July 31, 2010

High Adventure and a War

My two oldest boys are away at another scout outing called high adventure.  I dropped them off Wednesday morning an during the next hour they texted me twice asking me to bring them their tent and their tinfoil dinners.  My husband joined them last night just in time to see my son come home from a local hospital high adventure where he got 4 stitches in his knee due to some monkeying around on the dock and falling in the water onto an unseen rock.  At last year's high adventure  Big Boy brought home a blistering sunburn over the entire upper half of his body.  The boy is dangerous to himself and others at high adventure camp.  We, however have had an abundance of peace without our older boys around.

It always amazes me how dynamics of a family change when just one person is out of the picture.  Little Boy is now the head hancho around these parts, and he has been hanging with his sisters playing with them in ways he would never allow to be seen by his older brothers.  Yes I have seen him hanging out at the Barbie house introducing the dolls to some Ninja moves, but none-the-less "playing Barbie."  The girls were putty in his 11 year old hands.  He was also very sweet playing with Baby Girl in the pool tonight letting her throw a sinking toy for him to dive for repeatedly.  I actually got to read a book he was so entertaining.

One thing I have been able to introduce (due to summer boredom) lately is the game of war.  It's a game that is fun for all ages.  It has a mean, yet exciting name making boys want to play.  We've brought our cards to the pool to play during thunder warning time.  Today I was playing with Big Girl and she added a new element to the game.  Because even though war sounds exciting it can be a bit tedious.  She's combined the moment of slapping the cards with a ritualistic shouting of whatever comes to mind.  It's like turrets-syndrome-style war.  My favorite thing to shout is "Shaka phooey!" from the movie Kung Fu Panda.  She shouts out all kind of gibberish.   It hilarious until it becomes annoying.  Then I've been known to suggest taking turns with our shout outs but she can't seem to hold herself back.

Tonight as we played the game would JUST. NOT. END.  I was down to like 10 cards and thought surely any moment I would be a gonner, but I had two high cards that kept saving me at just the right moment giving me more cards.  Then I would lose a war and my spirits would soar.  Once I set myself up to lose during a war on purpose just to put my poor tired soldiers to rest in her POW stack of captured cards.  We finally got to the point where I didn't have enough cards for a stack up during a war and I proclaimed her the winner.  She kindly offered to give me the two extra cards I needed.  I did the honorable thing.  I sent up the white flag and surrendered.

10 comments:

CSIowa said...

I recently spent an entire Saturday morning playing Monopoly with T. What was I thinking? We each played two tokens. We played the house rule where you pay everything into the middle and whoever lands on Free Parking gets it. It was almost $6000 when T. got it. Every time I was low on cash, T. tried to cut me a break on the rent. I refused. I was handing over property like nobody's business. I wanted to be free after lunch!

Carrie Stuart said...

Glad I'm not the only one who has one of those dangerous kids! It was a long drive home from scout camp to get his crushed toe treated...which could have been avoided had he just left the dang log alone. Same kid who broke his collar bone doing parkour. Some kids are just born that way. ;^)

Dawn Parsons Smith said...

Shaka Phooey! lol!

Ah...the never ending game of cards! We have suffered through many of those! Just happened with UNO a few days ago.

Teachinfourth said...

Ugh, I totally know you're talking about with the card game never ending… I have been known to cheat simply so I will lose.

Katie said...

Colin is very into War right now. Chad has been known to pull a low card out of the middle of the pile (when Colin isn't looking of course) in order to lose a War. That game can provide hours of entertainment, but it can also be brutal

Kelly said...

Yes Katie, war is hell.... Did I just say that?

Cheeseboy said...

Ah yes, War. The only game that can last longer than Monopoly, but is still twice as fun. I know it well.

Also, the camp sounds terrific. I hope there are no more stiches.

Connie said...

You have a flair for writing! Makes me laugh! I always worried when my boys went to scout camp. Not only for them but for their leaders! Loved it when their Dad went with them, I didn't worry so much and it's so true about the dynamics of the family when one is missing.

The game of war is fun and doesn't need a computer or batteries!
How's the jogging coming along? Good on ya for getting in to shape. Love the quote...so true!

Have a fabulous day!

Kelly said...

Thanks Connie
I love your writing as well! So far I have not quit on the running thing. Not sure how much I have progressed either but I figure not quitting is progress at this point. I did lose the 2-4 lbs I gained on vacation! yeah! Too bad that I have 24 left to lose : 0

literaqueen said...

At least you weren't playing Risk . . .