Hide and Seek

I've found that being an aunt has its advantages. Spoiling, playing, making a mess, I love the perks! Next week we are taking Jon to the circus and can I tell you something, I am soooooooooo excited about it! I can let him stuff his face with cotton candy and then conveniently drop him off at his house with a sugar high that hits da roof- I like that! With all this college stuff looming in the horizon (can stuff loom?), I need a diversion. Two year old Jon serves that purpose. So does his baby brother Si but this post is about a delightful time I enjoyed with Mr. Walking Backwards Guy (aka Jon). He likes to walk backwards every time he sees me. 

One day while visiting my sister and the babies, Jon and I played a game of Hide and Seek. We would take turns hiding and it was so funny to see him looking hither and yon for me. He had a preferred spot for me to hide which made the game rather unchallenging but still immensely fun. When it was my chance to find Jon, I would pretend to be completely baffled trying to locate him. I looked in the curtains. No Jon. In a pair of shoes. No Jon. In a drawer. Astonishingly, no Jon. Every single time he hid in the exact same spot. When it was my turn, I'd tuck myself under the dining room table and wait for him to "find" me.  He must have thought, "Wow, Dees (that's his name for me) is pretty dense," since I usually hid in the exact same spot. But that's one of the hidden rules of the game with Jon. 

I'm so glad he put up with my antics. We would still be playing hide and seek if it were up to him. How does he do it? He makes everything hilarious! Doesn't this look like fun? I can't wait to do it again and again and again! Bet you can't find me - HA!

Next Step

Today Nathan got a phone call from the local West Point recruiter. He is a 1993 graduate and wants to meet my son. The guy is coming by the school this Wednesday to answer Nathan's questions and maybe meet with the principal. One of the things I have appreciated through this whole process is how everyone seems to be very upfront and honest about what it takes to go to West Point Military Academy. They aren't sugar coating this experience, I feel like we are getting an honest appraisal, perhaps more than at a traditional university. My son is Army strong but am I? He can learn to run in the freezing cold and understand military strategy. He will be able to scale walls and carry a rifle with ease. But me, y'all, I am so terribly weak and vulnerable. I am such a wimp. Probably can't even do a decent push up if my life depended on it. I'm not talking about my physical strength. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I have to tuck that truth deep into my heart.

 

I know that when I am weak, He is strong. What would I do without my Heavenly Father right beside me? As my friend Janice reminded me, the Lord knows what it's like to give up your beloved son. While we were walking on the campus, I began to cry as I thought about my dad. 

He never met any of my children having died when he was only 44 years old. Warm tears streamed down my face as I thought about how proud he would have been of his grandson. I thought about my mother-in-law who is with the Lord now and wondered what she would have had to say?

Thanks to some sage counsel from another friend, my precious husband reminded Nathan of this; he is going to a success anywhere he goes. Mark is always a source of encouragement and perspective. It is so good to lean on a loving man and a Heavenly Father. 

When Nathan was staying overnight in the barracks, he called to check in. I asked my OS, "Well, what do you think? Do you want to go to West Point?" He gave me the best answer I could have wanted, "I like it but I'm praying about it."

I'll keep you posted. 

Visiting West Point

We arrived at the Admissions Office at 8 am on Friday. Since that time we have learned a lot of impressive things about West Point. I am honored that my son is even considering this place. West Point has a nobility about it that I haven't felt at other universities. Having not grown up in a military family, it's strange walking around in a camouflage-colored campus where people all walk the same and salute each other. I'm not saying I don't like, it's just a whole new culture. You don't see any dreadlockss in anyone's hair or piercings or tattoos, no facial hair either. It's a very clean cut campus body.  

West Point info we learned:

4,400 students attend

7 to 1 student/teacher ratio - This is less than in elementary school!

81% graduation in four years

Upon graduation cadets commit to five years of service in the Army - this is a very serious commitment

It's estimated that a West Point education is worth $448,000

Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Norman Schwarzkopf are just some of the notable graduates

Wake up time: 5:00, not 5:01, definitely not 5:15. It's not pretty if you don't wake up on time. If Nathan goes there, it should be a VERY interesting considering time to see how he does with that. Considering how much prodding his brothers do to get him up at 7 am, I wonder how he will adjust. 

Your room stays clean. Impeccably clean. 

I mean so clean not even a hair should be on the ground. You don't want a hair on the ground or a dust bunny or anything out of place. It's not pretty. You will walk the plain (a large flat field on campus) or worse. 

When we were walking around the campus, Mark was impressed with how many cadets called him, "sir" as he passed them by. I only heard some cuss word while on campus. When we visited another university, the cuss words were flying all over the place. I'm not saying they don't use them (wouldn't that be nice, though), it was such a totally different atmosphere.

I'm praising the Lord that I brought my trusty long undies as I was able to handle the chilly temp thanks to the layers of clothing. I wasn't exactly working it but sometimes you have to forgo high fashion, you know what I mean?

I have cried at least six times but not in an embarrassing way. One time, yesterday morning, the lieutenant mentioned something about saying good-bye to your family and I almost lost it. I drew a deep breath, getting ready to let loose of a few years but immediately Nathan looked over at me (he knows me pretty well) and I knew I had to try and get myself together. I sucked the tears back in and waited until Mark and I were together to let a few fall from my eyes.

We are awaiting news on his eye exam and physical so he hasn't been officially accepted yet. Nothing is a done deal yet. However, I have to accept is this - I have to accept and yield God's will for my son's life whether it's at West Point or somewhere else. The Lord and not me, have to determine my precious boy's future. We are earnestly praying and if I get ahead of myself, I'm a wreck but if I stay in the moment, I can handle things. It is obvious the Lord is using this experience to make us lean into Him more and more. 

We pick Nate up at 1 pm and we'll learn more about his overnight time with a cadet. Check back for more details as we continue on this incredible journey. 

 

Flying to Fishkill

We arrived here in Fishkill, NY after an uneventful flight. I really like uneventful flights, they are my preferred type of air travel.

Nate was really excited to see a few snowflakes. We went to the Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and Nate saw a small pile of snow. As a true Southerner, he didn't have a clue so when he went to make a snowball only to find that it was a frozen chunk. Also in true Southern fashion, Nathan didn't think he needed his winter coat. He insisted that he'd be warm enough with his fleece jacket and a soft shell jacket. After spending a few moments in the East, Nathan decided he might need a hat. Duh! I think Nathan is going to learn the true meaning of frigid, bone-chilling cold if he goes to West Point.  Above is Nathan in a ski mask (he didn't buy this one) and then you'll see Nate jumping on his father (one of his favorite things to do). Bet you didn't know you could this much fun at Wal-Mart, huh?

We arrive at West Point by 8 am and we'll tour the campus. Then we'll say goodbye to Nate as he shadows a cadet and spends the night in the barracks. Mark and I will return to our hotel room without our boy.  That will be weird. I'm just taking this one step at a time, trying to not get ahead of myself. Taking in the experience, asking the Lord to give us all wisdom and direction, I'll keep you posted. Stay tuned!

Books for 5th grade boys?

Isaac and I have accomplished a nearly impossible feat...we have finished reading a book together! Taa daa! This is not an easy task, especially with my youngest, orange-haired, freckle-faced olive shoot but I was determined to succeed. Despite countless temper tantrums, drama galour, Ike and I read every page of Roald Dahl's book The BFG.

As a fine purveyor of words, I find great joy and peace reading to my sons. With a dictionary somewhere nearby, some of the most cherished moments I've had with my boys have been cradling a book in my hands with one of my olive shoots (sons) tucked closely by my side. I love digging into the dictionary and learning new definitions, words fascinate me. I should have been a linguistics major!

And I can't resist adding funny accents to the characters in the books. When Aaron, Ike and I read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and The Tale of Despereaux (amazing book!) by Kate DiCamillo, I had countless crazy voices. Sometimes I'd change the accent mid-sentence when I realized that the character had an American accent instead of a British one, or it was a female

character not a guy but my boys put up with the inconsistencies and indulged me nonetheless. While reading The BFG, I had a lot of fun using quirky British lilts as I read the scrambled words of the Big Friendly Giant. The BFG said words like "bobsticle" instead of "obstacle," he was quite a colorful fellow. Occasionally Ike would allow himself to grin in the midst of my silliness. Even if he'd rather be outside playing basketball, I think deep down inside he was enjoying himself.

We turned the final pages of our book and I'm wondering this...Do any of you have any recommendations as to what we should read next? Ike is an 11 year old boy. I need a book that is interesting, clever with some surprising twists. Do you have any ideas? Let me know, I'd appreciate it and I'll let you know what we pick. I've got one in mind but it might not be a good fit. Your suggestions would be great.

Guitar Jam Session

"The babies are coming! The babies are coming!" I shouted as my two adorable nephews and sister began walking up the driveway. Mom had to go to the doctor again today and Denise and her guys decided to stop by while waiting to pick her up. I love seeing these two guys, I could write a blog about being an aunt almost as easily as I write about being a mom. A few moments with Jon and Josiah and life is good, really good. 

Five boys ranging in age from 5 months to almost 18 years old scurried around the house. Jon made himself comfortable and walked upstairs. There he huddled himself into Nathan's room and felt like a real big boy in his Thomas the Train pajamas. Listening to the sounds emanating from there, I opened the door and saw Nathan treating his 2 year old cousin to an impromptu jam session complete with singing. Soon Aaron was joining in and Jon sneaked in a few strums on Nate's guitar. Josiah was downstairs nursing having his own special moments ;) 

Btw, as a dutiful mom, I want to mention that my son does sleep with sheets on his bed. It was Monday and it is my washing sheets day. 

I'm trying to take care of my family like that cuz I'm not down with bed bugs and dust mites, ya know what I mean? Just didn't want anyone thinking my boy was severely neglected. Oh, and one more thing, the bottles on his shelves, those are Izze drinks, a natural fruit juice made with a splash of sprinkling water. Completely healthy, non-alcoholic, refreshing and innocent. Ok, now go and enjoy the video clip knowing those little caveats. (I'm having trouble loading the video, technical difficulties, check back again, folks!)

Being a mom of three sons is a blessing, being the aunt of two adorable boys makes my heart sing!