The Banquet, The Birthday and The Big Date

I've been lazy about posting this week but took lots of pics over the week.

First - we had Cameron's football banquet on Thursday. We were surprised he received his first high school letter as a freshman. I have a feeling they get bigger as he moves up to Varsity. It was a nice night to cap a great week for him - we received his grades for the first nine weeks - 4.0 GPA!!! (For you Canadian's that means straight A's)

Second event of the week was Caeden's birthday party. I love these pics - the innocence and fun of just being 10!


Finally - let me introduce you to Cameron's REAL girlfriend, Erin. She came with us to the YSU football game on Saturday. They have been "dating" for about a month now - we are good friends with her family so the dates tend to center around family gatherings. I didn't think it was possible, but she is actually shyer than Cameron - in fact, he is actually the talkative one in this relationship.

FANatics and Fans

Here's an observation about fans at football games...

There are those that go all out for the game...such as these strange creatures here...

And then there are those that go out...only to be enjoying another game...

Homecoming

Part of me was ready for this and part of me couldn't believe I was looking at my son, WITH A DATE!

Homecoming is the only dance Freshman are allowed to attend. I'm very thankful for this as it cost us over $300! (Suit, tickets, corsage, dinner)

We didn't get through the evening without some drama...

As I've mentioned before, Cameron is shy to a fault! It was shocking that he actually asked a girl to the dance. Of course, he did it by text - God forbid he would actually have to talk to her! And that was the problem - as of 5:30 on Saturday evening we still weren't sure she was actually going to show up!

The football game the night before, he didn't say a word to her and I watched her all night walking around with two other boys. Then he "texted" her after to make sure they were still meeting between 5 and 6 and all she said was "I guess so".

Saturday he had an out of town football game (we lost 12-6, our record is now 4-1). When he gets home, there is no message from her so he texts again. Nothing.

He then tells us that he bought her ticket and gave it to her the day before - what's to stop her from just going with someone else? He also phones his friend who is supposed be going with her friend and he doesn't even have his date's phone number to check what is going on! (my son is not alone in the disorganization department)

So, being the hyper organizing Mom that I am, I start arranging for him to meet up with other friends and go with them. I even consider getting my friend's GORGEOUS senior daughter to escort him.

Then at 5:40 p.m. the text arrives - "I'm on my way".

...And she was lovely! She had been getting her hair and nails done and didn't have her phone.

They had a really great time but I expect they will just remain friends. Cameron would actually have to continue talking to her for it develop into anything more and why would he do that when he can just text his innermost feelings?!

The Boy Who Doesn't Get It

I love the first day of school when the kids get home and tell me about their teachers and classmates.

Cameron provided a gem comment that will go down in infamy (especially when he graduates from some big college on the Dean's List!)

"You should see my Advanced Biology and Advanced World History classes. I'm in with all the smart kids!"

What They Don't Tell You About The First Week Of High School

I remember when Caeden started Kindergarten four years ago they warned us that he wouldn't be himself for the first couple of weeks. Physical and mental exhaustion would consume him and he would be irritable, whiny and inconsolable.

They don't warn you that the same thing happens in high school.

Cameron is a wreck. When I picked him up from football practice last night he absolutely broke down. In fact, I picked up his best-friend Devin too and I'm sure he would have done the same had he not been with me.

He's up at 6am, the bus arrives at 6:45, first bell is 7:45, final bell's at 3pm, then he has 3 hours of football practice - everyday...

So how does he cope?..."I'm quitting football. My heart's just not in it...I've lost my desire".

"Well you know Cameron, we've always said that you can't quit a sport in the middle of the season...but you don't have to play next year if you don't want". I said this as my mind went "who are you and what have you done with my kid?!"

A few hours later, after a shower and a good meat and potatoes meal, it was like the earlier conversation had never happened.

"You know what Mum?...our quarterback is really struggling. The coach might bench him. Then Dayne will be QB and he ALWAYS throws to me in practice".

Welcome to the Jekyll and Hyde world of high school...

Demolition Derby

I have discovered that I am a complete and total embarrassment to my 14 year old son.

Not that I didn't have some clue that this was the truth. Aren't all Mothers an embarrassment to their son's? Doesn't it start when they refuse to let you kiss them goodbye when they leave for school? (For me, I was banned from public kisses around 10 years old)

I, however, have apparently gone too far in the department of making my son not want to be around me.

We went to the Canfield Fair on Friday night to watch our friend compete in the Demolition Derby. I decided to be fun Mom and take the boys a few hours early to enjoy some rides.

First, I apparently take too many pictures. Evidence of this is my, "Evolution of the Ride", series of Jackson and Caeden.



I think it's pretty clever...Cameron just said "you have to take that camera everywhere, don't you?!"

Fortunately for him, several members of his football team came by at that moment and I told him to go off and hang with them for the next few hours. I gave him some money and sent him off. I thought that was pretty darn big of me. The relief on his face was palpable.

Eventually, he found us at the Grandstand for the start of the demo derby. As our friend started to compete and I was cheering him on from the stands, Cameron half-whispered to me in an extremely irritated voice, "he can't hear you Mom"!

At which point, having had enough of his disdain, I turned to him and said, "am I an embarrassment to you Cameron?" - thinking this would make him think about his attitude towards me...

He looked at my, lowered his head, and said, "we'll talk about it at home"...

The End of the Innocence

Yesterday, at precisely 3:35, Cameron became a high school freshman.

And also yesterday, around 7:00pm, the innocence of childhood ended with the Class of 2012 pool party!

Fortunately - there were only a few girls who came, but the one's that were here showed it off for all the boys to see!

What confuses me - and remember I'm the mother of three boys so I have NO concept of the girlworld - is how such incredibly nice little girls can turn into hoochie mamas when they put on bikinis! Could it be the belly button piercing? That's right - on a 13 year old girl!!!

Or maybe I'm just freaking out because my baby was loving every string bikini on their tiny little bodies...

Awards Season

I very seldom received academic or sports awards when I was in school. I was always in the upper end of the pack but never the stand-out when it came to achievements. The only thing that kept me from completely fading into the woodwork was my singing ability. I was always the go-to girl for special songs and talent shows. But oh, how I coveted recognition for being smart!

Well - my oldest son is smart, very smart. But he really doesn't want anyone to know
and, up until this year, never really worked too hard to be! So it was with GREAT pleasure that I watched him receive one of the highest overall academic awards at his middle school - The President's Award (signed by Bush himself!)

It is given to student's who maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA AND 85% or above in state achievement testing - for four consecutive years...
Cameron's the one in the striped shirt - oh darn - they all have striped shirts!!!

There are over 200 kids in the graduating 8th grade class - only 27 received this honor - so I guess this ranks him in the top 10%.

But getting back to Cameron really not coveting attention (unlike his mother)...the awards ceremony ended with a 24 minute slide show tribute to the graduating class.

Cameron wasn't in a single picture...

Pancakes...Where's The Syrup?

I am a member of our local Rotary club and every year we host a two weekend Pancake Breakfast at our community center. It's a huge event - on average we see over 750 people in a seven hour span!

This year they added a new attraction to garner even more interest - the 1st Annual Pancake Eating Contest!

The event was to be held at 3pm. At 2:45 there were only three teams of 3 entered - two of them belong to Cameron's Pony baseball team! The boy's thought they had the $100 prize money in the bag...

Unfortunately - 6 more teams entered under the wire - three of those composed of rival high school athletes.

Even more unfortunate was the fact that 13 and 14 year old boys think it's REALLY funny to stuff 10 pancakes in your face in three minutes.
In fact, between fits of laughter, our boys probably managed to stuff only four or five pancakes into their mouths.

The winners? One kid ate his ten...and two more of his teammate's.

But you can't say that Cameron didn't make a valiant attempt in the end!

Theme Thursday - Change

My teenage son was asked to give the invocation last night at his wrestling banquet.

When he was asked to do the same last year his words went something like this, "Thank you God for food and wrestling..Amen"

Last night I watched my young man stand in front of his peers and say something like this, "Father God, you are truly awesome and powerful and you have blessed us beyond what we could ever imagine. I thank you that you brought us together as a team. That you gave us strength and friendship and that you helped us persevere through trials. Be with each one of us, this team, as we enjoy this time and your food together...In CHRIST'S name...Amen!"

Holy Cow - talk about change!!!

High School Confidential

High school...it was only a couple of years ago that I graduated - right?! Confidentially..(get it???)...it was over 25 years ago!

But tonight it all came thundering back into my consciousness as John and I attended PARENT ORIENTATION FOR INCOMING FRESHMEN!

So how did this happen? When did I stop being the kid who was cool in high school...and become the parent of the potential cool kid in high school?

Am I like that girl in the song that's "preoccupied with 1985"? (See - I'm still happening - I know songs by bands like Bowling For Soup!)

So there we were...meeting with guidance councilors and department heads...talking about Advanced Biology and Honors World History...Making sure that we can over-rule the middle school guidance councilor and place him in the Enriched English class based on his 97% English grade and the fact he was supposed to be in the enriched class this year but the lame brain middle school councilor wouldn't change his schedule even though he had three study halls to start the year but it's okay because, she said, "he's in enriched math", but I wasn't talking about Math we're talking about English and he reads at a post-college level and HE wants to be challenged and he was identified as gifted only in English and yet he's in all the advanced programs EXCEPT English in high school and I guess I'm the only one who will really work on behalf of my child...!!!

Yes - I am the parent of an almost freshman...

Injury Report

We received great news from the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. What appeared to be a tear in Cameron's cartilage was actually part of his open growth plate in his knee! As the doc said "Wide Open"!

He DOES have a severe strain of his ligament; any strenuous activity (like playing sports) could tear it easily. He's out for four weeks while it repairs itself. Ice...Aleve...strengthening exercises and we're back in action!

Here We Go Again...

Cameron is injured - again!

He twisted his knee in wrestling practice on Wednesday night - going against one of the coaches no less!

We just came home from the doctor - he thinks its a torn cartilage. Could take him out of sports for up to six weeks. Could require orthoscopic surgery. Could affect his baseball season. Could reduce his Mother to tears - oh wait...it already did that!

On the other hand - it could be a really bad strain. Just like the wrist was only kind of fractured in the fall...

I'm praying for the strain. Care to join me?!?

We All Needed Time To Recover...

It's been several days since I posted - a result of the recovery period I needed from the weekend.

Cameron participated in the EOWL (Eastern Ohio Wrestling League) championships - a marathon event that began Friday night.

He was pretty confident, as were all his coaches, that he would be wrestling into the finals on Saturday. He had pinned most of his last 12 opponents in less than a minute - he was seeded third or fourth for this event.

He soon discovered that pinning your opponents quickly is not necessarily a good thing when you then go up against the guys that have been doing this for years.

Experience prevailed...he finished fifth (out of 14). Granted, he was never pinned and only lost two matches out of six - both times by only two points! A valiant and respectable effort for a kid who's only been wrestling two years.

But our son is very hard on himself - both losses resulted in at least 20 minutes of recovery time on his part - sitting as far away from everyone as possible, with his head hanging, not daring to look up.

After a respectful waiting period, I approached him after the second loss. Looking up at my big, strong teenager and telling him how incredibly proud his father and I were - tears began pouring down his face and dripping from the tip of his nose. If he wasn't so big and strong (and in public), I'm sure he would have fallen into my arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Alas - he just kept looking down, nodding his head.

I think he heard me though. Within five minutes of returning to my seat - he was back with his team, smiling and cheering his team-mates on.

In time, he'll work through his losses on his own - but I know he'll always remember the day he was able to cry with is Mum - and it helped make everything right in his world!

There's A Boy Under There!

A life-altering event happened yesterday. Cameron got his hair cut. Not just cut - CUT!

He has had long hair - LOOONG hair - for over four years!

I had forgotten that he has beautiful long lashes and perfectly formed ears. I had forgotten that this child of mine was the first person I ever met in my life that looked like me (I am adopted, but that is the subject a self-analysis blog!)

And I had forgotten that this teenager is still just my little boy...

Maybe It's Just Not His Sport - Rebuttable!

Cameron had a major five school wrestling tournament today. I decided not to go as it was over an hour away and an all day event - John was the lone cheering section for our family.

It's providence that the day I don't go...and three days after I say wrestling is not his sport...HE WINS THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT FOR HIS WEIGHT CLASS!!!

But wait there's more...HE IS CHOSEN THE MVP FOR HIS SCHOOL!!!

But wait there's even more...HE RECEIVED HIS FIRST WRESTLING MEDAL!!!

I will NEVER not go to one of my son's games, tournaments or playoff games again! Practices? They're on their own...

Maybe It's Just Not His Sport...

Cameron had his first wrestling match of the year on Thursday. He was full of confidence -- twenty pounds heavier than last season, more experience. He even proclaimed that he was probably the third best on his team.

He got killed in both his matches.


An observance from the bleachers -- 20 pounds heavier means less agility. Last year he could turn himself into a pretzel to get out of holds. He was only pinned once all year. And even though they are matched by weight, he stood taller than both of his opponents which also meant he's all arms and legs while they were more compact and muscular.

Cameron is an athlete and as such he expects to excel in all sports. In baseball, football, and even track; you would have to argue that he really is one of the best in his age group. But this wrestling thing...

Needless to say, he didn't handle it very well coming off the mat. I watched helplessly as my thirteen year old boy/man struggled to contain his tears; attempting instead to look frustrated and angry. But I saw his eyes - even from a distance.

After an eternity of watching him on the bench, never lifting his head, I asked if he wanted to leave with us or wait and take the bus home. He quickly turned to me, tears pouring down his face, and just as quickly turned away, "No I'll stay and take the bus". The time he would need to stop the tears and be the man again...

The Turkey Bowl...Part Deux

The 2007 Turkey Bowl will go down in the annals of football lore as the day men became boys! Due to uptight parents and the history of broken bones, the "bring 'em down hard" tournament became...three hours of flag football.

Anti-climatic?! Perhaps...but to my son, it was the greatest sports day of his life!

The details emerged when I picked him up...As memory serves me, here is the conversation:

Cameron: Mom - you should have seen me. I ran for three touchdowns in the semi final game. Caught two interceptions. Pulled I don't know how many flags. We went to the championship. We lost but only because Chris knocked our guy out of the way for the final touchdown pass - a blatant rule violation but Zack's Dad (who was referee) was at the other end of the field and didn't see it. We got ripped off but I was so awesome!

Mom: Wow, Cameron. How did they pick the teams?

Cameron: By draft.

Mom: Well that's good. I hate when they pick kids by standing you all together and picking one by one. It's so hard for the last kids picked.

Cameron: Mom - that's how they did it. I was 6th from last or something close to it.

Mom: Oh - that's what you meant by draft. You must have been bummed.

Cameron: Yeah - I was pretty upset at the time. But then I played awesome. Zack told me I was his "touchdown guy" for the championship.

Mom: Well - by the sound of it, they won't pick you last again.

Cameron: Nope. I was the man.

There's nothing like a bit of rejection to fire up confidence in my son!

The Turkey Bowl

(I am so far behind in my writing...I started this last Tuesday...expect several "catch up" posts to follow...)

Tomorrow is the annual Turkey Bowl and Cameron hasn't been invited yet. You can see he's anxious about it...it's the sporting event of the year!

Why? Because it's a no holds bar, clash of the titans, football extravaganza amongst hand picked 7th and 8th grade boys.

What parent wouldn't want their child to be one of the chosen few who get to play?! Well...me for one...You see, while every guy wants to play, inevitably there are a slew of injuries. Not just any injuries - broken bone injuries!

Last year, the school's number one athlete broke his leg. The year before that, I think another guy broke his arm.

For our own broken wrist reasons, we would be nuts to let him play. But here's the thing...Cameron is one of the quietest boys in 8th grade; hence, he doesn't hang out with many of the more popular kids; hence, he plays with his brothers a lot; hence, he needs to hang out with kids his own age so he'll stop tormenting his brothers!

(Cameron got his invite...read next post for the play by play of the game...)

They Come, They Feast...(and they give out some awards...)

Otherwise know as the middle school football banquet...as dutiful parents we trekked to the middle school cafeteria tonight to partake of the rubber chicken and the glowing accolades bestowed upon the children whose parents were stars at the same school 30 years ago (did I say that???)

Forty-five players made up this illustrious squad(Spartan Bowl Champions). Five were mentioned by name (because they accomplished the feat of pouring water on the coaches heads - oh yeah - and their parents were sports stars in this town 30 YEARS AGO...). Three were mentioned because they were small and got pummeled every practice and probably won't be back next year.

The rest of the evening were the forty-five names read off in order of their number. Cameron was #87 - third from last. By the time he went to collect his gym bag and letter (letters in middle school?!), the rest of the team were lined up in front and you couldn't find him behind the crowd. So much for a picture...

They did show a video at the end. Imagine seeing #8 and #20 and #9 and #33 and #57 oh, maybe 36 times! Then, the most impressive pic of the bunch, a kid laying a HUGE tackle on the opposing quarterback for the sack...and you can't read his number. I could though - it was a pic of my son from the very first game and the very first sack of the season! You Go #87!

Just a side note - as I have all boys and not really into the girl ga-ga thing - we have had people say he looks like Zac Efron from High School Musical. Anyone care to vote if you agree?!