Boys!

I have one boy in particular who loves his mama.  He is always affectionate and ready for a hug or a kiss - both to give one and receive.  Today he went to our neighbor's garage sale and bought me a present.  I always cringe at those words:  "Look what I bought you at the garage sale!"  This was a carrot shaped piece of artwork with 6 small cheese or butter knives with carrot tops that stick into the large carrot.  Now I have to figure out what to do with it as it is neither practical or physically beautiful.  However, it is beautiful in one way....my youngest son picked it out just for me.  He spent his own $2.00 on me.  Not on candy or a toy or anything else except his mama.  And for that reason we will use it tonight at dinner when we eat our pizza and it will be proudly displayed on my kitchen counter.  It will sit next to the ShrinkyDink with the words, "I Love You" on it and the 3 inch tall Sculptey clay letters that spell out "I LOVE MOM" and the heart shaped rock and the red wooden heart wall hanging bought at the last garage sale.  And every time I walk in my kitchen I am reminded that I am loved very much!

I also picked up my daughter and middle son at camp today.  Can I just say, ten year old boys stink.  Especially ones who have been at camp during a week of 95+ degree heat.  I could hardly stand to love on him when I saw him.  But, of course, I did.  Then he got in the car and took off his shoes.  Shoes he'd worn all week with no socks.  Oh, heavens.  It was RIPE in there.  I can't put my finger on the exact smell, but if you mix body odor with bad breath and clothes that have been wet in a pond and never dried fully and nasty foot smell, then you have a pretty good idea of what we put up with for an hour and a half.  When I got home I unpacked his clothes and found 3 pair of clean underwear.  Now, this camp was only 5 days long.....do the math.  (2 pair of underwear worn over 5.5 days)  Perhaps this was adding to the stench.  Perhaps.

Now, I am waiting for cookies to come out of the oven.  For that is my love language.  Food.  I love to bake cookies for my kids and their friends.  I can smell the ooey, gooey warm cookie smell right now.  To me it shouts, "I love you!"  I am not always great with physical affection, so sometimes cookies are my hugs.  It just feels good to have all 6 kids back under one roof.  Crazy good, you know?