Let's Hear It for the Boys

Yes, I have boys in my house.  Two very nice, very handsome, very witty boys (not counting my husband, for whom I look for "man" category placement opportunities rather than reasons to place him in the "boy" category).


Nevertheless, you would have been able to tell that I have boys even if I had not pointed it out. Why?

Well, just a few things. First, there's a half eaten layer cake (with sprinkles) in front of the television.

There's a bicycle under construction in the Family Room......

......right next to the drum set which is used to create some pretty eardrum-shattering, though impressive,  music.

There are large, smelly shoes in front of the door, snubbing their little shoe noses at the nice "shoe shelf" I bought for them to live in. Why sit on a shelf when you can be in the middle of the floor and trip everyone that comes through the front door?

My bed has been hijacked by a teenager wearing a hoodie and a set of headphones,eating pretzels out of the bag while texting on his cell phone and browsing for new "Fail Blog" videos.

And, of course, the floor has become the closet.

I'm probably in the Bad Mom category because I let this stuff happen without very much fussing or stress. You have boys? You're gonna' have half-eaten cakes, bikes in the family room, and clothes on the floor. It's like having a puppy. You're gonna' get chewed up toilet paper rolls. It just comes with the territory.

But, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Because even though I might get some mess and nonchalance about household aesthetics, I also get:

"Mom, I really like your hair. It looks good."

"Mom, do you want me to carry that for you?"

"Here, Mom, let me finish the dishes."

"Mom, you go first."

So, I just smile at the bike, the cake, and the clothes. Just like I smiled at the earthworms and the gifts of wilted dandelions 15 years ago. I don't get upset when I catch them drinking out of the milk container (as long as they're drinking the last of the milk). The noise doesn't bother me. The raucous amusement over bodily functions doesn't offend me.

Because, you know. They're boys. And boys are great.

Things we are learning about Caleb

1. He would rather sleep than eat.

2. He has his mommy's toes.
3. He has his daddy's calm outlook on life.
4. He sleeps like his mommy - arms and legs everywhere. He hates to be wrapped up too tightly.
5. He has beautiful blue eyes (that probably won't stay blue, but they're beautiful nonetheless!)

6. He knows how to wear a hat with style.

7. If you wait long enough, camera in place, he'll give you a smile.

Thinking on Willy and his Kin

When my son, Jarom, was 7 years old, we went to see the movie "Free Willy". He loved it so much that we bought the movie. We bought shirts with Orca whales on them. He had Orca whale curtains in his bedroom. He ate, slept, breathed, and dreamed Orca whales.



My how time flies.

At any rate, at the end of the movie there was a short documentary on Orca whales with information about adopting a whale. My little son thought he would really like to adopt a whale, so we mailed off $35.00 then checked the mail every day.

Finally, it came. A huge packet arrived with information about "his" whale, including a picture of her and the exciting news that she was a new mommy whale. Her name was "Princess". She was beautiful.They were holding a contest to name her baby. Jarom named him "Cody".

...we had a small problem over a big whale...

But, in spite of all the excitement, Jarom was a little emotional over the whole thing. In fact, he was downright hysterical.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Don't you like your whale?"

"I didn't get a whale", he said. "You told me I'd get a whale and all I got was a picture."

There are moments when you realize that there's been a misunderstanding. There are other moments when you realize there's been a BIG misunderstanding.

This was one of those times. My sweet little seven year old son thought that he was getting a whale. A REAL whale. And he was having nothing to do with any explanations about the realities of where we would keep such a thing, much less what we would feed it. I appealed to his compassionate side. A whale wouldn't be happy in Idaho. No, even a swimming pool in the back yard wouldn't be big enough.

Honestly, to this day, I think he's still upset that he didn't get a real whale.

So, all this news about Tillicum, the whale that killed his trainer this week, has made me think about how much my son loved (loves?) Orca whales. He loved everything about them. He wanted to swim with them. He wanted to go see Shamu. He wanted one to have and to hold from this day forward.

Now, we all know that the whole reason Sea World keeps whales in swimming pools in the back yard is for the money. And, we faithfully shell out the money to see a magnificent creature that, if not captive, would probably never be seen by most of us. And I can't help but think that those trainers that work with them are very much like my son. Enthralled. Mesmerized. Giddy at the thought of it all.

But, with all that said, I'm re- hearing again in my mind the conversation my son and I had years ago. I know you love Orca whales. I know you want one. It would make you happy.

But the whale wouldn't be happy.

And isn't that something to consider?

Fly, little birdie, fly!

We got Sariah all moved into her dorm. And, as things go, I was so busy getting it done that I remembered at the last minute that I hadn't taken any pictures! So, these aren't exactly what I wanted to post, but at least I got some record of the event.

Not being able to get into the dorm until 12:00, we went to Burlington Coat Factory and found just the pea coat she's been wanting. (Yes, I know....there's no picture.) Then on to the bookstore in the Student Union Building where we paid an arm and a leg ($440.00!!!) for her textbooks. I could go on and on (and on and on....)about the scam involved with schools charging this much money for used textbooks, but I won't.

Over to the dorm, in a cold rain, only to find out that she didn't have the right Bronco Card to unlock the elevator, so it was back to the Student Union Building to get a new card. Fortunately, all the keys worked and Kent found a rolling hotel-style cart so it only took two trips to get all of her boxes into her room. Thank goodness for Kent! It would have taken 20 trips to get all of her stuff carried in without that cart!



After lunch at Johnny Carino's, it was on to Wal-Mart. Two hours later, after parading around Wal Mart with two carts, we had supplied her with peanut butter, school supplies, and chicken noodle soup (those of you who know Sariah will appreciate the importance of that chicken noodle soup, given that this is a staple in her diet).

We acquired our sturdy rolling cart again and hauled our Wal Mart stash to her room where she proceeded to unpack and settle in.



Her living quarters are very nice, with three roommates and each girl having a separate room. There are two bathrooms, a small washer and dryer, and a shared living space of a living room and a kitchen area.



I only had a small moment of anxiety when we had to leave her in her dorm with none of her roommates there, no car, and nothing to do but unpack. But, it's a 4 hour trip back from Boise and we had to get on the road. Then I remembered, "oh, yes! This is Sariah!" Independent, smart, resourceful, beautiful Sariah.

She'll be just fine.