The Not-So-Great Outdoors

"I survived Cub Scout Camp, 2008." That's what the t-shirt would read if I was asked to design one.

It started off really well. Ken and Levi went down on Friday night, and Benjamin and I joined them the following morning at 10:00. We were the first ones to get there out of our den, so I was feeling really proud of myself. The weather was beautiful, and everything was great...so far.

We did some games with the other dens and then broke for lunch. After lunch, we all decided to go on a hike. It was only 1 1/2 miles, so Benjamin and I decided to give it a try. That was fun. I had done that hike once in college, so it had been a while for me. This trail had caves and waterfalls. Ken had to carry Benjamin a few times so he wouldn't plummet to his untimely death.

Levi and his Cub Scout friends on the hike.

Ken and Benjamin on the trail. How cute is this?

After the hike, we started preparing for dinner. They were having a dutch oven dessert contest between the dens, and for some strange reason I volunteered to make something. We came up with ice cream...in a dutch oven...except in a bucket of ice...lots and lots of ice and lots and lots of stirring. The flavor was great, but it was about the consistency of soup or a milkshake at best. We didn't win, and everyone made fun of it. Lots of fun.

Now we're off to the campfire and it's about 40 degrees by now. Apparently at every Cub Scout campfire they always retire a US flag. Maybe I'm just an uninformed American, but I had no idea that you had to cut each stripe of the flag individually and then throw it into the fire and bury it later. Guess that's what I get for quitting Girl Scouts too soon. I had never seen that done, so it was cool. Frigidly cold, but still neat.

At last, it's time for bed. Everyone was exhausted, so we retire to our bed of gravel and hunker down for a cold, cold night. Ken did give me the below freezing sleeping bag, which I was entirely grateful for. My electric blanket would have been great, but under the circumstances, I guess it could have been much worse.

So, I'm done. I survived. And, this may shock you, but I didn't complain the whole time I was there. I really wanted Levi to have a good time, so I kept my big mouth shut and went along with everything.

Oh, yes, and the SPF 15 that was on my face didn't apparently hold up very well for me. I now look like a cross between Raggedy Ann and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Can't wait 'til the fall camp out.

A Great Day for Mr. Benjamin

Some of you already know this story, but for those who don't, here's a recap...

It was a year ago this month that we took Benjamin to the doctor to address so many issues we were having with him. Not only was speech a major concern, but also his behavior was very odd. He would spin around in circles continuously, walk on his tip-toes, and have temper tantrums over the tags in his shirts, not giving him the same fork every single meal, and the list goes on and on.

I didn't understand it at all. I knew that Levi had never had any of these issues, so I figured I must be doing something wrong, even though I had no idea what that could be.

I also thought that maybe his tongue was what they call "attached" and maybe that was why he wasn't speaking. Actually, I was praying this would be the reason for his delays. As I am explaining his symptoms to her, Benjamin is running up and down the halls refusing to come into the exam room. When we did finally did get him in there, he wouldn't let anyone touch him and just sat in the floor making strange, random noises.

The doctor goes on to tell me that very little research has been done on kids with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), and she couldn't tell me for certain whether or not he would be able to live on his own as an adult. I just thought he was being a hard to handle two-year-old, and now she's telling me he might be dependent on me for the rest of his life? Poor Ken just sat there and didn't say a word the whole time we were there. The doctor never even looked at Benjamin's tongue, which was good in a way because I was seriously afraid he would bite her. We were referred to our Occupational Therapist to begin our initial evaluation and eventually therapy.

That was last year.

To be eligible for TEFRA, the state requires a new test every year to see how much progress has been made and to determine if therapy is still needed. Benjamin began his testing today. This test doesn't test for speech or sensory issues, but for things like copying and cutting circles, stacking and copying block patterns, unbuttoning buttons, washing hands...basically age appropriate life skills that can be really hard for some children to master. We began with a 14-month delay, and the last time he tested in February he had a 16 month delay. So, I was obviously nervous when I dropped him off this morning.

When she showed me the results, I could barely believe what I was seeing (and yes, I almost cried). He had advanced 3 entire categories (which is several months time) in just 3 months! This is big for us. The test isn't over yet, and he will probably still qualify, but we celebrate all of these accomplishments. She also reminded me that last summer we were excited that he was saying the first sound of words (mmm for markers and ssss for swing). For those of you that haven't seen him in a while, he is talking so much more now. I couldn't be more proud of him and all the hard work he's doing.

And for those of you that don't know about TEFRA, it is an amazing program offered in the state of Arkansas that allows special needs children to receive therapies, medications, basically all types of medical care. It is need based, not income based. We pay a monthly premium based on our taxable income. I can't say enough about it. Only about 20 states offer it, so we are SO fortunate to live in one that does. We can say thanks to Mike Huckabee for supporting and continuing funding for TEFRA in our state.

So, after a lot of crying and praying and more than 200 therapy sessions, we are well on our way. Again, thanks to everyone for all the encouraging words and prayers I know you are saying for our little guy.

What a difference a year makes. Can I hear an AMEN or what?

Will you take 50 cents for this?

Everyone knows I love garage sales; I go to at least one a weekend. But this weekend it was my turn to clear the clutter, so Amanda and I began hosting our annual garage sale at my house.

There's the ad to place, the signs to stake, and, of course, the items to price. That's always fun to do with kids as they find "new" toys they forgot ever existed. I would bring stuff out, and the kids would take it right back in. Good times.

I'm exhausted, but all the work is worth it in the end. We always have a blast singing with the radio, dancing around the garage, and chatting with so many different people. Even my neighbor that always ignores me came over for a minute. Sure he wanted me to sell his lawn mower, but it's a step in the right direction for us.

I'm always amazed at the interesting people we meet. People just seem to tell us their life stories, and being the nosey person that I am, I just soak it all in. Ken took the day off work to help us out. He, of course, could care less about the life stories, but he'll stand there and listen patiently if people are waving money in his face. It's like Christmas morning for him :)

On my Honor I will TRY...

It was the fall of 1983, and I was a skinny, freckle-faced, 8-year-old in the 3rd grade at McRae Elementary School in Searcy, AR. Girl Scouts was BIG at my school, and I had just convinced my mom to let me join our local brownie troop, Troop 420. I was ecstatic.

It was my favorite day of the week because I didn't have to journey home on the bus for 45 minutes. Immediately after school, my best friend Julie and I got to play on the playground for a few minutes and then we would run to Temple Baptist Church, right in front of our school, for our weekly troop meeting.

And to top it all off, we all wore our Brownie uniforms to school on the day of the meeting. I longed for the official Girl Scout wardrobe ensemble...the jumper, the beanie, and who could forgot those incredible knee high socks with the little tassels. I mean, come on, those were SO cool. I'm sure we couldn't afford all of those extras, so I settled for the shirt, vest, and sash. I was officially a Brownie.

The meetings at the beginning of the year started off well. We sang songs with hand motions, which was probably my favorite part. I remember visiting a police station once and attending a Brownie Play Day on a Saturday. I got several badges throughout the year, which my mom proudly sewed onto my sash. But somewhere along the way, I started growing tired of all of the hand holding, smiling, and acting like these strange people were my sisters. I wanted out.

I tried everything I could think of to convince my mom to let me quit...my stomach hurt, the troop leaders were mean to me, I was afraid of global warming, ANYTHING, but nothing worked. I was in it for the rest of the school year. I cried profusely every week for months. Finally the 3rd grade came to a close, and I was done with my Girl Scout career. I hung up my little brown and white striped shirt forever, and I never looked back.

Fast forward to 2008, and here I am again. This time, of course, I'm on the other side of it. Now I'm the one coordinating the hand holding and smiling...and with boys in Cub Scouts. I was, to say the least, apprehensive about this scouting adventure. My experiences weren't exactly enjoyable after all, but Ken insisted, so we signed Levi up and off we went.

We had a deal. I would take Levi to karate and Ken would do Cub Scouts...meetings, camping, Pinewood Derby, the whole thing. That was a good plan in theory, but it didn't exactly pan out for me. The other Cub Scout moms just won't let me do that. Apparently the $40+ I spent on Boy Scout popcorn that tastes just like Jiffy Pop isn't going to cut it.

Now I'm attending all the meetings, learning how to get a belt loop, and even hosting planning meetings at my house with the other moms. And these moms are SERIOUS. They somehow magically know everything about Scouting. If there was a badge for Parental Excitability they would have earned it a long time ago.

I swear I'm TRYING, though. I'm even going camping at the end of this month. So, for now I'm trying to suppress my memories in the event I have nightmare flashbacks. Wish me luck.

Storms

We went to Levi's baseball game tonight, but it only lasted about 5 minutes. It started lightning, and they called the game rather quickly. So, we came home and started watching the weather to see if the storms were coming our way.

Ever since a tornado hit mom and dad's house in January of 1999, I have been terrified of storms. Thank God they all made it to the storm cellar because everything was completely destroyed. We all saw first hand what a tornado can do.

So, I've been busy tonight preparing our safe room with flashlights, candles, snacks, water, etc. I'm ready. All I need is a weather radio. My friend Amanda just came over with her kids because her husband is out of town. We're going to brave it out together.

My Thoughts Today

What a great day. The weather is amazing today, so I'm sitting on the deck with my computer :) We dedicated our new church building this morning in a great service and had a yummy lunch afterwards. We had a baseball game this afternoon, but stayed a bit too long at church to get us there in time. Oops. We really were going to go, but we didn't want to be so rushed around eating, coming home and changing, etc. Levi did go to his first game yesterday. He did get a good hit, but unfortunately it went right down the first base line, and he was out. I was still proud of him. I'm 32 and couldn't hit off of a pitching machine right now if I tried.

Anyway, there are a few things weighing on my heart today, so I thought I would share with you.

Our friend, Ron Hardin, was in a car accident on Friday and suffered some head trauma. They are waiting to talk to the neurologist today but hope to be able to come home this afternoon. We met Ron and Carrie at our small church in Lowell about 7 years ago and still go to church with them today in Elm Springs. Please pray for Ron to have a speedy recovery. He is a man of few words, but he has a great, big heart.

Also on my heart today is a baby named Ethan Powell. Ethan was diagnosed with Leukemia at only 2 months old and was taken directly to St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis. My sister knows his parents and told me his story, and I have reading updates on his website, ethanpowell.com ever since. His parents were so diligent about keeping the website updated with pictures, videos, and most importantly the treatment of their little guy. He has had 2 bone marrow transplants and all kinds of other medical procedures that I'm sure most of us have never even heard of.

He died yesterday at only 16 months old. And even though I never knew him, I for some reason feel like I did. He was only given a 15% chance of survival, but his parents never gave up. Now they must somehow go on without him. It just puts so many things in perspective for me.

On a lighter note, I want to thank my friend, Amanda, for an amazing concert at our church last night. It meant so much to me to have her there. She did so much work preparing her songs, slides, and getting everything organized. It was phenomonal. We can't wait to have you back.!

The Great Preschool Search

The preschool search has started in the McCreary house.

Even though Benjamin could start school next fall, we have decided to hold him back a year. This will give him one more year of outside therapy (assuming he still qualifies) and another year to build more confidence in his speech before he starts school. He is a June birthday, so he will probably be the oldest kid in his class. We feel very strongly that this is the best option for him.

He currently attends a Kid's Day Out for 2 days a week from 9-2. After some horrible separation anxiety at the beginning of the year, he really likes it now. He can name off most of his friends in his class, and he prays for his teachers all the time. There are, however, 18 kids in his class with 2 teachers. Next year, for the Pre-K class there will probably be have 14-16 kids. This is option #1.

Option #2 is a place called Creative School at FUMC in Springdale. It is only from 8:30-11:15, 3 days a week. We went to visit on Monday, and I really liked it. The class was only 11 kids. It was very organized and structured, and the kids seemed calm and well mannered. This is a biggie for Benjamin. If everyone is running around in chaos, he tends to get very overwhelmed and have meltdowns more frequently because he can't seem to process all the noises and the other disturbances at the same time.

So, after much debate, we have decided to go with option #2. He will be able to stay at the Creative School for the next 2 years. He will start in the fall in the 3-year-old class.

My biggest concern is the transition between schools. Transitions are really hard from him. When he was 2, he would scream and throw a total fit with the transition from the house to the car and vice-versa. You can imagine what a new school could potentially be like.

He is doing so much better with transitions now. We will talk about it all summer. I'll get special permission to visit the classroom and teacher before school actually starts. Maybe we'll even visit the playground to get him more excited about his big boy school. After all of that, I'm still nervous.

Watch out preschool...here we come.

Take me out to the Ball Game...today, tomorrow, and the next day after that

So, I know that baseball is the All-American sport or whatever, but I just can't get into it.

Levi started baseball a few weeks ago, and all I have done is complain. Practice is where? I have to stay there for how long? I mean he's only 7. They practice 3 times a week for an hour and a half each time. By the time we get home, get bath, and dig around for dinner, it's time for bed. Don't even get me started on homework.

Well, I quit. Tonight I'm letting him skip. Not really because HE wants too, but because I don't want to go. I'm so inspirational. Hopefully I'll get more psyched before the games start on Thursday. I think I need some coffee.

We went and bought all the new gear last Friday...baseball bat, batting helmet, baseball organizational bag...you name it, we bought it. He does look pretty cute with all the stuff, though. And for all of you that don't know, it's a UNIFORM, not an outfit. Girls wear outfits, but apparently boys wear uniforms. Gotta remember that one.