Monday, June 20, 2011

camp

yesterday we took avery to camp.

my son is two hours away (driving with a lead foot anyway).

miles asked on the way home, "how long would this journey be on foot?" that's so miles.

i thought i'd bawl my eyes out on the way home, but i was too happy for him. and, at the time, thursday seemed so soon. now, a day later, and thursday feels so far away.

i'm dying to know how he's doing. does he have a lot of mosquito bites? has he brushed his teeth since we dropped him off? is he starting to miss us?

i let him pack his own suitcase. i'm pretty sure he did a mostly great job. (i didn't double check.) but, i noticed today while doing laundry that he didn't pack any swim trunks!!! good thing he's a boy and can just wear shorts.

it's nice being able to lavish miles with affirmation without worry. usually there's an older brother who interprets affirmation for anyone else as a criticism for himself.

ugh...i just want to see a picture of him or get a text. it's crazy having no contact with my boy. i can't believe some sons go off to war and their moms can't comfort themselves with mental pictures of zip lines and camp songs. oh lord, how will i survive the ache of being a mother?

i heard today that avery's team won their game last night (with no avery!). they are now in first place in their league. i want to tell him about it. he'd be so excited.

on one hand, i miss the living daylights out of him. on the other, i keep thinking about how much we could get done if they were all at camp...

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

9 thoughts on my parents (who read this blog and live in romania)

1. I haven't been able to erase their old American cell phone numbers from my contacts. The thought of it bums me out.

2. Speaking of cell phones, I wish I could text them pictures and random updates.

3. I'm really excited to see them in a few short days!

4. My kids are even more excited. I never really experienced grandparent love as a child. It melts me.

5. I love who I'm connected to through my parents. My aunts and uncles and cousins, Eastern Europeans, my best friend in Pennsylvania...

6. I wish my house was in better order for their visit.

7. I think about holding my mom's hand a lot. I miss holding her hand so much.

8. My Dad is better than yours. He might not be able beat yours up, but he could beat him at everything else.

9. As a parent, I want my children to know how much I love them just because they are my children. As a child, I want my parents to know how much I love them just because they are my parents.

Friday, June 3, 2011

20 things from today

1. Brent took the day off to work on our family room remodel.
2. I took the boys to school and barely made it to the gas station. The gas light had been on awhile.
3. While I was pumping gas, my delightful doppelganger, Jenny Wilson, called because she did in fact, run out of gas. (We even have the same car.)
4. I ate several dark chocolate peanut butter cups from Trader Joes.
5. The Pella rep finally called me back about an estimate. We played phone tag. It was pretty awesome.
6. Jillian changed her clothes four times. Maybe seven.
7. I got visits from Becky, Jenny Rigney, Jenny and Matt Wilson and the Misners!
8. Phoebe pooped all over herself promptly after waking up and sometime before we got her out of her crib.
9. Rachel stopped by to borrow sewing supplies. I'm glad somebody is using them!!!
10. I found out, after the fact, that Miles recited a poem at school in front of the whole school today.
11. I went to sleep today. That's how late I was up last night. I was up until today.
12. I got a call from my lovely Japanese daughter, Youki, to let me know she is graduating on Sunday and that she would like to see us today or tomorrow. (We opted for tomorrow. And I HOPE we can go to the graduation!)
13. Avery played in his first tournament of the season. They lost 3 - 1.
14. Phoebe peed through a cloth diaper. We discovered this right when we got to the game.
15. I fixed Jillian's bike chain that had been falling off every few seconds...for the past six weeks.
16. Jillian and I planted the pots on the front porch.
17. Jillian and I painted with water colors on the back deck.
18. I felt badly because I felt like I ignored Jillian, but now I'm thinking I didn't do such a bad job.
19. We did laundry. (Just in case you thought we could go a day without it. Uniform and Phoebe's bedding.)
20. Finally sold some furniture on Craigslist. They came, they bought, they sauntered. Or rather, it took them quite awhile to pack up their minivan. Like a really long time. But, no big deal. Just notable.