Playing Catch Up....

Thatcher graduated from preschool. He's a Kindergartner now! He's been in 4 schools in 2 years. He's had to adjust more than any of us, but he's doing well and I'm so proud of him! He's smart as a whip and so incredibly full of personality! He's also the LIMBO King of his graduating class!!!

Jack finished another year of SPARKS in AWANA! He had to miss a few weeks here and there for Cub Scouts, but still enjoyed it! This was the ending ceremony.

Jack was the "curtain opener" and one of the narrators in his class play "The Little Red Hen"! He did a great job! The most precious part was Margaret recognizing Jack on stage all the way from where we were sitting in the audience. She pointed, grinned from ear to ear, and he beamed!!!! So incredibly sweet!
After his play they had an "After Party" with all kinds of bread to celebrate!

Both boys are taking Karate 2 nights a week as their "sport" of choice this season. Jack is not loving it, but Thatcher smiles just thinking about it. The Karate Master puts Thatcher right by him to learn the throws and kicks. Thatcher just beams! Little does he know he was put there so he'd quit being the class clown and pay attention!

Cubbies Graduation at AWANA at church! He'll be in SPARKS with Jack next year learning bigger and longer verses! I LOVE AWANA! I'm such an advocate of this bible memory program! The boys absolutely love it and I love that they are hiding THE WORD in their hearts at such an early age!

Somewhere it says that children begin to mimic what they see.....

Miss Margaret is standing and cruising! Where does the time go?

Took the kids bowling for some family fun a few weeks ago! Lots of fun!! If you heard a few sonic booms between the hours of 2-3pm a few Saturdays ago, it was just Thatcher "throwing" his bowling ball down the lane!! How in the world does the wood hold up?? I need those floors in my kitchen!

Jack was quite the competitor! He was pretty good!!

So, just a few snippets of our lives these days! It's been another whirlwind year and we are all ready for the lazy days of summer!

As A Mom...

Sometimes I wonder what my children are internalizing about me.

Jack came home from school and was chatting away about his day. He told me that they discussed things that their moms always say. I asked what his response was.......
"Do your homework."
I was hoping for "I'm proud of you." "I love you"....a Bible verse?
Luckily, I was informed that Robert's mom ALWAYS says that too....
Thanks, Robert's mom. You just made me feel better.

Thatcher came home from school and was chatting (with probing) about his day. He told me that his teacher asked for one place your Mom always takes you. Thatcher's response?
"Dumb places like the grocery store."
I'm sure his little outspoken buddy had just announced the word "dumb" in his statement and Thatcher repeated it for a laugh??
He had to sound so harsh? He couldn't say church? or even through the drive-thru for an icee? Karate?

So, I felt frustrated that day. I'm a FULL TIME MOM. I should have no excuses. I was not feeling affirmed.

The other day the boys had Karate. (I sit in the hall as a spectator and hold on to the baby for an hour twice a week!! No one mentioned that to their teachers!!!) I was looking in and saw the Karate Master attatching their first stripes on their belts. I "learned" by way of one of the dads that they have to get 4 of these before they advance to the next color belt. I had no clue.
So, I watched as he went down the row and wrapped the "stripe" around each belt in a ceremonial fashion. Jack was the last one to recieve his "stripe". As soon as the Master finished, Jack immediately looked up and over at me in the hall. It was the most priceless, precious look ever. Even the dad next to me noticed and commented. I was proud. I felt affirmed. You know you are doing something right when the first face your child wants to see in his proudest moments is yours.

Sometimes I wonder what I'm internalizing about God. What is it that I believe He always says? In my proudest moments, do I seek His face first? What does God want me to know about Him? Does He want me to know the depths of His love for me? Isn't that what I want my children to discover about me?

Translator....

At anytime you might hear the following words spoken in my home.
In case you have trouble understanding, I've included the meanings.

Arthur- a person who writes books

Root Beard- a carbonated beverage

I'n- sounds like "I'm" but used with an "N" ex: "I'n hungry."

Former-La- the infant powder mixed with water that babies drink for nourishment

Ruffin'- what dogs have been heard doing

Super Mario "Bross"- the name of the Nintendo DS game consisting of the Bros. Mario and Luigi

Bees Mean- when someone is acting inappropriately or unfairly towards another.
ex: "He always "bees mean" to me."

Drool- the tool one uses to tighten screws

A-Leez-ee-anna- the southern state where we are originally from. Located between Texas and Mississippi

Breff-ust- the first meal of the day

Bump Beds- two twin beds stacked together with a ladder and some screws

Short Pants- what we wear in the summer

Long Pants- what we wear in the winter

Shirt Sleeves- the opposite of long sleeves

Maff- a subject in school involving numbers

Punk-in- an orange vegetable that we carve at Halloween

Optover- the month between September and November when we carve punkins.

Jan-a-wary- the first month of the year

Feb-a-wary- comes after Janawary and before March

Not Fair- when something doesn't go as planned or one doesn't get one's way

Take a Haircut- what happens when hair gets too long.

Stoooooop! Dooooooon't! Noooooo! - usually spoken in a shrilled voice followed by whining, and crying.

Sleepover- when you sleep across the hall in someone else's room.

***The next two are my personal favorites from several years ago****

Maa-gan-zeen- contains articles, pictures, and sometimes the latest fashion.

Jack and the Bee Snot- an old Fairy Tale about a little boy and some magic beans.