Yard Work

You are never too old or too young to garden!! We spent the afternoon (after school, dance, and crossing guard but before baseball games) doing yard work. Zion finally got to plant his flowers with his new garden toys that he got for Easter. He did a great job and was quiet proud to show off all his hard work.

Best Friends.

“When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there.”

Zion and Megan

All A Flutter.

Friday afternoon we took off to the zoo with a few of our friends and about 1000 other zoo members to view the new butterfly exhibit.

We had a great time even though it was really crowed. All of the kids get along really well and enjoy being together. It is wonderful to have such good friends. I feel so very blessed.

Play Ball!!

We spent Thursday afternoon at the Smokey's Game. We had a great time. The stadium was not very full so the kids were able to sit in the front row directly behind home plate. Isaac was picked to run the bases with "slugger" the team mascot. They gave him a cool new Mayfield dairy t-shirt to wear while he was running.

Here is Isaac heading toward third base. I was so proud of him.

This is Isaac heading for home with Slugger right on his heals. He beat the mascot and recieved free ice cream for his hard earned victory.

It was a great day and everyone had a good time at the ball park.

Too cold for baseball.

We sat outside at the ballpark last night for two hours. It was freezing! I drank two hot chocolates in an attempt to stay warm. It was a futile endeavour. I was still cold. We play again tonight, and this time we will be there for three hours. Needless to say I am not thrilled about the prospect of sitting outside in 35 degree temperatures.

It is amazing what we as parents are willing to do for our children. The love and commitment to them astounds me at times. I will run myself in the ground trying to keep them involved and active in the things that they enjoy. Not to mention how many things I deny myself so that they can have new shoes, extra dance classes, new ball bags, private piano lessons, new swimming goggles, and on and on. The list is limitless.

Somehow when it comes to our children it never seems like a sacrifice. It is more of a privilege. I feel honored to be able to do for my children. How blessed I am to be healthy and to have enough energy to run around to all their activities. How wonderful it is to have the opportunity to spend time with my children. I cant think of anything else I would rather do.

Don't get me wrong I definitely have those "Calgon take me away" moments. There are days when I think I cant possibly go to another music lesson or hear one more baseball chant coming from the dugout. But those days are few and far between. Praise God that I have this day and that this day I get to watch my boys play baseball, even if it is going to be 33 degree's!!

Today's Scripture

Matthew 25:21
21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

You Sexy Thing!!

I love this song. I loved it the first time I heard it. And believe it or not I always think of Frederick when I hear. Yea, I know he is a little bit of a computer nerd and a geek. But sometimes when he laughs or makes a joke it makes me think "where did you come from, you sexy thing." I could look at him a thousand times a day without ever really seeing anything different. Then suddenly I catch him out of the corner of my eye smiling that innocent little boy smile and he makes my heart melt. And if any of you tell him about this I will deny I ever wrote it. lol

Aaron's 2nd Birthday at Chuck - E - Cheese

Field Trip!!!!!

Today was a field trip day. We went to Ramsey House with the North Knox Home School Network. It was very interesting and we had a really good time. Being there with friends made it all the more fun. And thanks to Kora we have pictures.

This is a picture of Ramsey House from the front of the house.


Durham Kids in the courtyard behind the house. Please remind me not to let my children dress this way EVER again. Can you say "homely?"



Hunter and Elijah putting together corn husk dolls after the tour of Ramsey House.

This evening was filled with baseball. Isaac had practice and Elijah had a tournement game. We were at the ball park until 10:00!!! Oh well, such is life. I really enjoy being at the ball park and watching my children play so I don't mine the late hours too bad. Not only did we do the field trip and baseball, we also had karate, school, crossing gaurd and yard work. Today was very full of activities. I love those kind of days. I am not very good at sitting still. I like to be on the move, and on the move we were!

SPIDERS! YIKES!!

Wednesday was absolutely beautiful. It started out fairly normal. After lunch we headed to Fountain City for Homeschool Skate Day. The kids had a great time. Zion proudly sported his skates on the floor for the first time. He was so cute. It was a nice afternoon and I enjoyed seeing some of my friends.

After supper we decided to do a little yard work before church. We were working on cleaning out the one of the flower beds in the front yard. I moved a rock and discovered a black widow. I kept looking and eventually found ten black widows. COOL! They were euthanized and place in a specimen jar for future study. All in the name of science and homeschooling, of course. We can't wait to study these spiders.

Then it was off to church. I had my weekly "therapy session" with Kathryn. Once again we tackled all of the really important world issues. For example, there was lots of discussion on where and when to have Aaron's birthday party. I really enjoy my Wednesday night time. Thanks Kathryn for the time we spend together while the kids are in classes. It really is nice to have uninterrupted adult conversation.

MORE baseball.

Elijah spent two years as a "Cub" on his little league team. It was a good experience and he had a lot of fun. But this season we decided to shake things up a little. He had gotten to the point where he wasn't progressing as quickly as he should have been. He had begun to get a little bored with the sport. So this Spring he became a Indian!!! Things are going pretty good so far. He played his first game last night. This is a preseason tournament at Levi Field. His team lost 4 to 3, but it was a great game and the team did really well. I am hoping that this change in teams and coaches will renew his love of the game. He loved baseball so much. I hate to see that passion for something die out for no reason. I will keep you posted as the season unfolds.

Passion for things in life is what makes it worth living. I want my children to have a passion for everything they do in life. If I do something I usually go all or nothing. I never like to do things half way or "just enough" to get by. My favorite line in Pretty Woman (one of my favorite movies) is when Richard Gere tells Julia Roberts "I know about more, I invented the concept." I always feel that need to do MORE. Whether it is birthday parties, school lessons, vacations, or clothes. I even feel that way with life in general. I can't love my family enough, I can't do enough for them, I can't get enough activities to fit in one day. Heck, I can't even have enough children, lol. It is all about MORE. Don't get me wrong, I understand the value of being content. And I don't mean "more" in a greedy or selfish aspect. I mean "more" in terms of passion and desire. If I am going to love, I love deeply. If I am going to work, I work hard. If I am going laugh, I laugh with unabandonment. If I worship, I want to worship in "Spirit and Truth." I never want to wake up and feel as though I didn't give it all I had. That's what I want for myself and my children, a life that is rich and full beyond compare. To live life without regrets.

Today's Scripture
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38

Baseball time is here again!

Sunday was as unpredictable as Saturday. They called after church to say that Isaac would play two baseball games in the preseason tournament. So we quickly got things together and headed to the field. We had planned to go to the zoo with Kathryn and Caleb. I called them and asked if they could come to the house instead. Isaac's last game was to be at 4:45 so we should have been able to get together around 6:oo. Well like I said Sunday was unpredictable. The games started running behind and Isaac ended up playing three games and not two. Sooooo, I called Kathryn back and said it would be more like 6:30. Did I mention that things were very unpredictable?

Well we finally finished at the ball park. Isaac's team took 2nd place in the tournament and he did a great job. He is normally the second baseman. But he got to play pitcher the last game. That made his day, he love to play pitcher. We finally got home and the Shepard's came over. We had a great evening and enjoyed their company. We always do.

So even though NOTHING was as planned this weekend, it was still wonderful. The entire weekend was spent with friends enjoying time with our families. You couldn't plan anything better than that!!!

Dino's and Putt Putt????

Nothing about today was as expected. But it was a GREAT day none the less. We took off for Pigeon Forge around 1:00. We were suppose to be there around 1:15. That was just the first thing in a long line of mishaps. We were able to get about ten minutes down the road before having to turn around and go back so Grace could change clothes, she had gotten something black all over the front of her pants (Isaac had already had to change his clothes before leaving.) Needless to say we were VERY late. We finally arrives at the Dinosaur Museum. Unfortunately we were somewhat disappointed in the quality of the exhibits. I don't think the kids cared they just enjoyed doing something fun and being with the Mondays'. After leaving the museum we left for Putt Putt. Everyone was having a great time. Then it started to rain even though the weather man said NO rain. We played on anyway and had a great time. Lloyd said he won but I am not so sure. lol We were soaked and headed to Gatti's to get dry and eat dinner. We arrived at the most opportune time. Three bus loads of ROTC high school students were just unloading to have dinner with us!!! Despite all of the unexpected kinks in today's activities we had a great time and totally enjoyed being with Kora, Lloyd and Hunter. Thanks for guys for making today a great day.
Grace, Elijah, Isaac, Zion, and Aaron in front of the dino that also appeared in "Jurassic Park."

Aaron with his pockets full of sand. He really enjoyed digging in the sand box.

Zion hugging the dino leg. I am not sure which dino this was but it was a BIG one.

The whole gang!

Here we are at Putt Putt before it began to rain. Trust me the no rain thing didn't last long.

The boys had a great time playing with their golf sets Kora bought them. THANKS, Kora.

Elijah Trying to be cool.

Here Lloyd and Fred overlook Elijah's form. They want to make sure he wont beat their score.

Friendship

The past few days have been extremely busy. Mostly just the "normal" everyday activities. They daily grind alone keeps us pretty tied up most days. But like I said I enjoy the fast pace my life offers.


Yesterday was a great day. We go to the Think Tank classes on every Wednesday, except the second Wednesday of the month (that's skate day.) The classes went well. Aaron actually stayed in the music class with Zion. This is HUGE. He usually will not allow me out of his site. Hopefully he is becoming a little more secure. He even went to his class at church last night without screaming for me. Than is monumental!!! I am so proud of him. I spent the evening talking with the "girls" having our weekly "therapy" session. I really enjoy that time each week.


Today started off a little dreary. Cross guarding in the rain stinks to say the least. When I came back home everyone was still asleep. So I crawled back in to bed and snuggled up. It was absolutely wonderful. We all stayed in bed until after 10:00. We needed it!! We finally got up and got school done. Then we were off again. Unfortunately we missed karate today. But we will try to make it up tomorrow. We spent the evening at Kora and Lloyd's house. It was Kora's Birthday!!!!! Yeah!! I had a great time and I know the kids enjoyed playing. Thanks for inviting us to be apart of your special day. I treasure your friendship and I am so glad to be a part of your life.


I was thinking on the way home about the friends in my life. I am so blessed with several wonderful friends. Kora, Cheryl, Kathryn, Tammy, and Lisa you all are such a blessing to my life. I know that I often forget to tell you how much you mean to me and I apologize. You are each so different and hold such a special place in my heart. I pray that I can be as good a friend to you all as you all are to me.


Today's Scripture
Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so does the sweetness of a friend's counsel that comes from the heart. Proverbs 27: 9

yep, Tuesday's here again

Typical Tuesday. Karate, dance, guitar, baseball, swimming, crossing guard, school lessons, and life in general pretty much take over the day. Although, it tends to get a little crazy and overwhelming at times, I still wouldn't have it any other way. I get bored very easily and don't like to stay still for very long. Having a large family that is active and busy really suits my personality and need for constant change. It's funny how God knows want we NEED in our life, even when we don't.

We spent the evening at the ball field then to Gatti's for dinner, a very late dinner. Although we don't LOVE the food it is such a easy and cheap place to eat. Not to mention it is only about seven minutes from the house. It is nice to be so close to everything. I want a bigger house and would love to live in the country. However, I would really miss being able to get to church in five minutes, or to work in eight minutes. Not to mention that we can get to East or West town in less than fifteen minutes. It really is a convenient place to live. Oh yeah, Food City is less than three minutes away. Considering how often I go there (4 time this past weekend) I am saving a fortune in gas. It is funny how spoiled we get to certain things in our life. I have to go to Halls a couple of times a week. I always think about how far out of the way it is. Somehow the entire time I was growing up there I never thought of it as being out of the way. Now I complain every time I go about how long it takes and how hard it is to get there.

I have to drive to Halls tomorrow. Maybe instead complaining about the trip I will enjoy the time in the van with my children. They always seem to want to open up and bare their souls in the van. I am not sure what that is about. They probably know I am driving and can't spank them if they tell me something they have done wrong. I guess they just take advantage of a good situation. Whatever the case I will try to enjoy them and their openness. It is a beautiful drive through the back roads. I hope to take the time point out to the kids some of the places that I have special memories of as we go. I am working hard to live in those moments that define my life. Moments where true joy abounds. Moments that will forever linger in my mind. I am realizing just how quickly this precious time with my children is going by. I don't want to take a single day for granted. I want to learn to cherish each moment God has given me. Because the trip may seem long but this journey is so very short.