The Guys in My Life

I have been grieving in that quiet, I can't even cry about it way over the implosion of my relationship with my dad since February. It isn't a crippling grief, but always there just under the surface. I can't really even go there. Daily reminders include an unopened birthday card that sits on my desk. It may seem a bitter pill that I won't just open it and cash the check - but this bank no longer accepts payments to assuage the payee's guilt. A $20, $30, $50 check a year does not a relationship make. I love my dad dearly - but he refuses to be a part of my life, and therein lies the fracture.
But this was to be a happy post. I have been realizing that Papa is filling in the gaps - a little at a time to help that aching void not be so big and he is doing so with those of the male persuasion in my life.
Earlier today I was working here on my computer, and I thought of Travis. I was thinking how much I love him and was just about to text him and tell him so, when the phone rang. It was him. He was just calling to tell me he loves me. Eros.
Just a little while ago, Kullen came into my bathroom and said he had to ask me something. He said, "Mom, do you think you've done a good job raising me so far?" I was brushing my teeth and not able to really say much when he continued, "Cause I do. I love you mom. You do a great job with me." Wow. I told him I didn't think I had a whole lot to do with it and that I think he is a pretty terrific person all on his own.
Then there is Mason, Dylan, Jonathan, Daniel, David, Josh, Noah...... Yep - they have reminded me of a lot of the guys that I miss in WV. They are playful, intelligent, funny, creative, thoughtful, polite, irreverent and funny. I have had this huge hole in my life for Kameron, Justin, Dillon, Cody, Devan, Jamie. I love the girls too - but the guys are just different. I have missed my boys - who are slowly but surely turning into young men while we are all so far apart.
I am thankful for the constant care of a loving Father.

Teenage Boys

A couple of days ago I got a message on myspace from Justin - one of those teenage boys I know who has my heart wrapped around his little finger. He was saying we needed to come for a visit soon so that he could "hold" Kullen before he was too big! I guess everybody is reacting to how much older he looks in his recent pictures.
Last night the girls had a "going away" party for the girls they know who were going away to college in just about a week. Kullen called and invited some boys he knew to go and see a movie with him. The boys his age couldn't make it, but some of the teenage boys wanted to go. So, I we made the rounds and picked up a carload of boys, and headed off to see Hellboy II (weird movie - and not about hell at all fyi).
There are several sets of brothers here and it is interesting that they are all friends and really get along well and like one another. I haven't seen any rivalry or any feuding. They were all going that night to spend the night together and have an all nighter of video gaming. The oldest boy of the group - a college student and the oldest of a set of 3 brothers called to ask Kullen if he wanted to stay the night too. Kullen acted pretty cool about it, but I know inside he was screaming for joy! Of course I let him go. The mom called me this morning and told me that he passed out around 8 am. I will pick him up this afternoon when we trek off to yet another party, if he's awake!
I am so happy that he had such a nice time and that there are so many awesome young men to be his role models. It was funny, when I asked them if they were sure they wanted him to come, they said, "Of course! Kullen's awesome!" I think so too - and love them all even more because of it!

A Wedgie Video

Guys do not do the warm and fuzzy things that girls do out of love. They tend to like to hit one another, wrestle, and ...........yep, give wedgies. This video is of a documented wedgie - and I actually know these guys so I know that this is not put on - it is what they do.
Wedgey Of DOOM!


Evidently, they have always wanted to capture this on tape. The "wedgie giver" happens to have a reputation for this while he is also one of THE most polite, kind, considerate, funny guys I have ever known - note the polite "thank you" at the end. I am sharing this in the hopes that other mothers of teenage boys will know they are not alone! This is what they do when left home alone for hours to have "band practice" with mom's video camera on hand!
They seriously do have an actual band - here is a link to their myspace where you can hear songs like "Spiritual Underwear". ha ha - no kidding!
I love you guys!

Don't Break a Mother's Heart

To have children, it is said is akin to knowing what it is like to have one's heart walking around outside of one's body. It is a strange sensation indeed. I am the mother to three children. In secret the Lord knit them in my womb. But they are not mine. They are His. And yet for some reason, the ties that bind me to these precious ones are elastic, and only stretch so far before snapping them back safely into my arms. The one thing that most threatens this elasticity is the love of another. God intended it to be so. There have been casual interests here and there, but nothing serious. Recently one child's eyes have begun to sparkle. She tells me that it is pretty casual interest right now, but knowing how much she is like her mother, I know she never does anything with her heart half in it. I know he loves the Lord and for that I am thankful. What I wish I could make him know is how precious she is to me, and to understand in the depth of his being, as Gracie Hart best said in Miss Congeniality:

And if anyone, anyone tries to hurt one of my new friends (insert word daughter here) , I would take them out ...

Y'all thought I was gonna get all spiritual, didn'tcha?

It appears they already have a "date" to go to the prom in April 2008 - should I be worried?

Scrap Happy: Week 14

I made this page from a picture I took of my son last week. I used some drop shadow effects and also blurred the image around the focal point - which was the boy on the scooter. I like it fairly well - but maybe other scrapbookers understand this feeling - I am not quite satisfied. However, the more I tweak it, the less I like it - so I've decided to leave it alone.
I also used too many fonts - but nothing quite gave it the look I wanted. I didn't have my own computer with all of my own favorite fonts on it - so that was part of the problem. And in case you didn't know - if you want to view someone's picture or scrapbook pages, you can click on the image to enlarge it! Makes reading the small journaling much easier.
I can't wait to see the pages you're making! Happy Scrappin'!

Teenage Boys

In case you haven't ever assessed from reading this blog, I'm crazy about teenagers. I always have been - however, being the mother of two teenage girls, and a 9 year old boy, there is a mysterious shroud drawn over the lives of teenage boys - a place where I am sometimes invited to share, and often freaks me out. The land of stinky feet and unmade beds, deep voices, large appetites and the excitement of little boys, only bigger.
Today I entered my sister-in-law's office, and saw my nephew, Austin, and our neighbor, Kyle who we brought along with us, both 16, standing in the room holding DOLLS! Austin had a porcelain prairie girl doll, and Kyle was holding a Raggedy Ann doll. They were holding them up in the air - NOT like weapons, but in a gesture that looked like they were making them talk to each other.
I said, "I'm going out and coming back in."
They both followed me out of the room, yelling, "No, it isn't what it looks like. We weren't playing with the dolls."
I have to laugh. Of all the things that I might have expected to see teenage boys doing when I entered a room unexpectedly, this was not even on the list.
And it cracked.me.up!

Weekend Wrap-Up

I haven't blogged much this busy weekend. The end of the month came last week which means invoice time at work. I was working on those Friday night until the wee hours of the morning.
There is a young man named Alan who has been showing some interest in Kendra. They met through a mutual friend - and we were excited to hear that he is a Christian. However, we were a bit concerned that first, we don't know him at all and secondly that he is 18 years old. The not knowing him was a bigger issue than the age thing to be honest. He came over Friday night to meet us, and brought his mom so we could meet her as well. She invited us to a church that I had been curious about - and we went this morning and really liked it. He seems like a very nice young man - and he has good taste in girls. While we aren't allowing her to "date" yet, we are open to any young man of good moral character spending time with our family and getting to know all of us more. Only the guys worth having anyway are going to put up with the Forsythes for very long!
So I have been too busy for deep thoughts. I have had a lot of them - but I cannot keep track, and as usually happens, as soon as I have 2 uninterrupted minutes on the computer - all thoughts are gone!
Hope you're having a great weekend!

Funny Boy

My boss posted a funny story about something her son said on her blog. It made me think of my son Kullen who gives me and endless supply of hilariousness. Like the time when he was 7 or 8 and we were talking to a homeschool skeptic, who asked him when his birthday was. He said he didn't know. I said, "Kullen?" thinking how could he NOT know his own birth date. He shrugged his shoulders and said with wide eyes, "Well how should I know, YOU never told me?!??"
Just a couple of days ago I was picking him up from hanging out at a friend's house around 11 o'clock, and he said, enthusiastically, "Mom did you hear what I did today?" Well, I hadn't - I had gone in one direction, and my friend was supposed to pick him up from the house of another friend. (We are really making the rounds here in WV.) He proceeded to tell me how he was dared and jumped into the swimming pool at my friend Kate's house! I was flabbergasted. Fortunately Kate has a sense of humor, and endless energy for boys like Kullen. Thank GOD!
So anyway, this funny boy is all mine. He can roll his tongue, whistle, stand on his head, count to like a trillion, but he does not know his birthday and has impulse control issues. It doesn't matter, he makes me laugh until my sides hurt, he tells me I'm beautiful every day, and I love him anyway.

Book Review - Hatchet

My 9 year old son and I have been sharing this book every night at bedtime. Another boy recom- mended it but since it was above his current reading level, I suggested we read it together. It was excellent.

Hatchet won the Newberry Honor and I can attest to how deserving it was of this esteemed recognition. It is a great book about a boy who survives for 54 days after a plane crash in the wilderness alone with nothing but a hatchet. He learns to fish, hunt, create fire, and hones his instincts which did not exist in suburbia. He is forever changed by this time, and I think we are too for reading of his adventure.

We enjoyed this book so much, we jumped right into the sequel, The River, also by Gary Paulsen.