In Full SWING!

Baseball season has begun! A t-ball coached backed out at the last minute and when the baseball association board was going through registration papers, they came across Tommy's name. They called and asked him to coach Luke's team. He was hesitant at first but one of the dads from our football team agreed to help out so Tommy is now the coach of the Mariners.


Dade had tryouts for Pee Wee league Saturday morning. He did GREAT! It was his first time to hit off a pitching machine (those balls come out at 40 mph!). He was chosen by the Red Sox -- his coach is the electrician who wired our Tyler house, whose son we graduated high school with. Another boy from football is also on his team which I think helped Dade feel a little more comfortable at the first few practices.

Between the two of them, someone has practice every night of the week (excluding Wednesdays and the weekends)! We'll be able to catch our breath in a few months! Game pictures coming soon!

Happy in the mud.

It was such a nice afternoon! The boys filled the baby pool with water and, after playing in it for a while, dumped the water out and made some lovely mud to push their construction trucks in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADE!

I really cannot believe my little boy is SEVEN! Dade is ALL boy! I asked him some of his current favorites: Sweet tea, apples, spinach, corn, Cowboy breakfast (bacon/sausage, biscuits, eggs, hashbrowns), Sundays, playing outside, riding his bike, exploring in the woods, green, board games, Hank the Cowdog, baseball, football, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs book, Wild Kratts show (on PBS), country music.

SEVEN!

Luke picked out a HexBug nano to give Dade. Dade also got a Nerf vest to store his weapons and bullets in, the first and second Hank the Cowdog books, a new set of Uno cards and a ticket in the cupcake for a night out. He also got a spy mission kit from Gran and Big Daddy and two Dr. Seuss books from Uncle Andy.

Bobcat Belles.

I was able to make it to the Bobcat Belle show this year. Our director, Freda Goerner, is retiring this year so there were quite a few alumni who came to see the last performance under her. These two girls, Jill and Angela, were in drill team with me; I have SO many great memories from High School because of the Belles.

BOOKS!

After much deliberation, discussion and prayer, I decided to switch curriculum. Dade had finished his first grade math and reading/phonics/language arts, so I went ahead and ordered the second grade core from Sonlight. It arrived Saturday and all the kids (and I) were excited to dig through the boxes that were delivered. Dade helped me organize it all on a shelf and was already asking if we could do a science experiment!

Start of the Season.

Verse 4.

"Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4:2-3 NKJV

There are many times that I forget to be like my children -- they see something, hear about something, hunger or thirst for something and THEY ASK for it! Needs, wants, likes... they ASK FOR it all! Many times I long for wisdom, patience, understanding, joy, peace (the list continues) but I neglect to ASK FOR IT! I have forgotten the TRUTH... God LOVES to GIVE GOOD gifts to His children (Luke 11:9-11).

Or, I ask amiss -- I ask for something with only myself and my personal gain in mind.

I hope that two solid weeks of meditating on these verses will help me to act more like a child!

Hundred More Years.

I LOVE Francesca Battistelli! Her new album comes out next month but you can listen to several of the songs here. Just try listening to This is the Stuff without a smile coming to your face!

What a tool!

Wyatt got his own tool box... the big kids had a great time showing him how to use everything! Luke noted this morning that "Wyatt doesn't look any different." I asked him if he thought Wyatt was going to look different this morning. "No," he said, "I thought he was going to look a lot different!" He told Tommy that Wyatt did look bigger from the back! Luke thought Wyatt was going to wake up and be able to talk in sentences and be walking everywhere! I love how their brains work!

Wyatt is walking much more but still crawls when he wants to get somewhere quickly.

Happy Birthday sweet boy! We love you!

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, WYATT!

The boys were anxious to get everyone up this morning so Wyatt could open presents. After pulling off paper and cutting plastic ties, D&L showed W how to use his new toy and L read his Trucks book that he picked out for him.

Gifts.

Luke's love language is definitely gifts... he LOVES to get them and give them. He was very excited to pick out presents for Wyatt for and to help me wrap them tonight. He chose the "coolest" paper we had... Happy Holidays Hot Wheels paper! He signed all our names on the card, put tape on when I wrapped, and suggested we put the presents outside Wyatt's door so he could find them as soon as he woke up. Luke and Dade are sleeping in their sleeping bags on the floor by Wyatt's crib so they can be the first to wish Wyatt 'happy birthday' in the morning! Brotherly love!

Lego club.

I was ecstatic when I saw Lego club listed on our homeschool group's page of activities they offered. I was quick to inquire about it last summer in hopes of getting the boys involved with some other kids until all the fall events got into gear. I soon learned that no one had volunteered to coordinate the group this year. Not wanting this FUN group to fall into a black hole, I recently called around to find a meeting place, scoured the internet for ideas and scheduled dates for the rest of the spring semester at our local library. Our first meeting was a big success! We had about 15 kids come. Some built on the floor, others on the tables. The littles played with the big blocks. The moms visited or walked around the library. There were Star Wars vehicles, buildings, castles, intricate houses, dinosaurs, chariots, fire trucks, you name it and one of the kids probably made it! Several of the kids were asking when the next meeting was before we even left!

Snow ice cream.

We start 'em early!

Double duty.

The Tooth Fairy had double the work last night! Dade got $3 and Luke got $10 since it was his first and she could tell he had spent a lot of time taking care of it.

Another first.

Luke pulled his first tooth on the same day that Dade lost his fourth!

Snow day play.

We got about three inches of snow here yesterday! The boys got all bundled up to play outside... Dade was so layered that he could not bend to put his socks on! I had visions of A Christmas Story running through my mind! Tommy, Dade, Audrey and I had a snowball fight this morning before the sun began to melt the fun away!

All I want for

My birthday is my two front teeth!

Fishing friends.

Dade had a friend come home with us after homeschool co-op and eating at Chick Fil A last Wednesday. The boys fished most of the time, played on the playstructure at G&BD's then changed for Kids Life. We thoroughly enjoyed having E here with us!

On the tractor.

Verse 3.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

A while back, I read Captivating. Last week I came across a book by Stasi Eldredge titled "You are Captivating -- celebrating a mother's heart." It was a very quick read but packed a lot of encouraging words into few pages. In the book she discusses the core desires of a woman's heart and how they relate to the high and holy calling of being a mother. Our heart is core to who we are -- the source of our courage, creativity, conviction, our faith, our hope and our love. Our heart is the very essence of our existence. God created our feminine hearts with the greatest of all possible dignities - as a reflection of His own heart.

Princess in purple.

Audrey loves purple! I have tried several times to get a picture of her new haircut but have not had much luck. This is about the best I have gotten. It is not much shorter just a little layered around the front with long bangs that we are trying to keep in a clip or back with a headband.