A Great Day to Cave

While going through some pictures tonight, I realized that I had totally forgotten to post pictures from one of the boys' favorite days of this year.  I knew I had to immediately remedy this.

In mid-September, the Workman men, along with the Keepman men, set out for a day of cave adventuring at Mammoth Cave National Park.  It was a day that proved to bring about a lot of cool experiences and much male bonding.  Grrr... 

And who better to share it with than a couple of the guys' favorite friends:  Josh and Wilson Keepman.

The guys headed out early for a day of fun.  Once at the park, they all played around in the gift shop and outside of the caves for a bit and then went for a two hour tour.  All three boys were totally into it (as were the big boys) and stayed engaged the entire time. And we are talking about three highly energetic boys who do not normally thrive in confined places.  But thrive they did and Eric and Josh could not have asked for a better crew to take spelunking.

They descended down MANY steps into the depths of the cave, squeezed through Fat Man's Misery (much easier for the little guys), squatted down for Tall Man's Agony (another easier task for the shorter people), and walked over the bottomless pit.

Both of our boys were captivated by the bats. Prior to the trip, the boys talked about how they could not wait to lay their eyes on a real bat.  They got their chance at the end of the tour, when they happened upon two bats hanging upside down sleeping.   Eric tried to take a picture of them (Caleb explained that Dada had to turn the flash off, so it wouldn't wake them and make them mad), but it didn't turn out.  Oh well. It was still a major highlight of the cave trip for the boys.  (Well, that and getting to hang out with Wilson for the day.)   

Eric also let the boys each chose a sovenir from the caves.  Seth chose a stuffed bat that became one of a number of stuffed animals to take up residence in his bed and Caleb chose a Swiss Army knife-like item, that's main feature is the spoon and fork. Caleb proudly whipped it out for dinner each night for a week or so after the trip.

After the morning of caving, the guys set out for lunch in Bowling Green and an afternoon at the Historic Railpark and Train Museum.  The boys enjoyed touring some real trains.  They got to explore a number of different train cars, including a mail car, a dining car, a sleeper car, a first class car, and a Presidential car.  The boys' goal each time they entered a train car was to find the potty.  Of course.  Our boys are ALL boy.  They had a ton of fun exploring and potty-hunting.

What a great day!!!

Breaking Beans with Momma

It is always nice to have good help in the kitchen!

Festive Little Moon Pies

Eric is the creative one in the kitchen, not me.  Give me a recipe and I can cook, but baking fun, little festive treats is not my gifting.  Or my desire. Eric whipped these little babies up for the annual Bridges' United Way Compaign and Halloween Bake off.  Usually, he puts together something gory, but this time, he went for adorable.  Proving that you really can dress up a Moon Pie.  They are actually pretty versatile according to some Moon Pie recipe website (yes, such sites do exist).

However, is it a valid entry if no baking actually took place?

Since he didn't win this time (or any time, that I can recall), I guess it doesn't really matter.  No titles will have to be forfeited.



Moore Miles

Caleb's school's big fundraiser was a couple of weeks ago.  Moore Miles is an event where the kiddos set a goal for how many laps they hope to run around the school track in thirty minutes.  Then they ask people to sponsor them as an encouragement for them to achieve their goal and to earn money for their school.  It is quite an event!  There was a pep rally leading up to it and the kiddos put on a little skit just prior to their run.  Each grade ran at separate times, so it was not mass chaos.  It was highly organized and a lot of fun!!  There was also a bake sale and silent auction that took place with all proceeds going to a great cause...Caleb's school.

Caleb was so excited about Moore Miles! He has been a part of the running club this year, so he was "in training" for about a month prior to the run.  The club meets at the school track twice a week.  The kids run for thirty minutes and then their laps are charted. He had been working on learning to pace himself so that he could increase his overall speed.  He usually runs 6-7 laps at run club, so he wanted to push himself to run eight laps for Moore's Miles.

On the morning of the run, when I dropped him off, he told me he was really excited but a little nervous.  I told him that as long as he did his best, we would be very proud of him.  First grade did not run until 2:00, so he had the entire day to let the butterflies do their thing and for him to get really pumped up.  When we arrived at the school, he was more than ready to go!  His class did their "Cool Cat" skit and then it was off to the track.  Parents and siblings were invited to run with the kiddos, so Dada, who is usually always up for run, was more that happy to run with alongside his buddy. 

Seth and I were the water patrol.  We stood back and passed out water to the class as they made their way around the track.  It was hot that afternoon, so Seth and I were very busy.

Once the classes were given the signal to start, away they went!  Caleb was so determined to run his eight laps.  So determined that finally after lap four, I had to MAKE him stop and drink some water.  (Yeah, I had that power...I was the water girl AND the momma.)  He kept such a good pace and even Dada was given a run for his money.  Throughout the run, when it got tough, they quoted scripture together, and then kept right on going.  It was so sweet to watch all of the kiddos really giving it their all.

At the end of the thirty minutes, Caleb had not only met his eight lap goal, he had surpassed it.  Caleb ran twelve laps in thirty minutes.  That is a total of three miles without stopping (except for a second or two water break).   We were so proud of him!  He was determined, followed through, and leaned on the Lord during the rough spots.  It was a great run!

And of course, the post run popsicles really hit the spot!

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:13

Deep Discussions in the Car, with My Four-Year-Old

Seth:  "Momma, how do babies get into their mommies bellies."

Oh boy!

We had just pulled out of our driveway enroute to the grocery store and I was certainly not prepared to be hit head on with a question such as this.

However, in typical Seth fashion, as of late, he already had an answer concocted in that sweet little brain of his.  Asking the question was merely a formality.

Before I could dig through my brain for the suitable kid-friendly quick version of this query, Seth cut me off (whew!) to say:

"I know, I know, I know.  The Mommy goes to the hospital and gets a baby from the baby store and the doctor cuts her belly open and puts the baby in."

Hmmm...interesting.

And gruesome.

And why the need for the middle man, if there is actually a baby store?

At this point, I thought I needed to become an active participant in this conversation.  At least to fill in some of the holes in this four-year-old logic.

Momma: "Seth, there is no baby store.  Babies come from God.  Why would a doctor cut your belly open to put a baby in?"

Seth:  "Well, you know when you swallow a Lego and have to go to the hospital to have your belly cut open to get it out.  That is what the doctor does to get the baby in.  Then when the baby is ready, you go and he takes it out. "

Let me stop right here to tell you that, yes, we have used this scenario on many occasions to divert our children away from putting Legos in their mouth.  Those sharp, pointy, and more jagged than a broken bottle Lego pieces... I can only imagine what they could do to an esophagus or stomach, based on sheer agony of the foot torture experienced when one is stepped on.  Any time we have witnessed a Lego going anywhere near our boys mouths, we have painted this hospital scene for them to store in their heads.

Gruesome. Yes.

Effective.  Definitely.

Connected to babies.  Never dreamed he would do that.

Anyway, back to the conversation at hand. 

Momma:  "Seth, God gives us babies, and mommies and daddies don't always have to go to the hospital to get one.  You and Biz were born right in Momma and Dada's bed."

Seth:  "Okay then. How did YOU get me out of your belly?"

Uh...maybe I should have stopped with the Lego analogy.  It is not that I don't invite the hard questions from my boys.  I would much rather they ask Eric or I than anyone else.  It is just that sometimes with the anatomy related questions, I have a problem switching from doctor/anatomy teacher mode on the fly.  I need a little time to prepare my brain so I can use age appropriate, kid-friendly terms and keep it simple enough to not lead to a whole other arena of questions that might leave them even more confused or with too much information under their belt for their delicate little ages.  Plus, this is a topic that Caleb was never too interested in, so I don't really have my "this is what I said to my first born and he turned out okay and untraumatized" pool of experience to draw from.

But that day is a-coming, so I need to get prepared.  As for yesterday, I was thankful that we pulled up to the grocery right at that moment and Seth's attention was immediately captured by something else and our little "where do babies come from" conversation was put on hold.

For now.

For a few years, hopefully.

And next time, hopefully, it will be Dada in the driver's seat.

A Well Spent Dollar

I often forget what it is like to be four and half years old. 

I am really glad that I have someone around to remind me.

We rarely venture over to K-mart, but when we do Seth always eyes the mechanical helicopter and asks if he can take a ride.

I always say, "No, buddy," and we walk right past it and into the store.

For one thing, I rarely have change.  And for another, I am just too frugal to spend 50 cents on a 30 second ride.  (Big shock, I know.)

But last Friday, a couple of things occured to me when we pulled up to K-mart: 

That old blue helicopter is a really big deal to Seth. 

It won't always be.

So, before he could even ask, I told him, "Guess what you are going to do at K-mart today?  You are going to ride that helicopter!" 

The joy!

He was so excited! 

I was pretty certain I had 50 cents in my purse, so off we went.  He hopped aboard, as I dug through my purse. 

No change.   At all.

Oh no! 

Seth was already in position and ready to go.  I knew I had a quarter (my Aldi quarter) in the van, but that was it.  I kept digging, just willing some change to appear.

I looked in one last pocket, knowing it was a lost cause, when as the good Lord would have it, there was a dollar bill folded awkwardly in between my library card and debit card.  Let me just say, it is even more rare for me to have a dollar than change. Ahh...thank you, Lord, for caring about even the seemingly insignificant things our lives.

Seth did have to leave his spot briefly for us to get change, but it didn't lessen his excitement.  When we returned, he had a great ride! 

All thirty seconds of it. 

Then we did it again.

We went spent that whole dollar on the helicopter.

It was well worth it!

A Few Good Reasons to Celebrate a Fabulous Mom!

There is nothing like being gone for a weekend and returning to a spotless house, laundry done, children thoroughly entertained, and dinner prepared in the crockpot, so that you don't have to cook later that evening.

Yep, Granny was here for the weekend!  How did you guess?

My mom is wonderful!  She always leaves my home ten times cleaner than she finds it and fully stocked with snacks for the boys and paper products when she leaves.  It is amazing!  She is amazing!  The boys know it, too.  They will tell you, "Granny is the most generous person I know."  We were putting some goodies away today that Granny brought and Seth looked up at me and said, "Granny is so unselfish." 

We love my mom. And the boys love their Granny.  She is always engaging with them in some sort of activity, book, game, or movie.  We came home from our trip to an empty house and a note that read, "Boys and I have gone to play basketball."  Yep, Granny and her boys were over in the gym across the street shooting some hoops.  Something I never even think to do with them.  I love her for that.  And they do, too.

Eric and I are very proud of Mom.  She has definitely taught me that if you set your mind to something then you can achieve it.  Mom has always gone after things all or nothing.   A year or so ago, she finally got tired of having leg pain and set out to do something about it.  She would not settle for the doctor's diagnosis of Restless Leg Syndrome and the regimine of prescriptions that would surely accompany it.  She set out to determine the root cause of her pain and discovered a whole new lifestyle.  She began significantly cutting down her salt intake, which led to an overall healthier eating style.  She began receiving more regular chiropractic care (Yay chiropractic!).  Then she got moving!  She began working out at the gym and now keeps a pedometer on her daily to count her steps.  She has a goal for herself and almost always achieves it, especially when there is a UK game on and she is walking a hole in the floor.  I love it when we ask to do something for her and she says, "No, I will do it.  I need the steps."

I am so impressed with how she has stuck to her guns and taken off over fifty pounds!  I am not even sure what the total count is, but I know it is at least that much.  And she has shed the weight not for the reason many people strive for...the sake of looking good.  But she has done it so she could actually FEEL good and have energy to  live life.   She will tell you it has not been easy.  Changing from viewing eating as an extra curricular activity or means of comfort never is.  (She has even been known to eat peanut butter, raisin and SPINACH sandwiches.)  But it has been worth it and she has no plans to ever go back!  It has taken a steel will and ton of prayer, but she continues to keep on keeping on.  I am so proud of her and inspired by her!

We were so blessed to get to celebrate Mom's birthday with her this year.  We are usually apart for the occasion, but this year, she made it down so we could celebrate with her and Culver's birthday cake.  (Even the best eaters have to have a little frozen custard cake for a special occasion.)

We also took Mom to the Opry while Aunt B hung out with the boys. (Thanks Aunt B!) And who else better to be headlining that night but a family fave, Dolly Parton?!   We had a GREAT time!

I won't tell you how old she is, because you wouldn't believe me.  But I will tell you that the changes she has made over the last year or so have given her back at least 10-12 of her life....and it shows.

We love you, Granny!!

(aka Mom)

(aka Hot stuff)