First Shiner

My boys get the most unusual injuries. Anyone recall the carpet burn that Caleb got right between his eyes just in time for Papaw Larry and Mrs. Sheila's wedding last year? Well, poor Sethie got his first set of (yes, two) black eyes this weekend. That spot between the boys eyes, just above their nose, seems to be their sweet spot. It is really sad (esp. to Momma), but since the initial impact, he has not been bothered by it in the least.

How did this happen? A rambunctious older brother? A street fight?

No, his first black eye coincided with his first fall out of his big boy bed. We are still not sure what he hit. It may have even just been the floor. Whatever it was, we were awakened early on Sunday morning to his little cry and a slight gash just above the bridge of his nose. We didn't even realize there was a cut until morning and had no idea that the bonk had caused the area to swell. I was not surprised when he woke up with slightly blackened eyes yesterday morning. Poor Baby!

Anyway, the interesting part is that he was sleeping with Dada when the incident occurred. We had a houseful of company this weekend, so Eric bunked in with Seth, since his bed is a full size. Even more interesting is that the last time Eric slept in the bed with Seth, we woke up to find him GONE! Eric woke up really early that morning and couldn't find Sethie anywhere. He assumed he had crawled into bed with me or Granny (who was visiting at the time), but he wasn't with us. We did a somewhat panicked search of the house, only to find our sweet two-year-old curled up in a little ball UNDER his bed. Sleeping very soundly, I might add.

Maybe it is a good idea if Dada doesn't sleep with Seth anymore. Apparently, his hide-out under the bed last month and his leap out of the bed nose first this month are clear indicators that he wants to sleep ALONE.

I tried to get a picture of the little guy's face, so your heart could also be pinched at the little sight of his injury, but the lighting just doesn't do it justice. And little man wasn't being very cooperative.

Like I said, he isn't too bothered by it. And with the little daredevils that God entrusted with me, I guess I need to get used to the interesting injuries that seem to happen upon them.

Fun with the Fam

Saturday was a great day! Not only did we find some good bargains at the yard sales, we had a fun time at the pool and at Famous Daves for dinner. Did I mention, we even got in a NAP????

Woo Hoo!

My Dad and stepmom, Sheila, drove in early on Saturday morning to spend the day with us. My sister, Becky, and brother-in-law, Bill, had come in late Thursday night, as well, so it was a family-filled weekend for sure.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we were up and at 'em at the crack of dawn. The whole crew (with the exception of Eric and Sethie who opted to stay in and sleep and then hit the tennis courts) hit the yard sales and then returned just after noon to a wonderful hamburger and fixings lunch prepared by my super sweet hubby. And Seth, too.

Then we all crashed! Yeah, that hardcore yard selling will really take it out of you. It is very rare that our entire house is quiet and still during the day, but I think the impossible goal was accomplished for at least an hour Saturday afternoon. Yay!

We spent the early evening at the pool and then went to dine with a big ole pig at Famous Dave's BBQ. What a treat it was to have Papaw Larry, Mrs. Sheila, Aunt B, and Uncle Bill here with us! Thanks for sharing the weekend with us! We can't wait to do it again!

Yard Sale Math

Allowance day is just a little sweeter when it happens to fall on a yard sale day. That was the case this past Saturday, so Biz started the morning off with two fresh dollar bills. Almost immediately, two more dollars were added to the pile by Papaw Larry, giving our little guy a total of four dollars to spend on the yard sale treasures of his choosing. (Well, of course, they had to first be mommy approved.)

The four dollars quickly started to burn a hole in his little billfold, so at our first stop, he was eager to spend it all. I must admit that it was a pretty fun sale...lots of toys. He settled on a Hot Wheels race track that cost three dollars. Although I suggested that he may want to look around at other sales and hang on to his money in case he found something he would like better before spending all of it, he was not convinced. The voice of reason is not always so well received by a four-year-old...especially when you are in the yard sale arena. So, he walked away with a pretty cool track and a dollar in his pocket.

At the next sale, he also scored pretty big. Just not on his buck. Biz will start soccer in the fall and we hit the soccer jack pot at this sale! I got him soccer cleats, a pair of soccer shorts and shin guards, and two small soccer goals. All for the low price of five dollars! Did I mention that I love to yard sale? As I was making the purchases, Biz somewhat nervously asked if I was going to have to use his dollar for the items. I reassured him that this sale was on me.

On to the next sale...

Along with a bouncy ball given to him by the next seller, I saw Papaw Larry slip him two more dollars. Right into the little billfold the bills went. The next few sales were simply "duds" in Biz's opinion. Translation: They didn't have any toys. Biz loudly announced, as he walked up to the yards that did not contain a brightly colored toy section, that they were "Boring." Luckily, we soon happened upon a sale that not only had toys but some lemonade for sale. We were all pretty thirsty from our excursion, so Biz decided to treat us to some refreshment. He took out four quarters and bought Papaw Larry, Aunt B, Momma, and himself each a cup of lemonade. This brought his money total to two dollars. Of course, it took only seconds for Mrs. Sheila to pull out a dollar to reimburse him for his generosity.

So, Biz was back to having three dollars left to spend. He ended up spending two dollars on a Topple game (one of Aunt B and my favorite childhood games), but had a bit of "buyer's remorse" when he saw the Cranium Junk in the Trunk game that cost two dollars and he realized he was one dollar shy. Great time for a lesson. Or at least an attempt at a lesson. I explained to him that he only had one dollar left so he would have to choose which game he wanted. Well, before he could make that decision, Papaw Larry bought the Cranium game himself and presented it to his grandson. Biz was very appreciative.

Oh well, I guess there are special rules when grandparents are a long for the yard sale adventure. And ONLY when grandparents are along.

So, not counting some clothes I purchased for Biz and the drawing easel that I bought (mainly for Seth, but Biz will also benefit from), he ended up walking a way with TWELVE dollars in merchandise and he still had one dollar left. How did he manage that? Didn't he start the day with two buck??

No wonder Biz loves yard selling so much!

Yep, We are in Training!

Popsicles

Backyard Fun...In Somebody else's Yard

We have not yet been blessed with a yard of our own, but are very thankful to have friends who have been and enjoy sharing their good fortune with us.

The boys had such a good time running through the sprinklers, diving into the kiddie pool, and playing in the sand with their friends, Ainsley and Preston, last weekend. And Eric and I had a blast hanging out with Andy and Shayna, laughing and eating lots of good food.

Seth's trunks would not stay up on his bottom, so they were quickly discarded and Seth sported the European look for the rest of the evening. He didn't seem to mind.

After all of the water fun, it was just TOO HOT to eat outside, so the kid crew went inside to enjoy a little Jungle Book movie with their hamburgers. However, Ainsley was the only kiddo to actually sit through the entire movie. Why was I not surprised?

.

What a fun time! And the boys slept VERY WELL that night!

Maybe we should start helping our friends out with their yardwork....

And All He Wanted Was A Pie

Warning: Gushy Post!!

Today we got to celebrate my most favorite person on earth...the father of my boys!

When I asked Eric what he wanted for Father's Day, he said that he just wanted a pie. Simply a pie and nothing more. And not one baked by his loving wife, either. He is smarter than that. He requested one from Meridee's Breadbasket, home of the best pies in Franklin. Or at least in our opinion. So, Caleb proudly presented Eric with his yummy peach pie today, in celebration of how thankful we are to have him in our lives.

I continue to be amazed at what a loving and energetic daddy Eric is. He is like the energizer bunny when it comes to our boys. He has an unlimited supply of energy in their presence... something that I defintely need to tap into.

To say that Eric is a hands-on daddy is an understatement. From the moment Caleb entered the world, Eric dove right into his job headfirst. And when Seth came along, he simply blew me away with his capacity to love and be commited to his two little guys. I have not once seen Eric tire or become overwhelmed with his daddy role. He is just so grateful for any time he gets to spend with the boys. When he walks in the door after work, he is ready to be tackled and pulled in two different directions. And he loves it! Truly loves it! To him, being with the boys is his relaxation time. His play time.

And what a blessing he is to me. A true partner in parenting. He has never made me feel like tending to the boys' needs was solely my responsibility. When we decided I would stay home with them, it was quickly established that when Eric was not at work, we were a team in raising the boys. And each day, he lives up to that.

Is he perfect? No. Available and dedicated to our boys? Yes.

It is such a joy to watch him love our boys and enjoy them. Thank you, my handsome husband, for being an incredible Daddy to our boys. It is a blessing to watch and I learn so much from your relationship with them. I appreciate you and your deep love for each of them, but most importantly, for your commitment to teaching them about Jesus and showing them who He is.

I love you!

It Doesn't Get Much Better

A good buddy, a juice box, and cake!!!

Life is good.

Just Me and My Boys

Camping with the Workmans

The two bad "after-effects" of a fun week in KY with our family:

1. The horrible homesickness that I went through all of last week after returning to Tennessee.

2. This crazy rash that is on my legs that continues to spread itself about, even one week after returning from the woods.

Neither will prevent us from returning for another 4-5 day trip in July!!


We had such a fun time camping two weeks ago with Memaw and Pepaw. We had hoped to camp from Wednesday to Sunday, but the weather chose not to cooperate on those first days. However, that did not dampen the boys enthusiasm in the least. Caleb and Seth were soooo excited to be sleeping "outdoors." As soon as the camper was set up on Wednesday evening, the boys were all over it. It took all of 5 minutes for the first injury of the trip to occur. In all of new adventure excitement, Sethie planted his little face right down on a metal bar, barely missing his left eye. So, Seth sported a nice little gash for the rest of the trip. It matched the one he had received a couple days earlier just below his right eye. I guess he likes symmetry.





































The weather looked promising Wednesday evening, so the boys decided to spend the night at camp. Memaw and I planned to come back and join them on Thursday afternoon for the rest of the weekend. Ahhh...plans of a whole Thursday all to myself. In someone else's house, so I wouldn't be distracted by my own household chores. A whole day to READ and relax. That was the plan.


Well, as I said, the weather chose not to cooperate. The rain began Wednesday night, and with it came some chilly weather. Caleb was awakened in the night by the sound of rain and although he was not getting wet, he thought he was. Eric awoke to calls of, "Dad. DAD! What is happening to me? Put me back in the camper." When Eric reassured Caleb that he was inside of the camper, Caleb said, "Oh." And went back to sleep. This time cuddled up next to daddy.


In the morning, the rain continued and the boys discovered that if you leave a carton of Capri Sun drinks out over night, you will awaken to them being consumed by a thirsty raccoon. The tracks were there to prove it. Lesson learned.


The boys did try to rough it in the rain on Thursday, but it would not let up. And did I mention, it got downright cold. (Remember, to a southerner, anything below 50 degrees is snow suit weather) I enjoy "roughing it," but I require a certain degree warmth in which to do it. So, at about 10:30 on Thursday morning, the boys rolled back in to Memaw and Pepaw's house, bringing my day of reading and relaxing to an abrupt halt. It was okay, though. At least, I got to sleep in. And Eric and I got an unexpected date night on Thursday night, so all was good.


The rain stopped on Friday and it started to warm up, so the boys and I headed back to camp in the early afternoon, with Memaw and Pepaw to follow in the evening. When we re-arrived at camp, we took the boys to the beach and then let them ride bikes around the campground loop. And in the eveing, one of the best campout traditions was had: S'mores. Over a miniscule fire that just would NOT catch. But luckily there was enough flicker to melt a marshmellow. (Thank goodness Memaw brought chicken so we didn't have to rely on our little spark for cooking) But we tried. And kept trying. Only to determine that ALL of our wood was a little too green to support a blazing fire. Pepaw remedied that the next night and we were able to cook dinner and stay warm by a roaring blaze.

























Saturday and Sunday were spent boating all day. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather. On Saturday, Uncle Greg, Aunt Tammy Sue, Bret, and Jeana joined us for the day. It was a fun day that ended with us being stuck out in the middle of the lake for quite a while. But that story is a whole other post in itself. The boys absolutely LOVED being in the water. The water was a bit too cold for me to spend any time in it, but nearly five-year-old bodies work on an entirely different thermostat and actually do not register water that is too cold to play in. I don't think that there is such a thing. I guess you just don't notice the chill when you are constantly climbing in and out of the boat perfecting cool new jumps into the water. Eric and I remembered being exactly the same way as kids. Once the boat stops, you have to get in the water. That just a rule...when you are a kid.




After watching the others, Caleb was even ready to try water-skiing. We were not surprised. Now we just have to get some skis to fit his little feet and then he will be set. I do not doubt that he will love that, too. He is already a big time tuber!























Sunday was even more gorgeous, which made it even harder for us to leave. But the time did eventually come that we had to hit the trail and head back to Tennessee and reality. We had a great time and left hungering for a little boat of our own....And a camper, too. Neither of which can will acquired this summer.


But there is next summer.