A few of my favorite things - at the moment anyway

This weekend is our last quiet weekend before football games start on Saturday (Nick) and Sunday (Jay).  The four of us hung around at home and things were just quiet which was really refreshing.  Through every season things change.  That becomes more and more clear as I age.  It's a good thing but it takes some transitioning.  I just finished reading two fabulous books (my first favorite thing).  I love books and I love to read.  Anyone who loves to read knows that to adore every single book you read isn't possible which is why my mom and I like to be in a book club.  Sure we may not "love" every single book but we're always glad we were exposed to them.  I just read two books and I delighted in them.  The first was given to me by my dear friend, Mary.  It was entitled, "Bread and Wine."  I devoured the book and it was an added bonus knowing it was a gift from Mary and she had me in mind when she gave it to me.  The second book I just read which might just be in the top five favorite books I've ever read is "The Unlikely Disciple."  One of my favorite things about this book is my daily conversations I would have with my mom about this book.  She read the book also and was always about 50 pages ahead of me.  We'd spend a good 15 minutes a day talking about the book.  I am still thinking about that book and I get the pleasure of hearing the author talk about his book very soon.  I can't wait.  Thirdly I just started reading the book, "For the Love," by Jen Hatmaker and I'm reading it on my Verizon pad (another one of my fav's).  I am laughing out loud during certain parts of her book and just like the last two books I have read there are certain things Ms. Hatmaker says that ring so true to me; like an ah-ha moment.  My second favorite thing these days is just that, a thing.  It's my dining room table.  I seem to fall in love with things given to me as gifts.  Ha.  My dear friend, Erin, gave us our dining room table.  Erin is my friend who has done many kind things for me and my table is another example.  I insisted we buy the table from her and we settled on a price but I could tell she wasn't comfortable with it but I wasn't comfortable paying nothing for the table.  Two weeks later she sent me my birthday present which was wine glasses (she knows me so well) and I opened what I thought would be my birthday card but instead it was the cash Mike and I paid her for the table.  That Erin is classy!  Love her.  It's a huge, rustic looking table and it easily sits 8 people around it - 10 if we're squeezing in.  Already we've made memories around our table and I love it.  This past March we bought a bench for the table and it was a leap of financial faith (ha) because the bench was expensive but it has proven it was worth every penny.  I treasure our bench.  Finally, my last favorite thing right now is walks with Nick as he rides beside me on his bike.  He never declines an offer of taking a walk/bike ride with me.  Granted he rambles on about four wheeling, fishing and his kayak but I enjoy the company and not a second goes by where I am not aware that my time with him (and Jay too) is precious.  I go back to my original thoughts in this blog: all things change but for now these few simple things and actions are a few of my favorite things. 

Our week, so far

These days Nick loves working in the kitchen.  He is not creating his own recipes but as long as he's given directions, he goes right to it.  His new routine, making eggs for him and Jay every morning.  He has it down to a science; butter in the skillet, cheese in the eggs and no burnt eggs.  They are delish. 

So this is not a good picture of me by any form of the imagination.  Nick took it and I begged him not to but he did it anyway so I figured I might as well smile.  I put it on my blog to prove I'm a member of the family (ha) and show I participate in activities with my family.  See photos below for more explanation. 

Sunday night we all unwound together and played football.  I don't chase the football but I throw it.  The boys tell me my "spiral" on my throw stinks but they appreciate it that I try. 

On Monday night I went to watch Lauren's gymnastics class and I got to watch Luke for a few minutes in action too.  They are so cute.  Lauren got moved into a higher class on Monday.  She's quite the gymnast. 

Nick had his friend, E., over on Tues.  They fished and it was a whirlwind afternoon.  It wasn't my best plan.  It was too rushed because Nick had football on Tuesday.  Note to self; don't have friends over on football nights and in fact I've pretty much decided friends over on a school night is just a bad idea.  It's just so rushed and I'm rushed because I'm thinking about dinner, homework, etc.... 

On another and unrelated note, yesterday the state of VA experienced a horrible tragedy.   A T.V. anchorwoman and her camera man were shot and killed.  It happened on camera with thousands of viewers.  As you can imagine it's all over the news.  This morning as the boys and I were watching the horrifying story, Jay said, "If God has a plan for each of our lives, then why does this stuff happen?"  I thought that was such a good question coming from a 13 year old - heck coming from anyone?  At 41, I often wonder the same thing.  I responded by telling him that while it's true God does have a plan for our lives, we humans often get off course from His plan which is why it's so important to keep Him front and center.  I told him that I'm sure I've squandered many opportunities God has placed in my path but I try not to.  It was a simple answer to a very complex and difficult question.  Today my prayers are with the city of Lynchburg and the friends, family and co-workers of those two people who were killed. 

First week of school and Dad's birthday

 The boys had three days of school this week and it all went well.  Jay seems settled into 8th grade.  So far, no homework for either of the boys.  Nick is enjoying 4th grade but still grumbles that he's not in 3rd grade anymore with Mrs. W.  Nick saved his money all summer and bought a kayak.  I am really proud of him because honestly I didn't think he'd be able to save $230 but he did.  His smile in the picture says it all. 

 Today is my dad's 66th birthday.  He's still the biggest and most devoted Cubs fan I know.  Jay, my Aunt Karen, cousin Michelle and I spent some time with him yesterday. 

                                    My cousin, Michelle, brought her adorable new puppy, Mia. 

First day of 4th & 8th grade

 This day finally came!  Whew!  We had a great summer but it's been a little dicey around here for about 2 weeks.  I've played referee to two bickering boys but the day has finally come....the start of school.  The boys were ready to start, although you'd never get them to admit that.  Jay was in the car, ready to go at 7:20 this morning.  He didn't want to be late. 

 See they actually can get along.  It doesn't last long but it happens, on occasion.

 And Nick's face demonstrates how I was feeling yesterday which is basically put me in a funny farm!

                                     Nick with our neighbors, L. & N.  I love our neighbors!  

Signs that school needs to start

School starts tomorrow and as is usually the case this momma is ready.  Don't get me wrong, we had a great summer.  But the boys are bored and as I told Nick today I have run out of tricks in my hat.  The boys are bickering and I'm constantly hearing the phrase, "I'm hungry."  Plus when Jay gets bored he tends to take bathes.  I'll be in my office and hear the bath water running in the morning and then in the afternoon which only adds to the laundry situation.  Both boys think that their shorts and shirts are dirty after laying around in them, watching TV, for 3 hours. I might just do a happy dance after I drop them off at school tomorrow.  It will be nice to start a schedule and routine and some separation.  They need separation from each other and from me.  This last week or so I've turned into somewhat of a nag.  I'm tired of telling them to do something and hearing them argue with me.  I win those battles but it doesn't come without effort.  ha.  So here's to another great school year!  And tomorrow I will be sipping my coffee in peace - Hallejah!

Neon Lights 5K race

 My dear friend, Laura, started this run club about 5 years ago.  It started with about 10-15 kids and look at it now.  Laura is humble when it comes to the success of the club but every year I tell her how awesome she is at it.  The kids love her, she is filled with energy and she plants the seed for a love of running in these kids. 

 After the race Nick still had TONS of energy so he played at the playground with a few friends.

 Nick and his good bud, N.  Nick finished the race in 25 minutes.  He ran the race last year in 32 minutes.  What an accomplishment.  When he finished he went back into the race and brought his friend, N. in and C. in!   Nick is like the energizer bunny. 

 Big brother ran this race too and I must admit we all thought Nick would beat Jay this year but he didn't.  Jay ran this 5K in 24 minutes!!  We think it was his best time ever and he got 3rd place in his age group.  Way to go!  He said he ran so well because there was no pressure on him, it was just for fun. 

 And this sweet girl came out with nana to cheer the boys on!  She is looking more and more like my sister.  Every time I look at her now I think of my sister's sweet face at age 7 - so cute.

                                                     Nick and Sid.  She did awesome!!

And here is the start of the race.  Look closely at who is right up there, front and center.  This race was such a fun way to start our weekend and pretty much our conclusion of summer!  The boys loved it and we loved cheering them on and seeing all the kids run.  It warms my heart to see all the kids so excited about running - even though I'm no fan of it.  LOL.

Fun with friends

 How can it be that the kids start school next week?  This past week I took the boys to Grady's.  Jay is at the age where it's almost impossible to get a decent picture of him but he was there, I promise.  Our friends, N. and L. joined us.  There is a 2 year age difference between Nick and N. and they are thick as thieves. 

 Nick ended the week by spending some time with his friend, C.  C. has a private pond in his back yard, truly every boy's dream and Nick caught this huge catfish.  Later the boys came back to our house and made scrambled eggs (pic below).  They were preparing for their big 5K race - more on that in my next blog. 

I heart teachers

As summer draws to a close and a new school year begins I tend to reflect on a few teachers who really made a difference in Jay and Nick's education (thus far).  The first teacher I think of every time for Jay and Nick is Miss Christy.  I'm not even sure I can put into words how she impacted the boys, especially Nick.  I had just moved to a new community and Jay started going to her home for daycare and preschool at age 3.  She was warm, fun, full of energy and she knew my kids.  In fact, looking back, she was one of those few people who just knew kids, what made them tick, how to calm them and how to relate to them.  She was truly gifted.  I loved her instantly and so did Jay.  Then Nick came along and he bonded with Christy and Christy's daughter, Holly.  When Nick was 3, Christy transitioned into a new job with more opportunity for her.  I cried over the news and Nick started going to public daycare.  It feels like a life time ago but I can still hear Nick's cries when he started at that new daycare.  It wasn't the atmosphere that he was use to with Miss Christy.  The next teacher I think of is Mrs. Stroud, Jay's kindergarten teacher.  She was the kind of kindergarten teacher whose picture should be in an encloypedia (if they made those anymore) next to, "Best kindergarten teacher ever."  I remember fretting over Jay's transition into kindergarten.  Mrs. Stroud approached communications with the "sandwich approach."  She would focus on the focus, point out things that needed to be worked on and end with another positive.  Jay isn't my "hey let's go up and hug someone" kind of kid but I remember when he started first grade.  On the first day of school Mrs. Stroud was in the hallway and Jay walked right up to her and wrapped his arms around her.  Jay moved onto first grade and first grade was hard for me.  You know how people can say things to you and they just stick with you and those people probably have no idea how they impacted you?   This can be positive and negative remarks.  Towards the end of first grade Jay was struggling with grasping the concept of counting money (like mother, like son).  I was stressing over it and one night Mrs. Sexton called me at home.  She calmed me and told me that in her opinion first graders were not mature enough to learn the concepts of money but she had to teach it.  She told me not to stress, Jay would eventually learn to count money, it just wouldn't be in first grade.  Then moving on to third grade and Mrs. Westerfield.  Talk about an impactful and positive teacher.  Jay and Nick both had her and Jay is going into 8th grade and he still says she was his favorite teacher of all time.  At the end of third grade for Nick he was actually disappointed that Mrs. Westerfield had promoted him to fourth grade.  Mrs. Westerfield turned things around for Nick.  She helped turn Nick on to the things he loves and she told me at the end of the year that Nick, in turn, helped her discover new ways to teach.  Moving on to sixth grade and Mrs. Griffin.  Mrs. Griffin was one of those teachers I hadn't heard good things about but she loved Jay.  It's always nice to hear positive things about your child and she never held back when it came to Jay.  I have sat through many IEP meetings for both my boys but I remember the IEP meeting I had for Jay in sixth grade with Mrs. Griffin.  She sang his praises and when she was done, everyone in the room looked around in amazement and told me that Mrs. Griffin rarely said the kinds of things she said in that IEP meeting. 
So as my kids begin a new school year I am so thankful for their school district, their principles and most especially their teachers.  I am confident another great school year is ahead. 

August Meetings

 Every odd numbered year I head to Cinci for what my company affectionately calls, "August meetings."  This is my third August meeting since I started in 2011 and it never fails to disappoint.  I love going.  I get together with my coworkers, get to see folks from home office & I get to hang out with my husband (when I'm not in meetings).  I really enjoy going.  Did I mention that already?  Ha.

Mike enjoys going with me.  This is a horrible picture of the two of us but I wanted proof that we actually go together.  LOL.  This year he zip lined while I was in meetings all day on Friday.  We relax, socialize and just enjoy getting away for 2 days.  It is a challenging to leave two very active boys and two dogs but a big thank you is owed to my mom.  She had Nick for the 2 days we were gone and also managed our dogs and one of them (cole) got some funky nose infection and was bleeding.  Mom tried to fix the situation with a buzz light year band aide which she said proved to be quite funny, all the while was trying to calm a 9 year old who kind of freaked out when he saw his dog was bleeding.  Needless to say there is probably a vet visit in my future.  Jay stayed with our friends the Dougas' and the Ausili's.  I so appreciated them keeping Jay.  I gave my mom a break and it split up the boys.  So until the next August meetings...........2017! 

Our last week of summer, sort of

 I know it's only Aug. 1 and there are still several weeks of summer left but our carefree summer ends on Monday night.  Football practice starts and so begins a new routine.  Meals will need to be planned and transportation will need to be coordinated and I'll need to put my organization hat on, something I'm not always so great at.  School starts in a few weeks and I'm ready for it to start.  However, we've had a really nice summer.  Not having a babysitter worked out just fine, the boys did great and my mom tutored Nick.  Thank you, mom.  We used our summer to relax, get some projects done; Mike finished Nick's fishing shack room remodel and he started the window trim in the house.  We took two vacations.  Jay took a missions trip to Cincinnati and Nick went to church camp.  Seeing the summer come to an end is bittersweet for me.  The weather was so nice this week (finally) and we spent a lot of time with friends.  The boys caught a frog this week which then got lose in my car!!!  Yes, it was quite a scene, like something for America's Funniest Videos. 

 I got together with a few of my former farm coworkers for a retirement party.  I really enjoyed catching up with them. 

                                      This is the big fish Nick caught this week.  Yes, we plan to eat it! 

                                              Nick's friend, J, came over this week.

My, oh my how these boys have grown.  Jay and Nick start football on Monday night.  Jay opted not to run Cross Country this fall.  He had no love for it last year but he's the type of kid that has to do something.  He "relaxs" all summer so that by the fall, it is time for him to be in a structured activity. Selfishly the football schedule and practices are less grueling than Cross Country.  Jay and Nick have practice at the same time on the same nights.  So here's to our new season of life which will consist of muddy football pants, muddy cleats, smelly socks and lots and lots of food - lots of food.  Did I mention food?