Demons & Zombies & Parachuting... Oh my!

Oh, how I love having boys... such interesting creatures.

Last night we had several power outages from the crazy winds that were blowing.  The first one was at about 10pm and lasted apprx. 1.5 hours.  During this time, Jake, Jackson & I sat in the livingroom in the dark and talked.  (apparently after seeing Paranormal Activity 3 last year, they were a little uncomfortable SLEEPING during a power outage... go figure... dark... sleeping...?  whatever.)  So we talked.

First up was Toby, the demon from PA3.  Would he or would he not come after ME?  I haven't seen the movie, but apparently either I would just be killed outright, or ignored... they couldn't come to an agreement about this, although I'm hoping for the latter.  They also discussed which side of the attic Toby might live in - each convinced that he stays above the OTHER'S bedroom.

THEN we walked about the feasibility of jumping off the roof into the wind using a bed sheet as a parachute.  Jake wondered how far he'd fly?  I wondered how hard he'd land.  Jackson just said he should definitely go for it.  Jake DOES live in a different version of reality than most of us...

The topic that got the most discussion was Zombies.  Jake wanted to make sure that we all knew our positions/duties just in case we were attacked by Zombies during the power outage.  Jackson, he said, was to man the upstairs windows.  Jake was going to unlock the shotguns and be ready to blast them through the upstairs bathroom window if they tried breaching the roof.  "I" was the downstairs person.  (????)  I would be armed with a machete (the unsharpened one he has hanging on his wall?...sigh) and if they tried to come in through windows or doors DOWNSTAIRS, I was to chop off their heads.  I told him I would much prefer to be the upstairs person.  "Fine," he said, "I'll come downstairs with the guns."  Why can't I have the guns???  Jackson brought up a concern... what if they were NAZI Zombies?    Apparently that is a whole 'nother situation, and I would be relegated to hiding upstairs while he and Jake took care of them, since they have experience (don't ask.)  Oh, and for some reason, the Nazi Zombies would come up out of the creek out back.  They said it could be an old burial ground.  "Nazi burial ground?  In my back yard?  In Texas?" I asked?  Ummm....  "Well fine," Jake said, "maybe they're INDIAN Zombies - which are even WORSE."  I personally have never heard of Indian Zombies - but I'm sure there are a lot of things I don't know about.

Meantime, Jackson SWEARS he hears an old woman outside screaming.  I tried to tell him it was just the wind, but he said he was pretty sure it was the grandmother from PA3.  I asked if we should go outside to help her and both boys screamed "ARE YOU KIDDING?????????  DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR!!  Gosh, Mom!"

OK then.  I'm going to bed... good luck with Toby, Grandma and the Zombies.  Let me know when I need to hide upstairs.  Love you and goodnight!

Priorities...

Just in case you were wondering, I DO have priorities.  I'm not always completely random... scattered... frazzled.  REALLY.   In the mornings my priorities are usually to make sure the boys eat a decent breakfast (is banana pudding a "decent" breakfast??), wear semi-matching clothing (incuding socks that actually go together), and brush their teeth before leaving for school.  Sometimes I even remember to remind them to grab their backpacks on the way out the door.  In the afternoons my priorities including remembering to pick up boy #3 from school and shuttle him to and from whatever sporting activity he is supposed to be at on whichever day (sometimes it takes more than one brain to remember it all, tho). 

Today, however... TODAY's priority was our annual Bluebonnet photo shoot.  I tried to do this last weekend but it was soooooo very sunny... everyone was squinty and washed out (and some mean person on the highway honked at me and made an ugly gesture while I was trying to make the best of the situation!)  Rude person.  

I knew it was supposed to rain today so had been planning on trying again early this morning.  I woke up at 7:30 and it was PERFECT outside - that perfect overcast sky that makes all the colors just GLOW.  I let the boys sleep... for another half hour (hee hee - mean, huh?) and then woke them up, promising them What-a-Burger breakfast taquitos when we were all done.  This, by the way, is the most awesomest bribe ever - really gets their rears in gear ... except Justin who's version of "hurrying up" means taking only 30 minutes to get his clothes on and brush his teeth.  Whatever... we were out the door by 8:30 - woo hoo!

First stop... County Road 403.  Both sides of the road absolutely lined with bluebonnets... nevermind the prickly mesquite tree or the cactus.  I certainly didn't mind them.  The first shot of the day was this.  What you can't see is that I've had Jake tuck a mesquite branch behind his head (it WAS in front of his face - and that will never do.)  It is poking him in the scalp with it's thorns.  I told him to be still and it wouldn't hurt very much and it'll only take a sec for me to snap the pic.  Should have checked the LCD display and retried - he's got a funny look on his face... sigh.  After this I told them to squat down so I could get them more in the flowers.  Justin says, "Mom, there are cactus."  I said, "Just don't SIT on

it."  Justin replies, "If I squat, I'll HAVE to sit on it."  My response?  "Squat PART of the way down to where you're not touching the cactus but it LOOKS like you're sitting."  Priorities, dear, priorities.  What's a little cactus pain when there are photos to be taken???  So he did and I got this one.  Seeeeee - everything was just fine!  :)

Down the road a bit farther I got this one.  Probably a good thing Justin didn't SEE Jackson behind him.  Older brothers are a persnickety bunch, sometimes. 

Then, when Jackson spontaneously put his arms around his brothers'... the whole shot degenerated to this...

God forbid he touch them... LOL

By this time it had started to sprinkle.  No worries - a little rain won't hurt anyone (or a camera when you've got it covered in a zip-loc baggie!)  Funnily enough, the boys didn't even complain about standing in the rain.  I got one of my favorite shots of the day when they were just walking away from me down the side of the road.  I guess they know it takes more than a little sprinkle to change my mind about a photo shoot.  Good boys, they are... have the right priorites, too!  :)

I did end up with several great shots to go with the ones that didn't turn out so perfectly.   And we are happy to report that we encountered no snakes, no scorpions (but there WAS one in my kitchen tonight)... no traffic hazards were created by stopping on the side of the road to take bluebonnet photos.  I'm even pretty sure no one was bitten by fire ants.  Can't promise that though - it's such a common thing around here, it might not have been mentioned...  I didn't have to threaten anyone for not cooperating.  No child was actually harmed by mequite thorns OR cacti... sigh... a VERY good morning!

...thoughts on the eleven-year-old boy

You know... I am not surprised by many things that my boys do or say.  I pretty much expect 2-year-olds to have tantrums... and teenagers to look at me like I'm stupid... and curfews to be broken ever so slightly (but Mom - the clock in my truck says it's 10:57!)... but my youngest son, at 11, does surprise me at times.  It must be kinda confusing being 11.  On the verge of adolescence, but still really a little kid.  On the other hand - maybe it would be FUN being in that in-between area... still being able to CHOOSE if you're going to be a big kid or a little kid?  I remember that I still played with Barbie's, loved to play baseball with the boys, had just started babysitting away from home, and started 7th grade when I was 11.    Oh gosh... that says it all, doesn't it?!? 

Anyway... here are some of the things my CURRENT 11-year-old does that surprises me:

1.  Writes on himself.  Markers, pens... legs, feet, hands, arms...really doesn't matter.  I do not understand WHY, even though I've asked him.  Apparently he gets bored at school sometimes.  I ask why he doesn't draw on paper instead... he says I don't understand.  Yesterday he came home with a Pedro mustache drawn on his face.  HE didn't draw it... another boy did. Because he had drawn one on him.  OK then.  Perfectly sensible.  (sigh... can't BELIEVE I didn't get a photo of the Pedro mustache before I made him wash it off - what was I thinking???)

2.  Sits on the couch upside down reading a book (head hanging off the seat of the couch, legs in the air...you get the idea).  I'm pretty sure I used to do this, too, but that doesn't make it any easier to comprehend.  And why did he wait until NOW to start doing it?  He's been reading nearly all his life... are the stories more interesting upside down? 

3.  Drops things on the floor at random times... trash, shoes, books, remote controls... whatever he happens to have in his hands - as soon as something else catches his attention - poof - dropped right there.  When I ask him 'why???' - he actually doesn't realize he's done it.  Sheer lunacy.  He used to have a longer attention span.  I think.  Hmmmm.

4.  Girls.  OK - I know it's normal... but a little disconcerting that all of a sudden he LIKES them.  Does that just happen in 6th grade?  I don't remember the other 2 talking much about girls - but that could be because they had each other to talk to and didn't chat with me about it much.  Oh well... I guess it had to happen. 

5.  OK - this one kinda stresses me.  He is obsessive about deoderant & colognes (puts on deo 3 times/day and about drowns me out with Axe body spray...) but isn't real big on brushing his teeth yet (althought I make sure he DOES brush 2x/day!!!).  I tried to tell him that stinky-breath cancels out cologne & deoderant.  Hopefully one day he'll listen.  It might take a girl telling him he has bad breath, tho.

6.  Hides his dirty socks.  I find balled up socks in the STRANGEST places.  Not just under the bed & in the closet... places he had to FIND to hide the socks... places that it woud have been easier for him to put them in the laundry than there... like behind towels in the linen closet.  Or behind the VCR in the TV cabinet.  Or under pillows on the couch.  I've even found them under his mattress.  The boy has a serious aversion to the laundry room.  Or maybe he's leaving little presents for me... stinky-feet presents?  Maybe wants me to think of him while he's away at school each day?  Wishful thinking, I know.

None of these things make me particulary ANGRY... sometimes it's aggravating, but mostly just...interesting and a lot of times funny.  He is a great kid... still tells me he loves me several times each day.  Makes me laugh all the time (sometimes at the same time he makes me want to strangle him.)  He's got an AWESOME sense of humor - as shown in his choice of Halloween costumes this year.  He wanted to be something "different" but we couldn't think of anything in time.  So he decided to buy a silver skeleton mask and a black, hooded cloak and just be a scary guy.  At the last minute, he ran back upstairs and got the finishing touch to his outfit... a plastic afro.  It was hysterical - Justin & Jake were calling him the "African King."  I thought he looked like one of the aliens out of the movie "Mars Attacks" (I think that's the one, anyway.)   

Sure wishing he could stay this age for longer than he will...

Conversation with Jackson yesterday...

Conversation with Jackson (11) after school:

Mom: So, do you have any cute girls in your classes this year?

Jackson: Ummm, not really.

Mom: I guess that's probably a good thing - fewer distractions, right?

Jackson: No, that's NOT a good thing.

Mom: Why?

Jackson: I want to "get" a girlfriend by next week.

Mom: You want to GET a girlfriend?

Jackson: Yes. Homecoming is next Friday and I want to go with her.

Mom: Who?

Jackson: I don't know yet, but surely I can find a girlfriend in a week.

Mom: Is there anyone you LIKE?

Jackson: No, but I'll find someone.

Mom: Oh...

Jackson: If I get a girlfriend by next Thursday can you make her a Homecoming Mum like you made Jake's girlfriend?

Mom: Overnight? Are you kidding?

Jackson: No, I'm not kidding - she'll need a mum to wear to the Homecoming game.

Mom: I MIGHT be able to throw something small together, but that's ok - you're only in 6th grade.

Jackson: I want to her to have a BIG one - the BEST one, like you made Jake's girlfriend.

Mom: You want me to make a $125 Homecoming mum overnight for a girl that you haven't even discovered yet? Really????

Jackson: Yes. Can you?

Mom: ummmmm.... let's talk about it this weekend (hoping he forgets by then.)

Sigh.....

Meet the Boys... (aka B2S 2009)

Before I do anything else - I just need to say that I have the most wonderful kids in the world. I know, I know - I'm a little partial being that I gave birth to them and all, but really.... how many teenage & pre-teen boys do YOU know who willingly and ungrudgingly (is that a word?) sit for photos for their mother? Especially at 7:00 in the morning before the first day of school? Exactly - I thought so. They don't complain or grumble or refuse to smile...they do get rowdy and silly sometimes, but that's ok - it happens. Anyway - they're pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

These are some of the photos from Monday morning's B2S photo shoot... I just love them...so full of personality. I let each boy bring what they love most (besides me, of course - lol). Gosh...there are some scrapbook pages just WAITING to happen!!!

This is Justin... 16 years old, driving (SO important to mention!), & a Junior in High School. Pictured here with his 2 favorite things - his Ibanez guitar and his dog, Gracie. Sporting stylish, new Abercrombie white shorts and American Eagle shirt... and of course, his favorite Sperry loafers. This kid is not going to have much of a life for a while... his schedule includes Pre-AP Calculus, AP American History, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, Pre-AP Language Arts III, AP Spanish IV, Newspaper & some random technology course he has to take. He had his 1st 4 classes yesterday - and 3 of them gave him homework...REAL homework...the first day of school. Sigh... I know it'll be for the best in the long run, but it's surely no fun right now! He got his first real job this summer, which ended 2 weeks before school started, so at least he had a little time off. Justin recently started playing guitar in our church's Praise Service (which means this night owl has to be at church at 7am - lol!) My Dad is so proud he could almost burst... :)

Next we have Jake... 15, just got his learner's driving permit about a week ago (and is happily scaring the daylights out of his mother every chance he gets!), and is a Sophomore in High School (also taking mostly Pre-AP classes.) Jake loves football, football, and...um... football. He lives for it, you could say. He plays Tight End for the JV team - their first game is this coming Thursday. He also loves playing violent, war-type games on the XBox360 - like Call of Duty & Gears of War... typical teenage boy. I don't see the fun in those type of games, but then I lack the testosterone needed to enjoy violence, I think. LOL - whatever. He's a great kid - no worries! Oh - almost forgot - he also loves to EAT. Beef, preferably - or eggs. Whatever it is - it needs to be in LARGE amounts. If I don't have enough of whatever it is we are eating for him to have as much as he thinks he needs - I get this look like, "Mother...don't you LOVE me? I'm half starved!" And Lord help me if I were to serve a meal without MEAT... tried it once over the summer (spaghetti with no meat - just sauce, noodles & cheese) and there was almost a mutiny - they all three FREAKED! Boys!

The 2nd photo here is of Jake being invisible in his Abercrombie camo shorts. I can't see him - can you?

Finally we come to Jackson... 11 years old, started 6th grade yesterday - Middle School... geez, I'm still in shock about that one. (nevermind - it's not 'pity-party for Mom' time right now...) Anyone want to guess what Jackson's "thing" is? Yup - soccer. He's starting his 5th season with the Eagles. I'm really surprised he didn't choose to wear red, white & black to school on the first day. Most of the school clothes he picked out were his team colors - lots of Adidas and Under Armour stuff. Guess he wanted to look like the big boys. Of course - all of his new American Eagle clothes have an EAGLE on them - so I guess he's covered either way! Jackson is also working on his adult Black Belt in Taekwondo. He's got 3 stripes on his red/black belt - 2 more to go! Poor kid has had a bit of a rough summer... he was diagnosed as OCD with a vocal tic disorder. Long story, but he's doing better - still has a ways to go, but we're hoping the meds work well enough so that school is not a challenge for him. He gets to start Pre-AP classes this year, too - Language Arts & Math and a GT Explorations class. I have been so blessed to have smart kids!

Love, love, love them! :)

Vacation?

Some might think that going to the beach with a husband (only 1, thankfully), 5 boys (11, 12, 15 & 2 16-year olds), a crazy brother & his Russian fiance' would not qualify as a "vacation". I might have to agree. We DID have a fantastic time, though! No one was terribly damaged by the sun (we all had crispy noses but there's not a lot you can do about that!). No one had any painful encounters with jellyfish (which is definitely a first!), rays or sharks (would have BEEN a first, but is certainly worth noting!) Several of the boys were accosted by hermit crabs - so there was a LITTLE blood, but nothing major. All-in-all a relatively pain free trip!

Kelly rented 2 long surf boards, so there were 3 total, and he and the older boys spent most of their time surfing. Who knew you could catch so many waves on Texas beaches??? I didn't even TRY to surf this year. Last year I tried...once. A wave rolled me and popped the surf board up... which came down and bonked me on the head so hard I saw stars and didn't know my name for a few minutes. That is enough for me. I'll stay on the shore and take lots of photos! :) Much safer for so many reasons - like there are NEVER any sharks out of the water! I'm not fond of sharks. Actually I'm not terribly fond of any animal that wants to EAT me...sharks, crocodiles, alligators...you know the ones - big with lots of teeth? Snakes, I can handle... spiders... mice... but not sharks. EXCEPT on TV... they're fascinating when they'e safe behind the glass of the TV screen. Even so - I still find myself trying to talk the people OUT of getting in the water with them. They don't listen.

I took a TON of photos, as usual, and if I was smarter than I am, I would put them on a slideshow as part of this blog entry... but I'm NOT smarter than I am and I don't know how to do that. Maybe someday.