pink nostalgia

sprouts

I'm a big believer in planting spiritual seeds.  You don't know which experiences or conversations or moments will stick with people and become meaningful to them.  You don't know, and may never know, what will take root and grow and further someone's walk with Christ.

So the idea is to keep at it and not get discouraged if you don't see immediate results.  It's one of those invisible things where you won't know until you know, and you may never know.  ; )

My hope for inviting the Wells boys to church was the same as my plan for family dinners: establish the habit, do it together as a family, and ultimately create a space of safety, acceptance, openness, and love.

And ultimately ultimately, foster our relationships with Christ.

We pray together.  J talks to the boys about Jesus.  There was a magical truck moment about two years ago when all three of them sang "The Proof of Your Love" by for King & Country.  Adding church was a natural progression.

So I shopped for churches.  I found one that I love that I also thought the boys would like.  I invited Jason.  He invited the boys.  The four of us have been together a handful of times.

If we're keeping up with the metaphor, this is when all the seeds are planted.  Each invite.  Each prayer.  Each song.  Each mention. 

Seeds.  Seeds.  Seeds.  Seeds.

And then you just wait.  (And hope.  And pray.)

Two Sundays ago, the pastor mentioned that there are Bibles in the back of the sanctuary free for anyone who wants one.  Last Sunday, we stopped on our way out of church to chat with a friend.  As we were wrapping up and leaving the sanctuary, Alex stopped J and I and said, "Can I...mumble mumble mumble..."

I leaned down and said, "What was that, babe?"

He pointed and said, "Can I get a Bible?"

Be still my pounding heart!  Of course you can!!

He carried that thing proudly out to the truck and opened it as soon as he buckled his seat belt.

Then last night, the boys and I were eating dinner at the table.  J doesn't like dinner music, but I do, and since he was gone, I had a praise and worship Pandora station playing in the background.  E and I had this snippet:

E: Are you about to cry?
me: What?
E: Last time we heard this song at church, you cried.
me: Ohhhh.  No, I'm not going to cry, but yeah, this is a good one.  I really like the line, "Our hearts will cry/these bones will sing."

Then we talked a little about all of creation praising God because He's THAT good.  Then:

E: I thought about singing on Sunday...

Be still my pounding heart!  Of course you can!!

Seeds, seeds, seeds, sprouts.  : )

the. cutest. [shaving] thing.

Can I just tell you?  This was the cutest thing.

Out of 26 photos, I narrowed it down to 12.  I couldn't cut more than that.

By way of background, E has been wanting to shave since...at least this long ago.  J said he could shave once he turned 14.  We got him a razor (and I made a razor cake) for his birthday.  Then J so casually says, "I'm going to go shave," and gives E the nod.

This one is so good.  He looks like such a proud MAN.

I love how they kept checking in on each other.

I wish you could've felt the vibe in the room.  It was excitement, but it was Wells boys' excitement, which is more like...contained wonder.  Like if they show their full hand they might explode, so it just beams right under the surface.

This one.

It's too bad firsts only happen once.  Now I have to wait five years for Alex's turn!

how to: razor birthday cake

Last Christmas, it came to be that Ethen wanted to start shaving his face.  His peach fuzz was noticeably darker (and noticeably dark), AND...wait for it...he had chin hairs.  Three of them.

Jason begrudgingly agreed to let him shave - once he turned fourteen years old, approximately seven months later.

Fast-forward seven months to J and I brainstorming a shape for E's birthday cake.*

Jason said, "Do you think it would be mean or funny to make him a cake in the shape of a razor?"

Uhhh, hilarious.  So long as you let him shave.

E had a light bulb moment when he opened the razor.  "It looks just like the cake!" 

And J did let him shave.  : )

 

*Our other birthday cakes: Alex's army tank, Ethen's baseball stadium, J's motorcycle, Alex's army fort, and J's plain Jane.

the plain jane birthday cake

So we have this tradition of me making themed birthday cakes for the Wells boys.  It started here.  Then it continued with Ethen, J, back to Alex, Ethen, and now we're back to:

me: Hey babe, what kind of birthday cake do you want this year?
J: Vanilla.  Cream cheese icing.
me: That's it?
J: Yep.  That's my favorite.
me: Okay.  What shape?
J: What shape?
me: Yeah.  Baseball stadium, army fort, motorcycle...
J: Nah.  None of that.  Just plain Jane vanilla and cream cheese icing.
me: Plain Jane.
J: Plain Jane.

Well, that's all well and good, but it's not going to be a 9x13, I can tell you that.

I had some serendipity: the night before his birthday (a Saturday), J had to work from 11 p.m. - 2 a.m.  A perfect time to make a few cakes!

He left at 10:30 and gave Alex an 11:00 bedtime.  As SOON as he left, and I mean the garage door hadn't finished closing yet, Alex jumped up off the couch and said, "Is he gone?  Let's get started!"

Let's get started!

We hustled to get the first cake in the oven, then we made J's favorite cheesecake and finally this homemade cream cheese icing + 1/2 cup extra powdered sugar.*

Then it was his bedtime.  Then we put the second cake in the oven.  Then Al went to bed.  Then I made another batch of icing and assembled the plain Jane cake.

Photobomb attempts.

I've been keeping the cake in the fridge.  This morning, four days later, J walked all the way across the house to tell me, "Oh, and by the way - that cake is THE BEST cake I've ever had.  Ever.  That icing is AMAZING."

: )

*Alex and I first made the cream cheese icing according to the recipe but agreed that it needed more sugar.  Alex said, "I would say, like, about this much," and scoops up about a teaspoon.  I said, "Uhhhh, let's start with a 1/2 cup.  Use this one."

Editor's Note: J's birthday is in August, so...this is one I wrote a while ago and am just now posting.  : )

the definition of love

About a month ago, Jason, Ethen, and I were lingering at the dinner table.  It was one of those scenes where everyone is done eating, but no one wants to leave the table.

We started talking about love from family.  How do you know someone loves you?  What do they do?  How does it feel to love?  What IS love?

We each answered, gave lots of examples, and talked about the five love languages.

And then I recalled a perfect definition of love.

It took me a bit of courage to bring my Bible to the kitchen table discussion.

I said, "Here is how the Bible defines love:

'Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.' "

Word.

Ha, get it?

We had a moment, and that moment stuck with me for a few days until I figured out how to preserve it.  It took me lots of trial runs plus one viewing of Three Ninjas with Alex to get it right.  It's the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

It says that when you walk in that door, this house is about love.  This is how we are to treat each other.  Our boys will know what love is and what it should be.

behind the photo: the ottoman

Here are the first five things that come to mind as I see this photo from this week.*

1. This scene is an iteration of a scene that happens a lot, and it warms my heart every time.  I love watching Jason read with Alex.

2. Here's the setup - the four of us were in the kitchen mapping out the night ("What are you fixing to do?"  "E needs to shower, Al needs to read...").  Then Alex came up with the game plan: "Angela cooks dinner, Ethen showers, and I read with Dad!  Then after dinner, we'll all watch Friday Night Lights!"  There are two things I love about his solution: 1. J encourages the boys to fix problems.  Fix problems is a motto at our house.  So for one of the boys to come up with the solution is cool.  It's working.  2. Alex used to put off reading as much as possible.  So for him to voluntarily put it in his plan as a top priority is pretty amazing.  It's working.

3. Alex is standing on a square ottoman with wooden legs.  It didn't even cross my mind that he must be standing on something (because he's not 5' 6" tall) until much later.

4. I made tangy chicken for dinner.  (As Kathleen would say, I could eat my way out of a bathtub of that sauce.)  The first time I made it for the boys, E said that he didn't really like the sauce.  So this time, I left the chicken out of the sauce for E's portion.  During the meal, I nodded to Ethen and pointed towards his chicken, which naturally meant, "How do you like the chicken without the sauce?  Is it alright?"  He nodded back to me, which naturally meant, "Good."  Fix problems.

5. Right before we sat down to dinner, I moved my favorite mason jar of flowers off of the table and onto the bar.  And that's when I discovered the ottoman under the bar.  Fortunately, it was more of a kick than a trip, and more fortunately, I did not drop the jar or smash it into the granite.  I hobbled back to the table and said, "I think I broke my piggy toe!  Somebody bless it!"  So Alex prayed, "Dear Lord, thank you for this great day.  Watch out for Angela's piggy toe, that it doesn't hurt anymore.  Uhh...Amen." 

*Author's note: I wrote this post last month.  : /

the pancake breakfast revisited

The first time I tried to recreate my mom's pancake breakfast for the Wells boys was kind of a flop. 

We tried it again on Memorial Day.

Here's the end of the story first: it rocked.  Rocked.

Here's the beginning and middle of the story:

The first hurdle was the calendar.  There was a chance that the boys wouldn't be at our house for breakfast that holiday Monday and that this breakfast plan would have been postponed through another baseball season, but we arranged to pick up the boys on Sunday. 

The second hurdle is the timing.  We all agreed on 10:00ish so J and I could work out before breakfast and so Ethen could sleep in.  Alex always gets up early, so we gave him a snack and the promise of his favorite sausage.

The third hurdle was the food!  My mom serves up everything as it's hot off the irons, but that didn't work for us last time.  This time, I baked the bacon in the oven, sizzled the sausage on the griddle, and waffled between two waffle irons.  When a batch of waffles were done, they went on a cookie sheet in the warm oven.

We put all the food on the table, prayed, and passed plates.  We chatted, passed more plates, and cleaned the kitchen together.

Halfway through eating, I was smiling to myself.  J caught my eye, and gave me the I-know-you're-emotional-right-now-because-you're-so-proud smile.  I gave him the do-not-give-me-that-smile-right-now-so-you-can-push-my-tears-over-the-edge "Stop."  Then:

E: What's he doing?

me: He's smiling because he knows how much I'm enjoying this.

E: Yeah, this is really good.

me: Well, thank you, this IS good, but we weren't smiling about the food.  We're smiling because I've been wanting to do this for a while, have a big breakfast with us all at the table, where we're all smiling and laughing and telling stories without me running back and forth from the kitchen like last time.

E:  Oh.  [smiles]  Yeah, this is nice.

As Ethen was clearing his plate, a friend called him asking to hang out.  E replied, "Well, I can't go right this minute - my dad is still enjoying his breakfast."  : )

So that's how Wells do Pancake Breakfasts.  : )

the cargo mat conversation

Alex: Uhh, why did you just take a picture of that?

me: Well...it's kind of a "mom" thing.  [I pause, expecting him to lose interest and climb in the car.  But he's still looking at me, so I'll keep going...]  You know I bought this cargo mat [pointing] specifically for y'alls' sports stuff - for soccer balls and baseball bags and chairs...  [He's nodding and still looking at me intently.]  This is the first time we've used it.  It makes me happy.

Alex: Oh.  [half smile]  Okay.

one nonillion

A one with thirty zeros is one nonillion.  I Googled it.

So, Mother's Day this year marked about a year and a half that the Wells boys and I have lived together.

I went to church by myself, which is always an emotional rollercoaster for me.  So that's the baseline.  An emotional rollercoaster is where we're starting.  Then the pastor starts his welcome with this: "We want to acknowledge that while Mother's Day is a celebration for many, it's very difficult for some.  Some of you who desire to be a mother haven't been able to, be it through suffering miscarriages, infertility, or just life circumstances.  We want to acknowledge your grief and let you know that we love you, and we're here for you."

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

This was as I was looking through the church bulletin on summer camps for the boys, so...impeccable timing.

Of course there wouldn't be breakfast in bed or snuggles or a dedicated school function.  I mean, the boys weren't even at our house for Mother's Day.  But eternally hopeful...

It would be so amazing if I got a text, if I got a photo, if I got a card, if, if, if...

Alas, none of that happened.

So I had some tough love with myself - Angela, you're not a mother.  [Gulp.  Let's try a spoonful of sugar with that.]

You know the boys love you.  They're 13 and 9.  They're children.  And they're boys.  You can't expect them to reach out to you on their own.  None of the Wells boys are big on grand celebrations and fusses.  They're not trying to hurt your feelings.  The silence doesn't mean that they don't regard you.  They've just not been taught to be outgoing in that way.   

Then I kind of pushed it into a corner.

That night, my re-found friend Rita texted me, "Happy Mother's Day, Angela!  I hope you were celebrated!" and I got a touch emotional again.

New day.  Maybe next year will be a little better.

The next day, J picked up the boys to stay with us for the week.  The four of us hung out in the kitchen just visiting, everyone sitting on a different counter.  Alex hops down and runs to his room saying he has a surprise for me.

A handmade Mother's Day card.  For me.  And the hugest hug where I almost squeezed the life out of him.

So...best Mother's Day ever.

how to: get a teenager to dance

In the living room/kitchen with the family:

- Let him play his own music (the clean versions, of course).  

- Glance, don't look, and smile.  But a small smile, like the kind of smile you give when Alex pronounces it "mininnilem."

- Ask what he has that he'd pick for you.  Ariana Grande.  And then turn it up.  UP.  And twirl.

- Get him to show you "that one new dance."  Move the coffee table if you need to.

 - Give his little brother a few head nods to invite him to join the party whenever he's ready.

- Whoop and holler when his dad busts out with the sprinkler, the cabbage patch kid, and the you'd-better-watch-this-hand.

- DON'T take pictures.  : )

When he thinks no one is watching:

- Show him a mirror.  ; )

When he knows everyone is watching:

Okay, he got a hit.  Cool.

What?! He's not stopping at second?!?!

Get down, baby, get down!!

TRIPLE!!!!!

- Wait for him to hit a TRIPLE during a baseball tournament in which his team will go on to win first place.

 

 

 

So, this breaks the first rule, but in my defense, he was dancing on a baseball field.  Pictures are fair game.  Ha, punny!!

jason the handyman

I need to tell you how ridiculous Jason is, but in order to do that, I need to give you some background.

On our first Labor Day together, I had really high hopes.  I thought we'd sleep in and spend the majority of the day lazing around in bed.  Maybe find a "Love It or List It" marathon, eat donuts, and never change out of our jams.

Instead, we got up early and painted the exterior of his house.  On Labor Day.  We finished the siding, then he hits me with, "Should we go ahead and do the porch?"  Sighhhh, okay.  We finish the porch and he says, "Should we paint the window trim while we're at it?"  Sighhhhhhhhhhh, okay.

[In his defense, it WAS better to get it all done at once.  Also, we WERE preparing that house for sale so he could buy us a new house.  : )]

But about half-way through (the siding, ha), he says, "Hey.  It's really amazing that we're already half-way done and haven't gotten in a fight.  I've never had that before."

Awwwww.  Let's paint the porch and trim!!

So, painting went really well. 

It went so well that we thought we'd tackle replacing an interior and an exterior door.

Three days later, Jason said to me, "Babe.  If I EVER tell you that I want to do some kind of renovation, home remodeling ANYTHING, slap me across the face."

[We did finally get the two doors hung.]

Fast-forward to the current story: installing wood floors for the house.

J: We could save a lot of money if I figured out how to install the floors...
me: Which side do you want it on?

AND

me: Do you think we should replace the carpet in the closet with wood?
J: We need to do something.  We could replace it with new carpet.
me: But then we have to have them come back out to measure, cut...
J: Well, I can replace the carpet.
me: I'm going to slap you.
J: What?  Why??
me: Home improvement!!
J: Well, I think I can handle a square of carpet!!!!
me: Are you sure?!?!?!

[We had the floors professionally installed, including our closet.  But J did successfully remove the entry-way tile and thinset, and we ripped up ALL of the old carpet.]

behind the photo: ten things

Obviously this is not a posed photo.  It's not even staged.  I literally got up, took it, and sat right back down.  The boys didn't even know I snuck it with my phone.  I kind of love this photo because it truly is an honest look at an honest moment, and it tells so much story.

1. the flowers that J gave me for my birthday.  Each year, he buys my flowers, and each year, the arrangement has at least quadrupled in size. 

2. peanut butter Reese's pieces cookies.  There are 12 in a package, and this one was the only one left an hour later.  It was gone before bedtime.  We were literally passing the plate around as we were playing...

3. Monopoly Empire, received from my Uncle Jeff and cousin Kristen for Christmas.  Such a great family game.  It goes really fast, it can change really fast, and there's room to make the rules up as you go.  BTW, the standing rule in our house is: if you roll the dice off the table, you lose a turn.  Alex asked to play it as we were finishing up dinner, E replied, "I can do that," and blam, J won.

4. E's Muscle Milk on the ground, his pick from a run to the convenient store down the street.  To give you perspective, everyone else picked ice cream.

5. the ottoman I was leaning against as I was texting with Rita, seconds before and after this photo was taken.

6. the carpet we're professionally getting rid of.   J considered...you know what, this is a separate post.  : )

7. the couches we're professionally getting rid of.

8. tossing the football [dive catch], not unusual at all except it's usually Al & E running/tagging/juking down the hall and into the living room.

9. E playing with his hair, phone in his lap playing music through the sound bar via Bluetooth

10. E's Sting baseball jersey that he wears to school.  He likes it because it's pink.

You can read what happened an hour before the photo here.

lip-quivering pride

There have been a few times in the short time that I've known him that Ethen has done something so sincere that it makes my lip quiver with pride.

He frequently does things that make me smile with pride - looking for his dad when he hits a home run, giving my mom a hug goodbye, challenging me to Trivia Crack.  And last night, as Alex was rolling with laughter, Ethen pointedly looked at J and me to make sure we were seeing how happy his brother was.

But that's not what I'm talking about.

The first was several months ago.  He took the prayer before dinner, and I was so touched by his sincerity (and gratefulness for algebra) that "Ethen, I love you," spilled out for the first time.

The second was was an email received last Friday after Ethen's first track meet.  

Subject: Your Son...

I wanted you to know, I was completely impressed with your son last night.  My poor daughter was “elected” to run the 1600m at last night’s track meet, she is not a distance runner so she finished last and was actually lapped.  On her final lap she was so far behind everyone I thought she would not finish, but then this group of 3 boys ran along side her all the way.  My original thought was “how classy” these boys are helping and encouraging her.  Then when we got in the car I asked who they were, so please give him a big hug and thanks from me.

Neither one of us saw it happen.  I had left the meet to take Alex to basketball practice.  J had left the meet minutes before since Ethen was done with his events.

We talked about it at dinner that night.  He saw her struggling, so he rounded up some guys and said, "Let's go."  He doesn't have a crush on this girl; he just wanted to help his teammate.  I read the email out loud at the table.  (I had to get special permission to have my phone out.)  I told him with a quivering lip that he changed this girl's night.  He turned it around.  Instead of being teased and ridiculed, she was encouraged and cheered.  It mattered to her family so much that they talked about it as soon as they got in the car AND her dad sent the email.  Finally [In my most emphatic voice], she will remember that race for the rest of her life.  As something positive.

YEAH.

(Race: Second leg of the 4x100, second attempt after all the boys were lined up in the right lanes. : ) )

It kind of reminded me of this story, except that there were hundreds of people watching.

I nodded towards Alex, "Are you proud of your brother right now?"  With big sincere eyes he nodded and replied, "Yes."

We celebrated with Reese's Pieces peanut butter cookies and a game of Monopoly Empire, after which everyone remained congregated in the living room, like no one wanted to break the spell.

(I bet my mom's eyes are watering right now.  Any takers?)

how to: army fort birthday cake

Alex's birthday was this week!  I'm really digging the tradtion of homemade theme cakes.  The boys anticipate them.  : )

Alex asked for an army fort cake with camo icing just like last year (which translates to army green).  The only problem was...what does an army fort look like to a 9 year old?  And how does that fit in with a cake??

J helped a lot with the positioning of barricades, men, and equipment.  J vetoed the helicopter on TOP of the fort and the rocket-launcher guy, because, you know, it has to be realistic.

J had the idea to "reveal" the cake to Al once we were done that night rather than try to keep it hidden until family celebrated with us the next day.  That way, I could get genuine reaction photos instead of next-day cheesy smiles.  We moved it from the kitchen counter to the table when Al was in the shower.

So...what does an army fort look like to a 9 year old?  Apparently this one passes muster.

Happy birthday, Al!!!!

this is how we tent

Since we went in March, the boys have been itching to go back to Mom & George's property.

Since we've been watching Naked and Afraid, they have convinced themselves that they can survive in the wild with only flint and a pocket knife.

Ergo, camping at the property.

Does this look like a girl who wants to go camping?

No.  No it does not.

I thought I clenched it with, "But Babe!  You won't have your fan!  How will you sleep??"  J replied, "I won't!  We'll be awake and miserable until 3 in the morning until we're finally too exhausted, we'll sleep horrrrrrribly, we'll have some good stories, and then we'll never have to do it again!"

Ahhhhhh.  Therrrrrre it is.

I liked the "we'll never have to do it again" part, but more than that, it clicked for me - the boys will love it.  It will be one of those experiences that we relive 20 years from now.  The boys won't remember it the same way we do (spoiler alert - they fell asleep at 9:30).  Our miserable is their magical, and it all creates memories.

It was really cute - the boys went shopping last week for all things camping.  They kept it all on the kitchen table to show me when I got home from work: hiking boots, glow sticks, a fire starter, water-proof matches, a satchel, ammo, knives, etc.

It wasn't so much camping as it was just sleeping in a tent.  Well, and we all "used" the woods.  Yes, even me.  And J and I brushed our teeth using a water bottle.

The boys went into the tent around 9 p.m. for the coolness factor.  There was lots of rustling around and giggling, then silence by 9:30.  J and I turned in around 10 since I was already nodding off at the campfire.

The first thing we see when we open the tent is Ethen asleep in his sleeping bag and Alex completely splayed out over his, J's, and my sleeping bags.  You would think since he's little that it wouldn't be possible...

J resituates Alex, and we crawl in.  As soon as we get settled, J whispers, "It smells fuuuuuunky in here!"

Well, I started giggling.  The kind of giggling that you do at slumber parties when you know you're not supposed to be laughing and you're trying to be quiet so Staci's mom doesn't come back out to yell at you.

Fast-forward Slow-motion through restless sleep and lots of badger noises.  J and Ethen both wake up to use the woods.  When J comes back in, he says, "It's only midnight."  Are you kidding me?!?!  Longest night ever!  Well, yes, he WAS kidding.  It was really around 4 a.m.  Then there was this exchange:

J: Man, it stinks in here!

E: It's Alex's breath.  (And poor Al, not even awake to defend himself.)

J: It's everyone's breath!  ...Except for Angela's.

me: [slumber-party-giggling]

J and I got up around 6:00 to a beautiful sky.

Here's the sunrise through the pine forest.  It looks like like the woods are on fire.

For a second, I thought the Gamemakers were trying to push me towards the other Tributes.

So yeah.  That was the last time we go camping.  : )

one of these things is not like the others

I imagine that my life now as a step-parent-counterpart is weird to a lot of people, but it feels really natural to me.

In fact, it's a privilege. 

I took Alex to a parent-teacher orientation a while back.  It was just the two of us.  We were waiting outside for the school doors to open, and I was looking around at the parents.  Several were looking at their phones or scowling or both.  None of them looked excited to be there.

I was downright giddy, and it seemed odd to me that no one else was visibly excited.  Maybe once you've seen one, you've seen them all, or maybe it loses its luster on the second child, or maybe a person gets jaded after being a parent 24 hours a day for 8 years and running, or maybe I'm a rare breed who geeks out over seeing the classroom and putting the teacher's handshake with the stories.

But.

It was SO COOL to be involved that little bit of Alex's educational career.  I don't get to decide on his summer reading camps or go to parent-teacher conferences.  But I got to take him to his school (nailed the parking), walk down the hall with him, hear the classroom rules, sign up for text reminders, and walk back out with him.  Well, I walked; he skipped.

Then we picked J up and went to E's football game where Alex shared his sour pickle with me, unprompted.

It was awesome.

behind the photo: my favorite alex photo

During this football game, Alex expressed a newfound interest in my photography.  Throughout the game, Alex suggested multiple photos for me to take and asked to see them afterwards.  He sat right next to me as I packed up my camera bag. 

He watched and asked questions as I traded out lenses.  I showed him how to face the camera body towards the ground so it doesn't get dust on the image sensor that will show up on the pictures.  I showed him how to trade out the caps and how the lens will click into place.

I showed him how to twist the lens to change the zoom.  I explained how a longer lens means a longer zoom which means you can get closer from far away.  We compared my longest lens to my short portrait lens.  This one gets very long as opposed to this one which doesn't zoom at all.  I let him twist it to no avail.

Then he stuttered, "Well, where's your medium-est lens?"

: )

I reached into my bag of tricks and pulled out my 18-55mm kit lens.  We compared its size to the others, and of course he checked the twist/zoom function.

He made his determination.

Al: Well, I like this big one the best.

me: Yeah, I like it, too.  It gets close from far away, and it takes really good pictures.

Al: Okay, take my picture!

He faced me and cheesed while I immediately got my camera up.  But since I had my long lens on, his nose basically filled up my whole frame.

me: Alex, honey, you're too close.  I can't get it to focus.

He slid back on the bleacher.  Just the fact that he slid back on his own so I could try again instead of losing interest made my tummy flip.

Al: Okay, how 'bout now?

J: Boyyyy, that's not even a real smile!

So Alex tried again, a real, genuine smile with just a hint of cheese.

[click]

me [turning the camera around to show him the screen]: Oh my goodness, look how handsome you are!

Al: That IS a good picture!

they're trying to play me

It's a compliment, really.

Alex (8):

A few weeks ago, J had to go into work late, so I was in charge of making sure Alex brushed his teeth and got to bed on time.  As soon as J left, Alex and I made peanut butter cookies.  Somewhere in the middle of that, I mentioned that we should start reading one of his new bookfair books.  He still doesn't love to read, but he's come to terms with the inevitability of it, so he just said, "Alright."

Fast-forward to bedtime.  He was seriously stalling, so I walked him to his room.  As soon as I said, "Alright, Skillet, hop in bed," his eyes quickly scanned the room.  He grabbed a bookfair book off of his dresser and said, "We COULD read this!"

Sigh!  He know my weakness.  But I stood firm and said, "Nice try!  Bed time."  I couldn't suppress the grin, though!

Ethen (13):

For the first time with me, Ethen tried to play one parent against the other.  I took the boys to Target last week for a few groceries.  As we were walking towards the checkout lines:

me: Did we forget anything?

E: Razors.

me: For what?

[Ethen just rubs the peach fuzz above his lip.  I started laughing.]

me: Are you 14 already?

E: What?!  Dad told you??

me: Fool, I was there!  I was in the truck when he said that!

E: Dang it!  Well, it was a good try.

Yeah.  Nice try, boys.  : )

behind the photo: first fall fire

Right after J got the fire going, the four of us sat in front of it.  As soon as I stood up to get my camera, J yelled in a sing-song voice, "Camera, please!"

He thinks he knows me so well.  Hmph.

This is what usually happens when I start taking stills of anything:

I knew I only had one shot on this one.  J is the only one who noticed me climbing onto the kitchen counter. I put my finger over my mouth to shush him.

[click!]

The boys immediately looked up, and Alex exclaimed, "You're not allowed to stand on the kitchen counter!!"

J replied, "I'm sure her feet are clean!"

They were clean-ish.  I wiped down the counter when I was done.  : )

first fall fire

J has realized that I like things. 

Trimming the tree as a family is a thing.  Extra sauce on our pizza is a thing.  Jalisco's after football is a thing.

Last night, J got home with the boys and exclaimed, "I was thinking we should have our first fire in the fireplace.  You knooooow [he says as if he has to remind me], it's one of our things."

Yes, I'm fully aware that he was playing me.  But it did get me out of a workout.  : )

The boys brought in firewood while I got a meatloaf in the oven.  Then we all just kind of hung out in front of the fire.  We talked about leadership, we looked up game schedules, and Alex tried to scare me by putting a fake tarantula on my head.

It was pretty great.