Fishermen, Hunters, Army men...oh, my!

So, it started as an innocent love of fishing from my husband.  And, as his passion for fishing has grown, so has his "fishing attire."  This led to conversations with the boys about proper attire for your job...and somehow we got to talking about camouflage.

And, then it occurred to Emmanuel that one of his favorite people on earth, Carl Bean, must wear camouflage.  (Carl Bean is my mom's first cousin--they are like siblings--he was one of my dad's closest friends--he is Eli's fishing buddy--and also happens to be one of the greatest role models/mentor that a woman could want for her husband or her sons...oh and he hunts and fishes and everything else).

So, Emmanuel said, "Wow--I'm gonna go hunting with Carl Bean one day, so I need some camo pants to blend in."  (I am thinking, "Hmmm...I'm not so sure I want my 4-year-old thinking about hunting...maybe we should become vegetarians..." but of course, I love to encourage a creative mind...so I listened and went with it.)  He found some camo shorts (he went through his hand-me-down box) and bought a bow and arrow with his treat money from the dollar store.  (Again, still thinking, hmm...what is going on here?)

He starts practicing with his bow and arrow, but it breaks after two days.  (All I will say is that Reese and cheap toys don't mix).

In an effort to help Reese not feel scared in their room, I suggest building a fort to keep the bad guys away, and I talk about God as a mighty fortress...and how He is our great protector, but all Emmanuel heard was "fort" and "bad guys."  We set up operations in the fort...we broke out our walkie-talkies...we used our binoculars to make sure no one was trying to get us.  In the middle of one of our "fort meetings," Emmanuel said, "Mom, I think we are in the army."  (Hmm...what is going on here...doesn't he want to play something that doesn't involve getting hurt...how about pretending to be a teacher or a computer scientist or an artist...no way!  He wanted to be "army.")

And, then, while buying a present for a birthday party, we saw them...Camo pants...on the sale rack for ridiculously cheap...in his size (and Reese's)...and well, this "camo craze" has grown from fishing to hunting to armying...and Reese is all in it right along with him.

As long as they don't ask for some pink camo for Moriah Grace, then we will be all right.