Silly Guys

Biz's First Soccer Practice

Tonight was Biz's first venture into the arena of organized sports with his first soccer practice. Finally, a sport that can keep up with a very active boy and one that demands that you DO NOT sit still for at least a half an hour or so.

The practice went really well! His coach did a GREAT job with eight energy-filled little guys and was very creative in teaching them. Since Biz hadn't really spoken much about playing soccer since we signed him up in the spring, I was beginning to have visions of him being on the field for about 15 minutes and then totally losing interest in the whole thing. Or of him getting a bit miffed and decking some poor little guy from not understanding that it was actually his soccer opponent's job to steal away the ball that he was so eagerly kicking. No running off the field from being bored. No angry looks or flying fists at the soccer buddy who kicked away his ball. No, none of that. Just a big bright smile on his face throughout the ENTIRE practice. His coach kept them on the move for over an hour, playing different games to make learning the basics of soccer pretty fun.

Not until we got in the van on the way to practice did he begin really expressing any excitement about playing. And boy, did he ever starting talking about it...non-stop. "Will it just be our team there today?" "What will our team name be?" "Why do we wear shin guards?" "Are they what you use when you break your leg?" (Let's hope not.) "Will I get to wear my shin guards at every practice" (He really became obsessed with those shin guards.) "Why do we practice and not just play?" "Will I get to hit the ball with my head?" "I can do that, you know."

However, I am not sure who was excited more about his practice...Biz or Sethie? Seth was thoroughly convinced that this soccer practice was for him, too. When Biz was putting on his cleats, little brother wanted to know where his pair was. He had to take his soccer ball along, as well. "I play soccer, too." He was a bit a disappointed that he wasn't going to get to run around on the field with the 'big boys." He did slip away a couple of times and make an appearance on the field. Luckily, he didn't get run over. He has pretty good reflexes for a little guy. He has had to in order to survive in this house!

The "action shots" I took were a little far away, because I was trying not to be that mom. I was the ONLY parent who brought my camera along to the first practice. I tried to discreetly take my little pictures from my blanket on the sidelines, but finally had to get up and move closer to snap a few shots. I did so quickly. I did refrain from bringing the video camera, though. However, I will not show the same restraint when his first game rolls around.

And of course after every good practice, one must have a good after-practice ride on the swings!


So, does this officially make me a soccer mom now? I do have the mini-van...the ultimate soccer mom accessory.

(And yes, the pancake tradition will go on, even with Monday night practices. I just made up the batter before practice and then we came home and chowed down.)

Biz wanted to show off his snazzy soccer cleats and of course, Seth had to show off his shoes, too.

Icky Love

Caleb: "Ew, Mom! Look at this! Yuck!"

My first reaction is not to look. We are about two hours into our drive home from the beach with no major catastrophes to report, beyond the mound of Cheese Nips crumbs around Caleb's booster seat. There were no other snacks in sight, so what kind of mess could he have made with his limited ammunition?


I turn around to see him only holding up a little book. Whew! And no mess.

Momma: "What is yuck about that?"

Caleb leans over as far as he can to point out the picture of Mickey Mouse giving Minnie Mouse flowers and says: "That is what is Yuck!"

Momma: "Well, I don't think that is very yucky. I think it is kind to show people that we love them."

Caleb: "Ew! Uh-uh. It's gross. I don't mean the Mommy kind of love or the Jesus kind of love, but the kind that makes you want to give a girl flowers. Blah!"

Momma: "I love it when you and Daddy give me flowers."

Caleb: "Yeah, but your a Mom so it is different. This (drawing an "x" with his fingers over the picture) is gross."

Oh, buddy, you just keep that in your little head for the next, say, 15 -20 years or so.

But keep those flowers coming to Mommy!!

Monday Night Tradition

If you ask my boys what Monday night means in our home, you will get the following response:

"Pancake Night!!"

The boys and I started a little tradition about six months ago, and of course, that tradition would involve food! Monday is Eric's looooong day at work. He does not get home until 10:30pm, way after the little guys have been tucked into bed. It used to be a day that I really dreaded. But the boys and I have learned to make the most of our "Day without Daddy" Mondays.

And what better way to do that than with one of our most favorite comfort foods, sweet potato pancakes!!

It is definitely a family affair. One that takes about three times longer than if Mommy did it on her own. But what would be the fun in that? Each Workman has his/her own special pancake job, which involves his/her very own spatula. Biz makes sure to pass them out as Mommy fires up the griddle. Of course, we get the same spatula each week. Our rigid little first born would have it no other way.

First step: All good cookers must have clean hands. Mommy's rule and one that I think a very good one.

Second step: After all hands are clean, both boys hop (or are lifted) to their designated spot on the counter.

Third step: Mommy purees the stemmed sweet potatoes and gets the same reaction each week:

Yes, this little device, sends both of my guys into ear and, apparently, eye protection mode.

Fourth step: Mommy mixes the pancake batter, throws in the sweet potatoes, and dollops ice cream scoop sized batter blobs on the heated griddle.

Fifth step: The most pivotal part of the whole process...the Flip Flop. This is Mommy's job and one of the reasons that my children find adulthood so fascinating. Yes, one day, they will be old enough to be the flip-flopper in the pancake process. Your time will come boys. Your time will come.

Sixth step: After all of the flip-flopping has occurred, the griddle is removed from the stove and held at as safe distance from my eager two-year-old, but close enough for his special spatula to reach. Seth is the patter. He has to make sure that each pancake is patted flat. Oftentimes, big brother tries to butt in on this job, but he is quickly reminded by little brother that it is not his turn yet. Then the griddle is returned to stove to finish cooking.

Seventh step: After waiting, oh so patiently, Biz gets to use his special spatula and remove the cooked pancakes from the griddle onto the plate. Sounds easy, right? Surprisingly, it takes much skill and practice to actually hit the plate that is actually placed RIGHT under the pancake. Somehow when you place a spatula in the hands of a child who usually has "ants in his pants," your pancakes can end up anywhere in the kitchen, if you are not paying close attention and if your reflexes have not been precisely honed for such an activity as this. Pancake night is not for amateurs, I might add. Biz does pretty well now at hitting his mark...most of the time.

Eighth step: Mommy scrambles the eggs at break neck speed, in order to get our meal quickly on the table and not eaten at the counter before we get there. Sweet potatoe pancakes are awfully tasty and little boys have to exercise extreme restrain not to gobble them up when Mommy has her back turned for 0.5 seconds.

Ninth step: (Bet you didn't know there were nine steps in making pancakes.) Time for a fun meal with my boys. One that we all had a part in and enjoy so much each week.

So, Monday nights are not so bad anymore.

And did I mention, they are pants optional?

A Snazzy Mode of Transportation

As we are cruising down the road, Caleb points out a house and states: A school teacher lives in that house.

Momma: And just how do you know that?

Caleb: There is a big yellow school bus in the driveway.

Momma: Why does that mean a teacher lives there?

Caleb: Because that is what the teacher drives.

Momma: Oh, really.

Caleb: Yeah, she has to carry all those kids to school somehow.

Poor teachers having to deal with that kind of gas mileage day-to-day, on top of everything else those precious beings handle.

Happy Birthday Blog!!

Tomorrow marks the one-year birthday of the Workman family blog. Wow! Time has flown so quickly. I laugh a little when I read the introductory post. I have decided to re-post it:

Posted August 9, 2008

Hi Family and Friends!

We have decided to start this blog as a way for those of you interested to keep track of the day-to-day Workman happenings or at least enjoy a laugh from time to time as our little family, through God's abundant grace, journeys through life together. Our goal is that it will be a light-hearted outlet for us to post pictures, updates, and those crazy things our little boys do and say that leave us baffled and/or doubled over in laughter. I had planned to start journaling for our family when I was pregnant with Caleb. I had high hopes for the project that lasted all of two entries. Oh well, I guess four years later is as good of a time to resume the project as any. We hope this will serve as that little Workman journal and also have a place to share our "little gems" with our friends and family, especially because so many of you we do not get to see or talk with as often as we would like.So bear with your semi-technologically challenged friend as I try my hand at this. My hope is that I will at least post weekly, if not more. I think that should be an attainable goal. So, visit when you can, post a comment when you like and enjoy our journey, sometimes leaping and other times bumbling, through our days. God pours out His blessings on us and we are grateful!


The part that gets me laughing is where it says that I will try to post at least weekly. This marks the 218th blog post! Divide that little number by 52 weeks in a year and it is safe to say that I more than attained that weekly posting goal... an average of four times over. I had always hesitated to start a blog, because I just never thought our family had enough "material" to keep one going. Boy, was I wrong!

I have really enjoyed keeping this blog. It has made me laugh; it has made me cry. It has helped me to reflect on myself and be more aware of God's awesome presence in my life. And of the wonderful blessings He so freely gives each day. It has been an outlet for me, especially on days when I am just plain overwhelmed and find that putting life experiences into words actually makes them a bit more amusing than I might first comprehend them to be. It has also given me an additional opportunity to love on my kids and post silly, sweet, interesting, and happy pictures of them for absolutely no reason at all, except that I am crazy about them.


I look back over the initial purpose of the blog and feel that it has surpassed my expectation for what I thought it would become. Does that make sense? It continues to be a journal, chronicling the daily events in our family's life, so we can share with our dear family, the faithful blog readers, who never complain about us moving their grandsons and nephews 3 1/2 and 5 hours away from them and are grateful that they get to see how the boys are growing and changing every week. Even though they don't get to see them, face to face, that often. It is also a stopping place so my wonderful friends, who are in this journey with me, know they are not alone, other people's children are sometimes a little nutty, too, and that even though we fall short, God loves us and extends His amazing grace to us constantly.

But mainly for our family. Not only have I finally found a way to get ALL of those digital pictures off our camera, I have learned a lot about myself and my boys through documenting our day to day life experiences. And boy, are my kids funny!! And quirky. And a little nutty, too. It is great, because Eric gets to share in the stories that he sometimes misses and/or I forget to tell him. And he has access to them while he is away from us at work. I am so glad we have a record of our precious memories. Because they are, indeed, very precious, and before the blog, I did not do a very good job of journaling the big stuff, let alone the cute little phrases and actions that spew out of my children daily. Reading back over ALL of the things we have been fortunate enough to do with our kids over the past year fills my heart with such gratitude for our Creator, who continues to provide for us and sustain us each and every day. Praise Jesus!

So, thank you for stopping by and seeing what the Workmans are up to. It is fun keeping you informed, keeping us informed, and it helps with my sanity some days. I love your comments, so please keep them coming. Often. I really do get excited (okay, sometimes it simply makes my day) when I hear from you on the blog. With almost 6,000 hits in a year (that's 500 per month. Wow!), it would be fun to know who all is visiting.

And I will do my best to at least post weekly in the upcoming year.

Yeah, I know that will be a real struggle.

God bless you!!

The Miles that have been Put on This Car!!!

The boys have managed to turn the classic coupe car into a sporty two-seater!

I found this little jewel at a yard sale when Caleb was almost two. I do believe that it was the best spent $7.00 EVER!!! I can't believe those little wheels are still rolling after all of the miles that they have traveled.

But I am so glad that they are.

Those wheels make a couple of little cutie pies that I know very happy!

Hair Cut Anyone???

Here is the wild hair in all of its glory that Dada doesn't think needs to be cut yet.

Hmmmm........

OH, How We LOVE those Crazy Brothers!

Bring on the Water!!

Most of you know that our boys are drawn to water. When given the choice to either swim or do almost any other activity under the sun, swimming will most always win out. Except maybe to eating. It is a toss up.

So imagine the boys delight when they discovered on our Chattanooga trip that the fish and turtles were not the only creatures who would get to play around in the water that day! The aquarium courtyard offered many opportunities for our little water dogs to get their feet wet, with multiple wading creeks and rocks to play on. And the fountain park (not sure if that is the official name of the place, but it definitely fits) in downtown Chattanooga allowed them to get totally soaked! If only I had thought to bring swim trunks. The boys didn't mind drenching their clothes, just so long as they didn't have to miss out on any of the water fun.

I think getting soaked may have been their favorite part of the day!!