Honeymoon Phase Over

The first major breakdown happened today ... the honeymoon phase of summer is over. Noah is very moody lately, so anything tends to set him off. This is not usually the norm for him - I say he is my more "go with the flow kid". Maybe hormones are kicking in - who knows. He got upset today with David over an excercise ball. I heard several times that he didn't know what to do today. This was the first day this week that we didn't leave the house - the boys had to figure out what they wanted to do at home. I am not the cruise director and I can tell that the lack of a school schedule has them out of whack. On the upside, we had a date night since our church hosted a "Parents Night Out" for two hours. Bliss!

Did you know?

A wasp can sting you thru your swimsuit and it still hurts like mad ... icky creatures that they are.

Poison Ivy

It was parent's night at Boy Scout camp last night. The younger two and I went to visit and to take food. The parents get to eat with the scouts in their "camp" and so I was designated to deliver the food. We enjoyed a very simple sandwich dinner without the cicadas - yeah! We also got a tour of the rifle range and a few othe places. I didn't take pictures of their campsite's latrine - way too smelly! There is a bathroom on the camp with running water, but it was just about as scary as the latrine.

David is participating in the Chaplain Aid program and I was so proud of him last night. Chapel is optional for the scouts to attend. At the Chapel service last night, we sang 2 praise songs with an acoustic guitar and a small drum - very cool! David and 2 of his buddies were up there singing with the Chaplain and a few other scouts. David also read scripture and was not nervous at all. It was such an amazing worship service - simple and awesome.

After chapel we went down for the campground campfire. About 300 scouts are at the camp this week. Their song for this year is "Poison Ivy" and it is now stuck in my head. There was way too much testosterone flowing, but it was fun to watch the boys be goofy and have fun.
I even received a hug from my (almost) 12 year old as we left.

Bugs Galore

The invasion of the cicadas really needs to go away. I felt quite smug that they had not invaded our neighborhood - until now. Within the past few days, I have seen and heard them in our yard. Our first encounter with these ugly creatures - yes they are Ang - was on a campout the first weekend of June. Our middle son, Noah, turned 10 in May and to celebrate, we took 6 of his friends, plus our crew, to Morgan Canoe Livery Campground. O.K. in my defense, it sounded like a good idea, then reality set in. The boys ran around and made as much noise as those icky bugs. Anyway, as Ethan, our 6 year old, was climbing into his tent, we heard a blood-curdling scream. Seems as if 4 of the bugs had found his tent to be a cozy place. Ethan came screaming out of the tent saying "I'm going home" "Those bugs freak me out". So, Ethan and I climb into our van to rest and now anytime he sees the bugs, he says "They freak me out". Oh - we slept in the van the whole night, along with the birthday boy because he had a headach and it stormed during the night. Sounds like fun doesn't it!
Happy Father's Day to all of our friends out there! My hubby is spending today and the rest of the week with our oldest, David, at Boy Scout Camp in Ray, Ohio. God Bless Him!

Chaos reigned with our boys tonight. Hubby and I tried to take them out for dinner to Red Robin. All 3 boys had been told that if they whined or threw a fit, that we would go home and no dinner out. As we were walking up to the door, our 6 year old got mad that we called him by his nickname - who knew? He began throwing a fit, so we headed back to the car, while the 6 year old was saying "Let go of my arm" - we did get a few stares. At home, youngest goes to his room and we order LaRosa's for the rest of us. Who knew raising boys would be so hard at times? Later in the evening, our soon to be 12 year old was outside - no big deal right? As he came up the driveway, he had a slingshot in his hand. Upon asking why he had it, I was told he used it with rocks! Hello, did he not see the cars and people in the road and driveways? He said he didn't aim it at either cars or people, but on the ground. Needless to say, he received a lecture and sling shot has been put away. I truly question if the warmer weather warps their brains or if it's just them trying to see what they can get away with. I love them dearly, but they are the reason for my hubby going very gray and for my blond highlights.

A Day with the Boys
Summer is here! My 3 boys spent today having a Nerf gun fight in our basement. To distract myself from the massive chaos and noise, I hid in our room to veg and watch the TV. The boys are age 12, 10 and 6 - so you can imagine the noise level they can create. We are off to Kings Island waterpark on Wednesday to have fun with friends and hopefully, tire them out!