Where to start...

This past week was one in which I got to glimpse a few years into the future and see the scheduling nightmare parents with "activity aged" kids get to navigate. All fun, all good, but where to put it all? In the past five days, we've spent approximately 15 hours at VBS, 29 hours on vacation, 5 hours shopping for a super secret event, and 5 hours cleaning my sorely neglected hacienda. That's a busy week for us Reeds, especially in these lazy days of summer. By bedtime last night, we were pretty much whipped.

I thought about blogging about everything at once, but really, it's just too much. So I decided to start with our super-short, super-short-notice, super-fun mini-vacation. About a month ago, some great friends of ours decided to head up to Grapevine and spend the night at the Great Wolf Lodge. At the time, we weren't sure if we could go because of Kevin's work. Then, we were sure we couldn't go because of Kevin's work (he was about to start a new project, and in this job market you don't exactly take two days off during the first three days of a new project). Then on Monday morning, luckily for us, his project got postponed for another week. So we made reservations Monday afternoon and headed out Tuesday morning.

If you haven't heard of GWL, go here (I will tell you now the website doesn't do them justice). If you have, you probably know they have this huge indoor water park and incredibly annoying commercial (annoying because if you hear it once, you will be involuntarily singing it all day long...so, annoying, but effective.). The thing is, that's only about 1/8 of the cool, kid-friendly things to do there.

We arrived around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, and although check-in wasn't until 4:00, our room was ready. From the moment you walk through the front doors, you know this place was created for families. Jackson was in awe. So much to see! Trees in the lobby, wolves over the humongous fireplace, a tree house on the stairway. His eyes got even wider as we entered our room, the "Kid Kamp" suite, which included a "tent" sleeping area for the kids.

(I was pretty impressed by the fact that the room key is included in your water park bracelet. You can also scan the bracelet at various spots within the hotel to charge things to your room. Makes it convenient to go to and from the pool area. Another plus--our kids' bracelets did not have this ability.)

Of course, the primary purpose for going to Great Wolf was the water park, so we swim suited up and headed down to meet our friends. I don't have pictures of the water park because now that I have a (another) new camera, I'm a little paranoid taking and leaving it places (especially places with big pools of water that cameras could easily fall into)...and well, a camera does very little good in a locker. So. You're not going to see our little daredevil daughter going down the big yellow kiddie slide (I'm pretty sure she was the youngest one doing it), or our not so daredevil son playing it safe on the teeny tiny baby slide (and feeling pretty proud of himself doing it). But trust me, they both had a great time. This place does a great job appealing to the younger set. There's a huge kids' play area with water guns and sprinklers and none of it is deeper than 1.5 feet. If your kids are older, there's plenty of big kid stuff too. Trust me. Kevin and I even tested the big slides ourselves just so I could say that.

After a couple of hours in the water, Sadie and Jackson were both ready to rest for a while. After they recharged, we ventured out into Grapevine for a visit to Bass Pro Shops and dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. Jackson and Sadie had a great time "driving" the boats and ATVs and looking at the fish at Bass Pro. The Rain Forest Cafe exceeded our expectations as far as our kids went. We knew Jackson would love it, but Sadie was just as fascinated with all the animals. Our table was under a jaguar that occasionally wagged its tail, but they had a great view of the elephants and gorillas, and Jackson couldn't wait for them to start "singing." Sadie also exerted her independent side and insisted--loudly--that she be allowed to eat her applesauce all by herself. With a spoon. And her fingers. She was, um, not entirely successful, but by golly she gave it a good try. And she stopped screaming. That was nice. That should explain the dark spots all over her shirt.

When we arrived back at the hotel, it was getting close to 9:00. We got ice cream and went back to the lobby to settle in for the clock tower show and story time. The hotel does this every night for the kids. They encourage them to come to the lobby in their pajamas and get comfy to hear one of the staff members teach them the Great Wolf howl and read them a book. We skipped the PJ part, but settled in with our ice cream and enjoyed the show.

When the show was over, we headed back to our room to settle down. Except Jackson and his buddy Reed weren't quite ready to settle down (they are the ones looking out of his "tent" window), and Sadie talked Jackson out of his ice cream cone. And since she was already a sticky mess from the apple sauce incident, who was I to stop her?

The next morning was filled with playing games at the arcade, coloring souvenir t-shirts at Cub Club, stuffing pink poodles at the Animal Station (all of which is included in a Paw Pass at a discounted rate. I highly recommend it.), and more swimming. The game room was one of Jackson's favorite places, probably because it reminded him a lot of his other favorite place, Chuck E. Cheese. I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the activities for kids his size were 2 tokens, not 4 or 5, and the games that distributed tickets were really generous with them. The Cub Club is a great place for kids slightly older than Jackson, but he still had a great time coloring his shirt. Sadie helped uncap the paint pens.

After a last visit to the water park, we ate lunch and headed home. The kids were asleep before we hit got to Dallas, and slept the entire way home. It was a great trip.

Blessed Summertime

When we decided four years ago to build a house in the country, I had reservations. I grew up in the country. I knew the pros and, more importantly, the cons. I knew that my kids would grow up on a road that would make learning to ride a bike tricky to say the least. (I still remember being five years old and having my brother decide it was time for me to learn to ride without training wheels. He got me started down our driveway--a very bumpy, pothole-filled oil top road--and about two seconds later I hit a bump and landed in a patch of thistles. Good times.) I knew there would never be a store, restaurant or movie theater within walking distance. I knew my kids would not be able to walk down the street to a friend's house, and that sometimes, they would be bored and lonely. I knew they would sometimes wish they lived in a neighborhood with an ice cream truck, cable, smooth roads and ...oh wait, that was me thirty years ago.

What I didn't count on was how much bigger the pros would be now. First, there are more than five channels on TV (although as long as "The Wonder Pets" and "Max and Ruby" are in our dvr, we could have five or five thousand channels and it wouldn't matter). And there's pizza delivery, which is almost as good as an ice cream truck. And while the road isn't much smoother than my childhood, the ditches are thistle free and there is at least a 200 foot patch of pothole free asphalt. But the best parts of country life are the things you tend to overlook when you're five.

Almost every afternoon, about an hour before sunset, the kids and I go outside and hangout. This is my favorite time of day. We play in the "rock sandbox" (think all rock, no sand)...

We swing...

We water plants, and enjoy the end of the day. We play baseball. We hear the bullfrogs on the lake and wait for the fireflies to make their appearance. Sometimes we go fishing,

and other times we just watch the fish jump at some unseen unfortunate bug on the water. We hear the Canadian geese honk their arrival (or departure), and we squint to see if their babies are with them. Jackson will ask me questions that begin with, "when you were a baby..." or tell me about an adventure he's yet to take. He checks the cows or rides in the jeep with his daddy. We take walks just to find bigger rocks to throw in bigger puddles. We see if our garden has any new veggies for us. We look for the first star in the sky, and wait for its friends to join it. We watch for rabbits who frequent our yard and we talk about how rabbits, as a rule, don't enjoy being chased by screaming children.

Lots of pros.

What cons?

It's a sweet, sweet life.

Graduation day

My niece graduated from high school last night. Aside from the fact that the ceremony occurred 45 minutes and 17 years away from my own graduation ceremony, it all felt very familiar. The same song, the same caps and gowns, the same scholarships, and even some of the same speakers.

After the ceremony, I asked Kevin if he considered his high school experience an overall positive experience (I already knew the answer). He said, "Oh yeah." My answer, if I'd asked myself that same question, would've been the same. The sad thing is, most high school students I talk to these days wouldn't agree.

I keep hearing the Trace Adkins song "You're Gonna Miss This" running through my head.

If' you are reading this, and you are under the age of 18, there are a few things I'd like to convey to you:

First... High school is not the enemy. Get involved. Participate in extra curricular activities. My freshman year I competed in UIL Science. I was horrible. Pathetic, even. But by going to the meets, I made friends. Same thing with band, volleyball, FCA, and journalism. And then, a funny thing will happen. Those same friends will transfer to your classes, your weekends, your life.

Second...High school was, is and always will be made up of cliques. But here's the shocking news: So is real life. The trick is to find the one that fits you. It may not be the "popular" group. So what? The other trick is to play nice. Just because you fit in with one group doesn't mean there aren't amazing people in another. Get to know them. Appreciate them. Respect them. Even if they don't respect you back. Life is just easier that way.

Third...Rise above the drama. Most of the drama will be self-inflicted. Get over yourself. You'd be amazed at how little other people notice what you're doing. You will make yourself more miserable than anybody else can.

Fourth...Laugh, laugh, laugh. The day I learned that I absolutely couldn't take myself too seriously was during volleyball practice in 8th grade. If you missed a serve, you had to run a lap. I always missed my serves, so I was always running, and in the midst of one lap, I fell flat on my face. I had nothing to blame but my own big feet. Coach Fowler laughed until he cried, and then continued to remind me about it for the next four years. I learned to laugh with him, because what else could I do? In high school, I got hit in the back of the head with a football (a big shout out to Brad Waters for that one) while marching into the stadium one Friday night. I misspelled my own name on my graduation invitations. I could go on, but I'm not the one who needs to learn to laugh at myself. And FYI, if your friends aren't the type of people who like to laugh, get new friends.

Finally...Don't wish this time of your life away. You can't get this time back. And while you may not miss everything about high school, there will be things that you will. There will be friends that you will never see again. I don't mean acquaintances--I mean real friends. One girl that I considered to be a good friend I've seen four times in the past 17 years. Others I haven't seen at all. And even if you promise to keep in touch, it just isn't the same. Life gets in the way. You grow up. Jobs, marriage, kids...it all gets in the way. Savor this moment. It will never be the same again.

Now, get off the stupid computer and make some memories, you crazy kids!

Goodbyes...

I hate saying goodbye.

Goodbye has a permanent ring to it. I don't like it. Sometimes I can manage a "Be careful," or a "See you later," but I will avoid the G word if at all possible. But I can't avoid it this week.

Two very dear people in my life, my nephew and his wife (who I call my niece, because she is), have gone and done something crazy. They've chosen to follow their hearts and dreams all the way to Oklahoma. Who does that? Crazy dream followers.

I joke about it because in all honesty, I'm happy for them. Even a little jealous. It is the opportunity of all opportunities. But I also joke because if I think about it seriously for more than five seconds I get all weepy. Like now, for instance. And I try not to do weepy in front of an audience. It's for this same reason that I haven't even told my son that two of his favorite people in the world are moving six hours away. He will be fine. I will be a blubbering mess.

That being said, I've decided to give my little farewell speech on here, A)because I am a writer not a speaker, and B) because why shouldn't God and everybody else get to see?

Cody...I am so proud of you. I have pretty much been proud of you your entire life. This job is a dream come true for you, and no one deserves it more. Not many people get paid for doing something love and done for free most of their lives. Kevin and I will miss getting to hang out with you, but it's a pretty safe bet that Jackson and Sadie will miss you more. Thank you so much for loving my kids. And for teaching my husband how to be a real life country boy.

Karen...I remember, when you and Cody first started dating, that I didn't quite know what to make of you. The one thing I did know was that you seemed perfectly happy riding four wheelers with Cody and spotlighting with Cody and doing redneck country things with Cody...and that made you okay in my book. Getting to know you has been so much fun. You are funny and patient and thoughtful...and you laugh at my jokes even if they aren't all that funny and you are really laughing at me. You love my babies as much as Cody does, and that means so much more than I can tell you. You are a dear friend to me and I will miss that most of all. I'm also really sad that you won't be around to constantly give my husband a hard time.

I love you both.
I will miss you both.
I still hate goodbyes.

Three

My son turned three yesterday.

Three.

Wow.

I know how cliche it sounds to type this, but it really, truly seems like yesterday...

...when I first held him and looked into his eyes.

...when I heard him cry for the first time.

...when I wondered if he would ever stop crying.

...when I asked my husband how he felt about only children.

...when he took his first bath and made the same face I do when I get a good pedicure.

...when he slept through the night for the first time and I cried all night long because I was convinced he would starve to death if he didn't eat every 2 hours.

...when he wouldn't sleep in his bed, so his pediatrician told us to let him sleep in his carseat. And he slept like that for three months.

...when we put him in his own bed for the first time (at nine months) and steeled ourselves for a long night of wailing and gnashing of teeth--and he never even whimpered.

...when he smiled the first time.

...when he had to have minor surgery at 6 months, and I cried more than he did.

...when he did his little army crawl instead of crawling like a "normal" child.

...when he refused to walk until he was absolutely sure he could do it without falling.

...when he said, "Dada" for the first time, and laughed at me when I asked him to say Mama.

...when I would sit on the back porch and feed him while I sang Don Williams songs to him.

...when his hair began to stand straight up and nothing would lay it down.

...when he laughed out loud for the first time. For my mom and no one else.

...when we took his one year pictures at a time when he was teething, and he cried the entire time--until the photographer brought out a tractor.

...when he threw a screaming fit in the middle of Cheddars because the genius of a waiter thought it was a good idea to give a one year old a ceramic plate. And mommy disagreed.

...when he got his first (and last) professional hair cut.

...when he first watched Blue's Clues in the car and was transfixed for the entire road trip.

...when he brought me his blue blanket and wanted me to make him a cape so he could be superman.

...when he got his pig nose from the Hog Festival and refused to take it off.

...when he first experienced Chuck E. Cheese.

...when he said "I love you" for the first time.

What a wild, beautiful adventure it has been so far.