THE DARE DOUBLE TRACK 1!!!!! (written and typed by Caleb)

VROOM!VROOM!  This will blow your MIND!!!!  I, Caleb Workman, have built a pure fun track. With a lava plume,twamp and a car stopper!  It is so fun.Don't beleave me ? Try it for yourself.

                                                   THE DARE DOUBLE TRACK 2!!!!

You might have seen my other invinchen THE DARE DOUBLE TRACK1 but i have made a new one! It dosen't have obcicles but still fun.

                        

Thirteen Thanksgivings

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

 

No, we are not in Asheville, but today one of the things I am most thankful for is that in July, we celebrated ten years of our marriage covenant and took an anniversary trip in August to Asheville, North Carolina and the Biltmore Estate.  We had such a great trip, and today I am just so thankful to be celebrating my thirteenth Thanksgiving with my best friend. 

Yeah, he is pretty awesome!  He has been such a support and encouragement to me, in ways that I never imagined.  He continues to be my heart's greatest earthly desire.   He is funny, patient, kind, wise, hard working and being around him makes me want to be a better person.  He encourages me to grow deeper in my relationship with Christ, and I am so honored to be his wife.  I am humbled that God would choose to bless me beyond measure with Eric.

So, spending my thirteenth Thanksgiving with him is such a sweet blessing.  We have grown so much together and learned so much in our journey since that very first Thanksgiving together back in 2000.  I even remember what I was wearing when Eric picked me up at Becky's house in Berea, in his green camaro, to take me to my first official holiday gathering with the Workman/Denton family.  (It was a yellow sweater and black skirt, if anyone is wondering.)  I remember being a little nervous, but so super excited that Eric was including me in his family gathering.  We had been dating for a little over two months, and I was already head over heels for him at this point.  Being included in the holiday festivities sort of solidified that our relationship was, indeed, a relationship. 

I had such a good time with his family that day.  I had already somewhat gotten to know his Mom, Dad, and brother on previous occasions, but this was my first opportunity to meet and spend time with his wonderful Uncle Greg, his spiritual mentor, whom Eric was always speaking so highly about, and his sweet family. Yeah, they were as great as Eric had said they were.  You really can't help but love all of Eric's family and feel instantly at home with them.

After dinner, I remember we spent much of our time playing with Bret and Jeana (who were pretty close to the ages that Caleb and Seth are now...crazy) in the basement.   We were wrestling with them and flipping them all around the place.  I quickly realized that a skirt was not the best choice for these gatherings.  But it was a lot of fun. 

I am thankful that from that point on, I became fixture at all of Eric's family gatherings, which have now become our family gatherings.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I am so very thankful this Thanksgiving! Thankful for this trip to Asheville and what it represents.  I am thankful for that first Thanksgiving we spent together with Eric's family, for celebrating the holiday together today with our little family, and for all of the other adventures we have had in between.  

 

Here's to many, many more Thanksgivings together.

 

I love you, honey!

Birthday Surprise

I think I am always behind on Eric's birthday post, and this year is no exception.

This year we had an extra special time celebrating Dada's birthday.  The surprise we had up our sleeves was actually not for Dada, but FROM Dada (and Momma) to the boys.

 

Eric gave the boys a gift for them to open.

Hmm...what could it be?

 

 

After opening the special package, it only took a couple of seconds for them to realize they were going to Disney!  Woo Hoo!!!

 

Of course, Dada didn't mind sharing the spotlight on his special day (or any day, really). 

 

Surprisingly, we were able to keep the trip a surprise for nearly seven months!!! That is a record for Momma, who is notorious for blowing surprises.  But we pulled it off!   Yay!  We decided that Eric's birthday, two weeks before our trip, was the perfect time to share our news.

 

And it was very well received.

 

Okay, back up to the birthday morning...

 

Eric was awakened by two excited boys ready to shower him with gifts.

 

 

Actually, Disney was not the only surprise of the evening, after all. The boys and I DID have a little surprise up our sleeve for Dada...

 

 

A Meridees Cherry pie.  YUM!

 

 

Happy Birthday (back in October) Dada!  We love you!

 

Highlights from the Cub Scout Campout

One of the things we like most about Cub Scouts is the emphasis they place on family involvement in Scouting activities.  The fact that siblings are highly encouraged to participate is wonderful, especially for our little Cub Scout wannabe. 

The first weekend in October was Caleb's first Cub Scout campout, which provided a great Guy's get away for the Workman men.  Even with the torrential downpour, high winds, and bitter chill during the night, the guys had a great camp out.  They all started out in their own sleeping bags, but ended up in Dadas, with Caleb somehow ending up at the bottom of the bag near Eric's knees.   At least everyone stayed warm.  It definitely made me glad I stayed home in my cozy bed.

Saturday proved to be much kinder--weather wise.  And the sun came out and the activities were able to go as scheduled.

 

 

 

 

 

The guys enjoyed the archery and shooting.

 

 

 

They had so much fun on the pirate ship and castle.

 

Playing on the army vehicle was another big hit.

 

 

Caleb was especially pumped that his buddy's scout pack was at the same campout.

Armed and Not So Dangerous

Yes, your eyes are NOT deceiving you.

 

We not only allowed Caleb to purchase his first firearm (well, if a BB gun can be considered a firearm), but we allowed him to display it on his bedroom wall.  A bit over the top?  Ha! I laugh, because here is a picture from a blog post four years ago, when Caleb decorated his bedroom wall. 

So, it was no surprise that Caleb would rig up some sort of "fancy" wall display for the real (sort of) thing.

Okay, maybe a gun on the wall is a bit tacky (Did I hear redneck?), but it is all good.  To Caleb and Seth, it looks pretty cool, and it is their room, after all.  At least it is out of reach of curious hands and stored safely away from the ammunition. 

 

After Caleb's birthday campout, he approached us with the idea of buying his very own BB gun, since he was now eight-years-old.  Tante and Uncle Tim had taught him all about BB gun safety and he had exhibited extreme care in shooting at the campout. They had even offered up their yard for a shooting range.  Plus, Elliott had his own gun (and he is a whole six months younger).  He put up a pretty good argument, I must say.  But even without him pleading his case, we knew that he was a responsible kiddo and ready for the responsibility of having his own gun (well at least one of the BB variety).

 

The next thing I knew, while Eric and the boys were out running errands, I received a text from Eric that simply stated, "BB gun?"    

 

Of course, they returned home with Caleb proudly sporting his new gun.  The only stipulation was that he had to pay for it with his own money, which he gladly did.

 

Thoughts of "You'll shoot your eye out" rang through my brain, but only for a second. 

 

 

 

The following weekend, we headed over to Tante and Uncle Tim's for some target practice.  The boys were so excited. 

Even the biggest boy.  All of the guys were really good shots.






Ole Mom even got in on the action.  It was actually a lot of fun, even though I was a horrible shot.  Horrible.  I am not sure if I ever hit the target, but I did put holes in a lot of leaves.

All of the practice paid off for Caleb, because at the Cub Scout campout a couple of weeks later, he shot a bullseye!!

Which resulted in this...

Getting to throw a pie in the face of Scoutmaster Dean at the last pack meeting. 

Caleb was a pretty good shot with the pie, too.

Yeah...

...this is how Biz rolls at bedtime.

Biz's Latest Creation and First Blog Post of His Own

 

I love my new creation!I did it all by myself, I hope you like it because I like it too. BIZ .P.S.love you!

Nothing but Thankful

 

I am so thankful to be their Momma!

 

Looking at this picture progression makes me realize that my babies are no longer babies anymore.

 

They are still just as precious as ever, though.

 

Love, love, love these dudes!!!

End of Soccer Season

The boys' last soccer games were the first week of November and, lo and behold, we made it through another fall soccer season without one rain out or make up game!  Woo Hoo!  That is a victory in and of itself.  The boys' wrapped up the season with a couple of great games and some pretty cool fans who came to cheer them on.

Not only did Memaw and Pepaw come out, but Martha, John, and William Cox were also there.

The boys had a lot of catching up to do, since now that they are at different schools, they don't get to see each other nearly as often as they would like.  It didn't take them long to pick up where they had left off.

It was a fun season, that ended with trophies and chocolate cupcakes for Biz's team and a pizza party for Seth's team!

 

 

Somehow, I think we made it through the season without Biz's team ever having an name.  Oh well. 

Great season Red team and Wildcats!