cadet camp....

i know, i'm stating the obvious but boys are dirty little creatures. dirty,i tell you. last weekend, all the boys were off to Cadet camp.(even jack who is technically not old enough to go to camp but since his buddy, Erik's dad is the head councilor,he got to go. yeah for connections!). they left on thursday night and i picked them up there on sunday. yes, that's right, four days,no kids. what does that equal?? time & freedom to do whatever i wanted, WHEN i wanted to do it. did i LOVE that time? well,i'm hesitant to say it but yes, yes i did. do i want to do it again anytime soon? nope. missed them too much. saturday was a big ol' thunder and lightning storm (something us folks from the pacific northwest don't get to experience often). since rye headed up camp to spend the night with the boys, i was able to sit out on my front porch and watch the storm roll on by. it was surreal, it was magical, it was lonely. there, i said it. i hated watching it alone. no one to 'ooooo & aaahhhh' with. i know,that had the boys been here with me, i would have enjoyed it all the more. hearing their little yelps of laughter seem to make everything more fun.

on sunday afternoon, all parents were invited to come up to Sumas Mountain (where cadet camp is located) to see & experience what the boys did.

there are some things a mother just shouldn't know.

dirt. yup, there was that.
danger. some of that too.
but fun, oh the fun they had.

i don't know what i was expecting. maybe 3 ginormous hugs perhaps??
mamma got very little lovin! a tiny hug from the 7 and 9 year olds. a slight-half wave, half look, from across the campsite from the 10, going on 17 year old. that's ok, i know i was missed. i just KNOW it. i'm SURE they must have missed all the everyday prodding telling them to brush their teeth, comb your hair, CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! (not to mention that underwear changing is also IMPORTANT!) however,when you are camping with 25 other boys/men, no one seems to think that any of that is necessary.
4 days, no mothers.
good times.
go figure.

they were all so excited to show me their sleeping accommodations. (filth, pure filth). i couldn't believe that they would lay their pretty little heads on those pillows) and the toilets, don't even get me started.(funny side note, 2 of the 3 admitted that the toilets were, and i quote, "DISGUSTING").

all that being said, i would send them back tomorrow. not because i need some 'mom time' but because the JOY that they experienced that weekend was worth the mounds of laundry and the hours (yes, hours) of worry. they did things that only little boys could appreciate. (learning how LIVE chickens make it to our dining table, zip-lining (i was jealous of that one), shot bb guns, mammoth slide & slides, hiking,soccer games,archery and the list goes on....priceless, forever fun memories for my boys. we have amazing men at our church that take the time, out of their busy lives to make this happen for these boys. for that we are grateful.

awards were handed out on the final day.

MAX:DIRTIEST FEET. (look closely folks, it's not gangrene, it's dirt.)

JACK:CLEANEST TENT. i'm thinking they must have been DESPERATE to give out that award to someone. i saw his tent, and i can hardly believe that others were worse.
however, he (and buddy, erik)won the award and he was proud. good enough for me.

THE LIKKEL BOYS AS A WHOLE: pyromaniacs. yup, they are lovers of FIRE. i'm not even sure what to say about that. i guess that explains why i can NEVER find a book of matches when i'm wanting to light my candles. sam admitted that "it looks really cool when you spray 'Off-bug-spray' on a fire. oh my, pray for safety at the likkels.

i'm glad that i have boys. wouldn't trade them for the world. they sometimes stink and they are a tad bit messy but oh so,creative and wonderfully curious. their whole lives are just a book of adventures, just waiting to happen. oh,they are dear little creatures.