4 Kids, 1 Parent!

On Thursday last week, we put Kristin on a plane for a visit with her sister in San Antonio, Texas. That was not so bad - there were logistical considerations for getting her to the airport and all that, but nothing too mind-bending.

Well now I am about halfway through the experience and I want my partner back!! I'm not saying that I know what it feels like to be a mom (because I don't and never will), but I am saying that I miss the reassurance that comes with knowing she is at home and is in control of that environment. Since I am the only responsible adult at home now, I have felt the burden of gathering all the "kid data" and making sure that all the needs are met. Before I would just go to work and not worry about what was happening at home. If Kristin needed something, she would call or text me and we would discuss it and make plans to resolve it. Now I still go to work, but I have in the back of my mind concerns over what is going on at the house. I send text messages to Tyler and Erin to probe the conditions - "How is everything?" And I get the response back "Good." or "K." I find that I have to take breaks throughout the day and get these updates, just to put my mind at ease. I know that all you mothers are saying "Welcome to my world!" right about now. I like to think that I have everything under control, but I know it is just a facade that fits.

We have had a couple family meetings since Kristin left, just so I can make sure I know what is happening the next day. Today is kind of a crazy example, but I use it to illustrate my point.

Jason - had to be up at 4:45 am to be able to shower and have breakfast before his high adventure camp, which he needed to meet at the church at 6:00 for. We had to make sure he had all his gear (packs, sleeping bags, bike, equipment, etc.) so that he could have a good experience. He will be gone until Friday night. Then on Saturday he as volunteered to be a race official at the Red Robin Yumm Run in Boise.

Erin - had to be up at 7:30 am in order to be ready for her job at Meridian Elementary School. I was responsible for dropping her off for her 8:45 start time. Then after she was done there, she had a 12:00 appointment to babysit for one of the neighbors for a couple of hours. She told me that she folded clothes and did the dishes for them too... Where do I sign up for that service? She told me that if I paid enough money, she would do it for us too. I thought to myself - what is this thing called allowance money for, then?! She is then going to be hanging out with a friend who is leaving for a family trip to Alaska tomorrow. Whew!

Tyler - had to watch Conner while Erin was at work. As the Patrol Leader for his scout group, he had to call the boys and remind them of our special meeting time tomorrow and make sure they have all the gear they need (we are going swimming at the Y, which is difficult if you have not money or towel). Then after dinner, I am taking Tyler to the Y so he can learn and practice some swimming skills. He is not a strong swimmer, but has to have some rudimentary skills in order to advance to Second Class and First Class ranks.

Conner - well he just had to be Conner and do his chores so he can watch a Looney Tunes on the DVR, or play on the computer.

Just trying to keep up is a job in itself! No wonder Kristin tells me many, many times that she spends the day in the car, running to this or that. I think I like my sheltered life at work, not having to bear the full brunt of the kids and all that goes on at home. Kristin, I love you and will be very glad to have you back. I hope you have had a relaxing time away from our kids and have your batteries recharged, because you are needed and missed here at home!

Tyler's Scout Camp

As I mentioned in my previous post, Tyler and I set out on our adventure to his first Scout camp on July 4th.

This year, our camp was at Camp Bradley, near Stanley, Idaho. It was the second consecutive year our troop attended this camp, and the first time for me and Tyler.

Our group had 13 boys (ranging in age from Tyler's 11 years old to Halston's 16 years old) and two leaders (me and Shawn Boer). This was the first time that I had spent an entire week at a Scout camp since I was a young Boy Scout myself.

The setting for the camp is beautiful as you can plainly see from the photos. The snow-capped mountain is called Cape Horn. The other is of the dining hall and shows all the lodge pole pine trees that dominate the camp. Unfortunately, the pine bark beetle has decimated the trees here at camp too, just like it seems it has in Yellowstone Park and other areas in Wyoming and Idaho. One of the camp commissioners told me that they are trying to introduce a bunch of Ponderosa pine trees in and around the camp as they de-forest the dead lodge poles. I think that is a great idea, but it will only be truly enjoyed by the future generations simply because the seedlings start so small.

At the camp, since we had an odd number of boys, I ended up being Tyler's buddy. I was hoping that one of the other boys would be his buddy just because I was worried that he wouldn't fit in what with being the youngest one there. This fear proved to be unjustified because there were a number of boys who showed a genuine interest in Tyler (namely Anthony, Robert and Ewan). I think he was a little nervous about being there and not really knowing what to do, s0 I tried to stand back and let him make the choices about what to do and when.
When the week was over, I was hoping that he would come away with at least 6 merit badges. Well Tyler worked really hard and earned 11 badges! He was able to complete Environmental Science, First Aid and Emergency Preparedness badges, all of which are required for Eagle Scout rank. Additionally, he earned Fingerprinting, Leatherwork, Woodcarving, Mammal Study, Nature, Fish and Wildlife Management, Soil and Water Conservation and Plant Science merit badges. I was so proud of how he just got busy and sat through the lectures and activities that each badge required. He didn't especially like the Environmental Science or Plant Science badges as they required quite a bit of "homework" to complete them at camp. Tyler seemed to have a great time participating in the experiences of Scout camp. I was priveledged to be with him for the week. It was fun for me to see him grow up right before my eyes. I know that he will do well as he starts middle school this fall. Hopefully his experiences with Scout Camp have given him some confidence that he can use to springboard himself into all the new things he will be doing througout the remainder of his life.

Independence Day

This year we had our Independence Day celebration on Sunday the 3rd. Since it is my traditional rite to light off the fireworks and Tyler and I were going to be at Scout camp on the 4th, we made the decision to celebrate early.

We don't usually go over the top with our fireworks display. In fact, this is a subject that really rankles me. It is mostly due to the fact that in Idaho, fireworks that launch flaming balls (like roman candles and bottle rockets) are illegal. That does not stop the retailers from selling them - oh quite to the contrary! They try to cover themselves legally by forcing you to sign a waiver that says you will take the fireworks across the state lines before you set them off... This is coupled with the obvious "turn-a-blind-eye" attitude on the part of law enforcement here in Star; but when you can sit in your backyard and see a better display from the next subdivision than you can from the City of Boise, there is something wrong with the system. I guess that it will take an unfortunate accident where someone gets killed or burns down their house before the laws will really be enforced...

OK, I am down from my soapbox now - as I was saying that our displays are really tame - we do some smoke bombs, some snap its and then some of the rolling tanks. The best part is that the kids just love our simple tradition, especially the tanks. We always have them duel each other and it is fun to see them light each other up. We used to do sparklers too, but I guess our kids grew out of them... Oh well, it leaves more money to buy tanks with.

While I love the fireworks and parades that accompany the 4th of July celebrations, I am a passionate patriot when it comes to our country and the freedoms that we enjoy. I want to publicly thank all those who serve and have served our country in the armed forces. Without their dedication, our country would not be what it is today. The saying is absolutely true that "freedom is not free." I salute those who gave their lives to defend the ideals of this Republican society. I always become emotional during the verse of "America the Beautiful" that talks about "...heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved..." I have never been in the military myself, but both of my grandfathers served in World War II. Both of Kristin's grandfathers also served in that war, and her dad was in the Army reserve. Now in the family we have Jeff who is a veteran of the Navy and Preston and Jake are currently in the Army. THANK YOU for your service! It is so simple to say, but seems so inadequate to express the depth of my gratitude; I don't know how else to say it any more eloquently - so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

More Camping!

Today the Mackay household was filled with bustling and rushing - to get things packed and ready to go! There are two more kid camps coming up - girl's camp this week and Scout camp next week.

Once we got home from church Erin was dabbling around with this and that, then all of a sudden it seemed like a switch was thrown in her head that indicated she better get a move on because she leaves for camp tomorrow morning! From then on it was "Where's this?" and "I need that!" and "I must have this mended before I can leave!" among other things. I helped her make up a tin foil dinner for her first night's meal while she made a sack lunch. How we ever got everything lined up to fulfil all the must-have's I'll never know. But she is set and ready to go for Monday morning. Then we pick her up on Thursday night later this week.

Tyler on the other hand goes to Scout camp for the first time this year. He has a pack check on Wednesday to make sure that the gear they are taking is appropriate for the camp. We had to find him a backpack, but then he pretty much took it from there. Granted he still has time before they leave (Monday the 4th of July at 6:30 am), but I was amazed at the diversity between the two as they prepared. I'm not saying I love Tyler any more than I love Erin, because I don't - but I will say that her packing style makes me tired. I think I need another nap to recover.

A Camping We Will Go

Whew! What a weekend we had, filled with camping and more camping! It was quite a time. On Friday, Conner had his first Day Camp experience. It was held at Lake Lowell's Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, Idaho. The theme was the Wild West, so the boys had activities geared around cowboys. The day was great - not too hot and not too much chaos. I was one of 6 leaders for our group of 30 boys.

I was glad to be there with Conner as he participated with the other boys going about the activites of the day. There were 14 boys from our pack in my group. We had some Wolf, some Bear and some Webelos Scouts, so it truly was a mixed bag. Conner really didn't like the football part of it, but I think he rather enjoyed the crafts and the BB gun shooting. The picture shows him holding the ends of the rope making machine. The boys got to keep a bit of the rope that they made. It was pretty neat.

At another station, they boys got to run the Pony Express mail route. This next picture shows Conner dressed in the vest with the mailbag and the stick horse.

We left the cub day camp early so that we could be on our way to the father and sons camp. Don't ask me how they came to be scheduled on the same day! That really makes for some worn nerves, too. I mean after spending the day with 14 boys ages 8, 9 or 10 you get to spend the evening with 100 boys of all ages! I was beat and went to be early. The father and sons camp was at Herrick Reservior near Cascade, Idaho (about 75 miles away). Great setting and not too many bugs yet.

Dylan Boer (one of my former Scouts who just turned 12 a few months ago) was giving rides in their side-by-side ATV. I don't know if you can really tell in the picture, but Conner is grinning from ear to ear! He had so much fun and it was great to see that Dylan was so responsible too. I like to think that I had a small part to play in that, what with being his Scout leader for two years and all. Maybe he was actually listening to what I was trying to teach to those boys all those weeks. Who knows? I will keep doing it because I want them to have a good (even GREAT!) experience in Scouting beacuse I remember what a fantastic time I had as a youth in Scouts, so hopefully these boys are having a great time too.

After breakfast we packed up and came home. Then I took a nap to recover.

School is for the Birds

With only 2.5 days left in the school year, the kids have had enough already. I know that they are tired of school and things seem to be somewhat more tense around the house as Jason and Erin are studying for their EOC exams. I found out last year what EOC stands for: End of Course. That kind of lead me to reflect on why is it that we need to have so many acronyms these days? I mean why must it be called EOC, when "final" is so much simpler? Is there anything wrong with simple? I had final exams when I was kid, but I digress...

Saturday when Jason was mowing the lawn, he told me that he got the crap scared out of him by a bird flying out of our maple tree. He looked a little closer at the tree and noticed a nest built in the crook of a few branches. It must have been the mother bird vacating the nest that had startled him, he said. When he took me out to see the nest, I saw the mother bird in it - she is a robin. Kristin and I had noticed this year that there always seemed to be one or two robins in the backyard - way more than normal, now this explained it. They were making their nest and hunting for food.

Later when the mother was gone doing something, I grabbed the ladder from the garage and got up high enough to snap this picture. The kids did not believe me when I told them that robin eggs are light blue. But now we have the evidence; you can clearly see the 4 little eggs in the nest. I don't know how long they take to incubate, but I imagine that in a few weeks we will be hearing the little chirpings of the babies when they are hungry and begging for food.

Growing Anxiety

So the Mackay family on all levels is experiencing some growing anxiety. Well anxiety is not the right word, more like eagerness or excitement almost. We have been enduring a cooler and wetter than normal spring this year, but the past few days have been mostly sunny and in the 70's - much more like normal. I think this has caused the kids especially to be longing for school to be out. Their last day is June 8th, so it is still a couple weeks away. So the kids are not all that excited that the weather is getting nice and they have to go to school and keep studying.

I think that Erin especially is having a hard time dealing with this. She is at the edge of moving on to high school, and I think that the teachers are helping them get prepared by giving them finals and all that. Jason is just done with school and wants to be done. Tomorrow they have the yearbook distribution and usually they let the kids have a signing party in the football field. There is a 70% chance of rain in the forecast, and in that event the signing party will be moved to the gym. According to Jason, the gym is too small to accomodate the crowd. He is hoping for no rain tomorrow. Tyler and Conner are still having fun at school, but I know that they are eager for it to be finished for the year too.

Kristin has her growing anxiety because of her knee. For the past four weeks she has pretty much been bed-ridden. She cannot put any weight on the knee yet and simply despises using the crutches. She is getting tired of watching TV all the time, can you imagine that? I guess I understand that there are only so many re-runs and DVR shows to watch, heck even SportsCenter repeats itself every hour! I will be glad to see her on her feet more, just because I think she will be happier and not so frustrated with sitting on the bed all day with nothing really to do...

As for me, my anxiety has mostly passed. Today I played the organ for all 3 hymns for the first time. The hymns were "Do What is Right," "There is a Green Hill Far Away," and "Choose the Right." I was really nervous for the Sacrament hymn. I especially wanted to have it be a good setting for the Sacrament. I didn't want to detract from the ordinance, and wanted to do well. I made a few mistakes, but hopefully none that distracted from the mood. Overall, I got several compliments on my playing, so I must have been mostly successful in my goal. Our ward chorister texted Kristin after Sacrament meeting was over (we have Sacrament meeting first) and she told Kristin that I was "born to play the organ." I will admit that I have a lot of fun playing and hopefully that can be seen by the congregation too. My sincere desire is that I can hopefully add to the spirit of the meeting and help other people feel God's love for them through the music.

Hopefully next time will be a more lively post, but for now I will sign off.