In Camon's own words!

Camon and I had an interesting conversation on the way to school today. He asked me how long before he could go to his new "big-boy" school. I told him in one month. He got so excited and said "So, when I wake up in the morning, it will be the day?". I said "Not one DAY, but one MONTH." I then explained that meant about 4 weeks. He said, "So, when I wake up four more times then it will be the day?" I said, "No, 4 WEEKS is 28 DAYS". To which he replied, "So, when I wake up 28 more times it will be the day?" I said "Yes". And then my clever child said, "Well, why didn't you just say that?"

Here are a few words that Camon has used lately (although incorrect, they are so cute):

I want an "aloha". (meaning mohawk - which he did not get by the way)
I love this restaurant, it has the "somburrito" on the sign (meaning sombrero)
That shark has "skills" to breathe with. (meaning gills)
Momma, turn on your windshield "whackers" (meaning wipers)
Me and Jordan are going to Hershey, "Pencil" with Deda and Mimi (Pennsylvania)

The things that come out of kids mouths. They are so cute, I wish that they could stay at this age forever. (27 days in the kindergarten count down)

Isabelle's solutions to her life's problems.

Isabelle has a solution for EVERYTHING. She is the negotiator of the family. And, she usually is pretty convincing. There is no doubt when she is around that she is in charge (or is trying really hard to be). Here are a few funny things that have developed in that precious little head of hers lately:

If you know Isabelle, you know that there are 2 things that she MUST wear - dresses and flip-flops. I have lost count of how many she has. Almost daily, she comes in from daycare and wants to change. And, usually does so before I realize what she is doing. One day, she changed into some of her "glittery" flip-flops and was determined that her brother was going to wear a matching pair. She kept chasing him and all but forcing him to put these "girly" shoes on. Until, I spoke up and said "Camon, you can put them on and then they will be yours and she will not have anymore pink flip-flops." She stopped in her tracks and said "Never mind, you do not need to wear these."

Then one morning we were "discussing" what she was going to wear to school. You see, she is very strong willed and she always knows the minute that she gets up which pair of flip-flops she wants that day. I have learned to let her choose the shoes the night before and then I choose the dress to match the shoes (yes, she is only 3 - what will it be like at 13???) There have been many days when we were butting heads over shoes and I changed her dress (wrinkles and all) so that she would match (I told you she was in charge). Anyway, this particular day she had on a precious dress that her Aunt Nancy had given her for her birthday. It was mostly white, with blue, yellow, and pink stripes. She walked into my bathroom with purple flip-flops on her feet. I tried to reason with her and explain that there was no purple in her dress. To which she immediately replied " But, Momma, pink and blue would make purple." What could I say to that? She wore the purple flip-flops.

Camon and Isabelle have a DVD player in my car and they take turns choosing the movie that we will watch next. Of course, Camon chooses "boy" movies and Isabelle chooses "girl" movies. Isabelle does not mind watching the boy movies, she actually knows more about Star Wars and Dinosaurs than I do. However, Camon can not stand to watch the girly movies (but, once they are on he is glued to them and knows every line in them). The other day Isabelle chose "Cinderella" and of course Camon began moaning. "Not that, I hate that movie, we watch it all the time, I don't want to see it again." And of course, with a quick come back, Isabelle said "Then shut your eyes."

Last night while eating after church, Isabelle went to the bathroom during supper, which by the way is no surprise...there is no bathroom in any restaurant in town that we have not been in, I think that there is something about the smells in restaurants that make her instantly have to go, usually twice during every meal - and EVERY time we eat(even at home). (She is going to love reading this one day!!!!) Anyway when we were finished, I told her to wash her hands. For some odd reason she had decided that she was not interested in washing them this time. So, she said "I do not need to wash them, see". And showed me her hands as if I could see the germs on them. I told here that she HAD NO choice in the matter because her hands were dirty. SO, she looked at me and said "But, I won't suck my thumb this night." I said well, you will eat your food with your hands. Then she said "No, I use a fork." Good point, but I did not give in this time, she washed her hands.

She is a fireball and so much fun. I just fear daily for those teenage years. The things I am sure I will have to write about then...

Swimming Pool Fun!!!

Here are a few pictures of the kids doing one of their favorite things in the world - swimming. Camon is like a fish. Last week he went swimming with his preschool class and the teacher said he jumped off of the diving board in 13 feet of water and swam to the ladder without ever coming up. Isabelle loves the water, but just can't quite get to the point where she likes to put her face under. (she is fearless on a tube behind a boat, though) By next summer, I bet she will be all over the pool.

Camon's one month to kindergarten countdown!!

It is hard to believe that exactly one month from today, my baby boy will start Kindergarten. I am already a basket case just thinking about it. He says he is going to be a Waskom Wildcat and he told me yesterday that he could not wait to start "big boy school". I wish that I could say the same. But, it is sad for a mother who up until now has been his major female influence. The person that he loves to the "moon and stars and sun and back to his heart". The person that he tells on a regular basis "mom, you're beautiful". He is such a sweet, sensitive child. I only hope that this growing up that he is about to experience will not change that. (who am I kidding - I am sure that hugs and kisses in public will be outlawed by him pretty soon! A mom can hope, though!) I only pray that the guidance that he has been, and will continue to be, given at home will far outweigh the negative influences that he will encounter at school in the future. I just can not believe that this time is so near.

I love you Camon, and promise to support and pray you through all of the upcoming years of school and each trial that comes along with them. However, I also promise to support and pray you through all of the amazing times as well. Although I am sad about this new chapter in your life, I am excited that this is a new beginning for you and you will be a success in all you do, just remember to stay focused on Jesus. I will now officially start the countdown...31 days until Camon's First day of School.

Our Georgia Vacation

Now, for the rest of the story... Our vacation was great. We packed in as much each day as we possibly could.

Day 1: The 11 hour drive to Atlanta (and the theft of course)

Day 2: The Georgia Aquarium-WOW! The kids loved seeing all of the amazing sea animals that they have at this Aquarium. It is the largest Aquarium in the world and just full of neat stuff. Along with all of the animals that you can see, you can also "pet" some of them. Camon touched some stingray, horseshoe crabs, shrimp, and star fish. Isabelle just wanted to touch the water. It was extremely crowded in there and so it took us most of the day to get through it. So, we then went and swam at the Hotel for a while before getting ready and going to Stone Mountain. I was under the impression that this was just a laser show and you should go there at night. Boy was I wrong. I think we could have spent all day there with plenty to do. The laser show was pretty amazing, though.









Day 3: Six Flags. What can I say, this place is fun for children of all ages. This Six Flags had some really cool rides and a water park (which I ended up in the middle of with my clothes on so that Camon could ride a big water slide).









Day 4 : The Zoo Atlanta and travel to Savannah. We spent the morning at the Zoo. There were many unique animals a this zoo. The kids loved it. (Except when Clint acted like the bronze Iguana was alive and scared poor Camon to death). Then we drove another 4 hours to Savannah, checked in the hotel, got supper, and drove to the beach (Camon was determined to see it) at 9 pm. When we finally got there, it was VERY dark and Camon and Isabelle were scared and wanted to get right back in the car.

Day 5 : We attended church services at the Southside Baptist Church and then headed for the beach. This time the kids enjoyed the beach much more. Camon told me that night that this was the best vacation ever. He LOVED the ocean. Isabelle loved digging in the sand. We saw several dolphins swimming not far off of the shore, and a boy fishing right beside us caught a baby shark (that was the end of the water for me!)

Day 6 : Stayed around downtown Savannah. This is one of the prettiest cities to me. I loved it. We walked through the squares, went to river street, road the ferry boat, and indulged on praline samples.













Day 7 : We had lunch at a neat little restraunt on Tybee Island called the Crab Shack. Which was like all of the other dining experiences that we had - high price, little food. Gary and Clint said that dining in Savannah is for the atmosphere and not to get full. Then, it was back to the beach where the kids had a blast, but I fried in the sun and we had to leave early. So, we came back to the hotel and the kids swam and then we walked around downtown again. Our trip was ending, but we had a fun-filled week in Georgia.


Day 8 : The uneventful 14 hour drive home. Oh yea, and it just happened to be my 32nd Birthday!!

GOD IS GOOD...Man is not.

I know that this statement rings true everyday in my life, but sometimes I am reminded of this in such an obvious way. Like Wednesday, July 4. We were on vacation. Headed to Atlanta and then on to Savannah. We packed the car early that morning and took off. My children are great travelers and so the trip went pretty smooth...at least we thought so.

When we got to Atlanta, Gary (my father-in-law) started looking for his camera. It was no where to be found. There was an easy explaination for this, right? He kicked it out when he got out of the car and did not see it. Then Clint began unloading the luggage, and guess what...his luggage was missing. There was also an explaination for this, right? He forgot to pack his luggage in the car. However, there were some flaws in these explainations...
(1) Surely Gary would have felt his 25 pound camera (or at least heard it) if it fell out.
(2) Clint is not the forgetful type, and was absolutely sure that his luggage went in the back first.

So, Clint began proclaiming "we've been robbed". Much like Margaret on Dennis the Menace. We started thinking about the events of the day, and it all started coming together. Clint said that Betty and I though that we were on CSI. The only time that we all got out of the car at the same time,was at a rest stop in Alabama. As we started discussing things, there were some obvious clues (the we so ovbiously missed). First of all, when we got in the car, Isabelle immediately asked where her helium balloon was that we had gotten at lunch? Which we assumed had flown out (without us noticing) when we opened the doors. Next, there were the Bibles that had been under the drivers seat, which were thrown to the back on top of the luggage that was left. Which Clint noticed, but assumed that they were bothering Betty's feet and she moved them. However, none of this caught our attention, until our investigation began.

So here goes...Clint and Camon got out of the car (because Camon was "dying") and RAN to the restroom. The rest of us took our time and then went in. While we were in there (5 min max) someone opened our doors and took the camera and luggage. Naturally, I thought that Clint forgot to lock the doors, because he was in a hurry to get Camon in the restroom. However, the next morning, Clint noticed that the drivers door handle was scratched and dented. Boy, did I have to apoligize. These people knew exactly what they were doing. They were fast and fixed the door handle so that it was not obvious to us when we went to get in the car. We did not even suspect anything until we were 3 hours down the road. There is no telling how many people they robbed that day.

Now to the Blessings:
(1) NO ONE WAS HURT! When I came out of the building Clint and Camon were standing on the curb by the car looking down a hill in front of them. They could have easily been jumped by these people.
(2) Clint's wallet, my purse, and Betty's purse were all sitting right there. Betty's was under a blanket, but right in the floor by the seat where the Bible's were pulled out and thrown (the nerve of these people).
(3) The laptop that I brought from work was sitting right by the back door. If they would have had time to open it, I am sure that it would have been taken (and me responsible).
(4) Gary bought a new camera - one that weighs less than a pound and doesn't wait 10 minutes for the shutter to flash.
(5) They got Clint's luggage and not mine. Because I am sure that there would have been a huge fight over him leaving my luggage, and then I really would have had some apoligizing to do.

So the moral of this story... "It's just stuff, and you can't take it with you when you GO!". Oh, and also never leave your car unattended!!!!! Anyway, we are in Atlanta now and having a good time, despite the events of our first day.

The Crazy things they say!

The mind of a child is such a unique thing. I am constantly amazed at the amount of knowledge Camon and Isabelle gain each day. Their little minds seem to store much more information than mine can. While Camon does not like to prove it, at age 5 (before kindergarten) he can spell both his first and last name (however can not spell the middle, RAY, I guess it is too simple), count to 20 (leaving out 16 EVERY TIME), recall every scene to every movie that he has ever seen (especially Star Wars), knows the months of the year, the sounds of the alphabet, the days of the week, what colors mix to make other colors, and everything you would ever want to know about dinosaurs. Isabelle can say the alphabet, count to 15, sing a million songs (which I might add she does so constantly – she thinks that there should never be silence when she is around), know all of her colors (and matches them quite well for a 3 year old), knows the months of the year, and can paint her fingernails and toenails (and remove the polish) better than I can. However, there are still a few things that trouble them. And, to be honest much of it makes more sense the way that they view it.

Some examples from this weekend are:

We were without electricity a few days ago and Camon was so upset, because I wouldn’t simply change the batteries in the light switch so that it would work again.

He also has a little trouble with what I call a “stay home day”. To me that simply means that I do not have to go to work and he does not have to go to school. However to him, it means that we will physically be at our house or at least within spitting distance of our house ALL day. I have to be very careful about calling any day this, because he gets very upset when I tell him we are going somewhere (even if it is somewhere fun). This weekend, for example, when I told him that we would go to Aunt Mandi’s house to swim in the afternoon, he said “ So, this is really just a little stay home day?” Isabelle on the other hand is so much like me… GO! GO! GO! And who cares where.

Both of them have a problem with the concept of time. If something happened in the past, it happened YESTERDAY. Actually, they both called it “lasterday” when they started talking. I thought that was pretty fitting. (And sad when they stopped it) It does not matter how long ago it happened, to them it was yesterday. Also, Camon was so funny this weekend, he had gotten in some ants Friday night at Clint’s ballgame and wanted some medicine on them Saturday Morning. I put some on him and covered his feet with socks. A few minutes later, he slipped and wanted some shoes. So, since this was a “little stay home day” I figured that slippers were fitting. So, I told him to go get his slippers (which he has only had about 7 months). He said, “But mom, what if they do not fit? I have not worn them in YEARS.”

This weekend, Isabelle was asking about someone at our church and she asked “Who’s her name?” I tried explaining that she should say “What’s her name?” and I think that turned into a 45 minute discussion of WHY?

And the last thing that both my children say, that makes perfect sense to me and to my children is “No I willn’t” Of course the correct word is won’t, but doesn’t it make more sense to use willn’t for will not? My children are geniuses.

Yes, all of this was said or done in one weekend. We truly have event-filled days with those 2 around. I can never imagine my life again without them.