America, bless God

After church Sunday, Eric and I took the kids over to The Wall.  There is a half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall that travels around the country and we were blessed to have The Wall in Clarksville for the weekend.

 The statistics were staggering.  I studied the Vietnam War in high school, but I don't know that you fully appreciate what you learn until you become an adult.  At least, that is the case for me.  I did not remember that the war lasted from 1959 until 1975.  I did not remember that more than 58,000 people died.  You guys, these people died so that WE CAN BE FREE.  That humbles me.  We also saw this memorial there.  I started to cry as I read it to Levi: September 11, 2001, The Day The Eagle Cried.  He just kept asking me why people would be so mean and want to crash planes into America's buildings.   

 Levi has an incredible passion for America.  He loves watching the Military Channel and he is so inquisitive about wars, soldiers, our flag...pretty much anything having to do with the military.

 I told him a story yesterday about the brother of one of my friends from choir.  He made it home from the Vietnam War, but his best friend died there.  A little while after I told him that, he came to me and said, "Mom, I'm so sorry about that guy that died in the war."  He is so sweet. :) 

Our choir was also slotted to sing yesterday during one of the programs.  It was a really sweet time.  Several times, I looked up to see some of the veterans who were sitting in the crowd crying.  Again, very humbling. 

 All of our singing wore Maggie out. ;)

 After our choir sang, I introduced Levi to my friend that I told him about.  He told her, "I'm sorry about your brother's friend.  That's really sad."  Love.His.Heart.

He was so full of questions yesterday.  "What happened to that man's arm?" "Why is that man crying?" "What is all the writing on the wall?"  Again, it was very humbling to try and explain things to Levi.  I felt so very inadequate being the one to share about our past.  But, I also felt thankful. Very thankful.  

Our little Phil

One of my favorite golfers is Phil Mickelson.  I love watching him play!  Before Eric and I got married, I would have never guessed myself to become a fan of golf.  When the PGA came to Valhalla, we got tickets and I was hooked!  Now, I really enjoy watching it. :)

Eric's dad is out of town, so tonight we invited his mom over for dinner.  After dinner, Eric decided it was time for Levi to learn how to swing a club. ;)  He took him out back and talked him through his form.  On the first swing, Levi hit the ball over the back gate and it stopped about 4 feet short of our neighbor's back window!  Eric looked at me and said, "Um, I think we need to go to the driving range." ;)  So, we loaded up and headed for Golfer's Paradise.

 Look at the concentration.

 Pretty good form for his first time out!

 I think Eric was having some Proud Papa moments!

 And, sometimes, when nature calls, well...it calls. ;)

 And, not to be outdone by her brother, Maggie got in on the action.

 Proud Momma moment: several times, Levi almost hit the 50 yard sign!  Way to go, buddy!

 And, let me tell you -- I'm amazed at this machine right here!  I wanted to go over and ask the guy if I could collect the golf balls, but Eric just stared at me like "don't be ghetto, Tracey".  Whatevs.

Here's to more fun at the driving range!!! :)

cake is good

We were invited to a birthday party tonight.  When we pulled up, my awesome son announced, "Mom, I forgot shoes."  Oy.  Good thing we were just going to Jami's!  I can say that, because it is true.  Going to Jami's is pretty close to hanging at home. ;) 

 The birthday party was for this adorable little pizza faced guy!!  HE IS TWO.  How is that possible?

 When we got there, I thought it was hilarious that the whole fam was watching home videos.  Everyone was all "oooh" and "ahhh"-ing.  Too cute!  You would hear a screaming baby in the background noise and someone would say, "There's Cameron."  Ha!

 My kids immediately took off for Cooper's room and messed it up. ;)

 Love this friend so much!

 And, it is always interesting to have these two guys around:

Thanks, James for a fun night!!  Any reason to get together and celebrate with pizza and CAKE is just fine with me. :)  Happy 2nd Birthday, little Cameron Scott!!  We love you.

It's official...I *can* cook!

I've been on a little cooking spell lately.  This is unusual for me because I usually don't cook.  At all.  I have a bad habit of buying lots of "stuff" at the grocery store and then it sits in our cabinet until it expires. ;)  SO, I am on a mission to use everything in our pantry cabinet and deep freezer before I buy more stuff at the grocery!  Yes, I probably need a new hobby.

So, when Eric popped in around lunch time yesterday, he asked what I was making for dinner. 

Me: Ummm, I'm not sure.  I got the crock pot out, put some chicken in there and some other stuff that was in the cabinet. {Insert big goofy smile on my face!}

Eric: {Looking like he might already hurl} Great.

Me: I'm sure it will be good!

Eric: I'll call on my way home from school and see if I need to pick something up.

Me: Sigh.



I would like to happily report that dinner turned out GREAT!  {I used two cans of Cream of Chicken soup and added a packet of dry Ranch mix to it, poured it over the chicken, cooked it on low for four hours. Added some cooked pasta and let it all 'sit' together for about 30 minutes.  Voila!}

 After dinner, we headed to play tennis with some friends.  Levi loved it!  And, this time, he was able to play with someone who played like he knew how to play. ;)

 Big surprise -- Daddy came home at 6 o'clock last night!  Woot!!!  The kids were so excited to see him.  He helped Levi with his homework and this was HUGE for me.  I was able to do a gazillion other things while they concentrated on reading about a pig and counted pennies. 

 And, this little one doesn't like to be left out.  She begs to do homework, too.  So we sit her up there with paper, crayons and stickers.  When she is done, she screams, "YAY MAGGIE!"  ;)

 Once the little man was in bed, Maggie and I settled in for an episode of The Wiggles.  She has recently taken to them and Barney {aka: Barbie or Bobby}.  Good times. ;)



thankful.

Yesterday, I got a call from a mother of a child that rides the bus with Levi.  Evidently the little girl had an accident at school, so on the bus, she was carrying a bag that contained her dirty clothes.  Several of the kids were asking her what was in the bag and she was too embarrassed to tell them.  Levi was one of the kids asking her.  Eventually, she told Levi, "I will tell you what is in it if you promise not to make fun of me."  He said, "Okay."  She told him that she "pooped her pants" and Levi told her, "I'm so sorry that happened to you."  The mother told me that he told her two other times, "I'm really sorry about your accident. It's okay."  I was so blessed to hear this story because you never know how your child will act when he/she is away from you.  :) 

This morning, I'm just feeling thankful.  Thankful for...

...Chai tea.

...the snooze button that allows five more minutes.

...Barney {that keeps my child occupied for 20 minutes while I get ready}.

...cooler weather.

...the crock pot.

...cute flats.

...fall T.V.

...my new Bible study group.

...my husband who is almost done with school, my son who loves Math, and my daughter who is a little bit crazy. ;)

when randomness hits

Okay, you guys...my mind is reeling.  Last night was one of those nights where I was --- exhausted! --- but I couldn't fall asleep because I had so much to think about.  So, you get to hear all about the little things that are hoarding my thoughts. ;)  I know, I know...YAY YOU!  Warning: complete randomness ahead!

We didn't have a whole lot going on this weekend.  Both my kids were recovering from being sick.  Levi did have soccer practice Friday night and his first game Saturday morning.  It was SO CUTE!  And, I didn't manage to take one picture! :(  I've told you before that Levi has pretty great athletic abilities {he gets it from his mother, remember?}.  He usually does really well at whatever sport he takes up.  I'm so curious to see what he wants to stick with.

One of the most exciting things in our home right now is that Levi has approached us about wanting to be baptized!  We have been talking to him about what it means.  We have an appointment set up with our children's pastor.  Levi has been asking so many spiritual questions and he is really starting to understand things beyond "Jesus loves me".  It is so exciting, but makes me anxious, too!  As a mother, the most important thing to me right now is to help shape my children and their spiritual views and most days, I don't feel like I do a very good job at that.  Thank God for GRACE!  I want Levi and Maggie to grow up loving Jesus and my prayer everyday is that they will look past my flaws and that God will capture their hearts.  

Eric is in full study mode right now.  Can you believe it has almost been 18 months since he started school?  This quarter finishes up in a couple weeks so he has begun studying for finals.  Then, Lord willing, he graduates in December!  Hallelujah!  I remember when he started, thinking "this will be forever!" but it really has flown by.  Saturday, I tried keeping the kids busy so that he could study.  I took them to play tennis and then to my parent's house.  After we played tennis, Levi said, "Mom, next time we go play tennis, can you play like someone who knows how to play?"  He was cut out of the will.  When we got home, Eric had a little surprise for the kids.

A bonfire!

 The kids were so excited!  We did some S'mores and had a little bit of quality family time. {Sorry for the blurry pic!}

And, I will bore you with one last subject.  My time lately has been completely overtaken with a church project.  Gretchen can attest to me being completely scattered and unavailable at times. ;)  I was asked to co-lead planning a block party at a park near our church.  The other leader had to back out because of other commitments, so I became the leader.  {Insert anxiety.}  This is a big deal for me.  You guys...I am so shy!  I don't do well talking in front of people or telling people what to do.  I get all backwards and q.u.i.e.t.  I hate it, but that's just how I am.  I think God is kicking me out of my comfort zone. ;)  I had a meeting last night with my first group of volunteers and I was a nervous wreck!  I called G on my way there and she was very comforting and prayed for me.  When the meeting started, I could tell my face was getting red - oh brother!  But, I settled in, kept going and I didn't die. ;)  The party is in a couple of weeks and things are going pretty smoothly.  I'm not gonna lie, I will be glad when it is over.  I can hardly think about anything else.  Maybe next time, I will just teach one week of a Sunday School class instead of creating a block party from scratch! Ha! :))) 

How's that for a bunch of randomness in my head?!!  ;)    

Labor Day Weekend

So, remember how I was dying last week?

{Thanks to Eric for the lovely pic of me! ;)}
Well, I'm happy to say that on Friday evening, I started to feel somewhat better.  By Saturday morning, I was back in the mood to boss Eric around. ;)  I even got him to hang my new clock!  {Little side note:  Gretchen and I saw this clock last time she was home.  I told Eric about me falling in love with it and he went out and bought it for me the same day.  Sweet guy!}

We had a birthday party to go to at Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday afternoon.  I have a love/hate relationship with that place.  Saturday was pretty cool, though because Eric went with us, so I got to kick back, drink my diet Mountain Dew and talk to some of my friends while Eric toted the kids around for a while.  The kids had a blast, so that's what mattered! ;)

Doesn't get much cuter than this!!!  Lovin' on her Daddy. :)

And, Sunday was a BIG day for this little guy!!  He lost another tooth...at El Nopal! Ha!  This tooth was hanging on by a thread and once he started eating, it came out.  GROSS!  But, I'm so happy it is finally gone!  He spent the night with his cousin, Griffin on Sunday, so we are hoping the tooth fairy will come tonight!

Unfortunately, this little baby girl wasn't feeling well on Sunday and we spent a couple hours at the urgent care.  They treated her for an ear infection and bronchitis and after a good night's sleep, she has done much better!  I guess that's what you get when you sneak sips of Mommy's drink... ;)

Today was a low key day at home and we really enjoyed having Eric home with us!  We had a huge party tonight...Grammy & Papa came over.  Ha!  We decided to grill out and they were more than happy to come over and eat with us.  Levi got all the cups ready for us. {Notice that he put his last name on his cup...just in case more than one "Levi's" showed up!}

My kids love their grandparents, but I'm not gonna lie...when they show up, the kids only want to see their iPads.  It's pretty hilarious.  Maggie likes to play Angry Birds.

And, Levi is all about watching police videos on YouTube.

Cuteness!!

After dinner, we made some milkshakes -- YUM!

And we started getting slap happy.  Oy! 

And, now, my little people are in bed and I'm just getting to settle in for some time with my man.  Thankful for this day at home with my family!! :)