Peyton - Our Baby Girl

We told Chase that if he went to school (pre-school) like a “big boy” that we would get him a dog.  For the life of me I can’t figure out why I said it?  What I should have told him was “it’s the law to go to school” but I didn’t and we had to make good on our word.  So, off we went to the animal shelter in search of the perfect pet.  We came across this puppy that really seemed to want to go home with us.   She was in a kennel with her siblings that had been dumped on the side of the road at birth.  She had such a sweet face and stood on her hind legs as we walked by making sure we saw her above the others.  It was done!  She was exactly 10 weeks old and available for adoption that very day and coming home with us!   The workers clapped for Peyton as she was brought to us in the waiting area.  She was beautiful and Chase was so happy that everyone loved his puppy so much to clap for her! 

Peyton was perfect in every way.  Chase referred to her as his baby sister.  She treated each of us different.  Peyt “kept” house with me and looked to me as her caregiver, spoke (literally) to Mike each day when he would come home from work seeming to tell him everything that had happened while he was out and kept him company doing everything outdoors.   Chase belonged to Peytie Girl.  He was hers to protect and serve.  His room was her room.  She adored him!   Peyton could talk (no joke, she could actually speak), knew all of her babies (stuffed animals) by name, could catch a ball with ease, loved to go in the car, loved to play chase indoors or out and smiled all of the time.   She had a huge personality!  Chase had basically spent his life with her. 

Saying goodbye was by far one of the hardest things we’ve ever experienced as a family.  The day she left us Chase said many things to her, but one thing in particular, “who will I tell all my secrets to?” We buried her in a beautiful spot in our back yard with her babies and favorite toys, wrapped in her blanket embroidered with Chase’s name.  There is a void in this house that will never be filled. A loss that can’t truly be described other than lonely.  Best Dog Ever! 
                                       Peyton Shae Slone 7/2000-10/2013  

* Peyton would have been Chase’s name had he been a girl. J

Missing You

It's finally happened!  Chase is officially "street legal" and enjoying the freedom of being behind the wheel and getting himself where he needs to go.  I, however, don't find this new freedom nearly as gratifying as he does.  As the day approached for his driver's test, Chase explains that he wants to get his baseball gear ready and loaded into his truck.  Then he proceeds to ask me if we can stop at the house and get his truck after he gets his license to go to school in.   "Yes" I reply.   Of course he will want to take his truck to school.  What kid wouldn't?  This answer makes him happy.  Then I start thinking about this and ask him, "if we take your truck to school, how will I get home?"  He smiles and replies, "you're not going." The puzzled look on my face is amusing to him.  I  have to laugh when I realize for the first time that he doesn't NEED me to take him to school.   He's right, I'm not going.  He doesn't need me to take him to school.....he's going by himself.  I tell him, "you are going to miss me".  He smiles his most loving smile and states, "yes Momma, but not near as much as you're going to miss me". 

Not just any Mom.....A Special Mom!

Being the Mom of an only gives us a world where lots of other kids become part of our "family."  I love that these kids want to spend time with us.  When our next door neighbors were younger I would get so excited to hear a knock on my back door.  A knock on the back door meant that I had an opportunity to give them a special treat!  Popsicles!  Yes, a yummy frozen treat!  A Popsicle!  Today happens to be my Mom's birthday.  Feeling sad that I'm not able to be there with her on that special day makes my day a little melancholy.  As we were chatting on the phone Mom gets a knock on HER back door.  It's her next door neighbor, Bubby.   I grew up with his Daddy and his Aunts.  When Mom answers and says, "Hello, Bubby, how are you?" Bub replies that he's there for a Popsicle!  Yes, you heard me!  A yummy frozen treat!  A Popsicle!  Bub is a beautiful, sweet young boy with the most sweet voice.  His trip to her back door made my day!  I laughed so hard!  I know that Mom's birthday will be wonderful with well wishes, gifts and celebration.  But to me, the greatest gift she will receive is the knock on  her back door!  My Mom rocks!

An Old Soul

Mike has always admired the older generation and they are drawn to him.  He used to always joke with me and say about himself, "I'm an an old man trapped in a young man's body."   When Chase was only four years old just the two of us were in the car stopped at a traffic light near the house.  As I watch Chase through my rearview mirror, he is staring out of the window in deep thought with the most serious expression.  Chase turns to me and says, "It's a shame Abraham Lincoln had to die.  I sure do miss him."   Can you believe that?   A four year old absolutely believing that he was missing Ol' Abe!  My thought is that he must be like his Daddy, feeling like "an old man trapped in a young man's body!"

Like Everyone Else

This summer Chase attended his High School basketball camp.  Practice teams were divided as Shirts vs. Skins.  We are all getting ready to leave for baseball practice one evening when Chase says that he needs to talk to me about something.  I stop everything to see what is so important!  Chase begins to explain that the kids at camp that are on the Skins team (he also happens to be on the Skins team) wear these things with no sleeves.  I begin the cross examination by telling him that he has a plethora of sleeveless UnderArmour shirts in his closet in varying colors to choose from and that I don't understand why the Skins team is wearing a shirt!  I quickly learn that this clothing item helps with sweat and it is NOT like his Under Armour.....they are these things called "Hanes".  I must interject that as he says the word "Hanes" its as though it's a foreign term!  At this point, Mike has come to see what the fuss is about and getting caught up to speed with this conversation.  Chase lets us both know that he asked the camp kids where they get these things and they tell him that you can just go up to Walmart and get them!  We tell Chase that what he's talking about is underwear!  He doesn't buy into that theory and explains that they have these "little lines" in them.  I proceed to explain that they are ribbed and they are still underwear... specifically a "wife beater".  Mike is duly trying to help out reiterating the fact that he is looking for underwear and yes you can get several in a package at Walmart for about 4 or 5 bucks! Now that Chase believes that we actually do know what we are talking about, he doesn't care that he's asking for "Hanes" underwear from Walmart.  He just wants to know if we can go there to get some after practice?  "Yes, we will go look after practice", puts a smile on his face and now we can all get back to what we were doing.  This entire conversation took place with Chase standing on the landing in only his Hilfiger boxers.  Mike tells me to stop buying him expensive underwear, he doesn't even know what Hanes are.  Chase was simply pleading his case so that he could be like everyone else.  

Little Boy at Heart

Chase and I were on a cruise this summer an stayed in different cabins.  The night of the formal Captain's dinner arrives and I hear a knock on my cabin door.  There stands Chase at 6' tall looking so handsome saying to me, "Are you ready Momma?"  How sweet of him to come get me!  I adjust his tie slightly and we proceed to the dining room.  I should mention that Chase and I are not seated at the same table.  I watch him with a smile on my face thinking of how grown up he looks.  I'm thinking of how proud I am of him then I realize that he doesn't appear to be wearing socks!  That's not the only thing to take notice of.....as we are all having a five star meal, Chase has chicken fingers with fries on  his plate and a wine glass full of chocolate milk!  Priceless!  At 14 no matter how big he looks in size, he's still a little boy at heart.

The Way God Made Us

God made us this way.....a family of three with an "only." Unique in so many ways to have an only child, a dynamic much different than most. So very thankful each day to have Chase....our One and Only.