First Day of School- way late

Much earlier this fall we did the responsible thing and let our children begin their higher education (ie- kindergarden and preschool). Our school year began in a somewhat dramatic fashion- and not in a good way. Three days before school began, Jack came down with a nasty (and I do mean nasty) stomach bug. We are talking the kind of thing from which horror movies are derived. It was the type of disgusting, projectile, germ-ridden 48 hours that you wish you could skip over or at least purge from your memory. Too much? Anyway, as bugs so often do at our home, we assumed Sam and I would get it. Not Tom, mind you. That man has a stomach of steel, and that is fortunate when it comes to taking care of the weaker members of his family. The night before the first day I started to feel "off." Hoping it was just nerves and excitement, I denied that I was getting sick until I think I asked Tom to just kill me where I lay rather than roll off the bathroom floor and brave the hard, impossible, nauseating twelve steps required to get back to the bed. After a looooong night I was deemed unfit to drive my own children to school on their very first day. Mama was very sad. But, too Tom's credit, he took pictures, made the little signs, and adequately documented the momentous occasion for our boys. I am glad we have these photos and that the first day went smoothly since day #3 ended early for Sam. Who was the first kiddo to get sick at school this year? You guessed it. Sadly, perfect attendance went out the window before we really even got started. And after our rocky start, we've made the transition, and the boys love school.

Summer Part 1

So summer has gone by in a hot, hazy, humid blur. While at the time I didn't think a month long stretch of 99-102 degree days could fly by, I now know better. Here is the beginning of a synopsis is pictures of what our HOT HOT HOT SC summer looked like.


Various silliness that has no rhyme or reason what-so-ever

Biking.... but those training wheels are so 4 months ago. Little man wouldn't want big brother doing something that he can't do. So those trainers came off, and Jack is not looking back. Multiple bruises, scrapes, and band-aids later.... he's still cruising along.

Swimming- we have 2 little fish on our hands. I finally don't feel like I need to be right beside them in the pool which is very freeing (and by 'freeing' I mean awesome since I can sit beside the pool with a People magazine and not worry that one of them has drowned in the time it takes me to figure out who George Clooney is dating now or see who looked better in any given gown). That, my friends, is a beautiful thing. Anyway, most days found my budding Michael Phelps (minus the drug bust) paddling away, playing Marco Polo, or practicing their "dives" (aka any sort of motion that propels them from the side of the pool into the water at any angle- usually with more twists, gyrations, or kung fu chops than are necessary to do an actual dive).





Cousins visiting- Seriously there are no fewer than 18 photos that look remarkably like these 2, but these 2 photos have the highest ratio of children looking somewhat happy to be there and at least gazing near the actual camera. I love group shots of children!

And then there was tubing. Jack took to it like, well, a fish to water. He never met a bump, wave, or fast speed he didn't like. Sam (the conservative) needed a bit of assurance and a chance to observe from the relative safety of the boat before committing to actually getting on the tube. After more than a couple minutes and hand gestures to please slow the boat down (did I mention there were canoes passing us?) we finally got the thumbs up!! He's still not crazy about bumps, big waves, and going too fast, but that is OK with me. One dare devil in the family is plenty to worry about.



Jack likes the solo ride since then he controls the speed (to some extent). He never asks to slow down but continuously requests that Pop drive faster.
I'm sorry, Jack. Are we boring you? Clearly Pop did not bring his A-game when it came to driving the boat for Evel Knievel's specifications that day.
So when tubing, swimming, biking, etc just was too 2009 for them, they took on the next challenge- water-skiing. Truth be told Jack actually skied 2 summers ago, but he doesn't like to talk about it (because that's when he still wore diapers). So we'll pretend the 2-year-old on water skis never happened and call this their first experience water- skiing.

Getting ready....
Almost up.....

And there he goes!



Sam's turn!
He's got it! It took a few attempts, but I am so proud of him for persevering and not giving up!


This grin says, "I DID IT!" Now that he knows he can do it, he wants to water ski all the time.

For Mother's Day

So back in 1908 a woman decided to honor her mother (who had died the year before) by giving white carnations to all the mothers in her church one Sunday in May. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson (without a campaign contribution from Hallmark) made Mother's Day an official holiday. Don't ask me how I know this- I'm just filled with useless knowledge.

Anyway- I'm grateful to celebrate this day as the proud (mildly neurotic) mom of two lovely (mildly hoodlum-ish) boys that make life an adventure and a sweet surprise on a daily basis. They are one of the greatest joys and blessings that have been bestowed on me though undeserving am I. It's a such a combination of emotions to watch them bloom and celebrate the life God created in them. I wish to keep them young (to be honest if I'm getting eternal youth for them- I want it too) -to keep them from getting too big to sit on my lap and laugh and cry and cuddle them under my chin, to guard the innocence that comes with childhood and leaves when the age of understanding arrives, to keep their world small and safe and easy, to limit their struggles to those that can be solved with an ice pack, band-aid, or a time-out and talking-to. And yet I want to see them come of age, accept Christ as their Savior, and watch the Lord's plans for them come to fruition (even if that means I have gray hair and wrinkles- well, maybe not the wrinkles- I'm working on my vanity, people).

Motherhood is a daily challenge in which I feel like I fail more than I succeed. However, I am refined by Christ's grace, and that refining shows my children that my need for a Savior is equal to theirs. My failures and short-comings show them that perfection is impossible this side of glory, and my struggle to be like Jesus is not more difficult than their own. When I succeed they see that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. And when we strive together they can understand what it means to bear one another's burdens and that a rope of three cords is not easily broken. I pray that they will see the joy of my salvation and that life is a precious gift not meant to spent moping, worrying, and being too serious. Yes, I pray that they will have wisdom and discernment to know when the gravity of a situation calls for severity. But equally I pray that they have life and have it abundantly- with fun and levity and joy and hope and love.

So this Mother's Day I celebrate these two beautiful babies that give me the reason to enjoy this day in the first place. Love you, Sam and Jack!

My baby is 4!

In the beginning...... so tiny and new!

First birthday- still a baby
B-day #2- looking a little more like a big kid.
Age 3 years
Jack's 4th b-day party
Cupcakes with cowboy hats and cow sprinkles were the back-up plan just in case fondant and I couldn't be friends.
But.... thanks to the internet, a five pound tub of chocolate fondant, and a friend who knows a thing or two about cakes... I conquered my fear of fondant and made Jack a cowboy hat cake for his cowboy party.



Add some bandannas, a few of Jack's buddies and his great-Grammie, and the party is on!


Grammie fed Maddie beef brisket, veggies, and cake. Should we be surprised that she threw up the next morning? (the dog- not Grammie)
Even Maddie got a pink cowgirl bandanna!





Big Dad traveled from Texas and celebrated at the party too! Missed you Nana.

Playing cowboys with Sam. This face shows why Jack is the baddest gun-slinger this side of ....? Not sure what we are on the side of.

Happy 4th birthday, big boy!