That's Terrible!

I have to type this out before it flies out of my head completely.  A few days ago, Eden had changed her clothes four times already and it was just barely noon.  I walked out of the bathroom to find her sitting on the couch in a shirt but her shorts or skirt was no where to be seen.  I said:"Eden, where are are your pants/shorts?"  and she was like: " I need new ones."  So, instead of getting continually more and more mad every time she changed clothes, like I had been, I knelt down in front of her and said with a half-smile, "Eden, I don't mean to be upset with you but, do you know that every time you change your clothes, it makes more laundry for me.  And did you know that I have to do laundry for NINE PEOPLE?" She looked back at me with her big eyes, dead serious and whispered, "Oh no, that's terrible." and gave me a hug!  I laughed so hard!  She totally made my day with that.  It's little thing like that, that can turn your day around for the better.

Morning Blurb

I am having a meltdown over my fitbit.  Lol, for reals.  It is still tracking everything for me but, won't sync up with any device.  I have to manually enter all my steps.  So annoying.
But...........
So far today has been freaking awesome!! :)  It is my Asher's 9th Birthday and the first day of school for the 2015-2016 school year! The morning went off without a hitch! I just got me and Viv here and it feels amazing!!  I already am getting stuff done and getting to spend time with just Vivi.  She is loving the access to all the toys that Eden usually snatches from her!  lol!
I woke up at 5:00am so that I could get a handle on the day.  Everyone was awake except for Jeremy and the girls.  I made some biscuits and gravy, fried eggs,toast, and individual cartons of orange juice with little straws for Asher's birthday breakfast/back to school.  I bet he hates having his birthday then.  Jeremy says that he always hated it too.  Tristan has the same issue some years.  I think Eden is in the clear but, still early on in the school year.  We got some Lofthouse cookies and I took those out to school for Asher's birthday treat.  Jeremy bought 50 of them for Asher's class, lol! 
We signed the kids up to ride the bus this year but, when it didn't show up when it said it would, Jeremy loaded everyone up and took them to school.  I think they are riding the bus home. Vivianne and I will be waiting with the camera! 
I have slowly been writing this since about nine this morning.  The day is going well.  Vivianne is down for her nap and I am planning Asher's birthday supper. I am planning on making a big batch of meatballs to freeze and might just do spaghetti and meatballs.  I also thought about pork chops, mashed potatoes/gravy, corn, and noodles.  I can't decide. 
Our shed is overrun with wasps nests.  They are EVERYWHERE.  It is like a battle every time we go to the shed.  And we have two hornets nests in the best trees in the backyard.  So far no one has been stung.  But, I just had an epic battle with a huge wasp that got in the house.  It refused to die and it kept stinging the broom over and over and over again.  It was frightening.
So, the kids JUST walked in the door from school......at 4:45pm!! Criminey!

Well, everything went really well today! I was expecting pure chaos and everything just kinda flowed today.  Sweet!! We had home made spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and waffle or regular ice cream cones.  Asher got a new toy machine gun and a transformers lego set.  AND he gets to pick out whatever new bike his little heart desires!! More details on stuff from the day later!!

Fresh Picked

 This girl LOVES to pick flowers for me!  And once she starts she doesn't like to stop until all the flowers are picked.  LOL!  One day I had to get a big mixing bowl to put all her flowers in!  And she must do this at school too because I find bunches of flowers in her backpack all the time too!! :)  I love her.  She knows just how to make me smile.  

Asher's Doc Appointment

Yesterday I took Asher to the psychiatrist again for a check up.  The timing was perfect because we had just had a parent/teacher conference with his school teachers this past weekend.  He is still getting awesome grades.  He is SO smart.  But, the social aspect of things is still needing work and from what I gathered today, will be a life long work in progress.  We talked meds and things we could do to help him and us cope and live happily. The medicine is helping with the ADHD but, the Aspergers is going to require something else.  Dr. Cummings suggested that we start therapy.  It would be talk therapy and social skills.  She gave me a few numbers to call and we set up a follow-up appointment with her.  I have really been struggling emotionally lately in dealing with the "fun" of the Aspergers part of his diagnosis.  It doesn't help that I feel like no one gets it.  Even though I know that there are people out there that do.  The good thing is that from what I have been reading many Aspies (new lingo!) go on to do great things like becoming the CEO's of huge corperations or inventing new things because of how they think outside of the box.  Anyway, I came home and started doing some more research on things I could do to help him and me.  I loved this answer from Dr. sears that I found posted online in response to another Aspergers (ASD) question...... 


You are correct in referring to Asperger Syndrome as "high-functioning autism," as it's a part of the whole spectrum of autism. I prefer to simply call it Asperger Syndrome, and separate it from the stigma of autism since many of these children act quite differently than those who are more severely autistic. I have had the experience of being pediatrician to several of these children in my practice, and have followed one child with Asperger Syndrome from birth  -- and he's now a 24-year-old computer whiz who is a senior programmer in a major computer firm.
Like my former patient, many children with Asperger Syndrome are extremely bright. The most obvious characteristic of children with this syndrome are their social quirks. "Quirky" is not necessarily a negative attribute, in this instance  -- these are kids who think out of the box and, if treated professionally, they will grow up to build better boxes. The so-called quirks that A.S. children exhibit are variable, but the one thing that characterizes these children is their social inappropriateness. Some are very aloof; many have problems picking up on normal socialization cues and come across as awkward. They often shun prolonged eye contact, and are less engaging in conversation. Unlike most children with autism, A.S. children rarely have any delay in speech; in fact, many are extremely bright and eloquent. Their eloquence just appears at the wrong time. For example, they may blurt out their opinion about a topic right in the middle of the teacher's lesson in school instead of waiting until she is finished. Difficulty with the back-and-forth listening and speaking of normal conversation is also typical. Here are five ways to help your child become socially more appropriate:

Get him counseling. Interview specialists in Asperger Syndrome in your area and choose one that is a good match with your child. Because your child is precociously bright, he will likely perceive on his own whether or not this counselor is right for him.

Be his social chairman. You may notice that he'll relate appropriately with some children and inappropriately with others. He may do better with one-on-one relationships or shine in group play. Identify the most compatible peers and foster those relationships. Invite temperament-compatible friends over to your home for parties and sleep-overs. Keep track of "high-risk" situations that cause him to get frustrated and become socially inappropriate, such as too many kids in a small room, and avoid these situations as much as possible. In my experience, children with Asperger Syndrome get bored around boring kids, so you may need to encourage relationships with other children who are bright and interesting. Remember, your goal is to help him enjoy the company of other children, and he needs to enjoy socializing in order to do it appropriately.

Model social skills. Get him comfortable with making eye contact during conversations. When you speak to him, make eye contact that is brief, soothing, and non-threatening. Use animated facial gestures so that he enjoys looking at someone's face. Teach him how to respond in emotional situations. If he laughs when his friend is upset, for example, play show and tell. Show him why his friend is sad, and how to be sympathetic with responses such as "I'm sorry." If that doesn't work, tell him. Even a five-year-old can understand the admonition, "That's inappropriate!" As he gets older, you can show him how to further respond appropriately to social cues. If another child brings him a toy and invites him to play, he may not get the hint and need you to tell him, "Billy wants you to have fun with him playing with the truck."

Get him moving. Boys with Asperger Syndrome are often also labeled A.D.H.D. One of the newest treatments for hyperactive children is intense exercise. I suspect that the basic therapeutic mechanism is that exercise stimulates neurochemicals that make the entire brain work better. Set him up to succeed: If there's a particular game or activity that he's good at, whether it's softball or soccer, encourage him to participate and excel at it. Team sports are good for A.S. kids to pursue, although many of these children are more comfortable with one-on-one sports, such as tennis.

Foster his "special something". Discover your child's special talent (e.g., sports, academics, art, music) and nurture its development. I call this the "carryover effect:" If your child excels in one thing and feels that he is good at it, this feeling is likely to carry over into helping him generally develop appropriate behavior in other circumstances.

Spinach Stew

I made Zuppa Tuscana Soup yesterday before Super Bowl.  Cedric saw it on the stove as he was getting ready to head to his friend's house and said: "Aww, I'm going to miss Spinach Stew?"  I said:"Yep, looks like you are."  And he asked me to save him some, so I did.  But, what I loved about it was that he called it Spinach Stew!!!  It's what I am going to call it from now on.  And I am so pleased that he likes it too. And that my kids look forward to certain things that I make!  It kinda makes things worth it when you know that someone is appreciating it!! LOVE.

I Really Don't Want To Blog

While everyone else in the world seems to be on the New Year Health kick I am sitting here hugely pregnant.  I am in cooking mode and making all the things on Pinterest that looked wonderful to me but, I didn't make because I was being good.  Things like Warm Lemon Pudding cake (which I have made a few times now....sooooo yummy!), cake batter rice krispie treats, the cookies I bought from a school fundraiser, full fat home made mac and cheese, etc! Yesterday I made Vegetable Beef Soup and Italian Herb Bread. The other night I made Beef and Blue Sliders that were AMAZING!  Those are keepers for sure!  Tonight is the Sopapilla Cheesecake that I love! Oh and I am doing an Olive Garden night with Fettuccine Alfredo, Zuppa Tuscana, Garlic Bread, Caesar Salad!  I sure am enjoying myself.  I know darn well I won't like taking all the extra weight back off again but, whatever.   

I bought this book recently (amazon) after reading about it on Pinterest.  It is AWESOME!  I also ordered some cute owl chore charts and a new Mom Planner.  The author of the book is a mom to 5 kids ages 4-14 and has some great ideas that we are implementing in our house.  So far, so good! 

 

In Everything Give Thanks #1

This year I am going to do the countdown to Thanksgiving with being thankful for something every single day.  Starting today.  (I cannot believe it is November 1st!) Sooo, here we go!!

Today I am thankful for healthy children.  Just in general my kids are healthy little buggers that don't get sick all that often.  I attribute it to healthy living, giving my kids their probiotics (danactive, I swear by it), vitamins, and good genes!! lol!  I know that there are children out there that get sick frequently or even worse, they have diseases, or other health problems.  I need to remember how lucky I am to have six (soon to be seven) healthy, happy children!!  And I pray every day that it stays that way.  I am also thankful to have good doctors that help keep me and my family healthy.

Color Me Productive

Today has been a whirlwind of emotions!! LOL!  Good grief!  I have went from depressed to happy, to angry, to content, to melancholy, and back to feeling like I have a super head on my shoulders!!  LMAO!!  The joys of pregnancy mood swings.  Anyway, so I got a ton of appointments set up today for myself and the kids.  Had to made about 42 phone calls which is awful for me but, I did it anyway.  Yep, me, all by myself.  haha!! Sometimes I feel like a five year old.  :) 
I have scrubbed my bathroom from top to bottom.  Laundry running out my ears as usual.  The great clothing switch is underway and actually going good!  I am finding all the right stuff I need on the internet to get me and Trisha's crafting projects underway! (More on that later).  Getting arrangements made for Sam's wedding this weekend....this I will elaborate on....I am SO stinking excited!! My brother, Clay is coming to the wedding and I haven't seen him since my Dad's funeral!! Vicki, Susan, Clay, Mark, David, and I will all be at the wedding!  It will be great even if I am pregnant!  We are having family pictures done while we are there with the wedding photographer.  It should be a swell time! 
I'm getting a bunch of Ebay listings done too which I have been putting off and updating my blog a little bit too!  Yay me! 
Oh and I checked my Pinterest again and that pic of sarah and matt is up to 222 repins and 17 likes...can it get to 1000 like I hoped?!!? 
Can I just say how great my extended family is?!!?  Like super great!!  I really do love them!  On both sides, Jeremy's and mine.  We all know family can drive us crazy sometimes but, the people that we surround ourselves with are truly remarkable people!!  Thank all of you for always being there for us and being amazing people in our lives. 

Sweet Moments

I had a sweet moment this morning after dropping the big boys off at school.  I had just pulled into the driveway and was getting out of the car.  She was being very cute and getting her "pretties" (necklaces) out of the car too.  I lifted her out and turned around to see an old woman walking by.  I waved and said Hello and she said the same.  Then with a big, happy smile she said, "You have already put in a full days work."  I smiled and said "It sure feels like it sometimes!"  We both laughed and went on our way.  But, what a sweet woman to acknowledge the hard work that mothers do every day. My pregnancy hormones are raging and it made me feel a little swell of confidence. 
  I know that a lot of people think that Jeremy and I are dumb for having a big family.  To those looking in, it seems as though we are overwhelmed, annoyed, outnumbered, confused, and so on a so forth.  Which is all true.  But, most people don't get to see the quiet, precious moments that we have with all of our children.  They don't get to see the joy and pride we have in them when they accomplish something new. They aren't there at night when we read stories and say prayers with each of them.  It is heavenly for a few minutes at a time.  Most people don't get to see the silly times that we have or the wrestling and laughing that goes on in our home.  They don't get to see the kids playing with each other and the sibling love that they have for each other.  As much as we want to move and get a bigger house, some of the best moments in our lives take place in our home.
I remember way back in the day when I just had an 20 month old Tristan home and a newborn Cedric.  I hated leaving them places to be babysat. I was obsessed with being their mom.  And always put the kids needs first.  When we lived in Salt Lake City, we didn't leave Tristan anywhere at all until he was 9 months old.  We left him with my brother, Mike and his wife.  I cried and cried.  We only left him for two hours and it felt like years!! lol! We never wanted to be apart from them.  And we still don't.  Even when we leave them overnight somewhere, as much as we enjoy the quiet alone time, we are usually talking about our kids over dinner!  Or laughing with each other about the silly things they do. We can't wait to see them again, even when they are driving us bonkers. 
I know, it may seem that sometimes we are itching to leave them with babysitters every chance we can get....which may be true sometimes, haha!  We are completely different parents now than we were when we started.  And that is not a bad thing.  We learned very early on that as much as we love our children dearly, we have to let them go sometimes.  That we have to focus on each other almost more than the children....or there is no hope for our family.  We have been fortunate to stay each other's best friend for 15 years now.  That is not an easy thing to do in this day and age.  And our children see that.  It's something I want them to have when they are older and ready.  Jeremy and I are a team.   We have to tackle it together or we are going to fall apart.  It is so worth it.  Some may think I am too reliant on my husband or vise versa.  To that I say, Hogwash!  We may a conscience decision to tackle parenting TOGETHER. Not, one person makes the money, one person raises the kids.  I applaud the moms or dads that do it day in and day out by themselves.  But, it just wouldn't work for our family.  And we wouldn't want it to work.  I know we wouldn't have the same relationship if we tackled it differently.  
I think we are some of the luckiest parents on the planet!  We have super duper children that challenge us on every level and help us learn and grow as much as we help them learn and grow.  I LOVE my huge, crazy, perfect family.  And as hard as it is, I wouldn't exchange the family memories for anything.  Period.

Something Good

I know I am kinda nerdy but, today I am totally stoked because this picture that I posted on pinterest has been re-pinned 90 times since I put it up a few days ago!! I like this because it is people that don't know me that like what I do! It's not my family trying to be nice and supportive (which they are nice and supportive...and I love it!) but, I have outside opinion too!  I think I might be pretty good at this!  And the bonus is that is so stinking fun!!

 Happy dance!

Unsalted Butter

People who really know me, know how I feel about baking with unsalted butter.  This girl's blog lays out all the things I wanted to say without me saying them! Yay!



Why we use unsalted butter

My Pinterest

 

I have been trying really hard to focus on the GOOD things in my life no matter how small or trivial they may seem.  This picture that I took at Matt and Lacey's wedding has now been pinned 57 times on Pinterest!!  People like it!! It makes me happy! Also, my Arbonne success story has been pinned 19 times.  My other stuff has a few but, those two are the most pins.  I want something to be pinned 1,000 times, lol!

I LOVE This!

To the Unwashed Masses of Mothers

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Lea Grover

Lea is a writer and toddler-wrangler living on Chicago's South Side. When she isn't cultivating an impressive dust bunny collection she waxes philosophic about raising interfaith children, life after cancer, and vegetarian cooking. In her free time you can find her writing as Becoming SuperMommy, working on her manuscript, singing opera to her littles, or smeared to the elbow in Townsend pastels.

Dear Mom,

I’ve seen you around. I’ve seen you screaming at your kids in public, I’ve seen you ignoring them at the playground, I’ve seen you unshowered and wearing last night’s pajama pants at preschool drop-off. I’ve seen you begging your children, bribing them, threatening them. I’ve seen you shouting back and forth with your husband, with your mom, with the police officer at the crosswalk.

I’ve seen you running around with your kids, getting dirty and occasionally swearing audibly when you bang a knee. I’ve seen you sharing a milkshake with a manic four year old. I’ve seen you wiping your kids’ boogers with your bare palm, and then smearing them on the back of your jeans. I’ve seen you carry your toddler flopped over the crook of your arm while chasing a runaway ball.

I’ve also seen you gritting your teeth while your kid screamed at you for making him practice piano, or soccer, or basket weaving, or whatever it was. I’ve seen you close your eyes and breathe slowly after finding a gallon of milk dumped into your trunk. I’ve seen you crying into the sink while you desperately scrub crayon off your best designer purse. I’ve seen you pacing in front of the house.

I’ve seen you at the hospital waiting room. I’ve seen you at the pharmacy counter. I’ve seen you looking tired, and frightened.

I’ve seen a lot of you, actually. I see you every single day.

I don’t know if you planned to be a parent or not. If you always knew from your earliest years that you wanted to bring children into the world, to tend to them, or if motherhood was thrust upon you unexpectedly. I don’t know if it meets your expectations, or if you spent your first days as a mom terrified that you would never feel what you imagined “motherly love” would feel like for your child. I don’t know if you struggled with infertility, or with pregnancy loss, or with a traumatic birth. I don’t know if you created your child with your body, or created your family by welcoming your child into it.

But I know a lot about you.

I know that you didn’t get everything that you wanted. I know that you got a wealth of things you never knew you wanted until they were there in front of you. I know that you don’t believe that you’re doing your best, that you think you can do better. I know you are doing better than you think.

I know that when you look at your child, your children, you see yourself. And I know that you don’t, that you see a stranger who can’t understand why the small details of childhood that were so important to you are a bother to this small person who resembles you.

I know that you want to throw a lamp at your teenager’s head sometimes. I know you want to toss your three year old out the window once in a while.

I know that some nights, once it’s finally quiet, you curl up in bed and cry. I know that sometimes, you don’t, even though your heart is breaking with exhaustion and the weight of crushed expectations.

I know that some days are so hard that all you want is for them to end, and then at bedtime your children hug you and kiss you and tell you how much they love you and want to be like you, and you wish the day could last forever.

But it never does. The day always ends, and the next day brings new challenges. Fevers, heartbreak, art projects, new friends, new pets, new fights. And every day you do what you need to do.

You take care of things, because that’s your job. You go to work, or you fill up the crock pot, or you climb into the garden, or strap the baby to your back and pull out the vacuum cleaner.

You drop everything you’re doing to moderate an argument over who’s turn it is to use a specific marker, or to kiss a boo-boo, or to have a conversation about what color lipstick Pinocchio’s mommy wears.

I know that you have tickle fights in blanket forts, and that you have the words to at least eight different picture books memorized. I’ve heard that you dance like a wild woman when it’s just you and them. That you have no shame about farting or belching in their presence, that you make up goofy songs about peas and potatoes and cheese.

I know that an hour past bedtime, you drop what you’re doing and trim the fingernail that your three year old insists is keeping her up. I know that you stop cleaning dishes because your kids insist you need to join their tea party. I know you fed your kids PBandJ for four days straight when you had the flu. I know that you eat leftover crusts over the sink while your kids watch Super Why.

I know you didn’t expect most of this. I know you didn’t anticipate loving somebody so intensely, or loathing your post-baby body so much, or being so tired, or being the mom you’ve turned out to be.

You thought you had it figured out. Or you were blind and terrified. You hired the perfect nanny. Or you quit your job and learned to assemble flat packed baby furniture. You get confused by the conflict of feeling like nothing has changed since you were free and unfettered by children, and looking back on the choices you made as though an impostor was wearing your skin.

You’re not a perfect mom. No matter how you try, no matter what you do. You will never be a perfect mom.

And maybe that haunts you. Or maybe you’ve made peace with it. Or maybe it was never a problem to begin with.

No matter how much you do, there is always more. No matter how little you do, when the day is over your children are still loved. They still smile at you, believing you have magical powers to fix almost anything. No matter what happened at work, or at school, or in play group, you have still done everything in your power to ensure that the next morning will dawn and your children will be as happy, healthy, and wise as could possibly be hoped.

There’s an old Yiddish saying, “There is one perfect child in the world, and every mother has it.”

Unfortunately, there are no perfect parents. Your kids will grow up determined to be different than you. They will grow up certain that they won’t make their kids take piano lessons, or they’ll be more lenient, or more strict, or have more kids, or have fewer, or have none at all.

No matter how far from perfect you are, you are better than you think.

Someday your kids will be running around like crazy people at synagogue and concuss themselves on the handicapped rail, and somebody will still walk up and tell you what a beautiful family you have. You’ll be at the park and your kids will be covered in mud and jam up to the elbows, smearing your car with that sugary cement, and a pregnant lady will stop and smile at you wistfully.

No matter how many doubts you might have, you never need doubt this one thing: You are definitely not perfect.

And that’s good. Because really, neither is your child. And that means nobody can care for them the way you can, with the wealth of your understanding and your experience. Nobody knows what your child’s squall means, or what their jokes mean, or why they are crying, better than you do.

And since no mother is perfect, chances are you are caught in a two billion way tie for Best Mom in the World.

Congratulations, Best Mom in the World. You’re not perfect.

You’re as good as anybody can get.

With love,

Me

When I Am Gone

Boy Scout Camp Family Night

 Tristan has been at his first year of Boy Scout Camp this week at Camp Eastman.  He was SO excited!!  I prepped him for it a little bit too much I guess (by buying every camping related item in the world, lol) because he showed up with a trunk full of stuff and the rest of the boys showed up with backpacks.  Well, crap, I didn't know...I thought he needed it and that it was expected of the parents to provide it.  Apparently it made him pretty popular at camp.  And being the kind hearted, generous boy he is, he shared everything....right down to his last dollar which he gave to his friend, Ed.   

On Wednesday night it was family night for the whole campground.  Each troop had supper at their camps for the families.  Our troop did potluck.  Jeremy and I went in with very low expectations on the food, haha!  But, we were ever so pleasantly surprised to have an AWESOME meal!! Woot!!  I inspected Tristan's tent, which was a complete disaster!! haha!  I guess that is what you get when you have a whole campground full of teenage boys!  

I let him take the hammock that Jeremy got me for Christmas last year.  I hadn't used it yet and was worried that I never would get to use it after it being at a boys camp for a week.  But, again, pleasantly surprised!! It was in in fine shape and all our other boys had to have a turn on the hammock....and fight over it just a little bit too! Tristan was out of money and most of the food by that night and it was only half way through the week!  Neither one of us had any cash on us and the money he had was more than enough for the whole week so he only got 75 cents more from us that we dug up in the Expedition, lol.

 Cullen has not stopped talking about scout camp since we went.  That boy loved it there!! And he wants to go camping so........we must do that as a family before summer is gone!  

 Classic Asher face!

 We hung out, ate, chatted, let Tristan talk our ears off (lol), and took pictures!  There was a camp bonfire and the Arrow of Light ceremony that we could go to too.  Parts of it require complete silence and lots of sitting.  We figured that all the other kids wouldn't do good for that part so we took them all to Jeremy's mom's house to stay so we could go back.  

 Father and Son

 "Wait, there's cake?"

 All the families eating.  Grandma Trapp even came out for the night.
 That was nice of her! Next year we will have both Tristan and Cedric at scout camp and I think Eden will be old enough to be good during it.  Then the whole family can come because it is really fun!

 Cedric's turn in the hammock.

 Hyrum, one of Tristan's friends, had a birthday that day too so there was cake!!

 Tristan tending to the fire.

 When we got back from taking the other kids to Debbie's we made it just in time to see Tristan take part in the evening flag ceremony.  He did so good and looked pretty flipping awesome in his uniform.

 Our Boy Scout.

 Folding the flag.

 Jeremy and Tristan

 On the way to the fire they had this conversation in front of me as we were walking.  Then they stopped and just kept talking.  About boys scout stuff of course.  Jeremy said the whole night brought back lots of really good memories for him and he was really happy to share the evening with Tristan.  

 He looks like my Dad when he makes this face.  Love it. 

 Jason Skog is the scoutmaster.  He had a family reunion in Utah and couldn't be there though.  Jason is also the one who tapped Jeremy out for the Arrow of Light/Silver Tomahawk.  Anyway, he usually builds like 18 foot tall log cabin fires like this one above.  Some of the boys were complaining that it was too small.  I thought it was awesome.  Later on when the Indians came in, they lit that Tomahawk on fire too! Awesome sauce.

 Grandma Trapp and Tristan

 Aaron, was one of the staff at Eastman.  He was hilarious! We watched the staff and the scouts do a bunch of skits!  They were so much fun to watch and so funny too!

 Troop 107 doing their skit.  

Tristan's troop didn't do theirs until today so we didn't get to see it.  Bummer.

 Tristan's troop #110.  He sat with us the whole time though. :)

 Another one of the staff performing "magic tricks". 

 The guy on the right is Egbert.....more about him later. 

 Some of the crowd.

 My Egbert story.

Egbert is one of the staff at Eastman.  After all the skits and before the Indian ceremony he called a few of his friends to the center and gave them each a candle.  They all lit them and stood behind him.  Then he started talking about how he had been working at Camp Eastman for three years now and how great it has been.  And one day he was assigned to crafts and handiworks cabin or something like that.  Well a new girl had been hired and he had to work with her.  First he gave her a little corner of the cabin to work in and went about his business.  Then they started talking and got to be good friends.  He said that he always takes a walk around camp on the last night to soak everything up.  That year she found him and they walked and talked all night long.  Finally at four in the morning, on one of the benches there in the campground, he finally worked up the nerve to ask her out.  She said yes.  That was on July 24th three years ago.  So, the night we were there happened to be the 24th of July.  He then turned to her in the crowd.  She was sitting next to her her brother and Egbert told him to bring his sister to the center.  That is when it dawned on me just what the heck was going on !!!!!  I was beyond thrilled!!  It was just getting the point where it was getting too dark to get any decent pictures but, I still tried to get what I could. 

 She was so nervous!! It was the cutest thing I have ever seen!! Oh my goodness, seriously, I was tearing up!  For reals!  Yes, over people that I do not know!  But, I have never been in a situation where something that RANDOM and AMAZING has happened!! 

I could not stop talking about it.  Probably annoyed all those around me.

 He said something clever along the lines of

"At first I gave you a corner, now won't you come join me in mine." 

 Or something...can't remember word for word.  

 Will you marry me?

 Yes!!!  

 Then the whole Indian thing started.  It was fantastic! Next year we will be taking the bigger boys for sure!  It was so cool and very serious.  

 The drumming was impressive. 

 As was the dancing.

 The ceremony had me drawn in the whole time.  It was this intimidating, wonderful thing all rolled into one.  I am really glad we went back to watch it.  

We were supposed to pick Tristan up tomorrow morning but they called today and said they were breaking camp early and to pick the boys up at 7:00 tonight.  Tristan's home now and is so full of stories and youthful excitement.  I love it!  He said he was glad to get back to a clean bathroom though!