And, exactly who are the Frakers?
The R.A., Melisa, Griffin and Brooks Fraker
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R.A. & Melisa - frakers@frakers.net
Hey folks, it’s me. Or us, I guess, back with more stuff to talk about. Yes,
I have been asleep at the wheel and I apologize. Melisa got on to me
yesterday (among the many other times) about this not having been
updated in a while. So again, I apologize for those 3 people that sit on
the edge of their seat looking for updates.
Today is Monday, June 28. It is about 8:15 am and it looks to be yet
another hot day. The temperatures have been running in the mid 90’s
for about 2 weeks now and I’m not sure when it’s going to let up. But
there has also been plenty of rain so it’s not like everything is dying
from the heat.
No, the garden is doing that all on it’s own. I swear, I
have no idea what that moron put in the ground at our
house but it must be some sort of toxic waste to have the
growing problems we have at this house. Back on
Bannister Place I could grow a whole mess of big, fat
juicy tomatoes, On Jenkins, I get a few squatty shriveled
up things that may barely pass as tomatoes. So, after
having already put 9 plants in the ground I had to go
get 7 more that I put in pots. I also replanted a few of the
originals that did still look to stand a chance. We’ll see
what happens.
Since last time it has been pretty busy. We haven’t
really gone anywhere, necessarily but it seems we have
constantly been gone somewhere. So let’s go over the
past month, shall we?
Good grief! I was about to start writing when I realized how far behind I actually was!
Well, it seems that I missed Mother’s Day. Oh sure, we celebrated it, of course but I apologize for not sending well wishes
via this site. So, Melisa, Grandmother and GG, Happy Mother’s Day! We didn’t really do anything super stupendous. It
was more a celebrate at home sort of thing. The boys gave some craft things that they made, which I personally think is
pretty neat. Brooks made some things in school that he gave and Griffin made a wind chime from shells. It was neat, I
thought.
The next big event was Griffin’s birthday. 8 years old….Golly
Molly! He had originally been thinking he wanted a party at
some laser shooting, jumpy-bouncy place but then changed
his mind and decided he wanted a pool party. Normally that
would be fine but we were also in the middle of Cub Scout
Twilight Camp (day camp in the evening). I was volunteering
there as well as working all day while Melisa was shuttling
Brooks downtown and taking care of the boys. We did a lot of
setting up late at night and scrambling on Saturday to get
the house and food ready. His friend party was a Star Wars
theme party, which was pretty neat. I think all he got was
Star Wars stuff, which made him happy. And the family
party was Sunday. So, counting his being at camp Monday
through Friday and then a weekend of parties, it turned out
to be Griffin Week 2010. Let’s not do that next year. .
Griffin had Bible School last week and seems to have had a
good time. They do a good job with it every year. Melisa was
telling me how First Presbyterian had about 200+ kids but
she knew another church that had over 600 kids. That seems
a bit crazy. I hope the kids had fun but, as with the Scout
camp, bigger is NOT necessarily better. First Presbyterian
did a good job, from what I saw and heard.
This past Saturday was the annual Cub Scout Pack 626
Mother/Son Fishing Derby. We went and Melisa and Griffin
fished. I did, too but I didn’t count. Not that it mattered
because it was so unbearably humid that it wasn’t that much
fun. I guess the humidity doesn’t really bother me so much
but I know how much Melisa hates it.  That and the fact that
the pond we were using was filled with weeds and you kept
pulling them up as well as the water’s edge was
squishy…well, we stayed for an hour and a half before
packing it in. And no, we didn’t catch anything. That was OK
because Griffin had a birthday party to go to.
But, he has grown so much. You don’t notice it in a day by
day sort of way but check out
these pictures to see the
changes through the years. It is really something. Not just
his height but look at his face and how he gets older.
And yes, he did Twilight Camp again this year. It was so
hot. And humid. Good grief the humidity was awful. And
camp…..well, at least the Scouts didn’t notice anything
wrong. There were way too many guys there and not enough
leaders. I think it just fell at the wrong time this year. I will
say that some of the leaders did a great job of thinking on
their feet. But it did raise questions about next year’s
attendance.
Father’s day fell in there somewhere. I like Father’s Day, not because we necessarily do anything special but just because I
am. This year we did the usual stay home and grill. The menu was the standard steal but we added shrimp this time
around. Good stuff. The boys gave me a sun shield for the grill, which is great because it rains a lot when I’m grilling or the
sun is beating down. Good choice, boys (and Mommy). Brooks also gave me a selection of cookies that he put together. I
have the 2 best boys ever.
Click here for previous editions
OK, so I’ve been talking about Griffin this and Griffin that and
you’re saying “so where has Brooks been”? He’s been to every
single one of the events, except Twilight Camp, of course. Other
than the last day, that is. But he has fished, partied and swam.
Speaking of swimming, he has been taking his swim lessons at
CVI for the past several weeks. The report is that he like it but I
know I’ve seen him improve in our pool. He takes chances now
and will head off into the deep end on his own. Yes, we are with
him and he has a life jacket. I mean he does it without us making
him. And he has improved his jumping in. He can jump from the
side, out 2 or more feet into the water. Think about it, that is a
huge “leap” of faith, considering you can’t see where you’re
headed. He is the bravest boy I know.
But, he has yet to improve on his potty training. We have tried and tried to find some way to bribe him. He wants to go to
Disney but as soon as the potty becomes a condition, he’s not interested. He wants music on his radio? Never mind. A
musical potty? Nah, he was just joking. I even went so far as to put regular underwear on him. I know he hates the feeling
of pee-pee on him so I figure this will break him. So, I put it on and regularly asked if he needed to potty. “No thank you” is
the answer. Then, as I’m getting his PJs on him…yep, you guessed it. He’s wet. He’d rather wet himself and wear it that sit
on the potty. And I appreciate the suggestions but honestly, we tried that. It didn’t work. But we’ll keep searching for that
one thing he really, really cares about.
OK, I think I’m caught up. It has been a busy month but
maybe we’ll slow a bit till school starts back. This coming
Sunday is Independence Day so remember how the United
States got here and what we stand for. No, it is not Veteran’s
Day. Be proud, even with that complete idiot in the White
House.
Thanks for dropping by and I’ll be back!