Nut Envy. Coco…nut.

Today Tommy T took the boys to check out a potential campsite for the next adventure of the He-Man Boys Club. Karah and I decided to go to the Natural Food Store. At the entrance, there was a gaggle of massage therapists offering free chair massages...and we weren't about to say No.

Karah has been a health food junkie since she was a toddler. She would never eat anything processed. She would spit it out and gag. She wouldn't touch hot dogs, cheetos, milk chocolate, or spaghettios.

The boys? Not so much. I am convinced that their blood is now orange from all of the Cheetos they have consumed…

...and they love a good nitrate rocket.

 

This morning Bryce was wearing a baseball cap, pajamas, and sunglasses while carrying (and eating) a huge bag of chocolate chips. It was 9 am.

I must say that at LEAST they haven't stooped to the level of the Spaghetti-O. That’s just nasty.

Back to the story. Karah was in heaven at the market. She spotted a coconut and asked if I would get it for her. This picture grosses me out. Nothing against coconuts…but come on. Is the hair really necessary?

 

She picked one out...carried it through the store...put it up on the belt at checkout...and carried it out to the car. I was shocked that she didn't buckle it in, as well.

As soon as we got home, she wanted me to put a straw in it - so she could drink the milk..."just like on TV". Tom suggested a screw driver or drill bit. In the interest of sanitation - I opted for the Nut Pick...or whatever this thing is called.

I made a perfect straw sized hole and she was set. She sipped it…gagged…and pretended to love it so she could still make a public appearance in the neighborhood with her new hairy friend.

Coco was so hairy, even Peanut was jealous.

She wouldn’t even put the coconut down to play on the tree swing.

 

Bradley was baffled at her love affair with the fruit. He had his favorite vegetable on his mind.  Funyuns.

 

Tonight I was telling Courtney about the coconut adventures. She gasped when I told her I put a straw in it. Serious coconut envy kicked in. She kept yelling “How did you do it? How did you get a hole in it – that a straw could fit through? How did you do this???”

She proceeded to tell me about her family trip to Hawaii, as a child. Her dad bought a fresh coconut from a roadside stand. They eagerly took it back to their hotel room and her father tried to bust it open. He first tried the floor…then the bedroom furniture…to no avail.  He then took it to the next level and brought the coconut to the hotel stairwell and started beating it against the railing and the floor. The sound echoed throughout the entire hotel…she and her siblings could even hear the banging from their hotel room.

All she wanted to do was drink that milk through a straw…like on TV….but no matter how much her Daddy loved her – it was one thing he couldn’t give her.

He returned to the room with coconut shrapnel…a few measly slivers of the flesh. There would be NO sipping out of a straw…in front of the other locals. Her dreams were dashed…in the coconut homeland.

All of this happened 18 years ago. She thought it was over…until she was reminded today…over her coconut envy.

“Sorry Courtney. Want a sip?”

 

Father-Son Bonding

There comes a time in every boy’s life when he crosses the threshold of young manhood. This moment arrived for Bradley on May 7, 2010 when his Daddy  decided it was time to take him on his first “Father-Son Campout”. 

Tom armed Bradley with two disposable cameras so the trip would be captured through his perspective.

They didn’t make it too far down the road before they had to stop for beverages.

They were one of the first to arrive to the camp site. All of the other Fathers and sons were still on their way. Tom wanted to be early so they could pick their spot and have everything set up before the fun began.

Tom and Bradley named their outing “The He-Man Boy’s Club”. No girls were allowed. The campsite was named “Camp Cougar”.

They went out exploring with their fishing poles. They followed a creek bed until it emptied out into a nice little river.

There were many discoveries to be made….including giant mushrooms…

…and the skull of a deer.

  

They enjoyed an evening campfire and some snacks in their tent. They brought very few provisions since it was just one night. Little did Tom know…that it would drop to freezing that night. Bradley slept through the night, exhausted from his day of adventure….while Tom tossed, turned, and shivered.

The next morning, Tom cooked him a delicious breakfast of bacon and burnt eggs. They then packed up and headed home.

He left a boy and came home a mini-man. Confident, as he told us of the deer skull…and his river adventures. He begged to get his film developed. As soon as he got the pictures back – he put them in a Ziploc and carried them everywhere…as if putting the pictures down would mean that all of this was just a dream.

Since that camping trip, there has been a steady flow of deliveries from the UPS man each week. They are determined to keep their “He-Man Boy’s club” alive and strong.

Their next camping trip is in the works…and we have one VERY excited, little man. 

Sealed with a Kiss

For YOE date night – Tom and I drove out to eat at a Mennonite Restaurant named “The Wooden Spoon” that a friend told us about. It was a jaunt – but SO worth it.

They are only open for lunch during the week and dinner on Friday nights  The waitresses were beautiful Mennonite young ladies….no makeup and still flawless. They all wore handmade floor length dresses with their traditional head coverings….like this:

Our waitress was so sweet. She got an extra nice tip for being such a sweetie.

They only offer a few meals on their menu….but man it was good. Tom had Turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes. I had the Poppy seed Chicken with Steamed vegetables. They brought out a basket of homemade bread that was so soft and yummy. As if all of THAT wasn’t enough…we shared an order of Bread Pudding. Oh my gravy….was it good!!!!!!!

During dinner Tom said, “I think this was a mistake. We shouldn’t have come here.” He then asked how long it would take him to get here from his office every day….for lunch.

We drove back to town and dropped our Ruckus’ off in the Gardens parking lot…by the three bears statue, of course.

We drove the car down to the other end of the walking trail and began our walk back to the “Ruckai” (my new way of saying Ruckuses).

IWe estimated our walk at about 3 miles. We were good and sweaty and felt like we made a dent in the bread pudding, at least.

The walk was my favorite part of our date…just catching up…laughing…making plans for the summer…and our synchronized panting as we inched up that huge hill.                           

An hour later we saw the bear statue and celebrated our finish and hopped on the Ruckai.

Earlier, I had asked Tom what would happen if one of us got a flat tire on the way home. He chuckled and answered, “Then one of is gonna have to ride ‘bitch' the rest of the way.” After I stopped laughing, I realized it was a true possibility and had a feeling the ride home would not be without excitement.

We took the back roads towards home. It was dusk and the roads were windy. Unexpectedly, a deer jumped out in front of me.

While I prayed an “express prayer” – he stopped for a split second and smiled at me. Okay, he didn’t smile…but he still taunted me. My prayer of “Oh my gosh! Make it move!!!!” was answered and he jumped out of my path.

Immediately after that, a crane (the bird, not construction equipment) swooped down next to us and  snatched  something up out of the creek next to us. It was huge…and incredibly beautiful.

 

We finally made it back home. We then got in MY car and went to Sonic for a Route 44 Water with Lemon. Nothing has ever tasted so good. I drove Tommy T back to pick up his truck at the walking trail.

I told him that I had a really great time and would like to see him again. He said he did too and asked if he could kiss me goodnight. Three sweet kisses goodnight (one for each bear) and he hopped in his truck to follow me home.

It’s so fun going on dates with my boyfriend and not having to say goodbye at the front door (with your mother lingering in the living room…peering out the windows).

“Come on in, Tommy T. Mi casa es tu casa.”

 

 

 

 

Slacker Bunny

When was Easter? Oh yes….April.

In fear that my children will read the blog someday and assume we skipped Easter in 2010, I thought I should update.

Children….we celebrated. Here is how it went down.

There were flowers.

There was an egg coloring party on Saturday Night with your friends…even though our kitchen was torn apart…ready to be remodeled. We had no shame. Kess, Rayray, Colin, and Connor came over and didn’t mind the mess.

On Easter Morning…the kitchen was in a state of chaos. There was no grand Easter brunch. I think you dined on frozen waffles….on paper plates.

You hunted for and found your baskets.

The Easter Bunny got many complaints from Mothers…explaining that Easter Grass is not only unnecessary…it is maddening. As a result, the bunny banned grass from baskets in 2010. Yes…the baskets looked more scarce. But the carpets….how theY looked grande.

The Easter Bunny had stopped in Branson and picked up a special surprise for each of you. Bradley helped Daddy assemble.

You were all thrilled.

Well…ALMOST all of you were thrilled.

Brycer was busy giving all of us the stink eye. He didn’t know what to think of his new ride.

Karah soon coaxed him to sit on his new scooter….but Bryce made it clear he had no plans to move  anywhere.

 

The Sunday before we went to church and celebrated our “Easter Sunday”-and learned about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We learned about His suffering for us, His death on the cross, and His glorious resurrection. On the way home, we talked about Him…and how much we love Him.

On ACUTAL Easter Sunday….we got to watch General Conference at home. You made it through 1.25 sessions. Amazing.

I had our family to go over to Grandma’s for Easter dinner, since our kitchen was in an  upheaval. Yes, I invited us. Against what I am trying to teach you? Yes. But I DO hope that someday you guys will feel comfortable inviting yourselves over to my house….when you have babies and I am gray and “crinkly”. 

Uncle Bart and Aunt Josie were there….along with Aunt Shannon and Uncle John. Cousins David and Addison joined in the post feast egg hunt.

It was the most peaceful egg hunt I had ever witnessed. No crying, no hoarding, no selfishness. Just love.

 

Quote taken from my sister Josie’s blog…..”I did see a moment of sibling chivalry in yesterday's hunt.  Cousin Bradley reaching....yearning for a found egg that Grandpa so tauntingly hid at 5'7 in the air (Trying to prove he's still average height).

Karah spotted Bradley...and the egg from across the yard and came running with her basket.  Camera ready for an encounter...Karah beamed "I'll get it for you!"...retrieved the egg and put it into Bradley's basket.  Sweet Karah.”

It really WAS a sweet hunt.

Even the 2 year olds laid down their weapons of war and bonded over a game of ball.

After the festivities had died down….we gave our hugs and went to dreams.

Possibly one of my favorite pictures of Boo…. ever…..scraped elbows….bruised arm…with a death grip on his sweet bunny. Smiling in his slumber. His dreams were sweet….literally.

I love you little bear cubs. So glad I have you to celebrate these special days with….for always.

Why I Loved Today

“You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back.”  ~William D. Tammeus

Last night, Tommy T ordered me take out from The River Grill for dinner. I got to soak in a hot bath while he went to pick it up. In my jammies, I dined on the most scrumptious Filet Mignon dinner…topped off with Crème Brulee. The clock struck 9:30 pm and I was off to dreamland. A rarity for me. 12 hours later…..12!!!!….Mother’s Day started for me…and I loved it.

1. I loved sleeping in until 9:30 a.m. – just to be awakened by Tommy T – telling me to keep sleeping.

2. I loved being “re-awakened’ by my babies singing “Happy Mother’s Day to You”.

3. I loved each of them climbing into bed with me…presenting their handmade treasures….their kisses, their nuzzles, repeated over and over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. I loved that none of them seemed to want to leave my bed and just stared at me like I was a rock star.

5. I loved how Karah delivered me the Sunday paper and a pair of scissors because she knows how I love to clip coupons.

6. I loved watching HGTV as Tommy T prepared my breakfast.

7. I loved that he made me French toast and PERFECT bacon…taking the time to decorate my plate with fresh berries, walnuts, and juice.

 

8.  I loved that the kids picked fresh flowers off my clematis so I could have them on my breakfast tray.

9. I loved the bouquet of flowers my kids brought me in a root beer mug.

10. I loved that Tommy T brought me more bacon.

11. I loved the “I Love You’s” I got throughout the day.

12. I loved talking to my kids on the way to church – enjoying their curious minds as they asked me if stone houses are stronger than brick houses.

13. I loved that the sacrament meeting talks in church were about “real mothers”…not fairytale perfect mothers.

14. I loved that we were out of diapers – so I sent Bryce to church wearing a swimmer…and it leaked through his clothes and all over Tom’s suit….and Tommy T just laughed about it.

15. I loved that a young man from church found me in the hall during a time-out with Bradley – to give me a rose – since I wasn’t in the chapel when they handed them out. Who get’s roses during Time-Outs?

16. I loved that during Relief Society, we were served chocolate éclairs, fresh berries, and punch while we listened to our youth sing us songs and a few great speakers.

17. I loved Tommy T taking my face between his hands and telling me how much he loves me…that I am beautiful…and that he is so thankful for our children…all while my mouth was stuffed with marshmallows.

18. I loved the sweet gifts I received.

19. I loved laying on the couch with all three bears draped over me while we watched R.V. together.

20. I loved tucking them in over and over every time they heard thunder.

21. I loved that Mother Nature sent me my period today. It’s the best.

Little Bear Cubs,

I have wanted you all of my life. When I was young and pictured my family…you are EXACTLY what I wanted…from the way you laugh…to your faces…to your fantastic humor and wit…to your sweetness and kindheartedness...and even your strong wills and occasional sassiness. You are JUST as I always imagined. I am so thankful for MY mama for teaching me the gospel of Jesus Christ…for urging me to cling to it…and for being able to give it to each of you today. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father blessed me with everything I dreamed of. I am truly Thrice Blessed.

I love being your mama….more than filet mignon and crème brulee :),

The Mama Bear