GhostBuster!

Timmy has discovered Ghostbusters and, like so many things in his life, he is all in. Ever since he saw the movie last week, ghost busting has been at the forefront of every game and just about every single conversation. While Robby and I were at the WWII event on Saturday, my Mom surprised Timmy by taking him to the Halloween store to get an "official" Ghostbuster costume.

Since receiving his "uniform," Timmy has only taken it off to sleep. Each morning he proudly dons his Ghostbusters uniform and proton pack and sets out to clear the area of spooky ghosts and paranormal foe. I never knew that we had so many ghosts living in our house!

His ghost busting has not been limited to our house. On Sunday night he cleared our local Baskin Robbins of ghosts before we ate our ice cream. Yesterday he encountered a fierce barrage of ghosts when we were shopping at BJ's, forcing my little ghost buster to sweep the store to clear the area.  

Timmy takes his ghost busting seriously. Not only is he removing ghosts, a very useful task, but he is bringing smiles to everybody he encounters. After all, it is impossible to witness an adorable ghostbuster sucking up ghosts without smiling. 

Gettysburg WWII Weekend

Robby and I spent Saturday afternoon traveling back in time, to the 1940's.  A World War II weekend, complete with reenactors and restored vehicles, was being hosted in Gettysburg PA. While my mom entertained Timmy for the afternoon, Robby and I were able to explore the displays and talk with the reenactors about history. Robby was truly in his element.

Although we had a great time, there are two troubling encounters that keep sticking in the forefront of my thoughts. The first encounter was a reenactor who was posing as a WWII German medic. The fact that the gentleman did not have any true artifacts displayed and that he had, upon his own admissions, purchased bottles from Hobby Lobby to build a medical display, should have been my first clue. Even though he did not have any artifacts, Robby was polite and listened to his information.

At the end of his talk, the man mentioned that "Hitler got a bad rap" because he actually "showed a great deal of integrity." I was shocked, and I could tell by the look on Robby's face that he was also disturbed. Without pausing, probably for fear of my protesting his claim, he continued to explain that Hitler did not use poison gas against military troops, despite having both the means and the opportuniy. 

Robby piped up and reminded the man that Hitler was well-known for using poison gas against millions of people. Robby continued to defend his position by emphatically stating that Hitler had used poison gas against civilians, which most historians agree is far more cowardly than using the gas during warfare. The reenactor tilted his head, smirked and said, "Well, the Jews really shouldn't be considered civilians."  

"Mom, let's go. This dude is a nazi." Robby turned his back and walked away. I was disturbed by our encounter, but so proud of my son's integrity to defend history. While Robby was busy talking with representatives from the POW encampment, I went back to confront the nazi poser. Thankfully he was receiving a tongue lashing from an angry man in a modern military uniform. Instead of confronting, I noted the tent number and reported the encounter to the National Park Service, who was hosting the event.

Ironically, our second disturbing encounter involved the clergy tent. After listening to the recounting of battlefield church services during WWII, Robby asked if the services were nondemoniational so that all soldiers would feel both welcome and comfortable. The reenactor explained that the services were nondenominational, but not like they are today. "The n****r that was in the White House cowarded to Muslims. Things are getting better today, but not like the good old days. After all, this is America. We are patriots, not Muslims."  

I'll be honest, I nearly lost my damn mind. Again Robby and I turned our backs and walked away. I got a few feet away before storming back to confront this poser. I reprimanded him for "preaching hateful rhetoric under the guise of history." For the second time that day, I reported the encounter.  

We have attended the WWII weekend in Reading, PA for five years. We have never encountered arian undertones. All of the reenactors have always been careful to represent history without glorifying the positions of the Axis countries. I was shocked with our blatantly racist encounters in Gettysburg. Although Robby loves history, I doubt we will return to the event.

Spooky Town

To state that Timmy is excited about Halloween would be a gross understatement. He has been planning, talking and reenacting the holiday for nearly a month. "This is Halloween" is constantly playing through Alexa, and "Nightmare Before Christmas" is playing on my television several times a day.  

One of his favorite activities involves decorating and transforming our house into "Spooky Town." Happy pumpkins, scary ghosts, glittery bats and a carefully crafted collection of "Tongue Monsters" adorn just about every surface (below four feet). He spends hours crafting and decorating, all while happily singing "This is Halloween."

Outside we have our spooky inflatables blown up and happily heralding the impending holiday. Plastic hands are sticking up through the ground, and Jack-O-Lantern buckets are hung from our low tree branches. Our driveway and road have been decked out for the season with hand drawn ghosts and "boo" written everywhere.

His excitement for Halloween transcends decorating. Timmy has used the holiday for inspiration to play new games. Yesterday we spent hours outside playing "Mummy," which is basically tag with the addition of my screaming brains as I chase him around the yard. I don't run very fast, so my time as prey is always short lived.

If he is this excited for Halloween, Christmas should be a lot of fun this year!

 

Sick Day

I woke up this morning so happy that it was finally Saturday. I quickly realized that it was only Thursday, and I fear the disappointment will set the tone for the day. Scott is fully recovered from his cold, but I am currently in the throes of the virus. I feel crummy!

Mom's don't get sick days, so I'm going to have to suck it up and keep plowing through the hours until bedtime.  Scott has Parent-Teacher conferences today, so he won't be home until about 7 tonight. It is going to be a long day. Hopefully I start to feel better once I get moving.

Yesterday Timmy discovered the joys of cracking hickory nuts on our driveway. He spent nearly two hours with a hammer, breaking the nuts to 'help' the squirrels eat. Hopefully he will be happy to repeat the activity because it kept him busy and allowed me to sit and rest.  It's about time the nuts were benefiting us somehow!

First Cold of the Year

School has been in session for a month, and we are dealing with our first communal family cold of the year. Scott began to feel miserable on Sunday. He hasn't been ill enough to stay home from work, but he feels bad enough to be cranky and tired.

Now the ickies have trickled down to the rest of us. By last night we were all feeling off, and I knew that I would be waking up feeling yucky. My prediction held true, and this morning I'm nursing a headache and a scratchy throat.  Timmy is still sleeping, a surefire sign that he isn't feeling well, so I'm fairly confident that today will be spent watching the Grinch and Polar Express on the couch.

Hopefully the ickies will be a short staying visitor in our home. Robby and I have plans this weekend to attend a WWII weekend in Gettysburg, so we don't have time to be sick. Here's to quick healing!

Band

Timmy and I had fun during our Nana Getaway, but now we are back to reality. We came home yesterday afternoon, with enough time left in the day to both help Robby with his schoolwork and to make dinner. Sigh. I don't miss the heat, but I am already missing the schedule free days of summer.  
We are all struggling to adjust to the chaos of the school year!

Robby introduced a new activity into our family with his guitar lessons. He loves learning the guitar, and I am proud of his dedication to practicing an hour each night. (Perhaps I am even happier because I don't have to remind him/ nag him into practicing. He actually does it independently.) 

Robby's dedication to learning to play the guitar is goal driven. He really wants to join a rock band at his music school. In order to be matched in a band he needs to demonstrate basic chord skills and the discipline to practice on a regular basis. We began the lessons in August with the hopes of him being ready for band by October. 

Low and behold, yesterday afternoon I received an email inviting Robby to join the "Southern Rock" band at his music school. He was so excited when I showed him the email. The smile on his face definitely lit up the room! After learning the the invitation, he immediately texted his Daddy and called his Nana to share the news.  

I'm so excited for him!

All Aboard

All Aboard!

Yesterday my Mom and I took Timmy on a special trip: a visit to the Island Of Sodor to go for a ride on Thomas and his friends. Okay, we actually went to the Strasburg Railroad but we might as well have been at Sodor. The station was transformed for the big Thomas the Train event, complete with everybody's favorite blue engine and his sidekick Percy.

Timmy was excited about going for a ride on Thomas, but once we arrived at the event he became shy and nervous. He clutched my hand and cautiously watched all of the activities from a distance. It wasn't until we practically forced him to go onto the small crank train that he began to loosen up and have fun.  

After he began to relax, Timmy had a fantastic time. He was particularly fond of our train ride, grinning from ear-to-ear and happily waving to everybody we passed along the route.