Number 20

"This cannot be the same sweet-faced, nine-year-old boy with glasses that I met almost eight years ago."

That was the thought going through my mind as I watched Bret carry (okay, steam roll is a better description) the football into the end zone to win the game in overtime on Friday night.

I mean, how can so much time pass by so quickly. I remember the first time I met Bret. Eric and I had only been dating for a couple of months when his parents invited me to Thanksgiving dinner at their home. I had already heard so much about his Uncle Greg, Aunt Tammy, and their two kids, Bret and Jeana, who older cousin Eric, absolutely adored. Introductions were only a formality, because I felt like I already knew them at that point. I remember Bret being well-mannered, a bit shy and quiet, but good humored. He has always been so much fun to be around. I guess not a whole lot has changed in that department. In my presence, Bret is still a young man of few words; however, those words are usually quite witty and, oftentimes, downright hilarious. And he is SOOO good with the boys. He gets in the floor and plays with them and really makes them feel included. Physically, he has changed considerably from that little guy I met back in 2000. He has grown into a fine looking young man, with quite a bit of facial hair. We have always loved hanging out with Bret and Jeana, although we don't get the chance as often as we would like. We usually see them 3-4 times a year and have been fortunate enough to share a week with them each summer as our families have vacationed together for the past three years. This being Bret's senior year, we made it our goal to make it to a couple of his football games, before they passed us by.

We knew that Bret was gifted in his ability to play the game. He has had quite an impressive football career at Raceland Worthington High School. In his junior year, he rushed almost 1200 yards. I don't know much about high school football stats, but I hear that is a pretty impressive feat. This season, he was voted one of the four senior team captains by his team. But you would never know by talking to Bret that he had such impressive records under his belt. If it wasn't for his Aunt Patti and Uncle Gary bragging on him so much, we might never have known what a superstar Bret is on the field. He never offers such information. And even when we ask him about his abilities on the field and comment on how great we hear he plays, he humbly accepts the thanks and moves on to conversation that doesn't put him in the spotlight. He isn't a 17-year-old who is defined by the number of touchdowns he scores or yards that he rushes, he simply enjoys playing the game with his talent given and blessed by God.

I must admit that I was a little nervous taking a four-year old and a 17-month old to a high school football game. My recollections were that high school football games were long and drawn out and either unbearably hot or cold. I envisioned Caleb running up and down the bleachers and trying to hang from the goal posts with little brother following behind. Or else there would be endless squirming or whining to go home. Both boys proved mommy wrong and were champs. They really enjoyed the atmosphere and cheering that surrounded them. They sat relatively still with very little whining and cheered loudly for number 20. Bret's smallest fans!

Eric and I had a blast, too. I had forgotten how much fun these games could be. It was a very high energy charged environment and much better than I remembered. Of course, when I was in high school, my school actually had the longest LOSING streak in the state. I don't know if we ever won a game while I was in high school. Plus, I had no idea of how the game was played back then so I spent most of the game confused. Which was an extra disadvantage because I was a cheerleader and had a very obscured view of the playing field. It is much nicer to watch the game from the stands rather than the sidelines, where you can actually see what is going on.

What a game this one proved to be! Little 1A Raceland was noticeably out-sized by their rival, 5A Ashland. It almost looked a little scary to see them matched up on the field. But size didn't prove to be a concern for the Raceland Rams. They scored their first touchdown early on in the game. Of course, we had our eyes glued to number 20, Bret. We witnessed his extreme power during one of his first carries, when he bulldozed right over the Ashland player who was trying to stop him. He literally plowed the guy and his feet went flying into the air. "That's our Bret? Wow!" Raceland continued to hold them off through the first half and in the third quarter, Bret scored the second touchdown of the game for the Rams! Go Bret! Ashland did come back to answer the two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but were unable to do more than that. Therefore, the game went into overtime.

At this point, to our surprise, Seth was still going strong. He was just sitting in my arms watching the action. Biz had conked out by this point in Memaw's arms. He had been cheered out. He and Memaw were counting down the clock together and he drifted off to sleep in mid-count. I think this was somewhere around the beginning of the fourth quarter. So, although Caleb missed the game's dramatic conclusion, Seth was wide awake and taking it all in.

I was quickly schooled on the overtime rules of high school football by Uncle Greg. Each team starts on the 10-yard line and gets a chance to score. After both teams have had possession, the team who has scored,wins. If no one scores or if they both score, then they continue to take turns at the 10-yard line until one team overtakes the other. Raceland won the coin toss and opted to go second, so Ashland had first possession. Raceland held their opponent off for their first three attempts and then in the fourth down, Ashland kicked a field goal. This put them ahead of Raceland by three points, but Raceland still had their possession to complete. In the first down, Raceland gained about 4 yards. In the second down, Raceland actually got a penalty for an illegal shift, which put them back 5 or 10 yards (I can't remember, it was too intense at that point for such details). In the third down, BAM! Number 20 broke through the line and powered his way into the end zone and WON THE GAME!

We are so proud of Bret! Not because of the touchdowns and awesome show he put on for us, (We would have still driven almost six hours to watch him stand on the sidelines, if that was the case.) but because he is our Bretster, a child of God, who we love and enjoy spending time with and, although those teen years can be turbulent, watching him grow into a man of God.

Workman Boys

Uncle Greg and a Mouse called Biz

Isn't Granny the Greatest?!

Off to Granny's house we go!!!

Our vacation officially started at 4:30pm on Thursday afternoon, when the boys and I met daddy at his office and then bravely drove off into the Nashville rush hour traffic en route to Kentucky and Granny's house!! God definitely smiled on us as we breezed up I-65 with only minor delays at the interstate splits. Then it was smooth sailing as we traveled "home" to the Bluegrass state with our eyes set on our destination, "The Cozy Cone" (Eric's affectionate name for mom's quiet, relaxing home).

Granny's house was the first stop on our trip that would include a visit with the Dentons in Ashland and cheering Bret on at his football game on Friday, a weekend at the lake with Memaw and Pepaw,a visit with Papaw Larry on Monday, and then its back to Granny's house for a night before leaving for Pigeon Forge with her, Aunt B, and Uncle Bill on Tuesday for five days in the mountains. It will be a family-filled ten day vacation that we have been looking forward to all summer!

Not only did mom have a wonderful dinner prepared for our arrival, she had an array of fun toys on her front porch just waiting to be pounced on by energetic boys who had been confined to a mini-van for three hours. As soon as we pulled into the drive, Caleb was out the door in a bound with little brother close behind.

In Caleb's opinion, there are few places cooler than Granny's house to visit. The mass number of cow spottings alone that the trip entails is enough to put it high on his list of must-see attractions. Living in the city has given Caleb an appreciation for the wide open spaces we get to observe on the way to, and those that envelop, Granny's house. Of course, the best thing about Granny's house is Granny. She is the best story reader and Caleb proclaimed at dinner, "You are the best cooker, Granny." Since Seth ate most of his dinner, we decided that he definitely seconded the compliment. Plus, Granny has a play kitchen, TWO(count them,TWO) tool benches, a new swing set, and the biggest Lego collection I have ever seen.

Oh, and as if there was anything else that could make
it an even cooler place for her grandsons to be, mom
treats the boys to ice cream with Granny before bed. Mom, you pull out all the stops!

That settles it, we are packing our bags and moving into the Cozy Cone!

Little Mozarts

Festival Fun!!

This past Saturday, we had such a fun time at the Harpeth Community Church festival. The boys had a blast and the weather cooperated nicely for an August day in the mid-south, meaning we did not melt on the pavement.

The highlight of the day for Caleb was playing in all of the bouncy, inflatables. He particularly loved the obstacle course that he ran through like lightening, leaving his ole mom in the dust. He did lose his prized new police badge, that he won in the ring toss, on one run through the course. It did not seem to bother him badly enough to slow him down. He ran through approximately 250 times. He also enjoyed hanging out with Bob and Larry. Unlike little brother, Biz is quite the fan of vegetables and loved following them around, waving at them, and taking their pictures. At one point, he looked at us and said, "Are Bob and Larry deaf?" Eric and I exchanged glances, but then quickly understood what he meant. They were not able to communicate with Caleb beyond their waves and occasional dance steps. Caleb was trying to start up conversations with them, but no words came out of their big, costume mouths. Having been around the deaf community since birth, it was a logical assumption to Biz that they must not be able to hear him or else they would be talking to him.

A giant, dancing cucumber from a four-year-old perspective.

The highlight of Sethie's day came in the form of a yellow balloon. Once he spotted the balloons, he was off and running. How simple it is to make a 17 month old smile. Seth spent the rest of the day captivated by his balloon and in awe of that fact that when you tie the little string around the wrist, it will not fly away.

The Sno-cones were a favorite of the whole Workman bunch. And of course, the little trackless train ride through the parking lot was fun for all. Except daddy, who did not partake.

Fun day!!

Conversations in the Car

Caleb: Why does the devil want us to eat mud?

Believe it or not, this is not the first time I have heard this question from my little guy.

Momma: Well, because he doesn't want good things for us.

C: Jesus does.

M: Yes, Jesus loves us.

C: And He wants us to eat good things, so we will be healthy and strong, because he loves us. That includes veggies and fruits, Seth. I know you are hearing this.

M: Exactly.

C: Yeah.

You are getting it, my sweet boy.


My greatest prayer for my boys is that they will be able to grasp and embrace the love that Christ has for them at an early age. I pray they will truly know, love, and trust our Savior and find their identity solely in being His child. Most of the time (which equates to about 99.9% of the time) I feel so inadequate at teaching my boys this huge truth in terms that they can understand. The unconditional love of Christ, that is not dependent upon my goodness or actions, but on grace and faith, is a concept that I often have a difficult time comprehending myself. I pray that Christ will reveal Himself to my boys and bridge the huge gaps in my teaching so that they will really know the "bigness" of his love and who He is. How appropriate that the first inklings of Caleb's understanding of this concept would be expressed in the terms of eating. As you may recall from an earlier post (A Ball for each Boy), he is the child who, when given the choice of any ball in all of Wal-mart, chose a canteloupe.

See, God meets us where we are at.

Where is your belly, Sethie?

Poor Veggie Friends

Don't take it personally, Larry and Bob. He has the same reaction to ALL vegetables!

Buddies

My very exhausted first born (who was very much in need of a nap) and I had the following conversation yesterday after a fun morning with the Bryants. Might I add, we had just pulled into our driveway after visiting with them when it took place.

Caleb: I want a play date with Joshua.

Momma: Caleb, you just spent 3 1/2 hours with Joshua.

Caleb (spoken quite dramatically): It is NEVER enough time!

Ah, buddy, I agree with you there. How blessed we are to have such wonderful friends in our lives.

A Little Morning Groove

Chicken Dance Elmo has fresh batteries, so Look out!!

Seth mostly hugged, kissed, and laughed at Elmo,

but he did manage to show off a few dance moves for mommy.

Meem & Peep come to Town

Everything in the house has been fixed, re-fixed, and then fixed again thanks to the new tool set that Memaw and Pepaw brought for Caleb last weekend. And they are not just any tools. Biz proudly states they are his new "Black and Decker" tools. Since receiving the gift, it is rare to see him without a tool in hand. He will pass by me and I will say, "Caleb, where are you going?" Obviously on a mission, he will respond, "I am going to get the job done." For the weekend, Memaw was his assistant. From what I could determine, she was in charge of holding the level. He had her all over the house and even outside making the needed improvements and "getting the job done." Pepaw got in on the act, too, but I think Caleb determined that Memaw had the superior skill in the level holding department.

We had such a fun and relaxing visit with Meem and Peep last weekend. Friday afternoon I was upstairs on this blog, Seth was napping, and Caleb was on the couch watching Curious George downstairs. All of a sudden I heard little feet hit the ground and then, "boom boom boom" fast as lightening, move across the floor. In an instant, the door was flung open and Memaw and Pepaw were greeted by their Biz pulling them in, ready to play. For Caleb, the weekend could now begin.

Here is a recap of our weekend:

Friday night, it was no surprise that we continued our unspoken "first meal out when Meem and Peep get to town" tradition of eating at Moe's Southwest Grill. Nothing says Meem and Peep have arrived like a little queso dip and stuffed burritos. Uncle Drew joined us for the dinner and hung around with us afterward when we did some shopping at Lifeway bookstore. After we tucked in the little boys, we watched the Olympics and Michael Phelps win another gold, ate ice cream, and Pepaw and I got our you-know-whats beaten by Eric and Memaw in what turned out to be a rip-roaring game of Catch phrase. I had the giggles throughout the entire game, as the Workmans poked fun and took jabs at each other, which hindered my ability to think correctly (as if I needed any help). Or else we could have possibly won at least one game. Sorry Pepaw.

On Saturday morning, the boys actually slept past 7am!! Hooray!! It was raining, so we had to cancel Memaw's yard sale excursion. Sorry Meem. But we made up for it in the form of doughnuts. Eric and Caleb invited us along for their weekly Saturday morning breakfast ritual. It was a lot of fun and the chairs were unexpectedly cushy at the Dunkin' Donuts on Carothers, which was nice. For the rest of the day, we just hung out and took it easy. Caleb continued to fix everything and Sethie was happy to have some new hands to throw balls into and he loved getting to hang out with Uncie Dew. He could be Drew's biggest fan! Memaw and I had a nice walk together at the park (no boys allowed), while Eric and Drew got in some afternoon tennis before Eric had to go into work for a few hours. Then Memaw, Pepaw, and Uncle Drew went out golfing. Caleb was a little distraught when he realized that his grandparents were actually going somewhere without him and sat down in the floor in protest and said, rather sadly, "Now who is going to take care of me?" Interestingly enough, he looked right at me when he said it, with a look that seemed to question whether my previous four years of experience really qualified me for the job that day. He reluctantly settled for my care and we went to the park and took in some sand for the rest of the afternoon. Caleb wanted to take his tools to fix things at the park, but he agreed to just taking his dump trucks and shovels. After dinner and playing, the little boys went to sleep, and Memaw and Tante went out for some coffee and to catch up. Pepaw and I rested on the couches watching Dara Torres capture the silver and Michael Phelps break the Olympic record, earning his 8th gold medal, thanks in part to his relay team. It was pretty awesome. I don't remember much after that, because once Eric got home around 10pm and rested beside me on the couch, I conked out.

After church and lunch on Sunday, it was time to say our good-byes. This is always the hardest part. But never fear, Memaw and Pepaw, we will be home in less than two weeks and Caleb will be sure to bring his tools to "get the job done" at your house. Brush up on your leveling skills, Memaw, I am sure you will be the assistant of choice.

See, we did successfully get some happy face shots before the meltdown took place. (Refer back to the previous post, No More Pictures...PLEASE! for meltdown recount.)