Reeves' First Dove Hunt

Cooper asked Bryant this week if he and Reeves wanted to go dove hunting with him and some other guys at a place up in Summerton. Of course, he jumped at the chance. I must admit, part of me was a little sad that I wouldn't be there on Reeves' first hunt, but an even bigger part of me knew that this was going to be a super special day for R and his dad, just like every hunt I have ever been on with my dad has been. And since I stay home with the boys, I get to have a lot of special times with them that Bryant often misses out on, so this was really good for them.

Cooper picked them up around 1:30 and they headed out. Reeves was so excited. He was dressed all in camoflauge. He had his camo stool all loaded up with ear muffs and snacks. He wanted to bring his own gun, but I think it will be a few years before he makes that step. He has to be a good retriever first.

I took a picture of the boys before they left. (This would be the last time I would see Reeves awake that day.)

Here is my little bird dog ready to go retrieve.

I sent the little camera out with Bryant, and I'm so glad I did. B got a bird, so Reeves got to really see what it was all about.

I remember doing the same things at my father's feet. For some reason, the first few birds are so fascinating.

Bryant said he examined every bit of it, and then even noticed that after a while, the body was becoming stiff, so B got to have the rigor mortis talk with him. Maybe a bit early, but if he's gonna hunt, he's gonna learn about it. I'm just glad he wasn't freaked out by it.

Reeves took some pictures of the field.

I must say, I'm pretty impressed with his eye for composition. What a perfect place for a hunt.

He got a really good picture of B in the blind.

I'm so glad they got to have this special day together. I can't thank Cooper enough for including them. It meant so much to both of them, and it brings a tear to my eyes to realize just how fast Reeves is growing up.

UPDATE: I just learned today that Reeves apparently told his daddy that he also needed some camoflauge boxers. Maybe Santa can hook him up.

A Whole Hand!

I promise to do a post with actual writing soon, but in the meantime, this very informative picture will have to do.

I can't believe he's really five! He already looks more grown up than he did on Sunday.

The Best Part of My Day

Taking a cue from Anne, we have started asking Reeves what his favorite part of the day was. We usually do this after prayers, right before he goes to bed. Tonight, he got me. Without me even asking him, he turned to me, put his arm around me and said, "My favorite today was loving you, Mommy."

Seriously.

Anything you want, Reeves. It's yours. I love you.

I Must Have Blinked

Reeves has been riding his 12" bike with training wheels since he was just over 2. He loves that thing and can pretty much make it go wherever he wants. Even out in the country, there is almost nothing Preston can do on his big boy bike that Reeves can't do on his little bike. Well, that didn't last too long. In his constant effort to "be just like Preston", Reeves randomly requested, a couple of weeks ago, to have his training wheels removed. Right, so here it was then, this day I have dreaded only slightly less than the potty training and big boy bed milestones. Luckily, Aileen has been recently pushing me (kicking and screaming) into regular exercise, so running along beside him wasn't nearly as bad as I had envisioned. Here he is all geared up for the first attempt. It literally took only about 4 or 5 times up and down the driveway before he got it. After he mastered the art of riding in a straight line, we headed across the street to the big grassy field to attempt turning. This took a bit more practice and angst because it is so different than what he did with the training wheels, but it wasn't long before he got the hang of that too.

I wish we had taken more still shots of him on this little 12" bike because it wasn't but a day or two before we realized he really needed to move up to 16". He rode with Bryant all the way to The Back that weekend, and his little legs were moving way more and way faster than they needed to to get him where he was going. Luckily, Preston had graduated from his 16", so we were able to inherit that. And who knew, it's blue! We still have a ways to go before he's starting on his own. (This part is driving me crazy!) He has done it a couple of times, and as soon as he remembers that he can do it, I know we'll be fine. Now Reeves is beaming because there truly is nowhere Preston can go that he can't follow. As for Reeves' old bike, it has found a perfectly wonderful new home in the very capable hands of a two year old little brother who absolutely adores that he gets his big brother's bike now.

Bryant and I keep asking each other, "Are we really already at this point?" The older is riding without training wheels and in a couple of weeks, the younger one will be riding this little bike right along with him. What's happening to our "babies"?

Maybe I Could Have Parked a Little Closer to The Curb

Yesterday started out as a pretty good day. We were going to the playground at 11:00, so we didn't do anything other than mess around the house in the morning. The boys played great together. Reeves was super sweet to both me and Benny. He shared his toys, always said "please" when he was supposed to, did what I asked him to. We talked about going to the playground, and he remembered that it was Moultrie Playground. He was excited to play in the sand there and pointed out to me that this is not the playground with the brontosaurus dinosaur. That's Hambry Playground. We left to go and the boys were happily chatting away in the backseat, even holding hands at times.

I was so pleased and happy.

Then we parked and the mask came off. Reeves started screaming that he didn't want me to take his seatbelt off!! He wanted to go home!! He wanted to stay in the car!! Fine. I got Bennett and our lunch out, locked the doors, and headed to the playground. After depositing lunch and the younger child with friends and waiting what would be a more than sufficient time for the older one to calm down, I went back to get him. I swear to you, at this point I was thinking that Rosemary had a better baby than I did. I could hear him as I was approaching the car. Seriously. Who did he think was listening? So I got him out, threw him over my shoulder and carried him inside the fence. I promptly laid him down in his unmitigated wailing state to join more pleasant people. I figured he would get over it soon enough. Well, "soon enough" ended up being a good 15 or 20 minutes. I had no idea he could possibly hold out so long. But, once he decided he was over it, he proceeded to have a wonderful time playing with all his friends, and blessedly wearing himself out in the process. Although there was one point where something happened to make him mad and he told me that he just wanted to go home and be a baby. Whatever, dude.

For the rest of the day, he returned to his old congenial self. On Wednesdays, he has choir and then he spends that night with the Bairs. Benny and I usually eat dinner out there and head home around 7:00. And here's where this precious angel totally (almost) made up for his horrendous behavior earlier in the day. Benny has his blue blankets that he adores. He must have at least one to go to sleep. (We have four identical ones.) Anyway, Judy called me around 8:30 to tell me that Reeves had told her she had to call Mommy because he had found Bennett's blue blanket and he needed it to go to sleep. She said he was very worried about it. He got on the phone and told me, "Mommy, you bogot Bennett's boo bwanket." I assured him that it was ok because I had an extra one at home, and he was already asleep with it. "But Reeves, Bennett is very lucky to have a big brother like you who looks out for him like that."

He Stole My Heart With This One

Reeves has recently been asking a lot of questions about dying (or "diving" as he calls it). I'm not sure what has prompted this, but we've been having some rather deep conversations about it. Maybe I'm too black and white, or maybe I have a bit too much of my father in me, but I have talked to Reeves about this subject rather truthfully. I haven't sugar coated anything about it. There's no chance he'll ever think that someone who has died is just "sleeping". He knows that people who die go to heaven to live with God and Jesus. He seems OK with this. He also wants to know why people die, specifically, "Why did Mama die?" Mama is Judy's mother who died in 2000 at the age of 99. That was an easy one. I told him that sometimes when people get really old, their bodies "just poop out". (This, ironically, is also the term we use when any flashlight or battery operated toy doesn't work also.) So far I haven't had to go any further into it. I haven't had to address why some young people die, or why some people die in tragic accidents.

The other night on the way home from the country, he was very concerned with the fact that Mama had died. He eventually worked himself up into getting upset that all his grandparents were going to die, and Mommy and Daddy were going to die, and he'll be left here all alone with nobody to play with. I explained to him that that wasn't going to happen for a long time. He would be all grown up with a family of his own by then. (Let's pray for good health.) This seemed to pacify him, along with the knowledge that all those people whom we love who die are up in heaven and God and Jesus are taking care of them. Luckily, we arrived home shortly after that, and his attention was directed elsewhere.

Yesterday, on the way home from the CML, he asked me about the sick sea turtles they were taking care of on the shrimp boat. Apparently there was a little girl there who convinced them this needed to be done. After explaining to him all about veteranarians and how they are doctors who take care of sick animals, he asked me if animals ever die. I told him that yes, sometimes even vets can't save an animals life. This of course prompted him to mention Mama again. But then he also talked about Poppa, my grandfather who died last year. I honestly didn't think he'd even remember him. Then, just as we were approaching our house, he said, "Momma, I'm going to be like Superman and fly up to heaven and save Mama and Poppa and Gammy's friend that died." He was with Mom when she found out about Henrietta but had never mentioned it until just then. I am consistently amazed at just how big these little people's hearts can be.

Conversations with Reeves

Going out the door for school in the morning...

Me: Reeves, please put your shoes on.

Reeves starts to put his shoes on without putting on his socks.

[Sidebar: This was one of those below freezing mornings we had recently.]

Me: Reeves, you need to put your socks on first. Your feet will freeze right off out there today!

Reeves: No they won't. My bones will hold them on.

Driving in the car the other day...

Reeves: Mommy, earth starts with "o".

Me: No it doesn't. Earth starts with "e".

Reeves: No, Mommy, earth starts with "o" because it's big and round.

When he goes down for a nap or bedtime:

Reeves: Mommy, will you lie with me for a little bit?

Me: OK, for about five minutes.

Reeves: How about for 49 minutes?

Apparently "Amam Mama" means night night time. "Flippo" means wake up time. And "Flippo, Floppo" means wake up and play time.

No More! No More! No More!

So, apparently, since I got my new point and shoot camera (Thanks, Nancy, for making me love yours so much!), I have gone a little picture/video happy. Usually, Reeves is a pretty good sport about donning his required "Cheese!" pose and indulging me in my habit. Unfortunately, somewhere in the past week or so, I exceeded even his quota. And now that I have a camera with video on it, he finds the blasted thing pointed at him for long periods of time. So, here we were, just Reeves and me, enjoying a quiet morning in The Back. It was beautiful, and the weather was just cool enough to really enjoy a little heat from a fire. I must point out that by the time I took this video, I had already had him explain to me twice, on video, how to build and start a fire, and I had sprinkled in a few (dozen) still photos.

Anyway, it's hard to blame him for his frustration with me, and it does make for some pretty entertaining stuff. I guess once his dad got back there, he was DONE with the camera. I'm sure we'll try to get this one on the rehearsal dinner video.

Still, I was able to snap a few still shots after this. It was a special day because Reeves got to spend it with both of his grandfathers and his aunt Lolly. Days like this seem to be few and far between given everyone's busy schedules. I'm glad I had the camera. Sorry, Son, you've got three choices. Learn to live with it. Move to a place with absolutely no beauty near it at all. Or quit being so cute. It's up to you.

Keep smiling, Monk!

My Little Cherub

This year, Reeves has started choir at church. At first he wasn't too crazy about it. I think he spent most of the first practice standing outside the room watching and pouting. But it wasn't long before he warmed up to the idea. I think the lollipops Ms. Jo gives out after each practice had a lot to do with it and the playground time afterward. Nevertheless, he now looks forward to it every Wednesday. His friend, MK, is in the choir as well, and I know he loves seeing her each time. He always checks with me before we leave the house to make sure she is going to be there.
The Cherub Choir has now sung twice in church. The first time, Reeves did not want to put on his robe (even though I showed him that it had a bow tie just like Daddy's) and cowered behind the corner before going into church. But he did it. He stood up in front of the church, and, although I don't think he actually sang, he did manage to be strong and not cry or make a spectacle. We were so proud of him.
The second time they sang, he was a bit more amenable. He happily donned his robe, and marched right in to the church. We couldn't tell if he was actually singing, but I am going to assume he did, since I had heard snippets of the song in the days before the "production".Here he is, fourth up from the bottom on the front row. We are so proud of our little angel for looking fear right in the eye and overcoming it. I won't make him do it next year if he really doesn't want to, but it makes me happy to see how well he has acclimated to this new activity.

Thanksgiving Feast at School

Reeves' class had their Thanksgiving celebration and invited all of the parents. It's amazing to me how big the classroom looks when it is only holding 12 3 year olds and how almost suffocating it becomes when you add all the parents. Nevertheless, we and the children had a great time. I went early to help set up. While we were doing that, the children were out on the playground. I happened to glance out and see that Henry's class was out there too. Then I saw Reeves and Henry find each other, and this was how they spent the remainder of their time out there, hand in hand, walking all around, pointing things out to each other and introducing each other to their friends. It was precious. (And a little wierd, since it did look like they were on a date, but it won't be long before they succomb to the societal pressures all around them, so I was sure to capture it to remind us of how cute they were.)

When the kids did come in, we went into the classroom next door and had a little Thanksgiving history lesson. They had all made bead bracelets, and they were able to tell us what all the colors stood for. Then it was time for the feast. And what a feast it was. There was enough food on Reeves' plate to last him a week. I think all of us mothers realized there was no need for everyone to bring something ever again. We'll just dole out a few food responsibilities from now on. Of course, despite being packed in like sardines, we all enjoyed watching our little ones. They said the blessing and ate about one eleventh of what was on their plates. I got to see Reeves' Thanksgiving sign that he had made. It was a picture of a turkey that said what he was thankful for. While most of the other children had put "Mommy" or "Daddy" or "My Family" on theirs, Reeves was thankful for "Honey". And no, that's not a pet or a person, it's the sweet viscous liquid that his Grandmomma has made him fall in love with. She laughed with delight when she saw the sign the next day.

We had to take this picture for Sue, since both Reeves and Eliza are in Crawford children hand-me-downs. How lucky we are that she has such good taste and such a generous disposition!

So As Not To Forget...

The other day, after nap, I told Reeves we needed to load up because I had to run by the bank. He was having such a nice time playing with his toys that he told me, "You go to the bank, Mommy. I'll stay here and watch Bennett." If only! Of course, then he remembered that the bank ladies have lollipops, so he was in the car before I could even get Bennett loaded.

Yesterday, Reeves was not too keen on taking his nap. He lay in his bed for 30 or 45 minutes. He got up to go potty, and I told him to go back to his room. He told me, "I rested for about five minutes. That's enough. It was good for my heart."

Officious, Please Bite My Hook

No, it's not a nod to all of you gung-ho politicos to keep your unwanted opinions to yourself. I'm not going to change your choice, you're not going to change mine. It's just a play on words and nothing more. I think I remember RWH,III using this in gradeschool as an example of a sentence with the word "officious" in it. I'm guessing he didn't do very well in vocabulary that year. Anyway...

It's official. My three year old is a better fisherman than I. In his short life, he has already caught 6 or 7 more fish than I have in the last decade. Friday evening, David took the boys fishing in the pond in their neighborhood. On his Scooby Doo rod, all 26 inches of it, Reeves reeled in at least 8 fish. Henry was equally successful on his Spiderman rod. I, on the other hand, failed to even hook a single fish. Granted, my focus lay mainly on taking pictures and half-heartedly trying to quiet the screaming toddler, but nonetheless, I'm beginning to think I will never catch another fish again. Reeves, however, will be able to pick up the salt water soaked match that I have dropped and revive it into a burning torch of piscine glory.
Here he is with his first ever fish. I have no idea what kind it is, but David did say there were some tilapia and brim in there. He wasn't even afraid to pick it up. All boy, this one is.
On the walk back, according to David, the boys started debating over who had caught the biggest fish. Luckily he was there to suppress any further argument by getting them to agree that, although Henry had indeed caught the biggest fish, Reeves had caught the most. Whether or not this was actually true remains a mystery since each of the fish was thrown back, but it seemed to have worked to appease both boys. By the time they returned home (Jenny and I had left a little before them), they were each happily reporting their mutual successes.So, here I sit, typing away about an instance in which my child has surpassed me. I know there will be more times like this for me, and I am sincerely happy about it. I just didn't think it would be so soon. Seriously?!? I'm losing out to a three year old already? I think it's time to dust off the old Ugly Stick and see if the fish really do prefer cartoon characters of if it's just me they loathe.Way to go, Reeves! I love seeing you this happy. I love that you finally have a real fish on the end of that rod and not jst a little orange rubber one. I'm so proud of you!

So As Not To Forget...

• Yesterday, while Reeves and I were washing the car, he came up to me and said that he needed some "dam bubbles". What!?! Not that he hasn't heard that word before, but he hasn't ever said it yet. "Great, I'm winning Mommy of The Year now", I thought. He then explained to me that he needed some bubbles to make his bubble dam. OK, much better.
  
• Just now, Reeves told me that Bennett wanted to play "Tackle Baby". Ummm, I don't think so.

Lovin' Him Some Henry Time

Last year Reeves and Henry were in the same class at school. According to their teacher and any and all assistants they ever had, the two were inseparable. Whenever the class would go somewhere, Reeves and Henry would be side by side, holding hands. This was such a perfect set up because it was the first time in "school" for both of them, and it was comforting for them to have each other, especially in the beginning of the year. If you ask either of them, they are each other's "best buddies".

Unfortunately, this year, they are not in the same class, and to make matters even worse, their paths don't even cross during the school day. As such, there has been a vast Henry void in Reeves' life. We all get so busy that we often forget to make time for those most special to us. This has been the case with our families. Well, the last two days have done wonders to remind us all just how important it is that we get these two little guys (I mean BIG BOYS) together more often. It all started on Monday, when I walked Reeves into school. Normally, I just drop him off in the carpool line, but that morning, we were passing out the directories. (Thank you, Aileen, for all your hard work!) Henry's classroom door, which is usually closed, was open, and Henry was just inside. Reeves saw him and immediately ran to the doorway to talk to him. After a moment, he looked up at me with an almost pleading look in his eyes. I knew exactly what he wanted. I leaned down to him and told him he could go give Henry a hug. There should have been some sort of theme music playing. You would have thought they were long lost brothers. It nearly broke my heart to have to pull Reeves away to go to his classroom. Well, that sealed it. These boys needed to spend time together - and soon. I called Jenny, and we agreed that I would pick Henry up from school on Friday when I got Reeves.

As luck would have it, Jenny was also in last minute need of a babysitter for Thursday afternoon. Since Reeves had spent Wednesday night in the country, we headed out there. They had a blast! They ran through Judy's freshly hung laundry. They raced along the dirt road. They found a skull in The Back. Henry said it was a treasure. Reeves decided it was probably a dinosaur bone. They got filthy; they got hungry and thirsty and tired. It was a perfect afternoon all around. The only saving grace to it ending was the knowledge that they would see each other again the very next day.

Reeves was jumpy with anticipation this morning on our way to school. He couldn't wait for the school day to be over so he and Henry could play again. So, at 11:30, I met Reeves' class as they were walking through the lunchroom. He and I waited outside Henry's door until they were ready. Reeves would try to call to Henry through the vent at the bottom of the door. I had to quickly put a stop to that. For some reason, it was a little distracting to the teacher who was trying to read them a story. Go figure. Henry lined up at the front of the line inside the door. Reeves was just outside it. They were jumping up to see each other through the window that was just a few inches too high for them. Finally, Henry was free. We three jumped in they car and headed to Chick-E-Lay in Mt.P to meet Caroline and her brood. (Thank heavens for Lolly who had Bennett this whole time!!) Reeves, Henry, and Fordham played great together - so refreshing to see in a group of three. After a quick rest, we headed out for the Citadel parade. It was a Chamber of Commerce day, and how could we not oblige the urge to be outside?They loved it - climbing the canons, checking out the tanks and the jet, a bout of uncontrollable energy, ultimately hemmed in with the appearance of lollipops. From there we headed straight to Henry's house. (Could this day get any better for Reeves? Playing AND not having to go back to his own house!) David took the boys fishing in the pond. Oh the joy. That is a post in and of itself. I will get to that tomorrow.

Needless to say, we had to filthy, exhausted boys by the time night fell. And four very happy parents who count our blessings each day that not only are our boys best buddies, but they are family and already seem to know just how special and precious that makes them to each other. I watch them playing and look back at only a couple of decades ago when I would wait for David and his family to come into town so we could play. When we were their age until middle school, they lived out of town, and there were no happier times in my short life than those spent with my favorite cousin and best friend. I cannot express how happy it makes me that my son and his son have the same relationship. What a blessing.

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

Yesterday, after arriving home from Reeves' (completely unnecessary) haircut, I did the same thing I always do when we get home at naptime. I carried Bennett inside with Reeves following me. I went straight back to Benny's roomand put him down for his nap. As I was rounding the corner to the hall, I noticed Reeves taking off his shoes. Perfect. One less thing for me to get him to do before he goes down for his nap. When I came back to the den, there was no Reeves. Not thinking much of this, I called him. No answer. No big deal. He often likes to huddle himself under and between the pillows on the side of the sofa. But he wasn't there. I checked his room, thinking maybe he had followed me down the hall and snuck in there while I was putting Bennett down. Nope. I was admittedly starting to get a little concerned now, but not too much. He must have gone outside to play in the car or ride his bike. Not there. OK, starting to freak out. Maybe he somehow got into Benny's room without me noticing. So, despite the fact that I had just put him down, I went bursting into Benny's room looking for Reeves. Not there either. At his point I am screaming for him and wondering how I am going to explain to Bryant that I lost Reeves. You know how it is in moments like these. Your mind runs through each and every possible worst case scenario. I hate that. I checked every one of Reeves' favorite hiding spots and still couldn't find him. Finally I heard movement from Bryant's closet. My whole body relaxed. I finally stopped holding my breath. He had had a little accident and was hiding in there. I explained to him that he should never hide from Mommy or Daddy like that. If he wanted to hide, he always needed to tell me, and then I would happily look for him. We addressed and cleaned up the accident. All was well, finally. But those were the scariest five minutes I had had in quite some time. Momma don't like to play dat!

First Day of School - 3 Years

It began today. Reeves is now in the three's, half days, MWF. (I was really spoiled last year with full days! These three hours seem to fly by.) We went for open house on Saturday, and he did great. I think it will take him some time to adjust to the fact that Mrs. Ledbetter isn't his teacher, but when he went in this mornig, he seems to have settled right in. They are reading The Kissing Hand this week. It's a book where the mother racoon puts kisses in her baby's hand for him to take with him wherever he goes, so Bryant and I both gave Reeves plenty of kisses to take with him. He told me on the way that he had put them in his pocket. Eliza is in his class, and it is always good to have a friend around. Reeves was very excited she would be there. They greeted each other with a big hug when we got there. Unfortunately, while Eliza wanted Reeves to come play with her, it turned out he would rather play with the trucks than have a tea party. Luckily, she didn't seem too upset. Maybe if she offers him some make believe cake, he'll join the tea party.

We will definitely miss having Henry in the same class, but hopefully we will be able to sneak Henry out with us a few afternoons so he can come play with us at home.

Last year was tough for me. I was sending my baby off to school, still in diapers and jonjons. Today, it's our little boy taking these big steps. I can't believe how much he's grown in just a year. We are so proud of him, and I can't wait to hear how his first day was.