Introducing Three-Speed

A couple of years ago, Papaw Larry got the boys an electric train for Christmas.  It was a big hit!  However, that was during Seth's "destructive phase," so the train mostly stayed in its box for safe keeping, only coming out on occasions when it could be closely supervised.  Now the boys are more responsible with the train, but since it takes up a lot of room, we only set it up occasionally.

This year, we found the perfect spot for the train.

Eric and Caleb set the tracks up around the tree and immediately, the boys got busy putting the little train to work.  Caleb affectionately named the train, "Three-Speed," since three seems to be the best operating setting out of the four on the control dial.  Makes sense. 

The boys nearly wore Three-Speed out in its first couple of days of service.   Now it kind of works on a hit or miss basis.  But it sure has made for a more lively Christmas tree area.

Endless Fun

Two timeless classics...

...making the day a lot more fun!

Thanksgiving Pow-Wow

Caleb's class put on quite a performance at their Thanksgiving Pow-wow.  They did such a good job remembering all of their songs and actions, many of which Eric and I could recite and perform, too, after weeks of Caleb practicing at home.  The kiddos picked out his/her own Indian name and even made their own "authentic" pillowcase costumes at school.  Fancy.  Caleb's Indian name was "Wise Owl."

To conclude the Pow-wow, the kindergarteners performed a short play.  Caleb took his role very seriously as the Pilgrim minister.  He really got into it and pulled it off both flawlessly and enthusiastically.  Very enthusiastically. The Pilgrim men and women, Indian men and women, and turkeys all did a great job, too.

"Praise the Lord!"
(Caleb's line)

It was a really cute program and the students and teachers really outdid themselves.

Let's Go for a Hike

It has been an unseasonably warm fall this year. Just the way we like it. All of that changed this morning, but we took advantage of the seventy degree temperatures for as long as we could. A few weeks ago, Caleb was out of school, so Eric took the day off and we headed for the trail for a late October hike. Then last Saturday it was absolutely gorgeous, so we went out for another little afternoon adventure.

And now we have two big boys who like to lead.

 

Well, Here We Are

Courtesy of Dada and Biz

It looks just like us!

Freak Accident #2

Believe it or not, last week for the FIRST time in six years of parenting, we rushed to the emergency room for an injury.  Not that I think visiting the ER is the norm for most people, but if you know my children and know how physical, active, adventurous, and fearless they are, it is a little shocking that we have not been regulars at the place.  And even harder to believe, this first trip was not for Caleb, our first born who has always trudged through life head first. No, it was for our sweet second born, Seth, who usually procedes a bit more cautiously through the day to day. 

Yes, there have been a lot of blood and band-aids around our house over the past few weeks. First, Caleb's mystery night time gash and then last Monday, while playing football (yes, football) in the playroom, Seth tripped and hit the futon arm in just the right spot, splitting open his little cheek. Yes, that sweet, impossible not to kiss, little cheek.  Poor buddy!

You know, after you have had a few years of parenting under your belt and learn your children, you know when a cry can be ignored, because it is simply a whine.  If you react to every single wimper or pout that your child lets out each day, you will go completely insane.  Or at least that is my theory.  However, you always know the cry that your little one lets out that is an immediate call to action.  No sitting around, no "wait just a minute."  No, when you hear the "for real" cry, your parental instincts propel you from your position and you make it to your child at warp speed, not even knowing how you got there so quickly.  This was the cry that Seth let out.  And within two seconds, both Eric and I and Aunt B and Uncle Bill (I guess aunt and uncle instincts work similarly) were at his side.  Actually I was the last one to get to him, but that was only because I was upstairs and had a farther distance to travel. So, maybe it took me more like four seconds. Either way, by the time I made it to my hysterical son, Eric was holding a wash cloth on his face and saying, "It doesn't look good."  And it didn't.  Not one bit.

Let me stop here and tell you a little bit about providence and about a God who is totally in control.  Oh, what a sovereign God we serve. And oh, how thankful I am that He has always got us covered!  For the past four years, Eric has worked nearly every Monday night at Sorenson.  The only time he is not at work on Monday is when we are out of town.  Well, it just so happened that on this particular Monday night he was not working.  Also, Aunt B and Uncle Bill just happened to be visiting us on this particular Monday night.  Out of all of the Monday nights in the world, it was this Monday night.  So, on a night when it is usually just me home with the boys by myself, I was surrounded by lots of help and support.

There are no coincidences.  I am thankful to serve a God who always provides for our needs and knows exactly when and what we will need to get through a situation.  Or freak accident.

Aunt B and Uncle Bill stayed with Caleb, while Eric and I took off with Seth.  We opted to take Seth to the Vanderbilt Walk-in clinic instead of the actual emergency room.  We were hoping for a quicker wait time and faster service and that is just what we got.  We were in and out in an hour.  We had a great nurse named Patti, just like Memaw, and opted for the glue and steristrips, instead of stitches and sedation, which probably would have resulted in a trip to the actual ER. Seth was such a trooper!  He did so well until the very end when I think he was hungry (this all occured while we were cooking dinner) and just ready to go. 

After dinner and brave big boy popsicle, he was just fine!

Yes, although Workman boys have really hard heads, they are not completely invinsible.  Seth is healing well and loves that he gets to wear a bandaid on his face most days. 

Hopefully, we are finished with these crazy freak accidents for a while.

Raking the Leaves with Granny

 

Who knew work could be this much fun?

All Hope is Not Lost

Okay, I admit, I was slightly discouraged when I saw BOTH boys contributions to their class's "Thankfulness art" that hung outside of their respective classrooms.  Amid all of the sweet, "I am thankful for my family", "...my friends", "...my pets,"  there was Seth's little indian feather that said, "I am thankful for the playground."  Same was true for Caleb.  Almost every one of his classmates had drawn pictures of their family or friends and written under them, "I am thankful for" that.  Not Caleb.  He had drawn a picture and captioned it, "I am thankful for my Wii."

Laughingly, I told Eric, "Where have we gone wrong?"

I did ask Caleb later on in the evening about his picture.  I said, "I am really happy you are grateful for your Wii, but what about your family and friends?"  Caleb stopped what he was doing, looked at me sweetly and gently said, "Mom, it doesn't always have to be about you."  I wonder where he has heard that before?  Ever have your own words come back to bite you?  I couldn't help but laugh.  He is right, after all.

I was, however, very encouraged when Caleb was asked to draw a picture of "his hero" for his school's book fair.  Without even a thought, he sat down and drew this picture:

(Daddy was a close second. And surprisingly, no Star Wars characters were even in the running.)

Also, he told me that the line he drew around Him is suppose to show how Jesus glows.

Tiny Pilgrims?

Caleb:  Guess what, Mom? 

Mom:  What?

Caleb:  I am going to be the Pilgrim miniature in our Thanksgiving play at school.

Mom:  The Pilgrim miniature?

Caleb:  You know, Mom.  He is the person who prays over everything.  I get to say, "Praise the Lord!"

Mom: Oh!  The Pilgrim minister.

Caleb:  Yes, Mom.  That is what I said.

Spaghetti Art

So, this is how Daddy does homework with the boys on Guys' Night.