Ledge of success

By all measures, Boy #1's week of sleep-away camp was a success. Well, unless you consider eating regular meals a measure of success.

I'd appropriately prepped all branches of the Family, so he got plenty of mail. Of course, I failed to figure in the decades several years since I'd first gone to camp; he was able to call us several times, along with text reports from the kindly Cub Scout leaders accompanying him. In all honesty, these texts and calls went quite a ways toward calming my anxious heart, so that we all got some sleep that week.

The only other negative -- besides the worrisome pattern of calls coming later each night (We missed the Thurs. night call, which rang in at 11:30 p.m., I believe) -- was the heat. His week of camp came just as those record summer temps were ramping up, which brought them all home about 12 hours early. Perhaps the in-tent reading of 115 degrees had something to do with it.

My proudest moment was learning that he'd passed his swimming test after they got checked in. That's my boy! But the highlight of each day was his first statement when we answered the phone:

1. "I almost caught a whopper!" This was followed by a drawn-out littany of the fish that, literally, got away, as well as what its make and model could have been. . .never mind that he hadn't actually seen said fish. The best part was his elation at having been "on the ledge of success" before the trickster made his escape.
2. "Dinner was brussel sprouts and artichoke casserole!" Turns out it was turkey and dressing, although there was a side item that might have been something like this. Personally, I suspect it was broccoli casserole, but no matter.

Not to be outdone, Boy #2 has also added to the family lexicon of sayings.

We ventured to the Midwest to visit the Maternal Grandparents over the 4th of July. Since we've made the trip many times, we've learned where to stop along the way. As we were refueling, he must have recognized the gas station, because he remarked, "We're almost where we are!" To which my quick-witted Husband replied, "Yes, the 'here-ness' is all around us." Indeed.

And then he went to kindergarten camp. I picked him up after the first day, asking that age-old question, "So, what did you learn today?" He replied with the thoroughly disgusted tone that only a 5-year-old can muster, "We didn't learn nussing!" (Yep, still working on those 'th'-es.)

And so it goes.
-ma'am