welcoming the new season!

i figured that since it has been 5 months since my last post, i had better put something out there for the masses to look at and read...i just know you are all eagerly awaiting the latest update on our lives...well, enjoy!

this past weekend, cameron and i were invited to one of the coolest things that i have ever done with him. we have had a family visiting/attending our church for some time now and they just officially joined this past Sunday -- the shutt family! well, last year they started an annual tradition, and this year they invited us (also, hopefully an annual tradition?!) it happened to be a father/son campout-n-shootout!

here is how it lays out...on friday everyone arrives and pitches their tents on their lawn. for those of you who know our yard, don't worry...their's is 40 times bigger than our yard (at least!) and they live out in the country surrounded by soybeans in the back and corn on all other sides! i had to leave work a little early that day to run down there, pitch the tent and then skedaddle (that's a bonafide country word -- as is bonafide!) back to town to enjoy our own dinner party with another couple that we know. after our dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and carrots was done, and the other family left, we ran down to the farm and joined in the festivities. we missed their hotdog cookout and baked bean feast, but ended up enjoying some extra cookies and sweets left out for us while listening to frank, dean, and the boys croon to us under the stars. cameron immediately made friends with the other 6 boys there and ran off into the cornfields with them. i wasn't too concerned until i heard the coyotes howling later that night in perfect sync with the searchlights waving in the sky from the casino in shelbyville, in. i wasn't too worried, maggie, the family dog, was guarding us all night!

well, the temps weren't all that bad...it was 40 on the way down to the farm, actually rose to 46 by the time i went to bed (around 12:30 in the morn), but then woke up to 33 degree temps! i should have figured it was getting colder when cameron woke up when i went to bed and asked if he could sleep with my hat on! i just pulled my hood over my head and drew the strings closed to breathe out of a 2-inch radius hole in the sweatshirt.

in the morning, we woke up at 5:15, drained the necessary veins, and promptly sat down on the fire still going from the evening before. we were quickly joined by our host and his oldest son, isaiah. not too long after that, nathan shutt (dad) decided it was time to gather milk for the day, and he allowed us to tag along to watch him milk bonnie, the family milk cow. we patiently watched the sun climb over the horizon and slowly warm us up. after a filling breakfast, the festivities began!

they started with a slingshot competition that comprised of shooting jellybeans and gumballs at a row of empty soda cans from about 15 feet away. since cameron has never done this, i helped him with a few practice rounds, and wouldn't you know it...he picked it up naturally...must be a boy thing! anyway, he ended up shooting down 6 cans with 5 shots (skillz) and ended up winning the slingshot competition by 1 can! of course he thinks he is all that, but so does his dad! he ended up winning a little camping tool that has a compass, magnifying glass, thermometer and whistle all in one.

after the slingshot tourney, the boys all lined up for the bb gun shootout! after some necessary gun safety instruction from nathan shutt, the competition was explained. there were going to be 3 rounds: prone, sitting/kneeling, and then standing with 5 shots in each position. official targets were nailed to a post, and the shooting commenced! since cameron has never done that either, i helped him find the safety, trigger, sights, etc. and then helped line him up for his shots. well, he didn't fare as well as in the slingshot competition, but he didn't end up in last place either -- just second to last! he had a great time, and the next time you come visit us, if you ask him real nice, he just might show you the targets that he shot at as he has them safely tucked away to show his kids someday.

many thanks to nathan and brandi shutt for hosting and putting up with all of us stinky men and letting us be a part of a great new tradition! we had a blast!!

that's my boy!

of course, there is this unwritten rule that you don't keep score in little kids soccer, but don't try telling my son that! a little background...cameron is still playing in the lowest pele league as he did last year. last year, he was one of the smallest kids, and now this year he is one of the biggest kids and has no fear of running over any and everyone.

a few weeks ago, cameron ended up scoring 6 goals in his soccer game and of course being the proud parent that i am, i informed him that he scored 2 hat tricks! well, this past week, i found him getting ready for his game and he had a pad and green pencil in his hand. i asked him what it was for, and he told me that he was going to keep score with it. i told him that i would have to hold onto it as it wasn't safe for him to run around the field with that in his hands. he reluctantly agreed, and at the first whistle, he took the ball, dribbled three times, and scored. you know what he did? instead of high-fiving his teammates and coach, he promptly turned to me and yelled, "daddy! mark it down!"

it went like that for the next 3 scores until i made him stand in the goal and be keeper. after a teammate scored 4 more times, i let him come out and he scored 2 more times before the half, and then once more during the 2 minute second half. i'm not kidding! the second half was only 2 minutes...i guess the other team was tired of not scoring! 11-2 final score and cameron was well aware of the score the whole time!

that's my boy!

leg breaking!

as i'm sure you can all tell, it's been way too long since this blog was updated, and truth be told, it's not for lack of wanting to update it. i actually enjoy updating it when i have pictures to put here, but with facebook, emily usually puts the photos there instead.

as always, we are very busy, but trying to stay sane at the same time. of particular note, i am engaging in my first "real" thespian activities since college (of course not including church plays). i have been wanting to get back into the swing of things, but for one reason or another (or 2 -- in the form of little boys!) there have been reasons why this has taken longer than desired. when we moved here, i noticed a little community theater (look at the bottom of the link) just down the block -- you know the old-fashioned kind with the lights all around it?! anyway, after moving here, there have been several plays put on there. about 2 weeks ago, emily noticed in the local paper a call for auditions for an upcoming play based on the life of dietrich bonhoeffer. i won't go into the nitty-gritty, but dietrich was a lutheran pastor/theologian living in the 30s-40s who played a role in the resistance against hitler during wwII.

with much fear and trepidation, i went to the auditions 2 mondays ago, and read cold from the script, and much of what the director wanted me to read were dietrich's lines. after a 2 hour audition (i wasn't the only one there -- whew!), i went home to wait. i had asked my Sunday school class to pray that there would be an opportunity to witness through this process considering the nature of the play. well, by thursday evening, i got a call from the director, and he asked if i would be interested in playing the role of dietrich bonhoeffer! yikes! next time i should ask people to pray a little more specifically and perhaps not get the lead role.

i went and picked up the script the next day, and quickly thumbed through it to get a feel for how big this part was going to be....that was the wrong move. i found out that there are 15 scenes and dietrich is in all of them except the last one! well, with basically having almost every other line, it became clear that i was going to have to learn almost the whole script (with cues and all). that worked out to 100 pages to learn in about 6 weeks! with much prayer and clarity of mind, the LORD has allowed me to learn the entire 1st act (over half the play) in just 1 week! i'm not sure how, but with rehearsals lasting monday through thursday, 6.30-~9.30 followed by an hour of memorizing each night, much has been accomplished!

all of the above to say that the show must go on -- more specifically, may 1-3 (3-5 shows depending on turnout), may 8,9 (at least 2 shows) and lastly may 17th. at least all of the work will be worth it. to top it off, i know that the LORD already is doing great things. my fiancee in the play is a Christian lady from here in town and knew all about bob jones university as her pastor is a bju grad. how nice to know that we were of the same mind when it came to approaching the director regarding the kissing scenes (eww--yuck! wait, wait, wait....you didn't say this was a kissing book).

i'm done for now, but if you don't see anything new here for the next 5 weeks, now you know why and can be praying for me. by the way...the director informed me that dietrich was blond and beardless...guess i'm in for some changes!

i know, i know....i'll break a leg!

we LOVE 4 seasons!

well, it has finally happened! the seasons have changed, and even though it is officially not winter yet, it sure feels like it! we woke up this morning to 14 degree temps outside and it is currently 3 degrees (before wind chill -- reportedly at -15!).

i thought that i would take this time to reflect on the past autumnal period in our lives and post a few pictures. marshall, as the dutiful little bro, is constantly trying to do what cameron is doing, so of course we had to break out the baseball equipment for him to take a few whiffs. he seemed to enjoy himself regardless of his actual hitting abilities.

cameron, one day, fancied himself a budding musician, and decided to try his hand at my guitar. to tell you the honest truth -- i think he is better than me without the lessons! we have had a great time singing old-timey cowboy songs and look forward to doing so around a campfire sometime in the future! i have had a great time taking lessons from a church member who is incredibly patient with me. we will see how far i progress!

raking leaves has also been a new experience for marshall. one i am not sure he thoroughly relished. at least not as much as did his big brother.

lastly, we had the opportunity to dog-sit for a co-worker of mine. they have a little yorkie and even though i fancy myself a larger dog type of guy, this little girl was really cute to have around the house. just watching the boys was fun in and of itself as they completely enjoyed "lovin' " on dulce (the dog's name). cameron especially loved taking her on walks, and to be honest, i loved having her sit on my lap in the evenings while we watched tv. who knows...maybe we will get a dog of our own sometime...hmmmm.

that's all for now. stay tuned for actually winter (read: snow included!!) pictures in the future!