Side-by-side Monday

For the next four days, our schedule was as follows:

We would meet in the dining hall at 9:00am for breakfast, which is the moment our Buddies came on-duty.  Around 9:30am, we'd hear the music signifying the beginning of our continuing show, featuring Queen Beatrice, Sir Tinley A. Goodnight, and Wes.  We'd be left with a cliffhanger at 9:45am as we all headed out for a group activity.  As soon as I saw the first of all activities they'd put together, I knew our week was going to be sensational.

 A massive slip and slide, complete with baby shampoo to "grease" the slide, and a runner on each side to pull them down fast.  Bath time {CHECK}

 Christine and Shelby

 Matt and Ty

 Brennon and Pedro

 Look at my teenagers waiting their turn at the top.  {All the heart eyes!}

 Tatum and Keilie

Caden and Nick.  If you can blow this picture up, do; Nick's face is priceless!

Each kid could go as many times as they want.  Scratch that, each person present could go!  I didn't see it, but it was told to me that even Sue went down.  I saw her as a runner a few times, though.  She many not be very tall, and my goodness she has no meat on her bones, but that woman can book it when she's running kids down that hill!

Once my kids had taken as many turns as they wished, we all went down to the lake for some canoeing.  I'm not sure who was more excited: Brennon or Randy.

 I barely got one of Brennon and Pedro at all.  They got in that canoe and they were off.  They were basically done by the time the rest of us got out there.  I didn't get a good picture of them at all.  Oh well, we all know Brennon loves canoeing-- we can imagine his smiling face.

 Nick and Caden

 Tyson and Matt

 Tatum and Keilie.  

Keilie thought it would be fun to paddle to us and splash Randy.  He warned her that if she started it, he'd end it.  He gave her three tries, barely getting even a single splash, before he effectively soaked her to the bone.  In fact, she was so wet that she went back to the cabin to change.  She was warned.

 Me with my Master Rower.  

I seriously suck at paddling.  I have no idea what the heck I am doing.  I feel bad that he got stuck with me, actually.  But when each of your kids have Buddies to go with, you kind of have to go with your spouse, or not at all.  I think he'll choose "not at all" forever more.

Christine and Shelby.

We all came together for lunch and then separated for an hour for the Buddies to take a break.  Matt always read, Christine always napped, and I'm not quite sure about the others.  In that hour, we'd mostly just walk around to things that were open and hang out.  The kids would count down till they could be with their Buddies again.  We always met at the Coffee Cart at 2:00pm.  At this time, the kids had many activities that they could choose from.  Keilie once asked me, "Mom, what do you do all day?"  "I mostly just walk around, looking for my kids, taking pictures of their fun."  I was in my element.

Monday and Tuesday had Women's Spa from 2:00-4:45pm.  I was the first one there both days!  I got my hair trimmed, soaked my toes and had them scrubbed with sugar scrub, then painted them from like 50 different colors choices.  The woman in charge of doing the Spa transforms the room into the most beautiful space.  You would never know you were at a camp; you walk in and instantly forget, it's that beautiful.  There are volunteers that walk around, offering to help in any way they can.  It was nice to sit around, talking with other mom's, saying fewer words than usually spoken about so many things because the other mothers know what you're talking about.  We may not be in the same spot on our journey, our children may not be the same gender, age, or same cancer type, but we understand so much of what the other has been through or experienced.  I stayed until 4:30pm, when I went in search of my lovelies.  Turns out, they were on their way to me-- Randy wanted to show me the funnest game that I just had to try (and that we just need to buy): Archery Tag.

I did not get a picture of myself (obviously) or Brennon, but we both played.  Brennon didn't ever want to shoot, so he just helped Pedro get arrows.  It was a cross between dodge ball, paintball, and archery target practice.  SUPER FUN!!!  But, oh my gosh, as if it wasn't hot enough at camp, put us in a stuffy gym and place a helmet over our face, and you have fun suffocating to death while being shot at.  And, no, the cooling moisture you feel as you place the helmet to your face is not a sanitizing spray between games... awesome!

After dinner, we gathered for Club, where we all sang songs about Dragons-- including one made up specifically for camp.  It was a song where one of the duo was a Knight, the other was a dragon.  I captured a special moment where Matt was the Dragon to Ty's Knight.

There was also time throughout the day to work on our armor some more.

After Club, we all met together for a Jest Fest Talent Show.  Caden, Keilie, and Tyson refused to participate-- LAME.  Shelby and Brennon decided to show off their talents, though.

 The thing is, this was not your typical Talent Show where you have to be a professional to even participate.  Oh no, my friends, this is more genuine and fantastic.  Every single person that got up there was made to feel like a celebrity.  The screams and cheers and whistles that could be heard whether they danced, skipped, sang, or even recited their A,B,C's was deafening.  If they got up on that stage, they were cheered on like we were at a teen sensation concert. 

 Brennon did his "duck" sound.  It was actually the best ones he's ever done.

 Shelby did her Purple Belt Form.  SO MANY people came up to me, telling me how awesome it was to see her up their doing taekwondo after all of the girls did dance routines or sang.  She is a fierce little cutie.

Also, look at the above two pictures to see a small glimpse of the decorations done to make that stage so amazing.  Each of those red rhombuses were hand cut and individually taped on the entire back wall.  Each of those triangles for those LONG bunting banners were hand cut.  The time they took to plan, execute, and decorate that amphitheater was astounding.

 We always ended everything with dancing.  And, just this once, Keilie let loose and danced. 

Whether it is a child that flaunts their feeding tube, or Caden swimming without a surf shirt despite being embarrassed by his massive and many scars (and radiation tattoos and burns now), or the 14 year old boy that lost his leg less than a year ago dancing with the group (above, in green shorts), I can't help but feel that these kids are the most amazing warriors I have ever known in my whole life.

At 9:00pm sharp, we said goodnight to our Buddies.  Caden needed many, many naps and breaks throughout the day.  Sue even gave us a schedule to alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen throughout the day-- he just wasn't feeling well at all.  So TIRED!  And sore from boating on Saturday.  But he was able to have a good day, regardless.  I mean, come on, who needs a nap when there is Archery Tag to play?  He was too tired to attend the Jest Fest, so he went to sleep at 8:00pm.  We made sure the kids were super quiet as they came in, but it wasn't long before their soft, even breaths of sleep joined Caden's that night-- they were all exhausted.  It was a while before I fell asleep, but when I did, it was after my mind went over everything we'd done that day.  Like Sunday night, I went to bed with a heart that burned with deep gratitude for these amazing people that give so much so that we can hopefully forget the cruel truth of our reality.  We played today.  And we played hard!

Side-by-side Sunday

We arrived just a few minutes after 4:00pm.  We left church an hour early to come home to change our clothes, eat lunch, and get out on the road-- camp was four hours door to entrance.  As we drew nearer each mile, our excitement grew and grew.  I believe that each of the kids' most looked forward to aspect of the camp was meeting their Buddies.  We got all checked-in and immediately met with the six people that would share our lives for five days; one Buddy for each kid, and one head Buddy for us all.  We were overjoyed that Caden and Brennon got their same Buddies from February: Nick and Pedro, respectively.  To see Brennon light up so much from the very second he heard the news was a testament to how much these Buddies mean to our kids, how amazing they make the experience, and how much we come to love them by the end.  Tyson was the only one that we knew for certain would not have the same Buddy.  He was disappointed in February when everyone else got the same gender Buddy, but him.  He had a good time, but he really wanted a male-- so we specifically asked, they delivered.  For the record: Caden and Nick, Keilie and Tatum, Shelby and Christine, Brennon and Pedro, and Tyson and Matt, with Colleen Ritchie as our head Buddy.

We were immediately shown to our sleeping quarters to unpack and get ready for the actual kick-off time of 6:00pm.  We were the only family to get two rooms in February, since we were the largest, so once again we figured we'd have the largest sleeping space.  Little did we know that we'd get one entire side of a new cabin, complete with three sinks, three toilet cubicles, three showers, and TWENTY TWO Twin beds.  That's right, our family of seven had eleven bunk beds to choose from.

 The side our Yukon is parked on was our "Wing" of the "Castle."  It added to the fun as our kids saw that we were the only family to stay in the new cabins.

And then they ran around, raucously claiming the bed of their choice.  Wow, that was fun!  And surprising that not one of them argued over a bed-- I swear on my life, there was no arguing!  This camp produces miracles, I tell you.  My heart swelled as we unpacked in such nice, new accommodations, and kept filling more and more as the minutes raced by.

At 6:00pm, we met in the dining hall for dinner.

Sunday night was the only meal that we weren't together at one table.  Once they realized that one family alone could take up an entire table, the work crew made sure to fit 13 place settings, instead of the normal 10, on one table the rest of the week.

After our meal, we were excited for the act they put together, a story they come up with which is a theme for our camp.  We were royal subjects in Arnoldia (staying at Camp Arnold) under Queen Beatrice, with her rhyming Knight, Sir Tinley A. Goodnight (say his name out loud) and his apprentice Wes.  Dragons had not been seen in the fair Kingdom for many centuries, thanks to Sir Tinley's family, so when Wes comes along with news that dragons are not as bad as everyone believes, we must make a choice between Knights that slay or if we want dragons to stay.  So, they had us "forge" our own armor in preparation for our Knighthood.  Brennon took this very seriously.  Until that armor was complete, no other activity could hold his attention.

 Beginning at 7:00pm each night, we all gathered together for fun that they call "Club."  They always have fun skits and shows that make us laugh, cheer, and sing together.  Our first skit was one where they had three volunteers that were told to describe something, only it wasn't what we were told they'd be describing.  First it was Caden's buddy, Nick, telling us all about going "Number Two."  However, he was told to describe roller coaster rides.  Tears were rolling down my face as he described "going Number Two" as a "group event that happens at least once a year, with two people sitting in front of you, one next to, and two people behind."  When he gave us a demonstration of how {this} looks, I could barely stay on my chair.

Next it was Sue telling us about "kissing her 'camp sparkle.'"  Only she was told to describe the experience of eating ice cream.  Her first time "kissing" was when she was three years old, with her mother and brother there to witness it.  She now does {this} once a week with her son, Jonah.  I didn't see it, but when Jonah told her what she was really describing, her face was the perfect mask of horror and disgust.  It was SO MUCH FUN seeing Sue in this funny, lighthearted setting.  And, let's be honest, knowing more about the subject than she did.  {wink, wink}

That night as we went to bed thinking on all the fun we'd had with our Buddies, I couldn't help but cry myself to sleep.  How grateful I am for this amazing organization.  And it got better and better by the second.

Some fun facts about the camp:

The volunteers arrived the day before we did to set up and decorate the entire camp.  Nothing was done bare minimum-- everything was over-the-top, amazingly creative, beautifully executed work.  Every single thing looked as if it was done by Hollywood professionals for a movie set, even if it was just a place holder card.  The work that was done for this camp was spectacular.

There were 147 volunteers present/staying at the camp.  This number does not include those that were brought in for other activities that happened throughout the week, like the hairdressers that came to cut the Mother's hair during Spa time on Monday, just to give one example.  147 people volunteered to make this week as amazing, as stress-free, as "forget reality as much as humanly possible while you are here" for us.  My heart is so full.

Camp Arnold is owned and operated by The Salvation Army.  The grounds we stayed and played on are a small portion of the 670 acres owned by the camp.

Not everyone that puts in an application is accepted as a Buddy.  There is a process that they follow to get us the best of the best.  Buddies have to be 18+, or have been on the work crew for many years, like Sue's family-- they have been attending camp Side-by-side for 10 years, both Summer and Winter.  I believe her middle child, Sam, is 15 or 16, and this was his first camp as a buddy.

It was told to Randy that Buddies have to pay to attend the camp.  Pedro was within ear shot, and you could tell this was not supposed to really be known.  It just endears me to them even more.  They pay to come and do the bidding of my children for an entire week, most times even using vacation time from jobs.  I could not love them any more if they were my own family.

Supplies for camp are purchased through Amazon, like a wedding registry.  Once they have things planned (can you imagine the hours spent around tables, discussing and planning something so huge, for so many?!) they put the list out and people can buy things for them.  Once I get that link, I'm gonna share it with the world.  You may not think buying a case of duct tape or tin foil is huge, but for those kids that worked hours and hours making their armor, like my Brennon, it was the best thing in the world.

**Disclaimer: Dispersed within pictures that I took myself are pictures taken by a professional that was hired by Side-by-side for the week.  I have been given permission to use them, but I wanted to always remember that the ones that look professional actually are.  Just one more thing they did right-- perfect memories captured forever!

Tree Swings

The required one month has passed since we put the tree stump removal chemical on the stump in our front area.  We decided to get that space cleared away and ready to burn the stump.  Of course this time landed in the week of record breaking heat wave weather.  Three 9-hour days in 100+ sun has me a bit beat!  But it looks amazing, I can't wait for the before, during, and after pics.  And, yes, I did get this approved by our HOA President, in case anyone was wondering:)  In fact, he thanked us and praised us for the work we are doing-- including personally telling us he liked our front entry/front door!  Now that feels good!  I'm just immature enough to wish it would have been in writing, so I could take it to our nosy neighbor and politely ask him to leave us alone...

But it hasn't all been work.  While I was sifting through the rock and 150 million trillion bazillion pounds of pine needles, I got to watch my kids take advantage of our beautiful front tree.

It was first a single rope with a wooden seat that each of the kids had fun on.  Once all of the kids (including Randy) became involved, it evolved to...

Two sings: one with one rope and a wooden seat, the other with two handles, a memory foam cushion and a folded beach towel seat.  Add to that...

Jump rope, that even Mira can join in...

(She parked it right under the rope, not even caring that it came close to her head each down-swing, just as long as she was part of the action)

And you pretty much have a tree of dreams.  It made my heart soar seeing all the kids playing together at a common goal, using their imaginations, taking turns pushing and riding, and only beginning to argue after hours of play.  It was a great afternoon spent outside that included me working, sure, but also having the best seat to watch them play.

End the day with this...

And you know your life is right out of a fairy tale.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Cans Kibosh

The kids' recycling career has come to a full and complete halt.  No, it was not the nosy "you guys are liars, that is a different front door" neighbor that came to Randy on Monday, asking if we'd gotten it OK'd by the HOA for our kids to "solicit around the neighborhood," after seeing three cute kids pulling their wagon around to friends' homes to collect their garbage.  It was a simple sign placed directly next to the entrance of the Bottle Drop, alerting all who entered that the Bottle Drop was for Oregon residents only, specifically calling out and "forbidding" residents of Kennewick and Richland, WA.  I tell you what, I felt a heavy blanket of guilt and anxious nerves weigh me down as we walked in, knowing we were breaking rules we didn't know about before that second.

In 2009, Randy got a Christmas present of dreams: a Husky and Wolf Hybrid puppy.  He'd put a down payment on it many months before it was born, was able to secure first choice once they were born, and got weekly updates on how his puppy was coming along.  On the day that the puppy was ready, Randy drove from Casper, Wyoming to St. George, Utah and back in one day, with the puppy on his lap the entire way home.  He was in HEAVEN!!!  The week after was SO MUCH FUN.  Magnum was the best puppy ever.  2-year old Shelby and 1-year old Brennon could pick him up at any time- many times around the neck- and the puppy would just calmly sink into a "happy place" state and allow them to carry him around.  Sadie, our 2-year old Yellow Lab, took that little puppy as her own.  Many times we'd watch the puppy start to kind of whine a little bit, and she'd jump into action, mothering that babe as if it was her own.  It was the best week with that sweet little puppy.  Until we took him to the vet, the vet that just one month before gave us permission to have that kind of dog in the state of Wyoming, the vet that the week after we got him told us to lie to everyone if they asked what kind of dog it is because they would have the right to shoot it on sight, no questions asked, if they found out it was part wolf.  We are not liars.  We follow the rules.  Hence, Randy asking the actual vet if there were any laws against wolf hybrids BEFORE he put the down payment on him!  We had a very difficult choice to make.  Ultimately it resulted in Randy making that euphoric drive to-and-back-from-St. George-in-a-day in reverse.  He returned his Magnum because we want our kids to know that following the rules and telling the truth is important and sometimes very, very hard.  We are honest with our fellow men.

My kids had worked very hard to collect every single one of those cans, bottles, and jugs!  Monday, they collected them in 100+ degree weather, coming home with red cheeks and sweaty foreheads.  We didn't know what we were doing was "illegal," we just wanted a way for our kids to earn money that was close to home while we nursed one of our kids to health.  How could I tell them to pack it all back in the Yukon (and I mean pack-- we had to cram the vehicle full, with bags under legs even) and head home without their promised, earned money?  So we allowed it just this one time.  And then we drove home discussing the reasons that we would no longer be collecting, and how sometimes doing the right thing is hard.  They enjoyed earning money this way.  They loved counting the bottles and cans, taking a tally as they methodically placed them in categories, watching the numbers increase each Monday.  I think they even loved the freedom of walking around the neighborhood to their friends' houses without mom and dad with them (we only allowed them to collect from people we know, and even then, only two out of our immediate sight).  Four "clients" in all, but they still made $59.20 this summer!

And so ends The Summer of the Collected Cans.  Sad. 

Nicknames

I write this post with a heavy heart.  My Brennon, my sweetheart, my snuggler, my tender heart, has asked me to stop calling him by the nickname I have called him from birth: B-boy.  I am heartbroken!

A few years ago, while sitting around the table for family dinner, Brennon announced that he wanted people to stop calling him B-boy, especially at school, but that it was alright if I continued to call him that.  I think he may have seen my crest-fallen face.  I love that nickname.  It would be as hard of a habit to not use it as it would be if I had to stop calling Tyson "Ty."  It is just Brennon's second name, to me.  But a situation recently came back to bite me, revoking my privilege of the use of B-boy forever.

Randy has been getting on the nerve by calling Brennon, "Brenny."  I'm sorry, but no, my B-boy is not a Brenny.  I can't even say the name without a derisive sneer, lip curled, body revolting.  Ew!  No!  But I knew he was using it to get under my skin, he likes to pester me like that.  In a moment of weakness, my mind could handle it no more, I screamed, "Brennon!  Do not even answer to that name, you are not Brenny!"  Incidentally, it was the same day as the dead battery, flat tire morning-- I was a bit manic all day, just so you know.

Yesterday, while picking up Brennon and Tyson from a friends' home, I couldn't see Brennon in the group of kids coming to the door, so I innocently asked, "Where's B-boy?"  I'm telling you, this name is as normal and natural as breathing!  This is when it happened, the ripping of my heart, Brennon calmly approached me, and in a completely calm voice declared, "Mom, I would like you to stop calling me B-boy.  If Dad can't call me Brenny, you can't call me B-boy."  And then he ran to get his sandals on, while I swallowed the lump in my throat.  My B-boy is all grown up and throwing truths back in my face.  Punk.

"Farewell, my sweet B-boy.  But, because I am a rebel and do what I want, I'm going to think it.  B-boy, B-boy, Beee-boyyyy.  Forever and ever, my B-boy you'll be!!!  Neener-neener-neener."  {Discreetly wiping a tear.}

My B-boy, just 1 month old.  That face is a B-boy face, am I right?!