Day 19

Lessons. We learn them daily. As parents we also hope our children learn them. Sometimes the lesson doesn't get learned the first time, or even the 47th time. We'll still try our best to teach them.

This morning I returned home from my daily stroll to the bus stops to find Kyle's lunch on the counter. I must admit I was giddy with excitement. Today, by golly, Kyle was going to learn a lesson. You see, this mom does not deliver lunches, coats, backpacks, or any other forgotten objects to anyone's school. You forget your lunch, then you eat hot lunch. Simple as that. Well, you can imagine my excitement when I asked Kyle how his lunch was today (with a hidden smirk). His response went something like this, "Oh, it was really good. I can't wait until we have it again." Huh? Well, that didn't go like I'd hoped. Crap.

Day 19 Life Lesson: I forgot my lesson at home.

Day 18

My dad's cousin and wife from California are here visiting for a week. The last time they came to
Winona Cooper was scooting around on his buns, ankles in hand. At 80+ years old cousin Lyle is a big kid at heart and the boys loved causing trouble with him. We are looking forward to having more fun with them before they leave next week.

It was a wild, weird, and incredibly wiiiiiindy day today. Rainy, then sunny, then rainy. This made for an unbelievably spectacular sky at dusk. While the boys and I were coming home tonight they got extremely annoyed with all the pit stops to take pictures. Simply amazing.

Day 18 Life Lesson: Look and be amazed.

Day 17

Cam thinks it's cool to walk around with a pen behind his ear. Why, you ask? Well, it's because Corey often comes home for lunch with one behind his ear. If you ask me it's disgusting. I mean really. That's gross. At least he's not carrying it around between his teeth. Yuck.

We celebrated Kyle's retirement from dancing tonight. He came, he danced, he's done. I don't believe we should make our kids do any extra-curricular activity they don't want to do. Except for piano, that is. But I am all for them trying things. He tried it and doesn't like it. No problem. Cam, on the other hand, loves to dance. Heel, ball, toe, shuffle.

Day 17 Life Lesson: Dance like nobody's watching.

Day 16

Day 16 Life Lesson: Hold on tight to the ones you love.

Day 15

It's hard to watch your kids fall flat on their face. I have to do this on a daily basis. Well, I don't have to and sometimes I don't but I think it's good to let your kids fail. At least that's what the experts say, and I would agree with them on this one. What the experts don't tell you is that it will be much more painful and inconvenient for you than it will be for your child. Case in point: Cooper the dawdler, I don't manage my time well, EVER, Hancock was allowed to fall on his face today. So, at 8:15 tonight when I wanted a quiet, peaceful, kid-free hour with Corey we were helping him finish his homework. Coop's brain shuts off about 6:30 at night. At 6:31 he cannot put a sentence together. This is a problem since every day he is required to write at least 5 sentences about a specific topic. Did he learn a lesson about time management? Probably not. Was it a pain in the butt for us? Yes. And so on we go.

Kyle is faking it. He is faking being sick so he can stay home from school. I am convinced. The real issue is not that he's faking it but WHY? The analyst, wanna-be child psychologist in me feels a need to figure it out. For now, I am a bit stumped but I will keep working on it.

Cameron is loving going to school. That feels so, so, so, so, good. Today I got to sub for Mrs Norton at preschool so we hung out together. He goes into helpless baby mode when I am there which makes me shun him. He doesn't care much for that. But all in all it was a good morning. I only got scolded once for being a bad influence on the kids. Hey, that's not bad when you consider the quality of the substitute.

Day 15 Life Lesson: Don't cry over spilled glue.

Fun Run Weekend

You don't expect to learn important life lessons from your 9 year-old son but sometimes he teaches me things I never could have learned on my own. This morning, Cooper ran in a fun run at SMU prior to the Jim Flim Cross Country Invitational. I cringed inside when he told me he wanted to do it. He had a big smile on his face and was very excited to participate. On the surface this may seem like a no-brainer but here in lies the dilemma. Do I let my son run a mile through the woods when I know he will finish in last place and not only in last place but waaaaay behind the other 4th through 6th graders? Do I set him up to fail? Do I want to intentionally put him through that? I mean, I have not experienced last place that often in my life. Not because I was really skilled but because I wouldn't try if I thought I would be last. I must have asked him 10 times in the past two days since the flyer came home if he still wanted to go. I kept asking and he kept saying yes. So, off we went, at 8:30 this morning.

As we walked to the starting line with about 20 other kids, I told him to do his best and take it slow. He told me he was going to run really fast because he wanted to beat his buddy Ryan. (Gulp) The gun rang out and off they went. It took about 4 seconds for everyone to pass him by. I cut through the woods to watch him and cheer him on. All the kids ran hard up the first hill but not one child was smiling... except Coop. His smile got bigger every time he heard the older kids cheering him on. He walked a little, he jogged a little, he sprinted a little and all the time with a big smile on his face. As the last racer went by all the kids and parents dispersed down to the finish line... except me. I knew one smiling runner was still making the turn and coming back through the woods. So I ran. I ran to meet my son, and I ran some more. Finally, I saw his big smile coming through the trees. We ran together for a while and then he took off without me. We met again at the finish line where he was still smiling. I told him I was so proud of him for finishing and doing his best. He reminded me that he came in last place. I put my arm around him and told him again how proud I was of him. No one on that brisk foggy morning would know that my son had just taught me a huge life lesson. All because one kid wanted to participate in a fun run.

Life Lessons Learned: Always do your best. Always smile while doing your best. Always finish. Just because it's difficult doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. Finishing is a huge accomplishment. Never, ever give up.

Day 14

Kyle was home sick today. Cam took very good care of him. I love it when the boys look out for each other. It is very sweet to witness such a rare event.

Kyle laid on the couch all day. A fever lingered until late afternoon but the ibuprofen finally kicked in just before dinner. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. Let's hope it doesn't get shared with the rest of us.

Day 14 Life Lesson: Some things should not be shared with others.

Day 13

Cam had the sharing can today at preschool. He needed to put something circular in it and include three clues. He took a bouncy ball. He is just about to bounce it really, really high. He loves getting the sharing can as do all the little people, unfortunately the kids can't understand a word he says. Good thing he's cute.

Coop and Ky went to Cub Scouts tonight with Corey. They took a field trip to the WSU fitness center to work on their fitness badge. Cooper used the weight machines and Kyle ran really fast around the track.

Day 13 Life Lesson: Sometimes sharing is really easy.

Day 12

Wacky Wednesday. The tap and jazzers go dancing. You might notice that they have their tap shoes on in the photo. Gotta love those skinny legs, too.

It's only Wednesday and we have already had Hy-Vee for dinner twice this week. Tonight the boys indulged in mac and cheese and fruit from the buffet. They ate their dinner at Valencia while waiting for class to start. Meanwhile, Coop was at karate class in the same building. I don't remember my life being this busy when I was their age. I may have turned into one of "those" parents. I will need to do some heavy duty reassessing after this session.

Day 12 Life Lesson: Take a good look every now and then.

Day 11

Milestones. Accomplishments kids reach when it's developmentally appropriate (and they are darn well ready.) Some milestones pass by without a thought. Some arrive with a huge collective sigh of relief from both mom and dad. We have reached two of those at our house. First milestone reached: Cam likes to go to school. Yeah, I know it sounds silly but when you have gone through a whole year of anti-school behavior, it feels really good to be done with that. He not only likes to go to preschool, he likes to go to our ECFE class. All together now... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Second milestone: Kyle can read. He could read a little bit last year but what a difference the summer has made. I confess we didn't read a lot, certainly not every day, but we did read. Now, he reads to us. It is such a huge relief when that lightbulb goes on and your child can make sense of all those letters on the page. Woohoo!

It's official, I have three dunkers. That's right, they all like to dunk their cookies. My mom invited us over to make oatmeal chocolate cookies after school. How do you say no to that? Of course we went. It was a dunking good time.

Day 11 Life Lesson: Celebrate milestones.

Day 10

It's Monday. Football day. A huge waste of time. 16 kids with one coach who doesn't have a clue how to manage them. I can hardly stand it. Thankfully, Kyle doesn't notice. He has fun running around in circles.

Cam and I went to Eckers for a little field trip to pick some apples. This is the only time of year I will pay an arm and a leg for a bag of apples. They are worth it.

Day 10 Life Lesson: When you feel like you're running in circles, you probably are.

Lake Kegonsa Weekend

What a fantastic weekend. We spent the whole day on Saturday (adults only) at this beautiful home on Lake Kegonsa in Stoughton, Wisconsin.

The men are fishing below off the dock while some of the ladies are on one of the decks enjoying a fire.

We surprised our friend Shannon with a baby shower in honor of her and Nate's first baby, Abigail, due in November. We had such a great time laughing and celebrating.

Natey, with one of two big northerns he caught. My dad was not happy since he usually catches the big ones. Way to go, Natey!

I had a lovely time chatting with Grandma Fern. 90 plus years and still going strong. It was so wonderful to talk with her about the boys. She introduced Cooper to the piano in St. Louis when he was just 3 years old. She was thrilled to hear that Coop was not only playing and taking lessons but also composing music.

The boys stayed home with the big-haired babysitter, Danielle. Dan is pretty famous for her hair. It's always tough to leave the boys behind. We don't do it very often so it feels weird to be without them. Fortunately, all went well in our absence and the boys didn't have Dan tied up when we returned.  I guess everyone, including Dan and her sister Gabby (my favorite godchild), were asleep by 8:30. Coop told me that he wanted Danielle to be his mom and asked if I could just be his part-time mom. What a great compliment to the super-sitter. I think that's a good sign. Great job ladies, thanks for taking good care of my three sons.

Day 9

Corey took the boys to Camp Wenonah for a scout campfire. They bundled up in their winter coats and grabbed their flashlights. Why is it when they are going someplace fun they can get ready in 4.3 seconds but in any other case it's 4.3 hours? Anyway, they came home very happy and smelly.

While they were out being boys I did laundry. Lots and lots of laundry. It's what we do, right?

Day 9 Life Lesson: Get outdoors.

Day 8

Cam and I went out for lunch after school. We made one last trip to the Lakeview Drive-In before they closed for the year. Cam thought it was pretty cool to sit in the front seat and eat. It was a beautiful day for drive-in eating.

Coop had dance class tonight and then Ky and Coop went to cub scouts with Corey. Kyle is proud to be an official scout and not just a tag a long. So, we have a bear and a webelo, oh my.

Snaps made a surprise visit. What a great surprise. I love the drop in, especially when I am caught cleaning or doing something domestic rather than lying on the couch dozing while the boys are playing in traffic.

Day 8 Life Lesson: Eating in the car can be really fun.

Day "Leden"

Apparently I am ignoring yesterday's lesson.

It was a big day for the little brothers. Ky and Cam went to Tap and Jazz for Kids while Coop was at karate. I must admit that never in my 10 years of having my three sons did I think I would spend so much time at a dance studio. Last week when we were registering Coop for his class, the little brothers asked if they could go to a class. So today was day one and I peeked in a few times to see big smiles and happy feet. God bless that instructor who was trying to control 30 tapping shoes and 15 rambunctious youngsters. I am convinced the instructor is being hazed. Why else would you put a new teacher with a challenge like that? Definitely hazing going on.

I had the pleasure of being greeted by a cute little waiter this morning while I was watching GMA. I think the boy might have a career in serving others.

Yet another tooth pulling today. I decided that if a tooth is so loose that it is perpendicular to the adjacent tooth then it needs to come out. Kyle finds it most productive to have me sit on the tub and watch him while he lays on the floor. Whatever works. That reminds me, I better go check with the tooth fairy. Kyle told me that you have to be careful about putting things under your pillow because the tooth fairy will take it. He put a car under his pillow a while back and the car was gone in the morning. That's so hilarious.

It's such a relief when number one comes home happy. He is what my friend Snaps calls the "alpha child". I hate to think that he has that much control over all of our attitudes but it's true. Today when he got off the bus he took Cam for a ride in his "bus". Ahhhh, life is good.

Day "Leden" Life Lesson: No one can control your attitude but you.

Day "Lick"

That's not a typo. That's just Cameron saying "Day Six." Tuesday was a yucky day. I wasn't feeling well and Corey left town in the afternoon. Thankfully my parents took the boys and got them where they needed to be and fed them. Cameron had a fun time at Terrific Tuesday, a preschool class for seniors. Coop had his first dance class of the school year - Tap and Jazz. He was challenged in the upper level class but didn't give up.

A little scary cheetah was returned to me at the end of the day. I don't remember a cheetah living with us but he was so cute that I decided to keep him. The cheetah looks surprisingly like a puppy.

Kyle was very helpful at school today. At least that's what his shirt said. It didn't look like his handwriting so I am pretty sure it came from Mrs. G.. Phew! That's a relief. Hopefully, he won't ever come home with a sticker that reads, "Didn't do a darn thing all day."

Day "Lick" Life Lesson: You shouldn't make fun of the way your kids talk.

Day 5

My name is Cam and I am NOT going to smile and I am NOT going to preschool. Well, this should be fun.

That's right, change your tune mister. You ARE going to preschool and you will like it. By the way, love the pose.


Oh man, he is so weird. What's with the hanger? Is that supposed to be a tutu? And what's with the flashlight? Oh, I think that must be his spotlight. Moving right along.

The first Monday for the boys was H-O-T. Must have been 85 degrees. Kyle had his first experience with flag football. They did skill drills so they could sort out the teams by ability. Kyle had a really great time passing, catching, running and blocking. He is already asking when he goes again. Coop decided that football is way too dangerous and he will never let his kids play.

Day 5 Life Lesson: Whoever said, "...words will never hurt me" was way wrong.

Weekend Part Two

Sunday, a day that I believe should never start out yucky. We have a lot of yucky Sunday mornings. Usually, when we are trying to get to church. Today was a dandy. Lots of yelling and meltdowns but enough about me.

I went downstairs to do the laundry and once again there was water coming up through our floor drain. I asked Corey to help me remove the linoleum because it was so moldy underneath it was making me gag. Before you know it we were emptying the laundry room, scraping and painting walls and cleaning and painting the floor. It was long overdue but I didn't expect it to just happen out of the blue one Sunday in September, you know what I mean?

Ah, but happen it did. We started at 9:30 (we were supposed to be in church) and got done at 5:30. Not the day I had anticipated but I am so thankful for Corey and all his hard work today. I had many Cinderella moments with him as I scrubbed the floor on my hands and knees.

You can't really tell but the floor is that epoxy stuff that you sprinkle the white and black chips on. Very cool stuff. We worked hard but at least I didn't have to do laundry.

Speaking of laundry, I decided today that doing laundry is a lot like teaching.

1) Everyone thinks it's really easy.

2) It's a thankless job.

3) You don't do it for the money, you do it for the kids.

4) When the results aren't good, everyone blames you.

And finally...

5) Everyone thinks they know the best way to do it even though they have never done it and don't ever want to.

Weekend Part One

News flash: It seems our kids watch our every move. Yeah, I know, doesn't that stink. I always hope they will focus on the positive and forget the negative. You know, that they would forget about all the times they've seen me laying on the couch watching TV and remember all the times I left at night to go walk. Forget the mommy tantrums and remember the sweet, snuggly, funny mommy.

Well, it seems that I have a positive to hang onto. Another reason to keep on keeping on. Cooper participated in his first 5k today. He asked if he could do it. He has seen Corey and I do some in the past and wanted to try it. He finished. And not that it matters but he was the first Hancock across the finish line. 45 minutes. He loved hearing all the friends and strangers cheering him on. It was a proud moment that I will always cherish. Way to go, son!

You know you're in the country when... a tractor parade comes down the road and no one is surprised.


We had the honor of celebrating our dear friend Cady's 4th birthday today at Star Hill Ranch. Lots of friends old and new can be found at the ranch and lots of laughter will always be heard. Another reason you know you are in the country? The boys can just run and be free with no worries.

We are so glad our friend Brennan was there. The boys absolutely adore him. They played big ball croquet, frisbee, chased bubbles and ran, ran, ran. Three thumbs up for this day.

Cadence, the boys and Bailey.

Day 4

TGIF - it's been a whirlwind of a first week. Is it summer yet :-) The boys had a great week. I am so thankful for that. As a mom, you just want to see your kids happy and I saw that this week. Phew!

Cam and I ran some errands in the morning and then he got to hang out with Gramsie and Gramps while I snuck away to Schubert Road in Trempealeau for lunch and golf with my golf buddy. It doesn't get much better than that. The weather was beautiful and the males at that place were so super nice to us. If you've ever golfed around men you know that sometimes they scoff at ladies golfing and they can be real donkeys. Well, not at the TCC. Wow, we felt like queens. They smiled, they conversed with us, the helped us out, they let us play through. It was a very pleasant experience. I might go back next week by myself. I am not at liberty to say how we did because I might end up in the river with cement sandals on. (Yeah, it was THAT bad.) But the company and weather were fabulous.

After golf, I made this amazing dinner. Corn on the cob, onion and cheese turkey burgers, roasted tomatoes to die for, veggies on the grill... oh man it was so good. Kyle was my sous chef. He peeled and cut the cukes and put them in the bowls. One with ranch, one without. While we were eating Kyle asked me how I learned to cook so good. I guess that's what happens when you actually cook something. Afterward we sat on our lakeside deck and watched the sun set while listening to the loons. Okay, not really, but it is Hancocks dream BIG, right?

Hmmm, could this be why they are tired in the morning? Notice Cam's cell phone on the bed next to him. Maybe he is texting the Tooth Fairy.

Day 4 Life Lesson: Even the worst day of golf is still better than doing laundry.

Day 3

Uh, can it get any better than that? Maybe if you throw in a little bacon.

Scootering today at the lake just me and my mom. Life is good.

The foggy mornings are kind of Halloween-like. And moist. I walked Kyle to the bus stop and by the grace of God he got on the bus without a hitch. Whoopee! After trying to wake up the rest of the parents at the bus stop with my fine sense of early morning humor, I slimed my way to Cooper's stop where he was waiting with his cronies. He had much to say about the fog, the car lights, the stop lights that he couldn't see, etc... He is very chatty in the morning once he has an interested audience. So far the other kids are listening. They sort of have to.

Check this out. As bus driver Doug opened the door, he said, "Good Morning, Mrs. Hancock." Huh? What bus driver does that? He is seriously getting Bloedows and coffee real soon. I am so going up there even if it's dark and 6 degrees. He made my day.

Cam and I went to his preschool open house today. He loved it because I was there with him. I can't wait to see how Monday goes when I drop and run. Sorry Mrs. Norton.

We had fun scootering at the lake and playing at the park before we had to get back to meet the brothers. No wonder he doesn't want to go to preschool. We need to clean toilets for fun. Maybe then he will want to get away from me. Although he did tell me today, in his most disgusted voice, "You 'jut' don't get me Mom." Okay, I gotta tell you, I almost simultaneously peed my pants from holding in the laugh AND ran into a pole from the sheer shock of his statement. What the heck, does he not know he's 4? What exactly is there to get?

When Kyle got off the bus today he was cranky and tired. He had a war wound from the playground and wasn't happy about it. He said they move around A LOT in the classroom and it's very tiring. He informed me that I need to get him an energy band like Mrs. G. wears so he won't get tired. I told him the bracelet was for balance but he insisted it was for energy. Maybe it's because Mrs. G. never sits down. Maybe the band is injecting mountain dew into her system. It's a mystery he may keep trying to solve.

After dropping Cooper off at his piano lesson, I took the little brothers to Valencia to sign up for dance classes. Not only is Coop sticking with dance but the little brothers are going to revisit it by taking Tap and Jazz for Kids. Corey is struggling :-)

Day 3 Life Lesson: Try something new.

Day 2

The first day of school. Always good to see a smile. I think he had that coat on last year when I took the picture. Water bottle in hand. Good to go.

Kyle is smiling big. Phew! First day on the bus. I think Ky, like his big brother, may have had that sweatshirt on last year, too, on day one. I will have to do some investigative work. (I wonder if I can photoshop out clothes.) It's the same backpack but it doesn't look near as big as it did last year so we know he's getting taller but I think he's the same weight.

Coop at a different bus stop where he gets on a different bus that travels a different route to a different school. I don't know if the mom can take it. It's really great to see him smiling. He has a really great smile, doesn't he?



Kyle is off. He sat with his cousin Veronica on the bus. It warms my heart when cousins get along so well.

Speaking of cousins, Connor was at the bus stop at the end of the day with Gramsie and the littlest son. It was wonderful to have a welcome home committee.


One down, many more to go. Coop talked and talked about his day and all the newness. Some things he was really irritated by like the school bell that seems to ring quite a lot during lunch. Some things he loved like everything else. He will have homework every night, a parents' nightmare. Just one more thing to fight about. He made a list for himself of all the tasks he needs to accomplish in the evening. That's a good first step that will last about two days but good for him for trying.

And then there's Kyle. Our anxiety-ridden son. We are working hard on helping him conquer his long list of fears. We no longer take no for an answer but walk alongside him through his fear. I am so incredibly proud of him for doing what comes easily and naturally for most kids. Way to go, son! He didn't say much about his day which is not a bad thing. No news with Kyle is good news. Mrs. G. did say that he raised his hand a lot in class. I'm quite sure he knows it all :-)

Oh, Cameron. He woke up with his crabby pants on this morning. Darn it. We had a cranky start to the day but it got better when we got out of the house to run some errands. We made a snack mix today and as he was helping he dropped some of the candy on the floor. He commented that it was good that we didn't have any dogs otherwise they would get sick from eating all the candy off the floor. Must have been thinking about Roscoe.

So there it is. As this blog continues and the days run together, I'm sure I won't always have so much to say but I will do my best to say something.

Day 2 Life Lesson: It's okay to do it, even if you're afraid.

School Day 1 - Sort Of

Well, I am feeling pretty good about my summer blogging accomplishment. So good, that I am going to attempt to blog for the whole school year. Eeeks! So, here goes...

Last night Kyle struggled through tears, pain, parental pressure and lots of encouragement in order to get one of 4 loose teeth removed. I mean really, the tooth was hanging sideways. The other tooth was already in. It needed to come out. I told him either I would pull it out or he could. Well, he yanked that sucker out and you should have seen the smile on his face. We ran around the house screaming for joy. He went to bed content with his baggy under his pillow.

SO, you can imagine the mild coronary that I had at 6am this morning when I realized I forgot to take care of the tooth fairy business. HOLY CRAP! I believe I exclaimed that out loud with the deer in the headlights look on my face. I flew out of bed, ran to the kitchen, scarfed up Corey's wallet and grabbed a couple bucks. Phew!

As you can see by the picture above, all worked out to Kyle's satisfaction.

Cooper had orientation at his new school. He was a bit overwhelmed by all the walls and the sheer size of the building. His take on it all went something like this, "You know, at Goodview I couldn't ever say that I saw someone in the hall, because there are no walls there. It will be weird here at Jefferson to say that I saw someone in the hall." Oh, Cooper, I love you.

Kyle had a great time getting settled in his 1st grade space. He got to use the smart board and show off his missing tooth to Mrs. Gilliland.

It's a different sort of year. Two schools, two bus stops, two boys on their own. It's change, it's transition, what can I say, it's hard for me. Let's do it...

Day One Life Lesson: It takes a village...

Labor Day

It's tradition on the last day of camping to roast weenies over the fire. Coop was the super roaster except for the time he dropped the hot dogs in the fire and made an ash out of himself. Bu dump bump.

Camping is an interesting social experiment, especially with children. There are certain "rules" that need to be adhered to for a peaceful existence in the woods. So, we have tried to train our three sons that you don't walk on someone's campsite, you don't go into someone else's camper, you don't touch the animals, you don't leave your bikes and 14 other toys at someone else's site and all those other considerations that go along with existing for a short time in a small space with lots of people (not to mention, dogs.)

Well, over the weekend we had a boy from another campsite attach himself to us. His grandparents didn't seem to mind that the boy was constantly on our heels. At all different times during the weekend Riley (age 8) could be seen entangling his dog with Roscoe (after being asked 17 times to keep Dodger away.) On other occasions, Riley asked me if he could come into my camper, buy him DQ, get him some sunscreen, feed him, and on and on. Really? Come on. Another boy in the park asked my father-in-law if he could see the inside of his camper. What the heck? What is wrong with this picture? It's not the kids I can tell you that much. Kids need social training. Clearly, some parents don't think so.

So, our long camping weekend comes to an end. It will linger for a while in the campfire aroma buried in our pores. Even as the boys start school tomorrow, the bug bites and scuffed knees will remind me of the great adventure we call camping and all that we have to look forward to next year.

Hancock Camping Motto: Be courteous, be kind and don't be hard to find.

The Final Countdown Continued

So, there are few things better than relaxing by a campfire all day...

...Or watching a DVD by a campfire

... Or playing Words with Friends on your phone by a campfire.

With the people sitting next to you.

Oh, the ridiculousness of it all. Yes, it's true, we are all playing a game with each other while sitting next to each other. And, yes, my chair would be occupied as well if I wasn't taking the picture. Eventually, all of our devices went dead and we were left to actually converse with each other.

As for the kids watching the DVD, Corey's cousin got that out for her son, Ethan. She wasn't proud of it but sometimes us moms just want to eat in peace.

Later in the day, Kyle, Corey, Ashley, Christian, Jodi, Roscoe, Amy and Ethan and I went up to the park to exercise ourselves with a frisbee and Roscoe with a tennis ball. We threw around the frisbees for a long time before heading back to camp.

Another great day was had by all.

The Final Countdown

The boys love playing with our friend, Judy. She always has cool games and books to share.

Ah, the joy of chalk. Cooper does the drawing and the brothers do the driving.


Cam sharing Ethan's chair with him. Cam would've made a great big brother.

It's Saturday, and we are on Day 3 of camping. The weather is coming along nicely. Warm days and cool nights. The kind of weather where you can have a fire all dang day.