That Is Why I Do The Packing

I am sitting here, on a Saturday morning, all alone. My house is clean, there are no cartoons on, no monsters stomping around or jumping from couch to couch, and no left-over smell of greasy bacon lingering around the house. Jack is having his "alone time" in his room (called this because he doesn't always sleep, but always amuses himself anyways, so we keep this routine going for now) and I am sitting here feeling lonely.

Matt took the boys on a "dude weekend" to watch/coach a track and field event. They were very excited to do this with dad and yesterday, wanted to get the packing process started. While they didn't really have any thoughts on what clothes to put in their bag, they had plenty of opinions on what else should go with them. First thing in the bag was their swim suits. Neither of my boys love water, but for some reason, are extremely pumped about the fact that they will be staying in a hotel with a swimming pool.

After that detail was taken care of, Ben picked out his blankie and a small bag of dragons, plus his giant monster pillow that I made him and was finished. That was all he needed. Mitchell, however, was just getting started. I'm not sure how long he thinks he will be gone, but he basically wanted to put his entire room in their small duffel bag! He was grabbing toys off the shelves and half a dozen pairs of socks out of his drawer. His giant ghost pillow which is about half as big as he is had to go, of course, and he thought he might need a few books, so was busy pulling more and more off the shelf and piling them up. For a while, he gave some thought to how he might fit his new scooter in the bag.

After I gently reminded him that not only would he only be gone one night, but he would be busy "helping" daddy at the track meet and wouldn't really need too much clothes or toys, we managed to avoid most of what he had set aside to go in the bag.

But the duffel bag was just bag one going with them. Mitchell also wanted to be involved in what kind of "dude snacks" they brought with them! I love how involved he was with this so we sat down and had a little conversation about what he would like to have to eat for snacks in the car and at the meet.

These are the things he came up with:

bacon

eggs

his new candy machine

salami

Gatorade

jerky

milk

yogurt

chips and salsa

I think he was trying to think of "dude" foods or something, because many of these are his and Matt's favorites!

I did put some Gatorade and jerky in his bag, and explained to him why the rest might not be the best choices for a road trip. But just think if I had let him pack! Matt would probably be happy...

At Last, I Become a Track and Field Fan

Matt is a long-time lover of track and field, but I have never been a true fan, I admit.  So far, it has really just been a distraction from fatherly duties, as far as I am concerned (sorry, Matt.)

But today, Ben participated in his very first track meet, and I, his mother, became a fan of the sport for the very first time.  I packed my kids up, despite nap times and dinner times, drove way down south, and suffered the heat to watch my oldest son do the long jump and 100m.  

I have been waiting for something like this since my very first baby boy was born - sitting in the stands or crouching on the sidelines snapping pictures while my kids try their hardest at their chosen activity.  I love it.  I have never been an athlete myself, but am loving living vicariously through Ben.

The excitement began when he received his very own number to pin on his shirt - making it all feel very "official."  He was so proud of that number - we actually still have it hanging in his room.

For me, the best part, by far, was his warm-up routine alongside daddy.  Watching Ben excited about what his daddy is excited about and mimicking his every move was far more entertaining and touching than the actual events.  They skipped, jumped, high-stepped, side-stepped, stretched, river-danced (ok, maybe not, but it looked like that to me) up and down the track, warming up for their events.

His first event was the long jump.  I have no technical knowlege of the event (I should, with how much I have listened to talk of it) but it looked like he rocked it to me!  He had such a look of supreme concentration on his face before his take-off: he really seemed like he knew what he was doing!  He hit that white line and launched into the air, feet out in front of him, landed in the sand, rolled, and then sat there as if he deserved a break after such a performance.  Mitchell and I were close by, cheering him on, which brought on the biggest smile from him.  It must be nice to have such a devoted following :)

Next up: 100m race.  Now this is the event he was most excited for, but it is a bit of a long race for a first-timer.  He lined up with all the other boys his age, "shook out his muscles," got into position, then proceeded to miss the start.  He started a good 3 or 4 seconds behind the other boys, then ran from lane 7 across to lane 1, which lost him even more time.  Let's just say he didn't finish first, but by the look of triumph on his face, he beat the other boys by a mile!  By the time I caught up with him, after packing up the other boys and all the junk we have to carry everywhere we go, he was still jumping up and down in celebration of his awesomeness.  

I just have to say, I am so overjoyed to see my oldest son having so much fun competing in something that is so important to my husband.  I hate to write this, in case Matt is reading, but I may have become a track and field convert overnight.  I hope this is just the first of many things they do together and get excited about both personally and together.  

What Could Be More Fun Than A Hose?

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with weekends.  I love the idea of Matt being home for two days and spending time together as a family and sharing family responsibilities.  While   we do have fun together and Matt certainly pulls his weight 

with the kids when he is home, it never quite turns out how I 

envision it in my head.  Weekends often involve bacon smelling up my house, 4 boys leaving a wake of toys, clothes, food, and general destruction, over-tired boys yet no naps, weird schedules, and, worst of all, track and field on tv (yawn).  

This weekend was great, don't get me wrong.  I had a great time relaxing with my dudes, but this weekend was no escape from my usual annoyances.  By late afternoon, I was ready for bedtime, but no one else seemed to agree with me!  That was when, yet again, I remembered that wonderful hose on my upstairs patio!  I suggested a water-fight, turned the hose on for them, and it was magic-in-the-making for a tired mommy!  With one patio, one hose, one water gun, two buckets, and endless energy, they amused themselves for most of the rest of the evening.  It was a perfect activity for a hot afternoon.  I only wish I had thought of it sooner.  

When they began running out of new ideas for blasting each other with the hose and soaking everything in sight, Matt and I got out some cleaning tools to spruce up both patios and the fun began all over again!  I'm not sure what we spent on water today, but it is worth it.