Well, summer is officially over at our house. And I don't think I am quite as sad as I thought I'd be. After a fun-filled summer, I thought I'd really grieve the passing of this season, but as it turns out, I am actually happy that fall is just a few weeks away.
This was probably one of the best summers we have had in quite awhile. It started with our cruise to the Caribbean from Charleston (two of my favorite places on earth), a long stay at the beach, many days by the pool, and days at the lake on the boat that we bought with our business partners, David and Nicole, this summer. Anderson learned to water ski and knee board, and both boys enjoy tubing. When we were home, the boys participated in a golf league and worked on their golfing skills (which now officially far exceed my own). The summer ended with a birthday party for Bennett, who turned five, at Marbles Kids Museum.
Anderson's first day of school was August 4th, and Bennett's first day of preschool was today. So both boys are officially back in school, which in my mind means that summer is officially over. Anderson is a seventh grader, he's playing quarterback for his football team, and he is almost always a happy kid. Bennett is in pre-k (one more year before kindergarten), he just started playing soccer on a team at the Y, and he continues to surprise and amuse me on a daily basis.
Both boys make me laugh, actually. Anderson was entertaining me this morning by vividly describing what he calls "the annoying girls" in his class. He was explaining that two of the girls are always asking, "Do we look alike?" And if someone answers in the affirmative, they squeal and clap excitedly and hug and then exclaim in especially loud voices things like, "Oh my gosh, you have to come over this weekend to my house! Like, I'll ask my mom and text you tonight."
Thank God he finds them annoying for now. That won't last too much longer....
Bennett had me laughing to the point of tears yesterday when he had his "Meet the Teachers Day" at school. He politely and confidently shook hands with his lead teacher, smiled and exuded his usual charm. But when it came time to meet his music teacher, we rounded the corner to the music room when he suddenly leaped behind me and peered around my hips to take a second look at the teacher. This being very unlike his typical behavior, I started giggling and asking what in the world was going on. The teacher, sensing his hesitation, asks, "Do you want to see my puppets?" Bennett adamantly shook his head no but refused to come out from behind me. He just kept one eye peered around me and set on those two large puppets sitting in the teacher's lap. Needless to say, that was a short visit. When we left, I asked him what was wrong. He said, "I don't like those puppets. They mock me."
I swear the kid has to be older than five.
He was happy to go to school today, though he did happen to mention about 20 minutes after I picked him up from school that he did cry at one point today, not long after I dropped him off. He said the assistant came over and started reading him a book about a caterpillar, and the book had holes in it, so then he was happy.
Good to know. I hope these are the last tears shed at pre-k this year.
As for me, I realized today that I wasn't so sad that school has resumed. I do miss my boys when they aren't with me, but this is the first time in a long while that I will regularly have time to myself. And I didn't realize it until recently, but I've really been missing that. Don't get me wrong--I just need a few hours. I don't want the boys gone for too long. But I am soaking up every last second of it while I have it.
Today, school only lasted for two hours for Bennett as it was a "transition day" to get the kids accustomed to their class gradually. I spent those two hours going for a run, then a short walk, then I stopped by Starbucks to celebrate the fact that I was alone, stopped by to say hi to my mother--alone, which meant our conversation was actually uninterrupted, and returned to school to find a happy boy with the sweetest smile and the cutest dimples. And I remembered why I don't want him to be gone for too long.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Stationery card
Coolest Party Blue Birthday Invitation
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View the entire collection of cards.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
noteworthy milestones
Bennett is asking that I document the fact that he went down the red waterslide with his cousin, Cole, last week at her pool. This was, in fact, an amazing feat considering that last year, Bennett would not get near the slides at the pool. But, he and Cole have been taking swimming lessons at our pool for the past two weeks, so he has found the courage to put his head under the water and to go down the kiddie slides at the pool. In fact, he even went down one of the slides on the cruise ship, just barely making the height requirement to do so.
Here's proof:
This is Bennett racing his dad down the slides on the cruise ship.
Here's proof:
This is Bennett racing his dad down the slides on the cruise ship.
And this is Bennett going down the slide at Cole's pool:
He is quite proud of his accomplishments.
And speaking of accomplishments, Anderson shot a 40 on 9 holes this week at the golf course. That means he could legitimately shoot an 80 on a par 72 course. Not bad for a 12 year old who, frankly, doesn't play as often as he could. He just has a God-given ability like his daddy. Paul noted after the round that if he had not been playing carefully, Anderson could have beaten him that day. I am looking forward to watching Anderson's game progress over the next few years. I believe by high school he will regularly be shooting par.
a dose of bennett funnies
People tell me on a regular basis that I should write down the things that Bennett says, and I know they are right. I try to blog them from time to time, but really--he says something worth noting on a daily basis, and while the idea of carrying around a pen and pad with me is logical, it is not practical. So, I will joggle my tired and sometimes foggy brain and share a few things he has said lately.
I was feeling insecure about my looks one day as my husband and oldest son proceeded to talk about how beautiful other younger women are while (albeit unintentionally) reminding me that I am now old. You may think that I was just being sensitive as they conversed about a topic that can be a delicate one for women, and yes, I was hormonal, but the truth is that the male species can lack tact and the sensitivity chip from time to time. In other words, it wasn't just me.
Bennett, sensing my insecurity, says, "Mom, you are beautiful. You are beautiful when you dress up to go out to eat. But you know when you wake up in the morning and you have that bad smell, well, you are still pretty then, too."
I have to admit. Laughing was way better than crying, so Bennett really did make me feel ALL better.
And speaking of that bad smell, I overheard Bennett telling his big brother last week:
"Anderson, when you get a girlfriend, you do not want her to spend the night at your house because you do not want her to smell you when you wake up."
And just so you know, Bennett's idea of spending the night is sleeping in the same place, not "shacking up". What he meant was that Anderson would be horribly embarassed if anyone other than his little brother smelled his morning breath.
Yes, Bennett is quite the observant child. And this is truly a gift--noticing details--but it is not always a gift to me.
For example, I was scanning radio stations one day when the song, "Today I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything." For those who are not familiar, it's a song with a catchy tune and easy lyrics that you want to sing along to and that, from the onset, seems appropriate for the whole family. Until you get to the verse that talks about sex. So, as I am scanning the radio, it happens to be on that verse. As I quickly try to hit the volume to turn it down, I don't get it down in time. How Bennett knew the word I was trying to avoid him hearing, the devil knows.
Bennett says, "Sex. What's sex?"
"It is a word that little kids don't need to use because it is a grown up word."
"But what does it mean?"
"It means boy or girl, male or female. It is what you are. Another word for it is gender."
Shew. I don't know how long that definition will stick before I get more questions about why he shouldn't use a word that only means "boy or girl", but I will meanwhile be holding my breath.
A week later, the song comes on again. I manage this time to turn the song down for that verse. Bennett asks, "You didn't want to hear the word 'sex', right?"
No, Bennett. I can hear the word. I mind YOU hearing it.
I didn't say that, but that is what went through my mind.
I have blogged that Bennett can have a bit of a potty mouth, and by potty mouth I mean he likes potty words like pee and poop. Or fart. That word makes him belly laugh so hard that you can't help but laugh, too, which is absolutely contrary to the reprimand I am simultaneously trying to deliver. It's hard not to send mixed messages when you are threatening a form of discipline while shaking from laughter and biting your lip so hard you think it might bleed.
Which brings to mind two more stories.
Paul and I have always loved the TV series, "Everybody Loves Raymond". We never thought of it being something the kids couldn't see until the kids started watching it. I bought the first two seasons of the series from Target for $15 for us to watch as we drove to Charleston on our trip. Maybe not the best idea. By the end of a four hour car ride, we had this conversation with Bennett.
Bennett says, "Oh my god."
I am horrified. "Bennett! We never, ever, ever, say that. That is called taking the name of the Lord our God in vain. We only say His name when we are talking to Him or about Him. We never say it like that.
Paul says, "Just say, 'Oh my goodness.'"
Bennett says, "Holy crap." (Yeah, thanks Frank)
I say, "NO! That is another one you can't say. Just say, 'Oh my goodness.'"
For the rest of the day, Bennett continues to ask this question:
"So I can't say 'oh my god' or 'holy crap'? I have to say, 'oh my goodness'"?
"Right. You just say, 'oh my goodness.' And don't ask me again what you can't say. Only ask me what you can say because I know you are asking me that question over and over again just so you can get away with saying what you aren't supposed to say!"
Talk about the appeal of forbidden fruit. It reminds me of the time I let Anderson say every bad word he knew in 10 seconds just to show him that the excitement of him saying something he shouldn't was the only reason he wanted to say them. He knew maybe 3 bad words which he repeated several times just to fill up the 10 seconds. But it worked. They lost their appeal.
Okay, last story for this post.
Last month, we went through a McDonalds drive-thru to get the boys some food after their golf match. It is one of those face-to-face McDonalds where you don't order through a speaker but directly to an employee at a window. A sweet black lady leans her head through the window to take our order, and as she does, I notice that she is very eccentric looking. She has long braids (a head full of hair), and she has a bit of a long, rectangular face--a very chisseled looking face that is different. And, bless her heart, she does not have good teeth. She has buck teeth with wide gaps. But in spite of her odd appearance, she wears the most beautiful, friendly smile. Her name tag reads, "Ruth".
As soon as she leans through the window, she looks directly at Bennett who instinctively and quickly jumps back in his booster seat and makes a bit of a scared groan like this: Ooooh! (You would have thought he'd just seen Frankenstein, and I can assure you, she was no Frankenstein. She was, as I said, eccentric looking.) She must have sensed he was frightened because she began to speak to him in a very sweet voice. As soon as I heard his reaction, I turned around to shoot him the dirty look that instantly says, "You better not say another word" and shushed him. Anderson is in the passenger seat looking horrified, not by Ruth but by his brother's embarassing reaction. As Ruth speaks to Bennett, he smiles at her and then even waves. Meanwhile I am just praying that she didn't really notice his initial reaction. I feel terrible.
As we drive away, we wave goodbye and all three of us cordially, almost apologetically say, "Goodbye, Ruth. Have a nice day."
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we go back through the same drive thru, only this time Paul is with us. I see Ruth poking her smiling face through the window up ahead just as we pull forward. There's no time to prep Bennett for his reaction. I hold my breath. Ruth says, "Hey!", and waves her hand at Bennett specifically. She must remember. I feel terrible. Bennett, the charmer that he is, smiles the biggest smile and says in his sweetest voice, "Hey!" I exhale a sigh of relief. And just as I do, Ruth withdraws her head from the window to grab our food when Bennett delivers this line:
"Daddy, that lady is losing her baby teeth."
Yeah, so much for holding our breaths to refrain from laughter. Paul and I instantly go into the body shakes with air blowing out rapidly between our pursed lips. What's the use? Bennett now knows he has said something funny, and I think he would consider selling a kidney for a laugh. I turn to shush him while Ruth returns to the window to deliver our food. We gather our composure and once again wave goodbye to sweet Ruth.
I said that was the last story, but I can't end this post without sharing a video from two nights ago. Bennett was wound up before bed as kids often are before bedtime. But this night he was fueled by the sweet tea I had allowed him to drink at dinner. (My mistake.)
Bennett LOVES Scotty McCreery (we all do), and one day I noticed that he could sing the chorus of the Montgomery Gentry song, "Gone", that Scotty sang on American Idol, and he did it with amazing precision. It was stunning to me because I knew that he had only heard the song performed on the show a few times, not on the radio, and he knew the lyrics so well. Anyway, I decided to record him singing for me. It'll make you grin. AND you'll see why I was so tired this particular night. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phiuRvSJD-M
I was feeling insecure about my looks one day as my husband and oldest son proceeded to talk about how beautiful other younger women are while (albeit unintentionally) reminding me that I am now old. You may think that I was just being sensitive as they conversed about a topic that can be a delicate one for women, and yes, I was hormonal, but the truth is that the male species can lack tact and the sensitivity chip from time to time. In other words, it wasn't just me.
Bennett, sensing my insecurity, says, "Mom, you are beautiful. You are beautiful when you dress up to go out to eat. But you know when you wake up in the morning and you have that bad smell, well, you are still pretty then, too."
I have to admit. Laughing was way better than crying, so Bennett really did make me feel ALL better.
And speaking of that bad smell, I overheard Bennett telling his big brother last week:
"Anderson, when you get a girlfriend, you do not want her to spend the night at your house because you do not want her to smell you when you wake up."
And just so you know, Bennett's idea of spending the night is sleeping in the same place, not "shacking up". What he meant was that Anderson would be horribly embarassed if anyone other than his little brother smelled his morning breath.
Yes, Bennett is quite the observant child. And this is truly a gift--noticing details--but it is not always a gift to me.
For example, I was scanning radio stations one day when the song, "Today I Don't Feel Like Doing Anything." For those who are not familiar, it's a song with a catchy tune and easy lyrics that you want to sing along to and that, from the onset, seems appropriate for the whole family. Until you get to the verse that talks about sex. So, as I am scanning the radio, it happens to be on that verse. As I quickly try to hit the volume to turn it down, I don't get it down in time. How Bennett knew the word I was trying to avoid him hearing, the devil knows.
Bennett says, "Sex. What's sex?"
"It is a word that little kids don't need to use because it is a grown up word."
"But what does it mean?"
"It means boy or girl, male or female. It is what you are. Another word for it is gender."
Shew. I don't know how long that definition will stick before I get more questions about why he shouldn't use a word that only means "boy or girl", but I will meanwhile be holding my breath.
A week later, the song comes on again. I manage this time to turn the song down for that verse. Bennett asks, "You didn't want to hear the word 'sex', right?"
No, Bennett. I can hear the word. I mind YOU hearing it.
I didn't say that, but that is what went through my mind.
I have blogged that Bennett can have a bit of a potty mouth, and by potty mouth I mean he likes potty words like pee and poop. Or fart. That word makes him belly laugh so hard that you can't help but laugh, too, which is absolutely contrary to the reprimand I am simultaneously trying to deliver. It's hard not to send mixed messages when you are threatening a form of discipline while shaking from laughter and biting your lip so hard you think it might bleed.
Which brings to mind two more stories.
Paul and I have always loved the TV series, "Everybody Loves Raymond". We never thought of it being something the kids couldn't see until the kids started watching it. I bought the first two seasons of the series from Target for $15 for us to watch as we drove to Charleston on our trip. Maybe not the best idea. By the end of a four hour car ride, we had this conversation with Bennett.
Bennett says, "Oh my god."
I am horrified. "Bennett! We never, ever, ever, say that. That is called taking the name of the Lord our God in vain. We only say His name when we are talking to Him or about Him. We never say it like that.
Paul says, "Just say, 'Oh my goodness.'"
Bennett says, "Holy crap." (Yeah, thanks Frank)
I say, "NO! That is another one you can't say. Just say, 'Oh my goodness.'"
For the rest of the day, Bennett continues to ask this question:
"So I can't say 'oh my god' or 'holy crap'? I have to say, 'oh my goodness'"?
"Right. You just say, 'oh my goodness.' And don't ask me again what you can't say. Only ask me what you can say because I know you are asking me that question over and over again just so you can get away with saying what you aren't supposed to say!"
Talk about the appeal of forbidden fruit. It reminds me of the time I let Anderson say every bad word he knew in 10 seconds just to show him that the excitement of him saying something he shouldn't was the only reason he wanted to say them. He knew maybe 3 bad words which he repeated several times just to fill up the 10 seconds. But it worked. They lost their appeal.
Okay, last story for this post.
Last month, we went through a McDonalds drive-thru to get the boys some food after their golf match. It is one of those face-to-face McDonalds where you don't order through a speaker but directly to an employee at a window. A sweet black lady leans her head through the window to take our order, and as she does, I notice that she is very eccentric looking. She has long braids (a head full of hair), and she has a bit of a long, rectangular face--a very chisseled looking face that is different. And, bless her heart, she does not have good teeth. She has buck teeth with wide gaps. But in spite of her odd appearance, she wears the most beautiful, friendly smile. Her name tag reads, "Ruth".
As soon as she leans through the window, she looks directly at Bennett who instinctively and quickly jumps back in his booster seat and makes a bit of a scared groan like this: Ooooh! (You would have thought he'd just seen Frankenstein, and I can assure you, she was no Frankenstein. She was, as I said, eccentric looking.) She must have sensed he was frightened because she began to speak to him in a very sweet voice. As soon as I heard his reaction, I turned around to shoot him the dirty look that instantly says, "You better not say another word" and shushed him. Anderson is in the passenger seat looking horrified, not by Ruth but by his brother's embarassing reaction. As Ruth speaks to Bennett, he smiles at her and then even waves. Meanwhile I am just praying that she didn't really notice his initial reaction. I feel terrible.
As we drive away, we wave goodbye and all three of us cordially, almost apologetically say, "Goodbye, Ruth. Have a nice day."
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and we go back through the same drive thru, only this time Paul is with us. I see Ruth poking her smiling face through the window up ahead just as we pull forward. There's no time to prep Bennett for his reaction. I hold my breath. Ruth says, "Hey!", and waves her hand at Bennett specifically. She must remember. I feel terrible. Bennett, the charmer that he is, smiles the biggest smile and says in his sweetest voice, "Hey!" I exhale a sigh of relief. And just as I do, Ruth withdraws her head from the window to grab our food when Bennett delivers this line:
"Daddy, that lady is losing her baby teeth."
Yeah, so much for holding our breaths to refrain from laughter. Paul and I instantly go into the body shakes with air blowing out rapidly between our pursed lips. What's the use? Bennett now knows he has said something funny, and I think he would consider selling a kidney for a laugh. I turn to shush him while Ruth returns to the window to deliver our food. We gather our composure and once again wave goodbye to sweet Ruth.
I said that was the last story, but I can't end this post without sharing a video from two nights ago. Bennett was wound up before bed as kids often are before bedtime. But this night he was fueled by the sweet tea I had allowed him to drink at dinner. (My mistake.)
Bennett LOVES Scotty McCreery (we all do), and one day I noticed that he could sing the chorus of the Montgomery Gentry song, "Gone", that Scotty sang on American Idol, and he did it with amazing precision. It was stunning to me because I knew that he had only heard the song performed on the show a few times, not on the radio, and he knew the lyrics so well. Anyway, I decided to record him singing for me. It'll make you grin. AND you'll see why I was so tired this particular night. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phiuRvSJD-M
Friday, June 24, 2011
cruisin'
On June 3rd, the Brewers headed down to Charleston to spend a day and night and to board the Carnival Fantasy for a seven night cruise to the Bahamas and to Turks & Caicos.
Our first day down, we spent time walking around our beloved Charleston and eating at Hymans so the boys could get their bellies full of seafood. We stopped by a bookstore to purchase a few books for our trip and then headed down to Waterfront Park to hang out and watch the sunset. Bliss.
On Saturday, we boarded our cruise ship and headed for Nassau, the port we were scheduled to dock at in just two days. We were so excited because we had booked an excursion to Atlantis where Anderson and I were going to swim with the dolphins and where we were going to play in their huge waterpark all day. Sadly, our maitre d' had a heart attack before we made it to the Bahamas, and we had to divert to Port Canaveral. Losing time, we had to abort our plans to dock in Nassau. We were SO bummed.
From Canaveral we headed down to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. There we hung out on the beautiful white beaches and played in the clear blue (almost white!) water. Anderson especially loved snorkeling there. Bennett and I took a lagoon tour and saw all kinds of fish and sea stars on a glass bottom boat while Anderson and Paul went deep sea fishing.
From Half Moon we departed for Grand Turk of the Turks & Caicos Islands. It was overcast that day and we had a bit of rain, but we never got too hot nor did we have to apply tons of sunscreen, so we made the best of less-than-optimal weather conditions. We spent the day hanging out by the pool at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Paul and Anderson spent an hour and a half on the flowrider, which is basically a simulated wave where you can surf and bodyboard. It can be quite challenging, but Anderson and Paul looked like pros compared to everyone else because they had surfed on one at the Great Wolf Lodge several years ago. Bennett and I watched from the pool and took lots of photos.
The following day we spent at sea in the middle of a tropical depression. This brought rain, dreary conditions, and rough seas. As a result, I woke up in the wee morning hours feeling sick. I took some Dramamine, but I spent the next 48 hours not feeling great. The upside? I got LOTS of sleep! In fact, I spent the first day of sickness sleeping in the room, and the next day, when the sun came out, I spent on the deck of the cruise ship looking at the ocean, reading, and napping on and off. Heavenly!
Bennett's favorite part of the cruise was going to Camp Carnival every day. He LOVED going to play games, sing songs, draw pictures, do art projects, building his very own bear, etc. He thought he was so grown up going off to Camp Carnival all by himself. It was wonderful to have this entertainment for him so that we could really relax.
Anderson loved the arcade. He spent many evenings there challenging anyone he could find to a game of air hockey. I believe he was the reigning air hockey champion the week we were on board. :)
There was also a putt putt golf course on board, so the boys' putting skills could stay sharp even while on vacation. :) It was the first place the boys wanted to go when we boarded the ship.
All in all, in spite of a few glitches along the way, we had a wonderful vacation. These pictures are proof. There are way too many photos here, but I am too tired to sort through them, so here they are...
https://picasaweb.google.com/hollytbrewer/Cruise2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOGH5qWYqp_7Og#
Our first day down, we spent time walking around our beloved Charleston and eating at Hymans so the boys could get their bellies full of seafood. We stopped by a bookstore to purchase a few books for our trip and then headed down to Waterfront Park to hang out and watch the sunset. Bliss.
On Saturday, we boarded our cruise ship and headed for Nassau, the port we were scheduled to dock at in just two days. We were so excited because we had booked an excursion to Atlantis where Anderson and I were going to swim with the dolphins and where we were going to play in their huge waterpark all day. Sadly, our maitre d' had a heart attack before we made it to the Bahamas, and we had to divert to Port Canaveral. Losing time, we had to abort our plans to dock in Nassau. We were SO bummed.
From Canaveral we headed down to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. There we hung out on the beautiful white beaches and played in the clear blue (almost white!) water. Anderson especially loved snorkeling there. Bennett and I took a lagoon tour and saw all kinds of fish and sea stars on a glass bottom boat while Anderson and Paul went deep sea fishing.
From Half Moon we departed for Grand Turk of the Turks & Caicos Islands. It was overcast that day and we had a bit of rain, but we never got too hot nor did we have to apply tons of sunscreen, so we made the best of less-than-optimal weather conditions. We spent the day hanging out by the pool at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. Paul and Anderson spent an hour and a half on the flowrider, which is basically a simulated wave where you can surf and bodyboard. It can be quite challenging, but Anderson and Paul looked like pros compared to everyone else because they had surfed on one at the Great Wolf Lodge several years ago. Bennett and I watched from the pool and took lots of photos.
The following day we spent at sea in the middle of a tropical depression. This brought rain, dreary conditions, and rough seas. As a result, I woke up in the wee morning hours feeling sick. I took some Dramamine, but I spent the next 48 hours not feeling great. The upside? I got LOTS of sleep! In fact, I spent the first day of sickness sleeping in the room, and the next day, when the sun came out, I spent on the deck of the cruise ship looking at the ocean, reading, and napping on and off. Heavenly!
Bennett's favorite part of the cruise was going to Camp Carnival every day. He LOVED going to play games, sing songs, draw pictures, do art projects, building his very own bear, etc. He thought he was so grown up going off to Camp Carnival all by himself. It was wonderful to have this entertainment for him so that we could really relax.
Anderson loved the arcade. He spent many evenings there challenging anyone he could find to a game of air hockey. I believe he was the reigning air hockey champion the week we were on board. :)
There was also a putt putt golf course on board, so the boys' putting skills could stay sharp even while on vacation. :) It was the first place the boys wanted to go when we boarded the ship.
All in all, in spite of a few glitches along the way, we had a wonderful vacation. These pictures are proof. There are way too many photos here, but I am too tired to sort through them, so here they are...
https://picasaweb.google.com/hollytbrewer/Cruise2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCOGH5qWYqp_7Og#
Sunday, May 29, 2011
a girl and her garden
Paul asked me a week or two before Mother's Day what I really wanted for him and the boys to give me. I had to think a bit. But one day, while out running, it hit me that what I really wanted was a garden of flowers and herbs in my backyard. There's only one problem, though. I have a big ol' Golden Retriever that would trample, chew, and utterly destroy a garden. So, I asked Paul to fence in a section of our backyard for my garden. And he did! And I love it!
I've been working hard digging up all the grass, tilling and preparing the soil by hand, buying plants and herbs, planting them all, mulching, watering, etc. Gardening can be hard work. But I LOVE it! It has been therapeutic during a time when I haven't felt well (a post for another day, but God is faithfully healing, so that is all that matters).
Here are some photos that I took two days ago. I can't wait to see this garden next year when everything is even more full and lush.
I've been working hard digging up all the grass, tilling and preparing the soil by hand, buying plants and herbs, planting them all, mulching, watering, etc. Gardening can be hard work. But I LOVE it! It has been therapeutic during a time when I haven't felt well (a post for another day, but God is faithfully healing, so that is all that matters).
Here are some photos that I took two days ago. I can't wait to see this garden next year when everything is even more full and lush.
school's out for summer
Anderson had his last day of school on Thursday. Oddly enough, he only had to go to school on Thursday for 1 1/2 hours just to attend the end-of-year awards ceremony. I told him I wasn't enthusiastic about taking him to school for such a short amount of time so he could just miss that day, but he wanted to go.
At this ceremony, they give out awards like year-long all-A honor roll and A-B honor roll, which, contrary to what would be accurate where the student has all A's and B's on the report card, you can only have two B's on your report card and the rest A's in order to get this award. I think this is silly. Of course, Anderson usually has A's and 3 or 4 B's on his report card, so he always misses the cut-off, several times by just one point. They give out a Christ-like award to the child deemed most "Christ-like" for their class. It's a good idea in theory (Anderson won it in the 2nd grade, and I was so proud of him), but each teacher's definition of Christ-like seems to be different. Some teachers think it means the child who is the quietest and never says a word--you know, the meek and mild child who could be sitting there with all kinds of evil thoughts, but because they never verbalize them, it is assumed they are godly. Others have the more correct understanding, in my opinion, that it could be the loudest child in the class, but the child constantly shows a kind heart, compassion, love, integrity, and honesty. Anyway, the school also gives a perfect attendance award, something I have pretty much sworn my children will never receive if I have any say in the matter. And it is not because my children get sick a lot (they don't--very healthy kids, thank God). I just think every kid needs a spontaneous family fun day every once in awhile. Don't get me wrong--education is so important, and I do expect my children to take it very seriously. But come on. If you haven't woken your child up from school one morning and just said, "Today is our day. We're going to go do something fun, and you don't have to go to school!", you are missing out. Yes, it is best to pick a day where there are no tests or quizzes (which can be difficult) and where make up work will be minimal (there ARE those days, trust me). But I LOVE those days. Then again, I was the child who in high school would see how many more days I could miss before I was penalized, and if the end of the year was nearing and I still had some left, I would tell my mom I was staying home. And she didn't seem to mind. I was an A student, and she was a great mom. (And as an employee, I always showed up to work, so I didn't carry this habit over into the "real world".)
Yes, it is officially summer break for the Brewers, and we couldn't be happier about it. Sleeping in, hanging out at the pool, beach trips, picnics, lots of sunlight (which I, for one, love most about summer), watermelon, fresh veggies, grilling out, gardening, even a cruise to the Caribbean--I am looking forward to ALL of it!
The only continuing activities on the calendar for the next 2 1/2 months will be a cruise, a few more t-ball practices and games for Bennett, and the boys are starting a golf league this week. They will practice on Tuesdays and play on Thursdays, but none of this occurs until the evenings, so that is great. Oh, and Bennett will be taking swim lessons with Cole and Andrew at our pool in a few weeks. It is time he learned to swim, and I know I will rest a bit easier at the pool when I know he is swimming well.
So....maybe.......just maybe.......with a little more free time (who am I kidding, I seem to find a way to stay busy), maybe I will be able to keep up with my blog a lot better than I have been.
We'll see.
At this ceremony, they give out awards like year-long all-A honor roll and A-B honor roll, which, contrary to what would be accurate where the student has all A's and B's on the report card, you can only have two B's on your report card and the rest A's in order to get this award. I think this is silly. Of course, Anderson usually has A's and 3 or 4 B's on his report card, so he always misses the cut-off, several times by just one point. They give out a Christ-like award to the child deemed most "Christ-like" for their class. It's a good idea in theory (Anderson won it in the 2nd grade, and I was so proud of him), but each teacher's definition of Christ-like seems to be different. Some teachers think it means the child who is the quietest and never says a word--you know, the meek and mild child who could be sitting there with all kinds of evil thoughts, but because they never verbalize them, it is assumed they are godly. Others have the more correct understanding, in my opinion, that it could be the loudest child in the class, but the child constantly shows a kind heart, compassion, love, integrity, and honesty. Anyway, the school also gives a perfect attendance award, something I have pretty much sworn my children will never receive if I have any say in the matter. And it is not because my children get sick a lot (they don't--very healthy kids, thank God). I just think every kid needs a spontaneous family fun day every once in awhile. Don't get me wrong--education is so important, and I do expect my children to take it very seriously. But come on. If you haven't woken your child up from school one morning and just said, "Today is our day. We're going to go do something fun, and you don't have to go to school!", you are missing out. Yes, it is best to pick a day where there are no tests or quizzes (which can be difficult) and where make up work will be minimal (there ARE those days, trust me). But I LOVE those days. Then again, I was the child who in high school would see how many more days I could miss before I was penalized, and if the end of the year was nearing and I still had some left, I would tell my mom I was staying home. And she didn't seem to mind. I was an A student, and she was a great mom. (And as an employee, I always showed up to work, so I didn't carry this habit over into the "real world".)
Yes, it is officially summer break for the Brewers, and we couldn't be happier about it. Sleeping in, hanging out at the pool, beach trips, picnics, lots of sunlight (which I, for one, love most about summer), watermelon, fresh veggies, grilling out, gardening, even a cruise to the Caribbean--I am looking forward to ALL of it!
The only continuing activities on the calendar for the next 2 1/2 months will be a cruise, a few more t-ball practices and games for Bennett, and the boys are starting a golf league this week. They will practice on Tuesdays and play on Thursdays, but none of this occurs until the evenings, so that is great. Oh, and Bennett will be taking swim lessons with Cole and Andrew at our pool in a few weeks. It is time he learned to swim, and I know I will rest a bit easier at the pool when I know he is swimming well.
So....maybe.......just maybe.......with a little more free time (who am I kidding, I seem to find a way to stay busy), maybe I will be able to keep up with my blog a lot better than I have been.
We'll see.
Friday, March 25, 2011
lasterday part 2
Not long after I finished the previous post, I fed Bennett dinner while Anderson and Paul were still on the golf course. His hastily-made dinner consisted of grits and grapes because Bennett doesn't like the chicken wraps I made for Paul and Anderson (normally I do not make two dinners, but since he was eating alone, I figured I could swing it this time). During the course of explaining to him what he was going to eat for dinner and that he could not have fruit snacks until after he ate his meal, he actually asked me, "Are you trying to be a bad mom?" Honestly, there wasn't any disrespect in his tone or malice in his voice. Sometimes I think he talks just to hear the sound of his own voice.
As soon as he finished eating all of his grits and grapes (yuck, I know), I heard him go to the pantry to get his promised fruit snacks. Then, I heard him start singing a familiar tune with the following lyrics: "hong-a-sing-a-lay, hong-a-sing-a-lay". I thought to myself, "That sounds like Beyonce's Single Ladies, but those are definitely not the lyrics. So I went and stood by him at the pantry to see that he was staring at the fruit snack box that had a huge picture of Alvin and the Chipmunks on it. If you have seen this movie, you know that Single Ladies is the theme song to that movie. Bennett has seen it once, but I'm sure he saw lots of ads for it when it was in theaters and out on DVD, so he had not forgotten. Anyway, he translated, "All the single ladies, all the single ladies" as "hong-a-sing-a-lay, hong-a-sing-a-lay".
He is now sitting next to me playing on his "DS" which is actually a Leapster Explorer. He has a pet dog on it, and he was asking me what the name choices were for his names. One of them is Peaches. He just looked at me incredulously and said, "I don't want a dog named after a vegetable."
I wish I could just keep a video camera running. He'd get some You Tube hits, for sure.
As soon as he finished eating all of his grits and grapes (yuck, I know), I heard him go to the pantry to get his promised fruit snacks. Then, I heard him start singing a familiar tune with the following lyrics: "hong-a-sing-a-lay, hong-a-sing-a-lay". I thought to myself, "That sounds like Beyonce's Single Ladies, but those are definitely not the lyrics. So I went and stood by him at the pantry to see that he was staring at the fruit snack box that had a huge picture of Alvin and the Chipmunks on it. If you have seen this movie, you know that Single Ladies is the theme song to that movie. Bennett has seen it once, but I'm sure he saw lots of ads for it when it was in theaters and out on DVD, so he had not forgotten. Anyway, he translated, "All the single ladies, all the single ladies" as "hong-a-sing-a-lay, hong-a-sing-a-lay".
He is now sitting next to me playing on his "DS" which is actually a Leapster Explorer. He has a pet dog on it, and he was asking me what the name choices were for his names. One of them is Peaches. He just looked at me incredulously and said, "I don't want a dog named after a vegetable."
I wish I could just keep a video camera running. He'd get some You Tube hits, for sure.
lasterday
Bennett never uses the term "yesterday". Instead, he says "lasterday", though sometimes "lasterday" refers to last week, last month, last year. I love this and refuse to correct him. It's just too cute.
Lasterday, I thought about the fact that it has been way too long since I have blogged. I decided then that I should take a moment to write down a few of the things my precocious four-year-old has been doing and saying lately before I forget. And let's face it, I generally have a five minute retention span, so I am recording these things for posterity as much as I am for my friend's and family's amusement.
Lasterday, I thought about the fact that it has been way too long since I have blogged. I decided then that I should take a moment to write down a few of the things my precocious four-year-old has been doing and saying lately before I forget. And let's face it, I generally have a five minute retention span, so I am recording these things for posterity as much as I am for my friend's and family's amusement.
- I was telling Bennett on our way to Laura's house yesterday that I wanted him to do something (what it was I can no longer remember), and he said, "Of course I will, Mom. I would never let you down. Would I ever let my mom down?" I shall quote this back to him at some point in his life, I'm sure.
- My niece, Cole, was at my house today, so we had some good girl time, just the two of us. I dressed her in a bright pink t-shirt of mine, a pair of Bennett's jeans that were too small, painted her toenails and fingernails, put on some blush, mascara and lipstick, and gave her some jewelry and purses. She was thrilled. She would have loved a pair of shoes, but I had none in her size. Bennett came into the bathroom as we were finishing up our "makeover" and says, "What have you done to Cole? She looks like the ladies in your Bible study." I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "She looks like an old woman." (I am by far the youngest member of my Bible study group-, most of them being my mother's age. And no, that is NOT old to me.)
- Bennett knows that I have a "no potty talk rule" in the house. That does not, however, deter him from trying to sneak opportunities to participate in this activity when he feels he can avoid consequences for doing so. For example, the other day we were riding bikes in the neighborhood, and after about a mile or so, Bennett exclaims in a voice loud enough for many neighbors to hear, "My butt is on FIRE!" ("Fire" was pronounced, "Fy-ah"!) Poor thing. His bike seat is rather hard, and he isn't used to riding that far but is generally restricted from adventuring beyond our street. Anyway, once he saw that his exclamation got a smirk out of me rather than admonishment, he persisited to say it four or five more times before I told him it was no longer necessary to announce this. That did not keep him from retelling this story several times the following day just so he could say the word "butt".
- Last night, Bennett wanted us to play basketball in our playroom on our Fisher-Price Grow-to-Pro basketball goal. (Sidenote: This is a GREAT toy. We have had two of these, one when Anderson was a toddler, and the one that just replaced that last month when the other one's backboard no longer stayed on the post properly, probably due to lots of wear and tear over the last eleven years. We have not had a toy that has been played with more than this basketball goal.) Back to the story, Bennett assigned teams. First he said that he was on my team. Then, he said that married people were supposed to be on the same team, so Paul and I were then teammates. Then, about a minute later he decided that he would instead be my teammate. At that point, Bennett and his brother were roughhousing (this is all before the game even started), and Anderson fell down on a golfball that was left in his pocket. Needless to say, this didn't feel good at all. As Anderson lay on the ground feigning more pain than he actually felt, Bennett turned to me and said, "I guess Dad's gonna need a new teammate." This then led to a discussion about compassion and care for others. (I should add in fairness that he normally is compassionate and caring.)
- This morning we were playing Snakes and Ladders. (It is similar to Chutes and Ladders, only you put the puzzle together first before you play. Very cute game with only 50+ spaces rather than 100, so it goes much more quickly.) Bennett would ask before he rolled the dice, "What do I need to roll?" He wanted to be able to take as many ladders up as possible. I would tell him how many spaces he needed to move (let's say 4 as an example), and then he would ask, "Mom, will you pray that I roll a four." The first time I said, "Sure", so we prayed. Of course, he rolled a four. He asked again, to which I said, "You can pray and ask God, buddy." So, he did pray that he would roll a four. But before he rolled he said, "I think I'm gonna roll a 2." What a perfect moment to explain faith!!! I said, "Bennett, you don't want to think like that. If you ask God to roll a four, then you need to believe you will roll a 4. Just picture in your mind what it looks like to roll a four, then thank God for helping you roll a four." He did, and yes, he rolled a 4. In fact, he prayed a lot during our game today, and I think there was only two or three instances (out of many!) where he didn't roll what he prayed for. I know God was teaching me something during our game as much as he was teaching Bennett something. I've been pondering and praying a lot lately about the way we think and believe and how it affects what happens, and I know this was a moment God was seizing to show me faith in action in a very practical, visible way. What was particularly sweet is when Bennett beat me and said, in his most enthusiastic and consolatory voice, "You got second place!!! That's great, Mom!" (Note: When he got second place in the next game, he wasn't initially quite as enthusiastic about that. But after a good talk about being gracious with wins and losses, his tone instantly changed and he said, "I like second place, Mom!")
- This afternoon he was playing Star Wars with his brother and cousin, Andrew. He was swinging at them with a light saber saying, "I am using the forest, I'm using the forest!" Yes, he meant "force".
Being a mother can be a difficult job. But the rewards of being home with my boys, watching them grow, mature, develop into young men who love God and love other people by far outnumbers the challenges of this journey. I am so glad God gave me boys who keep me entertained along the way.
Friday, January 21, 2011
ta ta...looks like rain
I love this photo of Bennett. I took it a few weeks ago on the golf course. Paul and Anderson were finishing up their hole when it started to rain. Bennett was holding the umbrella and keeping himself entertained while he waited for his dad and brother.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
my anderson
I know I post a lot about Bennett. Having a four-year-old in the family means that there are a thousand laughs a week which translates into a thousand quotes a week which I could post on our blog. Four year olds are just cute, funny, inquisitive, simple yet profound. Easy material for a blog, for sure. I only wish I had a blog when Anderson was four. I regret not writing down more of what he said and did then. Everyone told me to. I didn't listen.
But I wanted to dedicate a post to Anderson today. Anderson is twelve and in the sixth grade. Yes, that means he is a middle schooler. Most people have a knee-jerk reaction to the term "middle schooler" that is generally some form of a wince, but I have to say that we are truly enjoying parenting during this phase of development. Then again, I think Anderson may very well break the pre-teen mold.
Anderson is still very open to Paul and me. He hasn't pulled down the pre-teen partition between us that reads, "Parents just don't understand." Yes, he thinks he knows more than he used to, and he does. With years lived comes the opportunity to gain wisdom from your experiences. I told him recently that I do know that he is getting to the age where he thinks Paul and I may not know as much as he once thought we did, but the truth is we still have more wisdom than he does overall. I did tell him that sometimes he might be right and we might be wrong, and that Paul and I would always try to be open to hearing him out and would always be willing to concede when he was right. That being said, he needed to understand that we are more than likely right because we've "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt". The thing is, Anderson really is a wise little (well, not-s0-little) boy, and he agreed with what I was telling him.
Anderson goes to sleep most nights listening to the Bible being read on CD. No, we don't make him do this. This is something he does on his own intiative. My mother-in-law gave us these CDs years ago, and whenever Paul and I were sick in the bed or had bad dreams, we would listen to the Bible being read aloud. Anderson took up the practice and has stuck with it. It is pretty amazing how much Scripture he can quote (with the dramatic emphasis and everything since he's heard it quite a bit!). I started reading a chapter of the Bible to Anderson every day when he was a newborn. It is really a blessing to see those seeds that were sown into his spirit bearing fruit in his life. (He LOVES to read, has a way with words, and has great reading retention....maybe that was from all the Bible reading as a baby? :) )
Anderson loves sports and grows more and more competitive with age! And bless his heart, he comes by that honestly. Tonight he was a little irritated that his dad beat him twice in air hockey, but most of the time he handles loss with grace and a determination to get back in the game and win. He loves football and has played quarterback for the last two seasons with the Copperheads (a local football league). This fall, he will likely play for his JV team at school, but we aren't exactly sure about this yet. He may opt to spend one more year in his rec league before playing with and against 9th graders!
In a few weeks, Anderson will begin playing on his middle school golf team. His dad will be his coach, which will be a really sweet experience for them to share. I know I am his mom but I know that Anderson has a God-given talent to play golf just like his daddy. We have played a couple of a times as a family this month, and he astounded me with how far and accurately he can hit a golf ball. He was hitting balls consistently over 200 yards on the fly (in other words, this doesn't include how far they roll after they land). I know he has "the goods" to be a great golfer one day, but football remains his true love at this point, so we'll see what the future holds. Of course, as his mom, I would LOVE for him to love golf--a far safer sport than football--but I trust God has a plan for Anderson, and who am I to interfere with whatever that may be? I am only here to help him discover that plan and follow it.
Every day that Anderson comes home from school, he says he's had a great day. He is happy! I know he'd rather be at home playing and hanging out with his family, but it is a blessing to parent a kid who is always pretty happy, joyful, at peace. He has mentioned to me a few times this year that he was stressed out by school work, taking on new projects and papers that he's never had to be as responsible for. The teachers are taking their hands off of them more and more (and ask us as parents to do nothing for these projects they assign, which I LOVE!), so Anderson was a bit intimidated, I could tell. But he came home today so proud of himself for finishing his paper, outlines, and visual aids at school ON HIS OWN! I'm proud of him, too.
Andersons excels at History and Reading (as I mentioned before). He watches The History Channel for fun. He teaches Paul and me American history all the time (I'm not exaggerating). He just has a knack for it and soaks it in like a sponge. He is so much like his granddaddy. He and Granddaddy are planning another trip this summer to visit more Civil War battlegrounds, and Anderson can't wait! We've told Anderson that we think he would make a good attorney because of his knowledge of history and his ability to soak up information that he reads. Of course, he'd make an honorable attorney, full of integrity, because that is the kind of person Anderson is.
Anderson did make his first (and hopefully only!) trip to the superintendent's office at school a few months ago. It's actually a great story that is too long for me to write tonight, but basically what happened is some eighth grade boys had been bullying the sixth grade boys in PE class. Anderson had told us this was going on, and we told him that he could do whatever was needed to defend himself. So, he did. :) I was proud of him, honestly. Anyway, I believe the kid who was bullying him ended up getting suspended from school. Anderson got off with a little "talking to". And that put an end to the bullying. So...mission accomplished.
Anderson is also keenly aware of feminine beauty now. He is well aware of the fact that God created him to be attracted to girls, but thankfully he doesn't find any girls at his school particularly appealing, so I'm hoping he remains that way for quite awhile.
I've heard for years that parents aren't supposed to be their child's friends but their parents. I understand and agree with what is intimated by this statement which is that you can't put a desire for your kids to like you above doing what is right for them. But the truth is, I am so glad that I am able to be Anderson's friend--that we can talk about ANYTHING (I blush regularly these days), that he chooses to spend time with us and gets excited about family outings, that we can play games against each other and compete and it's a fair competition (I can still beat him wrestling, but he's getting stronger every day). But Anderson entirely understands that I am first and foremost his mother, and I have no qualms about making decisions that he isn't happy with if I believe it is what is best. And he really does trust me when I do make those decisions. He knows I am always looking out for my baby boy. And no matter how old he is, that is what he is--my baby.
As I said before, I know that Anderson is my child, and I am biased. But the truth is, he is an exceptional human being. He came into this world with a peace and joy, and he hasn't let the world steal it from him. He is amazingly self-assured for an adolescent, and He very much loves the God we introduced him to and He is getting to know more and more all the time. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, amazing integrity, and I have called him a compulsive truth-teller for years. (When I picked him up from school the other day, I could tell that he was feeling guilty about something. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Mrs. Hamo asked us who finished our reading assignment last night, so I stood up to indicate that I did, and then I realized I hadn't read the last half-page, but I was afraid to sit down because then I thought she might think I lied on purpose." He was really bothered by his mistake, and I told him it wasn't intentional, so he didn't need to worry about it since he was reading that half of a page that evening.) I don't know how many adults say their admire their children, but I sure admire mine.
Okay, so I have bragged long enough. That wasn't my intention, honestly, when I sat down to write about Anderson. But of course, I can't help myself. I love that kid. I think he's mighty fine, and I am more than proud to be his mama.
And since I know that mostly family (and friends who are like family) reads this blog, I am grateful that they won't be offended by my going on and on about my kid.
But I wanted to dedicate a post to Anderson today. Anderson is twelve and in the sixth grade. Yes, that means he is a middle schooler. Most people have a knee-jerk reaction to the term "middle schooler" that is generally some form of a wince, but I have to say that we are truly enjoying parenting during this phase of development. Then again, I think Anderson may very well break the pre-teen mold.
Anderson is still very open to Paul and me. He hasn't pulled down the pre-teen partition between us that reads, "Parents just don't understand." Yes, he thinks he knows more than he used to, and he does. With years lived comes the opportunity to gain wisdom from your experiences. I told him recently that I do know that he is getting to the age where he thinks Paul and I may not know as much as he once thought we did, but the truth is we still have more wisdom than he does overall. I did tell him that sometimes he might be right and we might be wrong, and that Paul and I would always try to be open to hearing him out and would always be willing to concede when he was right. That being said, he needed to understand that we are more than likely right because we've "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt". The thing is, Anderson really is a wise little (well, not-s0-little) boy, and he agreed with what I was telling him.
Anderson goes to sleep most nights listening to the Bible being read on CD. No, we don't make him do this. This is something he does on his own intiative. My mother-in-law gave us these CDs years ago, and whenever Paul and I were sick in the bed or had bad dreams, we would listen to the Bible being read aloud. Anderson took up the practice and has stuck with it. It is pretty amazing how much Scripture he can quote (with the dramatic emphasis and everything since he's heard it quite a bit!). I started reading a chapter of the Bible to Anderson every day when he was a newborn. It is really a blessing to see those seeds that were sown into his spirit bearing fruit in his life. (He LOVES to read, has a way with words, and has great reading retention....maybe that was from all the Bible reading as a baby? :) )
Anderson loves sports and grows more and more competitive with age! And bless his heart, he comes by that honestly. Tonight he was a little irritated that his dad beat him twice in air hockey, but most of the time he handles loss with grace and a determination to get back in the game and win. He loves football and has played quarterback for the last two seasons with the Copperheads (a local football league). This fall, he will likely play for his JV team at school, but we aren't exactly sure about this yet. He may opt to spend one more year in his rec league before playing with and against 9th graders!
In a few weeks, Anderson will begin playing on his middle school golf team. His dad will be his coach, which will be a really sweet experience for them to share. I know I am his mom but I know that Anderson has a God-given talent to play golf just like his daddy. We have played a couple of a times as a family this month, and he astounded me with how far and accurately he can hit a golf ball. He was hitting balls consistently over 200 yards on the fly (in other words, this doesn't include how far they roll after they land). I know he has "the goods" to be a great golfer one day, but football remains his true love at this point, so we'll see what the future holds. Of course, as his mom, I would LOVE for him to love golf--a far safer sport than football--but I trust God has a plan for Anderson, and who am I to interfere with whatever that may be? I am only here to help him discover that plan and follow it.
Every day that Anderson comes home from school, he says he's had a great day. He is happy! I know he'd rather be at home playing and hanging out with his family, but it is a blessing to parent a kid who is always pretty happy, joyful, at peace. He has mentioned to me a few times this year that he was stressed out by school work, taking on new projects and papers that he's never had to be as responsible for. The teachers are taking their hands off of them more and more (and ask us as parents to do nothing for these projects they assign, which I LOVE!), so Anderson was a bit intimidated, I could tell. But he came home today so proud of himself for finishing his paper, outlines, and visual aids at school ON HIS OWN! I'm proud of him, too.
Andersons excels at History and Reading (as I mentioned before). He watches The History Channel for fun. He teaches Paul and me American history all the time (I'm not exaggerating). He just has a knack for it and soaks it in like a sponge. He is so much like his granddaddy. He and Granddaddy are planning another trip this summer to visit more Civil War battlegrounds, and Anderson can't wait! We've told Anderson that we think he would make a good attorney because of his knowledge of history and his ability to soak up information that he reads. Of course, he'd make an honorable attorney, full of integrity, because that is the kind of person Anderson is.
Anderson did make his first (and hopefully only!) trip to the superintendent's office at school a few months ago. It's actually a great story that is too long for me to write tonight, but basically what happened is some eighth grade boys had been bullying the sixth grade boys in PE class. Anderson had told us this was going on, and we told him that he could do whatever was needed to defend himself. So, he did. :) I was proud of him, honestly. Anyway, I believe the kid who was bullying him ended up getting suspended from school. Anderson got off with a little "talking to". And that put an end to the bullying. So...mission accomplished.
Anderson is also keenly aware of feminine beauty now. He is well aware of the fact that God created him to be attracted to girls, but thankfully he doesn't find any girls at his school particularly appealing, so I'm hoping he remains that way for quite awhile.
I've heard for years that parents aren't supposed to be their child's friends but their parents. I understand and agree with what is intimated by this statement which is that you can't put a desire for your kids to like you above doing what is right for them. But the truth is, I am so glad that I am able to be Anderson's friend--that we can talk about ANYTHING (I blush regularly these days), that he chooses to spend time with us and gets excited about family outings, that we can play games against each other and compete and it's a fair competition (I can still beat him wrestling, but he's getting stronger every day). But Anderson entirely understands that I am first and foremost his mother, and I have no qualms about making decisions that he isn't happy with if I believe it is what is best. And he really does trust me when I do make those decisions. He knows I am always looking out for my baby boy. And no matter how old he is, that is what he is--my baby.
As I said before, I know that Anderson is my child, and I am biased. But the truth is, he is an exceptional human being. He came into this world with a peace and joy, and he hasn't let the world steal it from him. He is amazingly self-assured for an adolescent, and He very much loves the God we introduced him to and He is getting to know more and more all the time. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, amazing integrity, and I have called him a compulsive truth-teller for years. (When I picked him up from school the other day, I could tell that he was feeling guilty about something. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Mrs. Hamo asked us who finished our reading assignment last night, so I stood up to indicate that I did, and then I realized I hadn't read the last half-page, but I was afraid to sit down because then I thought she might think I lied on purpose." He was really bothered by his mistake, and I told him it wasn't intentional, so he didn't need to worry about it since he was reading that half of a page that evening.) I don't know how many adults say their admire their children, but I sure admire mine.
Okay, so I have bragged long enough. That wasn't my intention, honestly, when I sat down to write about Anderson. But of course, I can't help myself. I love that kid. I think he's mighty fine, and I am more than proud to be his mama.
And since I know that mostly family (and friends who are like family) reads this blog, I am grateful that they won't be offended by my going on and on about my kid.
Friday, January 7, 2011
more random bennett quotes
I wish I had a tape recorder that I could carry around with me so that I could record conversations with Bennett. Here are a few from the last few days...
Anderson was going to spend the night with his grandparents, so I asked Bennett if he wanted to go also. He typically prefers to be at home with Paul and me, but this time he responds, "Are you and Dad going to go on a date?"
"No, we're not. Anderson just wants to spend the night," I informed him.
"Why don't you and Dad go on a date?" he asks.
"Awwww, that is sweet, Bennett." He wants us to go on a date because sometimes my parents babysit the boys when we are out late.
"Yeah, I want you to leave and go out on a date. Okay? Now tell me to be a nice boy. And if any of my cousins does anything mean to me I will tell the boss, okay? But, who is the boss?"
"Granny and Granddaddy are the boss."
"Okay. Mom, are you going to kiss on your date?"
I smiled and said, "Yes."
He said, "Okay, but Mom, don't wear that lipstick because that is going to get on Dad. Just wipe it off and I will say to you, 'That looks perfect.'"
"Okay, Bennett, I'll keep that in mind. Do you need me to get your pajamas for you?"
"No, I can get my pajamas, 'cause I'm the greatest guy." He says this with a wink and a finger point. I kid you not.
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"Mom, you are twenty-twelve pounds." (I know I gained a few pounds over Christmas, but 2012?)
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Bennett went to school with me on Friday while I coached the cheerleaders. He always takes a bookbag with him filled with toys and games to keep him entertained. Almost every time we leave practice, he is in his imaginary world where he is an actual student at CCS and not a visitor. Our conversation as we drove home went like this:
"Thanks for driving me home from school, Mom."
"You're welcome, sweetie. Did you have a good day?"
"No, a bully got me."
"A bully got you? What did he do?"
"His name was Jack, I think. He was mean to me, but Andrew, my cousin, saved me. I yelled, "A bully is after me", and Andrew came and saved me. And so did Anderson. They got the bully away from me."
"Well, I am glad that they saved you."
"I have homework."
"You do?"
"Yes, just grammar and Bible, but it is really, really hard."
"Well I'm sure you'll do great at it."
"Yeah, but I failed the test."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do great on the next one."
"Yeah, are you going to take me to football practice?"
___________________________________________________________________
Can you tell the kid has an older brother? He is four going on thirteen.
Anderson was going to spend the night with his grandparents, so I asked Bennett if he wanted to go also. He typically prefers to be at home with Paul and me, but this time he responds, "Are you and Dad going to go on a date?"
"No, we're not. Anderson just wants to spend the night," I informed him.
"Why don't you and Dad go on a date?" he asks.
"Awwww, that is sweet, Bennett." He wants us to go on a date because sometimes my parents babysit the boys when we are out late.
"Yeah, I want you to leave and go out on a date. Okay? Now tell me to be a nice boy. And if any of my cousins does anything mean to me I will tell the boss, okay? But, who is the boss?"
"Granny and Granddaddy are the boss."
"Okay. Mom, are you going to kiss on your date?"
I smiled and said, "Yes."
He said, "Okay, but Mom, don't wear that lipstick because that is going to get on Dad. Just wipe it off and I will say to you, 'That looks perfect.'"
"Okay, Bennett, I'll keep that in mind. Do you need me to get your pajamas for you?"
"No, I can get my pajamas, 'cause I'm the greatest guy." He says this with a wink and a finger point. I kid you not.
__________________________________________________________________
"Mom, you are twenty-twelve pounds." (I know I gained a few pounds over Christmas, but 2012?)
___________________________________________________________________
Bennett went to school with me on Friday while I coached the cheerleaders. He always takes a bookbag with him filled with toys and games to keep him entertained. Almost every time we leave practice, he is in his imaginary world where he is an actual student at CCS and not a visitor. Our conversation as we drove home went like this:
"Thanks for driving me home from school, Mom."
"You're welcome, sweetie. Did you have a good day?"
"No, a bully got me."
"A bully got you? What did he do?"
"His name was Jack, I think. He was mean to me, but Andrew, my cousin, saved me. I yelled, "A bully is after me", and Andrew came and saved me. And so did Anderson. They got the bully away from me."
"Well, I am glad that they saved you."
"I have homework."
"You do?"
"Yes, just grammar and Bible, but it is really, really hard."
"Well I'm sure you'll do great at it."
"Yeah, but I failed the test."
"Well, I'm sure you'll do great on the next one."
"Yeah, are you going to take me to football practice?"
___________________________________________________________________
Can you tell the kid has an older brother? He is four going on thirteen.
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