"Fall Free Days"

Once again, I must giggle at the title. As I am aging, I can't quite remember if that is what we called the break at OBU, or that is just what I called it when I was at OBU. Nonetheless, my mom and sister always fell out in the floor when I said that instead of "Fall Break" and harrassed me unmercifully!

Enough rambling about things that humor only me..."Fall Break" couldn't have come at a better time. The boys and I desperately needed some down time, and the days off definitely provided that! To start off, the Lord provided some GLORIOUS weather throughout the entire break.--It. Was. Perfect. Add to that lots of outside playtime, eating, and cousins and you've got yourself some GOOD TIMES! For a play-by-play, keep reading...

On Wednesday, the boys and I stayed in our jammies most of the morning. We made muffins and painted pumpkins. (Notice I said "painted".--Can't do the carving thing. Not talented or strong enough and have an aversion to the texture of the goo inside. The smell's not so great either!) Over the years, Joshua has gone from painting normal jack-o-lantern faces to Frankenstein and spiders, to football helmets. So, this year's pumpkins came as no surprise...That night the whole big family met at Applebee's to eat together and support Kirk during his radio show. Afterwards, we all went back to Nana and Grandaddy's and played and took baths, etc.

Thursday morning Lucy and I took the kiddos to the donut shop to eat breakfast and to let Karson pick out/order her birthday donuts.--Hard to believe she's going to be 5! When we got back to Nana's, we decorated a real gingerbread haunted house, did Halloween crafts together, jumped on the trampoline, and just had some good play time.

It was game night for Union, but we were playing in Choctaw, so the boys and I didn't travel. Instead the whole family went to eat at On the Border and came home to listen to it on the radio. We bathed the kids, put the little ones down and listened to the Redskins swat the fire out of the Yellowjackets! Joshua and Karson were so good to play by themselves the whole game!

Since we had a long weekend and an easier opponent, Daddy was able to come home by noon on Friday! What a blessing! He spent most of the afternoon in the backyard smoking some unbelievable ribs, chicken and brisket. Because he had to keep watch over the cooking, the boys had him all to themselves outside all day! That night, the big family came over and enjoyed a great meal together, compliments of "Pit Master"! (Oh, Daddy did come to the front yard long enough to put up the boys' inflatable scarecrow. JT was most excited!)

It was so great to wake up Saturday morning and have Daddy at home. The day was gorgeous and we took advantage of it! We scootered and played basketball, passed the football and frisbie, played on the playground and just had an all around good time.

To top off the great weekend, we all got showered and dressed and headed to the TU game. We got there early and ate out on the lawn. What a festive atmosphere and a great game! It turned cool and the Hurricane turned it on! It was so fun to be there as a family, and the boys were great.

Just to show how relaxing the break was for me...Kirk was able to convince me not to wash off the boys' TU tatoos before church on Sunday morning! Oh, Fall Free Days...

One Hump or Two?

Before I post, I should explain the humor I find in the title...I can't exactly remember the story in perfect detail, but it goes something like this: My grandmother and grandfather were riding along in the car and my grandmother insists that she saw a camel! (This is where my memory fades.--Was it walking along the side or what?!). Anyway, my grandfather NOT having seen the camel and in total disbelief, begins to harrass her. She is quite adament and is getting frustrated with him. In trying to act like a supportive husband he asks, "Well, did it have one hump or two?" You may not find this funny, but we are warped and found it quite humorous and have used this phrase many times over the years!

Now the point of my post...The boys, Nanny (Kirk's mom) and I went to the pumpkin patch over the weekend. The boys were most excited about it, and it did not disappoint! Here is a brief photo synopsis:

We saw rabbits, chicks, roosters, hens, turkeys, pigs, donkeys, and KANGAROOS!

He are the boys looking at the goats. Notice who is standing closer...one goat stuck his head out and almost bit John Thomas' hand! He still patted him later! (The big boy...not so much!)

I felt like I needed to sing the OBU alma mater when we saw the bison!

John Thomas' horse was named Cherokee. JT thought this was great fun even though the picture doesn't look like it!

Here is Joshua on "Stormy". For the first time, he was excited and anxious to ride! He did great!

To answer the question...One hump! How crazy is this? My boys rode a camel! They both loved it!

Oh yeah, we picked out some pretty great pumpkins while we were there too! (That is a stuffed scarecrow behind them, not me!)

Whatever Works...

I have always been a big believer in putting up one thing before you get out another. Both boys know this, and it has been taught and reinforced since "day one". Nonetheless, this morning I made an exception. (Yes, I actually was flexible about something!) The reason for the exception to the rule: MY. HOUSE. IS. A. PIT.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On non-preschool days, John Thomas and I have gotten in the habit of playing for long periods of time in the game room after taking Bubba to school. This morning was no different, however, after shooting nerf guns, making a fort, and watching parts of Nemo (for the 100th time this week!), I HAD to get at least the upstairs cleaned. Thus, the "whatever works" title.

As I diligently scrubbed both tubs and all three vanities (I love all the bathrooms until it's time to clean!), I kept poking my head in and checking on him. Every time I did, I noticed more "stuff" was out. I was so tempted to use my mommy voice and inform him of the rule and commence to guiding him to clean up. However, the nastiness of the rest of the house outweighed the game room mess by a mile, so I didn't say a word.

About 40 stuffed animals. 63 hotwheels, Bubba's basket of Star Wars guys (shhhh, don't tell JK!) and 10 footballs later, I have my head in a toilet when JT comes and asks me to push the button on his stick horse (it plays the Lone Ranger music and a trotting sound). I turned around to see this:

He still had on his Superman jammies, but had added a TU stocking cap and Tulsa Drillers sweat bands! --Ride 'em, cowboy...or Superman, baseball player, TU fan boy! All I could do was giggle. He was happy, I got to clean...whatever works!

Nature Vs. Nurture

Being a science teacher and all, I've often wondered about the subject of the above mentioned title. Since having children, I've pondered the subject even more. Both of mine are boys and both of my younger sister's are girls.--Hence, the rowdiness at my house and the drama at hers! This, plus much more evidence, leads me to lean on the nature side quite often. Case in point to follow:

Weekends are EXTREMELY long for me. We see Kirk on Fridays after the game on the field for about 5 minutes. He usually comes in around 1 or 2 a.m. after we're all asleep. That's it for Friday. On Saturday, he pokes his head out of his office long enough to watch Joshua's football game, but he stands on the field to watch and goes straight back to work before the snacks are given out. (He did make it home for dinner on Saturday night, though.) Sunday's are always hectic trying to get everyone ready for church and then rushing to eat lunch, so Daddy can get back to work ASAP. He usually makes it home around 7 or so on Sunday nights.

You catch my drift? Weekends are extremely long for me! (I really do have a point here.--Stay with me!)

Yesterday was a particularly long day due to the fact that the boys couldn't look at each other without fighting. It was driving me nuts, so finally about 4 o'clock, I called Nana and asked could we bring the fighting, I mean come over to her house and play. Of course she agreed and off we went. My ideal plan was for me to sit on the screened in porch (anyone noticed how bad the mosquitos are lately?--It's almost October for goodness sakes!), with the ceiling fan going and watch the boys jump on the trampoline. That lasted for a while and then came the dragging out of every toy known to man from "the crates". John Thomas became engrossed in putting every toy up onto the tramp. Which took quite a while, because it is quite a feat for him to climb on and off! Meanwhile, Joshua and I decided to play football again.

We seem to have some of our best conversations during our passing games.

"Mama, this is going to be the best touchdown pass ever."
"Okay, that wasn't it. THIS is going to be the best touchdown pass ever."
"This one is going to be the best punt ever."
"Mom, pass it over there. This is going to be the best interception ever."
"Okay, this is going to be the best back up, take a knee and let the clock run out ever." (Is that a coach's kid or what?)
"This one is going to be the best spin, break a tackle and score ever."

This continued on and on until he is running past me doing one of his "best ever" moves and he stops, bursts out laughing and says, "This one is the best TOOT ever!!" and commences to laugh and pass gas.

Shortly thereafter, he informs me he needs to go the bathroom and can he please just go outside?!

My case is proven, is it not?! I did not teach him these things!!

"The Best Day of My Life"

Wow! Last week was a stressful one. It was "Union/Jenks Week". For as long as I can remember, there has been "Union/Jenks Week" . I went to Jenks and then taught at Jenks, but then I married a Union football coach and things went from fun and festivities to a little more seriousness. Ultimately, that coach became the Head coach and things definitely went from serious to stressful! Well, all the stress culminated in victory Friday night and smiles were abundant all around our house! Major victory for the kids, coaches, community and our family! But that wasn't the "best day of Joshua's life"...

Saturday, I woke up early to the sounds of pouring rain outside my window. I thought to myself how glad I was that JK's flag football game was on the turf intead of the grass field this week. By game time, it was not raining and we enjoyed the game without rain gear or umbrellas. Joshua had a touchdown and pulled two flags! But that wasn't the "best day of Joshua's life"...

After an EXTREMELY muggy Friday and Saturday, we awoke on Sunday to a sweet, cool morning. We went to church and learned about not losing our zeal or passion for God and our spiritual walk. Joshua won New Testament Bingo twice in his small group and received 2 Laffy Taffy's! After church, we met Doo-Daddy (Nana was sick) at Fuddruckers for lunch and JK won 3 prizes out of the hardest arcade machine in the place! When we came home he played Madden on PS2 and beat the computer by a bazillion! Later, I needed to go out and mow and made the boys go out with me. They scootered and played golf and climbed on the fort. Every few rows, I would stop and push them on the swings. After I finished, we sat on the back porch and ate popscicles. A rousing game of football ensued thereafter between Joshua and I. (JT played with us periodically, but mostly got out every toy we have in the back yard and ran about!) That is when the "best day of my life started". In between passes, JK started talking..."I love breezy days like these, it reminds me that Halloween is coming." "I love wearing these cozy shorts (long, cut off sweat shorts)". "I love playing ball with you, Mom." "You're the best mom I've ever had." (Ok, so I'm the only mom you've ever had!) "It doesn't get any better than this!" "I'm so glad JT's my little brother." (At the time, JT was leaving us alone and playing pleasantly by himself!) "That was a great pass, Mom." "That's okay, Mom. I don't always throw it very good every time either." "I just love breezy days like these!" "You almost got me that time, Mom."

We played until past dinner time and finally Daddy got home, and I went inside to fix something quick for dinner..."Wow, Mom, a bacon sandwich. That's exactly what I wanted."...On to showers and into bed. "Can we read part of my book from the tooth fairy, Mom?" (He lost a tooth on the field after the game on Friday night!) "Yes, but only 2 chapters. You pick which ones." He picked and we took turns reading one page after another. I told him that his aunt Lucy and I used to laugh and laugh about this same story. He giggled so much I thought that he would wake up John Thomas. After we finished and said prayers, he turned and said, "Mom, this was the best day of my life." Wow, not Daddy's win, or his success in his own game, or his birthday or Big Splash or the lake or all his other favorite things...TODAY was "the best day of his life". Glad for once I wasn't too busy or too lazy to be a part of it.

Randomness...

Again, I warn...much randomness!

How many happy meal toys can one household contain? Oh, my goodness!--I just cleaned out and threw away an entire trash bag full! Praise the Lord (literally) for preschool. JK's desk and nightstand drawers have been haunting me for months. Anytime he opens them around John Thomas, I cringe. It's like opening Pandora's box! I see JT's eyes light up and know that he will go back later and start dragging all that "stuff" out! Needless to say, once I dropped him off, I went straight to work! All finished! Joshua might even be able to sit at his desk and work on one of the many "projects" he likes to do. (All of which will be shoved into those drawers for me to clean out again in a few months!)

Another random thought...Isn't it amazing how much we try to protect our kiddos from things, and many times we end up making things worse? Joshua had his first flag football game of the season on Saturday. It had rained a lot that morning and we weren't playing on the turf this game. It was cooler and so John Thomas had on jeans and a hoodie. When we got to the field, the gate area was a mud bog! Mind you I was carrying my camera, rain gear for JT and me, a very large golf umbrella, and my folding chair, all the while trying to hold John Thomas' hand and steer him clear of the big puddles. When I saw the terrible gate situation, I decided that I needed to carry JT through the gate. Well, guess what? In my efforts to keep him nice and clean, I get through the mess and promptly drop him in the mud while trying to put him down! I had to leave all my stuff, tell the boys not to move (and JT NOT to touch anything) and go back to the van for wipes! The Lord blessed me because a lot of it came off and was only on his hands and the knees of his jeans. Gotta love good intentions!

Daddy came over from work to watch JK's game. He even wore blue!
Joshua is fourth from the right, looking VERY focused!

Here he is in action...#24! Great form! (He did score a touchdown on the first play of the game. We threw a pass, he caught it and took off down the field to the endzone!)

Here's an interesting thought...our roofing materials are supposed to be delivered this afternoon. Removal and reroofing won't begin until next week or possibly the next. Since the supplies sit in a LARGE stack on your driveway, it blocks you from utilizing one whole side of your garage. With all the storms predicted in the next week, let's pray Kirk's truck doesn't get hail damage while we're waiting to get our roof repaired from hail damage!

Last of the random thoughts...while in Target yesterday purchasing a $40 halloween costume (yes, Joshua has to earn it), I saw fall floral leggings in the junior/women's dept.! Oh, my goodness...that is a blast from the past that really wasn't a blast when we were in the past! You've got to be kidding me! I know I am rarely all put together and in-style these days, but this is one time I won't mind!

Another Day of Firsts

John Thomas went to preschool for the first time today. The day had been so highly anticipated, that I was a little nervous when he was a bit subdued. (Last week at "Meet the Teacher", he proudly announced, "My school" when we drove up and "My class" when we reached his classroom. Mind you, we do not attend this church and had never been there before.--I was impressed with how comfortable he was.) We got to school a little early and sat in the car and visited and watched a DVD. I knew things were going to be okay when he started begging to get out and go! Off we went into the chaos of first day preschoolers and their parents. We weaved through all of the kids, strollers and baskets in the halls and made our way back to room 111. Both teachers greeted him by name! (That's right...no one forgets my baby!) He put his new football lunchbox in the basket, and in he walked proudly carrying his mat! Not a tear or a look; he was so brave and happy! On the other hand, I lost it! I watched him for a second and then left. Right about now he should be doing his bible story or craft, and have already been to music, had snacks, and played on the playground...not that I'm thinking about him or anything! I'm so proud of him!

After getting in the van, I drove a little way and then realized that I didn't have to listen to the Scooby Doo DVD that was playing. I turned it off, said big prayers for the little guy, and tuned in to an actual radio station! Here I was...riding ALONE, listening to adult songs, going to Walmart! Wow, talk about a first!

Well, I got out of Walmart without a donut, popcorn chicken or even a smiley face sticker.--I almost didn't know what to do with myself! Now I'm home and ready to begin the HUGE list of projects I have set "To Do Once JT Starts School"! Wish me luck!