming Wednesday.

He's my tiniest kid too! I think he's even smaller than Mesa was, and she was a micro-kid! So he just can't keep the shirt Manti and Morgan wore on his little body. The shirt tail tucked in goes to his knees! I gave in and bought him his own uniform shirt brand new (and said "ouch" because they are costly!)

We haven't gotten all his numbers and identifying patches stitched on the shirt yet, but he did get to wear to go on his first field trip with his den to "an important place in our community".....the hospital. We had a tour given by one of the anesthesiologists (which is the dad of my other wolf scout).  I couldn't believe it,... the boys favorite part of the hospital was THE NURSERY! Tanner has this neat thing that they play a lullaby over the speaker system all over the 2nd floor when a baby is born. We heard it play....a baby came into the world while my little guys were looking at the older babies in the nursery window. What an experience that was for ME even! No mommy urgings here...honest!

Anyway, here are some pictures for you to smile over :)

 

The finished beadwork

I'm posting this because I'm mad and I need a way to let my temper cool. If you can dream up something positive to say and respond here, please do. It just might be helpful in soothing a vicious mama bear.

So Mesa's birthday came. She's 21. I gave her beadwork with a total sale value of $450.00 and her eyes bugged out. I was thrilled watching her. You've seen the necklace already, but there is a headband, earrings and bracelet that go with it, all matching. So take a look at the pictures and tell me what you think!

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, her red eyes are inherited :)

Can you keep a secret?

Mesa's birthday is July 10th and this year I told her I would bead her a birthday present. She has no idea what it will be, but she probably expects it to be something small like a barrette or earrings or something. Well..... she'll be surprised for sure! It's the biggest set I've ever ever done! I've just finished the necklace (well, except for a clasp because I'll have to have her neck to get it the perfect size) and now I'm working on a matching headband,....then I'll make earrings, and then I'll make a barrette type thing she can wear to powwows. Want a sneak preview? Don't tell HER! She never reads my blog and I think she forgot she has one herself,... so I thought I'd put it here since I'm super proud of it :)

 

This is not the typical jewelry you would wear to church or out on a date ... it's something you would wear with regalia to a powwow or demonstration.... it's a native thing. BUT... I know Mesa, so there is quite the possibility she will wear this anywhere she goes :)

If I were selling this one piece, I would ask for $180. It's stitched one bead at a time.

The First Campout

Morgan has been camping since he was a baby. You would think he would view it as an everyday type thing, but he doesn't.

In our cub scouts, we do not have camping. It's a policy that the women don't take the little boys out in the woods. Families can camp all they want to, and there is summer camp and district/council events they can go to, but as a unit, we do not camp. Our boy scouts do though. They have scoutmasters they go with, and that automatically makes it "cooler" than going with moms.

So Morgan is 11 and FINALLY his very first BOY SCOUT campout has come up and he got to go. Tommy went too, because at age 11, they should have a family member with each boy. Age 12, that changes, but we're not there yet. The boys went camping. There are only 4 in Morgans patrol right now and only 3 of them could make the campout. Because Dad went too, Jared got to go. He had no idea he was NOT a boy scout too. Go figure.

In this poison ivy infested Land of the Ticks, Morgan took his own tent and had that thing set up (by himself I might add) so fast that he didn't even notice the sticks and rocks underneath him (until he tried to sleep!) and as soon as that was done, he was off and running to the next thing to do. I got Tommy a tent put up and unloaded the stuff he would need but watched for Morgan and Jared as I did. An older boy scout was there to guide and teach them, and as a group, they made a "wood yard" and chopped firewood. They learned too! It was so fun watching them be "grown-ups".

 (Morgan is in the red shirt)

When they had all finished chopping and sorting different bits of wood, they wanted to build a fire. Of course, they are allllll experienced, so they jumped into that fire pit and had a teepee style pile of sticks in no time...and then they struck match after match after match after match. YES.... we LAUGHED!

The scoutmaster recognized a teaching moment and had them disassemble the teepee sticks and start over. He explained the words "fire starter," "tinder," "kindling," and "fuel" and had them rebuild the fire....and only allowed them ONE match. He told them if they couldn't do it with one match, they wouldn't have a fire. These boys were looking at a bag of marshmallows sitting there next to their pit.... the pressure was ON! Even Jared was frustrated and he got into that pit trying to help them build a fire LOL! (Don't be fooled by his young age or small size,... THAT little 7 year old DOES know how to build a fire! And he can restart fire from just coals and no matches! Seriously!)

 (See Morgan's blue tent in the background?)

I left at that point since I had to go to work the next morning. When my boys all came home, Morgan was like a sparkler--- ya know, those little sticks you get at the 4th of July for kids, light them and they just spark and then go out. He can't wait to do it again! Yep, there are 2 more scheduled before the summer is over. They will be FAMILY campouts, so I get to go too! More pictures then ;)

I Was a Little Brown Gal

Back in the Stone Age, my great-aunt was stationed in Hawaii as an assignment for the Army. She was there long enough to "get comfortable" and learn how to hula. She came home from the service and taught my mother and my aunts how to hula too. I don't know about my aunts, but my mother fell in love with it. She practiced and worked those hips and got pretty good.

When I was in second grade, my school had a talent show. It was a big deal back then, and the winners were getting monetary prizes. My mother suggested I learn to hula and win some of that money. I remember her standing behind me, holding my hips in her hands and pushing them in the right direction back and forth. She danced me all over that living room floor making me mad and making herself crazy. She worked WAY harder than I did, but I learned to hula and I was good enough to win some of that money.

Yes, my mama was proud. From that point on, anytime there was a talent show at church, mama signed us up. It became a family event...my sisters learned to hula too and my brother learned how to be a good palm tree.

Since that time, we've all grown up and gone in our directions. I've hula'd in several places now and with a LOT of varying people. I've learned a couple more hulas and even learned what some of those words mean in those songs! Recently, I was asked to teach the women at church how to hula. I agreed, but sort of on my own terms.....

Me and the coconut bra performed the Little Brown Gal song and then I taught it to them.

Before I show you the video, keep in mind that I am VERY self-conscious of my appearance. I know I'm heavy, I know I'm not pretty in this and it is taking all my courage to post this anyway. So just overlook the ugly parts and take note that you can't even recognize the badly bruised knee I'm dancing on and you can't really tell that I kept stepping on that dress (you're right mama, it's a bit too long once you bend your knees and dance!) and that my stepping on it distracted me and I felt like I was stumbling.

Ok,.... remember the agreement,...you only see the good parts! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mOKvmgzh3s&feature=youtu.be

Kitty Needs to Post!

If you've never read my sister's blog, you are missing out. It is always so funny to me. Of course, the things she writes about could never happen to ANYbody but her, or so I used to think..... Lately, she hasn't posted anything new and I've felt deprived. Apparently, Karma recognized that feeling of deprivation in me and so is trying to console me by giving ME "kitty-like" experiences to write about until she thinks of something she wants to share.

Kitty.... hurry up!

So last night, I was so tired when I got in from work, I fell asleep on the sofa. I'm not real sure how long I was out, but it wasn't a good solid sleep and usually that allows me to go back to sleep when I get to bed and do fine through the night. Last night was different. I couldn't get back to sleep. My head kept singing this song from Twilight Camp..... "There was a crazy moose, who liked to drink a lot of juice" .....yes, I was going crazy. I began noticing lights everywhere too....the alarm clock, the internet mifi box, the kids nightlight (it was blinking), the turtle lamp.... yes, I said I was going crazy. Finally Tommy came to bed and I fell asleep about 1am.

We live in the countryside surrounded by farms. This means that when the seasons change, we deal with "critters" looking for refuge from different things, like heat or cold or wetness or whatever. Typically that's a field mouse or two, sometimes its a squirrel in the roof, but never anything we can't handle pretty quickly and convince to vacate. Last night, at 2:30am, I hear something rustling in the trash. It was loud enough it woke me up. I listened to it for maybe 10 seconds, trying to gather my thoughts and figure out what it was. I figured it was a mouse, ...it IS that time of year again. I got a flashlight from beside the bed and turned it on, pointing towards the trashcan. Two HUGE red eyes looked right back at me.

That was no  mouse.

That was a possum!

Yes!! A NASTY POSSUM!!!

I nearly came out of my skin, I won't lie. I don't know how I woke Tommy up,...hopefully I didn't hit him but I honestly don't recall how I got him so awake and alert. That NEVER happens. I showed him the possum that was now scared of my light and had run around the bottom of my bed and headed straight into the bathtub of the adjoining bathroom. He slid into it and then climbed up on the backside of it...staring me down. Tommy seemed to me to be moving in slow motion and I was beginning to think I was going to need to do something myself. I was in panic... big time! You know you would be too! 2:30am, a wild possum in your bedroom staring you in the face! Yes you would!

Tommy wouldn't get a gun and shoot it. I gave him permission to put holes in whatever he wanted to so long as the possum got some too. He wouldn't though. He said it was dangerous and he didn't want it to ricochet or over penetrate something. He grabbed a metal rod and whacked the possum. I guess it was stunned pretty good, it just sat there in the tub while Tommy jumped up and ran to the porch. He grabbed a large shovel/scoop and scooped it up and carried it outside. It sat there in that scoop acting woozy and dazed. I was so afraid he would jump out of that thing and turn on Tommy. STUPID POSSUM!

After he was out of the house, we sat on the bed scratching our heads trying to figure out how in the world that thing got into the house to begin with! The dryer vent! The hose came off the dryer and we've not made it a priority to put it back on since I can dry clothes on the clothes line now. THAT'S how it got in!

How do you get to sleep after THAT kind of commotion? I don't think Tommy ever did. I fell asleep close to 4am, only to be rudely awakened by my alarm clock at 7:30am.

Bedtime will be early tonight!

Brags

My kids are the worlds best. No amount of arguing will change that fact... it is just simple truth.

Of course, there is my wonderful hardworking missionary that I am SO proud of and adore.....

And then there is my beautiful daughter that considers ME....her mother....one of her best friends...

And if that weren't awesome enough, I've got two little guys that make me smile like the sun...

Well, this week has been Twilight Camp for cub scouting in our district. Twilight Camp is the same thing as "day camp", except that it is held in the evenings instead of mornings to allow the adult volunteers to go to work and take care of things before volunteering at camp with the kiddos. This year, Jared will turn 8 and will be joining wolves in our cub scout pack. He is so excited he can barely contain himself. So he got to go to camp for the first time. Jared is a super shy little man who can hardly relax enough to make a new friend. Generally, he thinks he needs help making friends. This time though, Morgan couldn't be with him to do that,....Jared was on his own for the most part----and HE DID IT! :)

I even caught him singing and cheering! Even still,...he loves his Mama. Awww... :)



And during the same week, Mesa volunteered. She has been my assistant den leader for several years now and I have to say, she compliments my efforts so well that I fear the day she does something different! What if I have *gulp* learn to work with someone ELSE???? *gasp* She is such a good assistant that most every year, I hear a cub scout or two has fallen "in love" with her and I have to settle an argument about it. She cheers with me, sings with me, lets herself be silly with me,....and she's willing to work hard at it all and be trained to make herself more of an asset to others. Who wouldn't be proud of her?

Morgan is the one I worry about the most. He is just so different than the rest of my kids that he feels like a "black sheep". He's got the biggest heart out of them all (and that's really saying something because I have tender-hearted kids!) but it just doesn't get returned to him very often. He's never picked first, never in the "in crowd", rarely noticed, ... He participated in Twilight Camp 3 summers ago and ALL the boys in my den chose Morgan to be their buddy. That was the first time that has ever happened and he is STILL bringing it up and talking about how amazing that felt. It's the last time that happened too. Morgan wants to please people so desperately that he happily sacrifices himself just to make someone else happy. This year at camp, he was a boy scout volunteer. That child worked harder than I've ever seen him work before, and he was so happy that he was ALLOWED to work! He wanted so badly for his daddy to see him haul water around. He desperately wanted to see his little brother shoot BB's so he could cheer for him. He has a hug and a smile for every single person in the world, even if he doesn't like the person he's looking at.
You're jealous, right? Everybody wants a kid like Morgan!

 

Manti comes home soon, and I am so excited about that. I look forward to showing off pictures of how handsome he is as a man and what a fantastic character he has built.

Even my ADHD dog is a keeper. He loves me and Tommy sooo much!

I have to thank my Father in Heaven for my family. He sure gave me a good one.