The Year of Lasts

It's the night before school starts and I'm wondering how this went by so fast. Normally, it's just the beginning of another school year for our family, but tonight is different. Aside from the fact this summer lasted 4.5 seconds (a quote from a dear friend), this is not just any "night before schools starts" for us. This is the last "night before school starts" for my oldest. 
He is a senior this year... and this year begins the year of lasts. 

He's already had his last, first soccer game of the season. I shed a few tears in the cereal aisle of Walmart when my friend sent me this picture of all the seniors boys huddled together.

Me and the kids were traveling home from seeing family last weekend and I cried from Lawndale to Shelby because of a few songs that came on the radio. (To see what all the fuss was over, click here and here).

Going through scrapbooks last night, looking for the "first day of Kindergarten" picture, had me tearing up again at the blonde haired, blue eyed little boy who wanted to be a fireman when he grew up.

Well, here we are 14 years later... and he is a fireman. He's following his passion and this is the career he has chosen to pursue.

I can't begin to tell you how fast these years have passed. Trust me when I say this...

IT. FLIES. BY. WARP. SPEED.

When Chandler got his braces off this summer, I looked at him and thought... "He's no longer a kid, he's a man." This hurt my heart a little but also made me joyful to see what a handsome, young man he's grown into.

We also have another last... my baby's last year of elementary school. Whew... it's going to be an emotional year...I can already tell.

When we wake up in the morning, we will all be too busy getting ready and eating breakfast for me to stop and think about this "last" milestone... at least until I get to work. Hopefully, I won't get too many complaints from the kids, because this mama is going to get in her First Day of School pictures, too. So, my prayer for all of my kids is they will have a great school year. I pray for safety, for smarticles (that's my made-up word for them to learn something new), and for them to be the difference in someones life they come in contact with this school year.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Chandler's First day of Kindergarten, August 25, 2005

Another school year has come and gone and I find myself wondering how it could have passed so quickly. Even my kids thought this school year went by fast. And kids NEVER say that. 

So, I'm sitting here scratching my head and thinking about the summer, which will be a different kind of summer for our family. I started working full-time in January of this year, so a 40-hr work week remains the same now as it did during the school year. My kids were not very happy about this, so we are all going to have to find a way to adjust. 

I've spent every summer by the pool, having playdates with friends or being lazy watching a movie with my kids since there were born. They don't know how to wrap their heads around this new normal and I don't blame them. Alll they've ever known is for mom to take them places during the summer. I know plenty of parents work full-time and it's fine. Kids are fine. We all survive and find ways to keep entertained. It's not that I am dreading working, because I'm not, rather it's the guilt of me not spending the summer doing fun stuff with my kids, that's getting to me. Day trips to the pool, spending a few days with family, watching them jump on the trampoline with the water sprinkler under it, eating popsicles on the front porch...those will take place far less than used to. My kids are growing up and I have a career now. Nothing stays the same, but for 15 years, all of the above is what I knew.

However, all is not lost for the summer, because we have another driver in the family now. It's still very fresh and I'm still trying to decide how I feel about it all. BUT, when I come to terms with the fact that I have a 16 year old that can help cart people places, I think it will be a plus. The younger two kids are already making their lists of places he can take them. 

So much has transpired this year and it's all happening too fast. I often get wrapped up in work or distracted by activities that I miss opening my eyes and seeing the bigger picture sometimes. I don't want to miss it. I feel like I've missed too much already. Missed too many opportunities with my kids or family... missed sitting down and investing into them. They are not going to be living at home forever and that's hit close to home these past 6 months. So, I've made a few observations that I want to "journal" and hope that maybe this might resonate with some of you as well. 

High school flies by. FLIES. I thought my oldest went through middle school pretty quickly, because it was only 3 years. Right? That was nothing compared to the 2 years he's been in high school. I swear he JUST STARTED 9th grade... JUST STARTED. But, no, he's getting ready to be a Junior and driving a car. By himself. And now my middle one will be joining him at the high school too. People told me it went by fast and I was like "meh...whatever." It's true! Drivers Ed, then it's the permit, then it's the license and then it's graduation. I've already marked 3 of those off the list with one of my kids. I can't believe I only have 2 years of school left with my oldest. All I did was blink...once... maybe twice... and here we are. 

I swear I didn't finish college THAT long ago, and now my own kid is on the heels of college himself. Even though this mama is having a hard time wrapping her head around all the change & growing up, it's been great seeing all my kids mature and especially watching my boys turn into men. You worry a little more, pray a little harder, and trust that it's all in God's hands!

So Long… Farewell…Goodbye Little House

 

April 2nd, 2014 is the day that this picture was taken, which was a day after our family said our final goodbyes to our first home.  I must admit… I was a little teary when I went back for our final walk through and few belongings.  We moved all our stuff on April Fools Day, with the help of some gracious friends (Chris, Erica, Troy & Romelle), into a rental home.  I know fun and exciting times are ahead of us looking for a new, and bigger, home for our family of 5.  But we have some good memories of 1158 N. Woodhill Drive so I wanted to reflect a bit. 

We bought this home in December of 1999 and I was pregnant with our first child. I remember walking into the house the first time and thinking “this could be cute” and envisioning which room I would make the nursery.  When the keys were handed over to us, we felt a sense of pride… you know “Our FIRST Home”… this is where memories would be made. 

I remember walking in the door for the first time as we brought each of our kids home from the hospital.  As I sat in the nursery rocking Chandler not long after he was born and kept thinking how in the world can I leave this precious little baby and go back to work.  I did go back to work and after 6 months of that, I decided I had enough and came home for good.  Each of our kids had all their firsts in that home. 

I remember the sweat & tears that were put into clearing the land behind our house to make a backyard for our kids to play in.  Sweat because that was some hard work bush-hogging and pulling up trees & roots for hours.  Tears because that was the first night I was away from my baby boy at 8mths old. 

I remember when we got a swingset for the boys and how happy they were as a 3 and 1 year old playing on it.  Chandler was so sweet holding Carter between his legs on the “rocket ship” swing as they called it. 

I remember when Corby built a huge sandbox in the backyard and we ordered a load of sand to go in it.  When the dumptruck pulled into the backyard to dump the load, everyone’s eyes were big as golf balls looking at the mountain of sand sitting in the middle of it and wondering how it was going to fit inside the rectangle box.  (It was a little mounded by the way )

I remember trying to figure out where to put our Christmas tree each year because the living room was so small, but somehow we always made a spot for it.  I remember lots of lunches on the front porch with the kids when they were little. 

I remember washing dishes day after day and hating it so much because we didn’t have a dishwasher.  My parents felt sorry for me when I was pregnant with Carter because I gagged every time I had to wash them.  So they bought us a portable dishwasher and it was the best thing ever.  A few years after that Corby & I tackled a kitchen remodel that extended the cabinets and made the dishwasher permanent and put new kitchen floors down ourselves.  We gave ourselves a pat on the back for that. 

I remember hanging my head over the toilet in the bathroom when I was pregnant with Carter.  Me & the toilet visited a lot during my pregnancies.  I was looking across the hall at Corby sitting on the bed in our bedroom and saying “if I ever want to do this again, please slap me.”  We did have a 3rd kid by the way. 

I remember painting Kensley’s room pink after we found out she was a girl and when we were done, thinking… this kinda looks like Pepto-Bismol. 

I remember all the fun times we had playing in the snow.  The kids would stay outside for hours on end going up and down the hill in our front yard.  And we have some great videos as memories.  We also spent a lot of time chasing balls that rolled down that same hill. After about the 10th time chasing that ball, I made the comment that I never want to live in a house on a hill again.  People were afraid to pull into our driveway fearing their car would roll. 

Speaking of rolling, I remember Corby’s car taking a tour of the neighborhood.  He went out to crank the car to take the boys to school and when they came back outside a few minutes later to get in, the car was gone.  Since the parking break hadn’t been pulled up, the car decided to back itself into our front yard, turn the wheel, go back down the driveway, jump a curb, barely miss a fire hydrant, manuever between a telephone box and a bush and land in the corner of the carport and a funeral home hearse sitting in the driveway across the street and 3 houses down.  It was still running when we figured out where it landed.  Fun times folks. 

I remember getting our first dog and how excited our kids were because they begged for a dog for years.  We were proud of ourselves because we got him for free.   I also remember that same summer thinking where are we gonna put the dog.  Then we ended up fencing in our backyard.  Our free dog turned into an expensive investment.  But it was worth it because the kids love Buster and he’s been a great addition to our family. 

Our little 3 bedroom, 1 bath house was great for our family for 14 years and we have SO many more memories there.   We never, ever imagined that we would have stayed there as long as we did.  But that little house allowed me to stay at home with my kids for a long time and raise our family.  People would always ask how we could live there and my answer was always, “you just make do with what you have.”  I’m thankful for that little house.  Now we pass it off to another couple…New floors, new paint, new memories for them. 

So as we are on the search to find a home for our family, I have full trust in the Lord that He will provide for us. 

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” -Acts 17:26

Fa, la, la, la, la...

Seriously... April. Was. My. Last. Post.

I obviously suck at blogging.  But whatever.

Ok, so greetings... Merry Christmas and all!  Tis the season for ragged moms frantically searching for last minute Christmas gifts.  Like me... searching for a cheerleading uniform for my daughter.  Because she decided to add that last minute gem to her letter to Santa.  Last night.  Which she sent by way of the Elf on the Shelf.

{clicky clicky clicky}... that's me scouring the internet trying to find something I can order and be shipped in a couple days.  FAIL.  Unless you are a size 2T or 4T girl...or you want to pay $80 for a random uniform... or are a "ris-kay" football cheerleader wanna-be with scraps of fabric covering important parts... I caint find nuthin!  Santa might have to send an IOU this year.

The hooplah of the season graces our home as well as probably most everyone else in the US.  I vowed this year to not buy as much as last year.  And this year, as well as every other year, I have failed miserably.  I think I end up buying more every year.  It's all those little things that keep adding up.

The hubs as been asking for about 2 weeks now when we are going to get our yearly dose of Christmas fiber... I mean chex mix.  Seriously, why do people only make this stuff at Christmas?  It's not a red & green treat and I can easily make it year  round.  But I don't.  Yes, I know you can buy the bagged version of it and it's nowhere near as good.  So I bought a box of cereal here and a bag of nuts there and last night finally put them all together into some salty goodness.  I bake mine... no microwaving here.

I had chex mix for a late night snack...chex mix for breakfast...chex mix for lunch...and I'm sure I'll have chex mix on at least 2 more occasions today.  Bathroom beware.

...la, la, la.laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

In All Things

"BE PRESENT.... Her favorite moments were those when she let go of all expectations and worries and just simply celebrated the very moment she was living. In those precious moments she was truly present and listening to Grace."

Be Present.  I find myself checking out a lot here lately.  I retreat to go read a book, I bury myself into my laptop to work, I rush around cleaning up the house and doing laundry.  In other words… I’m not always present even though my physical body might be visible.  But, that’s not where I need to be.  I need to be present in all forms…in the now…. with my family… with my husband…with my friends…living life and having fellowship and connection with one another.

Raising kids is hard and I’m not going to lie, the older they get, the harder it gets.  I used to think “oh I can’t wait till they are older because it will be so much easier.” WRONG!  It’s so much more complicated than giving them a juice box, goldfish and a Veggie Tales movie to watch for 30 minutes or a bandaid to cover up the boo-boo.  I am shaping them into adulthood, teaching them to grow up and make life decisions.  Fashioning these little lives to know how to face the challenges of life and do so with the perspective that God calls us to.  That’s pretty gigantic when you really think about it. 
Be present.  When I am “here” my problem with being in the present is that I want perfection.  This leads me to being stressed out a lot when things don’t go as I planned.  Meaning…. “I’ve already asked you to clean that mess up in your room.  Why is it still laying there?” Even though I’m raising these kids to be adults, they are definitely not yet adults.  I need to remember they are not going to react in an adult manner or think in one either. 

Be Present.  Let go of expectations.  This doesn't mean my kids don’t have to listen or do as I ask, or that I should let laundry pile to the ceiling and dishes scatter over the counter, or that I should just work when I want to.  I still am required to parent my children, be a wife, structure my home, and run my business…it just means that I need to simmer down.  My problem is, when I want something done, I want it now.  Not 30 minutes later… not this afternoon…not tomorrow… Now.  Most of the time, it’s not something that is really required NOW, I just think it is.   Learn the balance in things and don’t get so uptight if it isn't happening now.

Let go.  Be present.  Live in the moment.  Teachable moments.  Moments to reach out and love the ones you are with.  God gives me grace day in and day out.  Lord, let me show grace to my family and love them like my Father loves me.

Did that really just happen?

If you know me at all, you know that I love to read.  I would even go as far to say I’m kinda a book addict.  No.  I AM a book addict.  For whatever reason, I finally discovered that reading is an enjoyable hobby and I wish I had found this passion when I was in school.  ugh.  I’ve read a lot of books this past year by many different authors, but I have a few favorites that just really knocked my socks off.  Maybe not so well known in the realm you would think as “famous authors”… but to my fellow book nerds, yeah… they are super famous.  Most of their books remain at the top of Amazon, Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts, so they are pretty fantastic to me. 
When I find a really good book series I get attached to it… the characters, the story, the emotions…. almost as if it’s part of my family.  So, when a really good story comes along, I often like to create something to remember it by.  Since my job is graphics design I always have ideas floating around in my head.  There have been several books series that I have sentimental endearment to, therefore leading me to create artwork inspired by the books.  This one book series I did that exact thing.  It’s the Significance series by Shelly Crane.  I posted my creation on Pinterest on my I {heart} books! board and didn’t think much anything else about it UNITL….
The author re-pinned my pin onto her boards, *ding… email notification*…. started following me on Pinterest *ding… email notification*, posted it on her Facebook page *bleep… notification alert*, sent me a private message requesting to use it *bleep…notification alert*…, sent me an email and then she sent me an early copy of her latest book *ding… email notification*.  Wow!  Here’s my journey…

All that to say…I was pretty happy freaking ecstatic about this whole thing.  It’s a BIG HUGE deal to me!  AND, to top it all off, this book is being made into a movie major motion picture to be released sometime next year! I have no idea how she plans to use this graphic… my mind can only dream and she said she had some things she wanted to make with it… but regardless, she totally made my day with all of our interactions. 
That’s my story & I’m sticking to it.  Yes, that really happened. 

Sandwiches

I’m so over sandwich meat and loaf bread.  I was never a big PB&J girl growing up and still to this day could care less for it.  So I learned to be satisfied with turkey, ham and bologna.  And I ate a lot of it growing up. 

These days, I fix 3 sandwiches (at least), 5 days a week for my kids lunches.  Sometimes I just want to buy a freaking lunchable.  Why do I tell you this?  Well, our budget is on a diet.  Yes, my husband & I are currently taking the class Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey.  Three weeks in and I’m still feeling really good about the outcome and what's to come, except I’m over eating sandwiches.  See, the thing is, when you take this class, you have to learn to save money and saving money requires eating at home more.  Sandwiches. 

I know one day when I’ve taught my money how to eat a balanced meal, I’ll be able to go out to eat whenever & wherever I want.  But for now, don’t ask me to go out to eat after church on Sunday.  Because more than likely I’m gonna go home to eat a stupid sandwich. 

Gratefulness

It's been so long since I've posted on here that I forgot my password.  Man.

I need to talk today and I feel like sometimes what I need to talk about, other people might need to hear as well. So I'm back at my blog today.  I stumbled on this website... honestly, I think divine intervention sent me here...http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/03/how-to-help-raise-grateful-kids/... but don't click there just yet.

We've been in a funk in our family the past few months.  Busy lives...hurried here & there and full schedules demanding more time than we probably have...have all lead to some cranky Hanelines.  Probably more so me than the others, but it's reflecting into our kids & that's not something I like to see.  I listened last night as my husband tried to have a devotion with my kids.  I was working on something at the kitchen table and they were in the living room sitting on the couches.  What he had to say was really good...talked to them about what we think we deserve in this life.  He asked the kids what they really wanted right now that they thought would make them happier in life... two answered a new bike, one answered an air soft gun  & some other material things were mentioned as well.  Fair enough, they are kids after all.  But, all during this conversation he was having to stop to say things like "quit messing with your sister", "turn around & sit up, listen to me", "stop playing with the blinds", yada, yada, yada.  Point being, they were not really listening.  I think he spent just as much time redirecting the kids as he did trying to teach them about being thankful for what we have.  I guess I was expecting them to sit there in awe of all the wonderful things my hubs was trying to teach them and rattle off some divine answers about all they should be grateful for.  Ok, I know... it's a long shot.  Whatever.

My kids are good kids, but they fuss & fight ALL the time. I guess it's normal for brothers & sisters to do this... I don't know, I'm an only child...but it really bothers me how they treat each other.  But really, I'm not much better.  My short temper from being stressed all the time doesn't mean that my reactions to their behavior are any better than their reactions to each other.   I don't handle things the best way all the time.  I'm constantly thinking that I've failed in how I should handle certain situations with my kids.  I'm being very honest here.  I need a lot of help & improvement.... the kind that only comes from the grace of God.

You think that the people you love the most are the ones you should treat the best.  However, it's often the other way around.  I guess it's because we know that we will always be loved by our family & most of the time they forgive us easily.  Still, it's not how we should live our lives.  If our family continues down this path, then I'm afraid I am leading them on one of destruction. But that's where the love of God comes in.  I don't deserve anything that I have... grand or small.  It's not really mine anyway, but the Lord choose to bless us because we are His.  I want my kids to be thankful for more than material things.  I want them to see the bigger picture in life.  But most of all I want my family to love God & desire to serve Him.  At this point in their lives, it's our responsibilities as parents to show them how.  I'm the resource God is using to show them how to love their brother & sister, love their neighbor, their friends, their family.  I want them to be grateful for all the many blessings that they have right in front of them that they don't even realize.  I want to be a reflection of God's love & mercy.

This link is a super-duper, great tool for doing just that.  So NOW you can finally click the link to read all the goodies for yourself.  And I think I'm going to pick up a copy of this book that all this stemmed from as well.

Blogs, Work, Life & Twilight

I have a good excuse... well, not really. Work. If you can call that an excuse. I guess between Facebook & Twitter... I feel like I post plenty of stuff that keeps me up-to-date with the world and everyone can see pictures of my kids and what's going on in our lives. That's kind of scary to think about... but I digress. Anyways, my whole point of having a blog is to keep track of stuff. Like life. Little things, big things, funny things, silly things, interesting things... you get the point. I've not been so good at that lately. {sad face} It's been quite a whirlwind the past year. I started my own business... Kendra's Creations and I must say that it has gone really well. I design stuff. I've always loved to be crafty and this is totally my outlet to do so AND get paid for it. Cha-ching... even better. So, I call it my job now, because I work & get paid for it. But it's fun. So it's a good job. One that I can sit in my PJ's until lunch & work. I can listen to music or have peace & quite, wash clothes, talk on the phone, attempt to keep the house clean... ahem.... and still be at home with my kids when they get home from school. I must say, it's been a challenge to keep up with some of these things while working from home. I would much rather being designing a logo or making a pretty notebook than loading the dishwasher. Sometimes it's very evident from the plethora of dishes that accumulate on the countertop, but it's all still worth it. Dishes will always be there... just as much as the mountain of laundry that grows in my baskets each week. I am truly grateful that God has blessed me with this opportunity this past year and I pray that it continues to grow & thrive.

On to the kids now... let's see... we are halfway through the school year. What?!! Seriously I can't believe it's gone by so fast. I mean, Chandler is going to be driving like next year at the rate that we are going. Kindergarten orientation is coming up in a couple months for Kensley & Carter will be in his last year of elementary school next year. Geez.

Chandler had his first band "concert" last night at the middle school. He is doing great playing the trumpet. He's even made first chair. He loves it & I'm so glad. I hope he's going to be a great musician. Carter loved playing football and I think he's geared up & ready for the next sports season, although we will all admit, it's been nice having a little break. Kensley is still loving dance. She's learning how to do a cartwheel and she think's that's just the greatest thing.

I have to brag on my hubs for a moment too. He saved a life last month. Yep. This makes the #3rd life he's come to the rescue for. I believe that God puts him in the right place at the right time. I'm thankful for that. While working late at the Y one night, he was making rounds checking on things & socializing when a man playing a wallyball game had a heart attack. Corby stepped up & took control of the situation. He & some others were administering CPR & Corby had to use the AED machine on this gentleman and shocked him twice. The doctors said had he not used this device, he would not be alive today. Wow!

I have recently become somewhat obsessed with Twilight. I never really had any interest at all to watch the movies and NEVER would have even thought twice about reading those ridiculously long books. I mean, I don't read and those books are like 500 plus pages each. However, my niece Kaitlyn got me started. She just couldn't believe that I had never seen the movies, so we had a movie weekend when we were in Statesville a few months back and watched the first 3 movies. That's all it took. I knew then where all the hype was coming from because I was hooked. The movies were SOOOO good!

After watching all 4 movies (and going to the theater 3 times to see Breaking Dawn: Part 1... just don't even say anything about that) I would have to say I became a "Twihard". There was no way that I could wait a whole year to know what happens in Part 2 of Breaking Dawn, so I decided I might be interested in reading the books. I mean, everyone that has read them talked about how good they were. So, I borrowed the books from a friend and I read the first book... all 494 pages... in 24 hours. Really, it was quite unbelievable. I couldn't put them down. I finished all 4 books in about 2 & half weeks. It happened to be over Christmas break, so I didn't have to worry about waking up for early mornings. I stayed up til 1 & 2 am most nights reading... not being willing to be satisfied with "just one more chapter". I've never read any books as good as these. The love story is just so incredible and I guess that's what draws me to the movies & the books. Sooooo.....

That about sums it up for an update. I always attempt to make more posts, but fail miserably at it. Follow me on facebook to keep up with my new creations! (link listed above)

A look back at the year 2011

Well, yes... I have been a little... um, a lot... behind on blogging lately. I want to but the time is just not there. I've been so busy with my job that blogland has taken a back burner. I am so thankful for my job though. It's been such a blessing. So to sum up a whole year in 7ish minutes, I'm just going to let you watch this video. And I'll hopefully have a little more time to devote to blogging in the near future!

A Tribute to Remember

Today Cleveland County honored the life of a fallen soldier who served our country. I do not know this man but my family stood to honor him as the processional made its way through our city.

I hadn’t really thought about it much… other than “that’s sad that happened”… and “he was from Shelby”.  My friend texted me last night & asked if I was going to processional.  My first thought was “no, I didn’t even know him”.  But then I started thinking… we have a family member serving right now and a good friend who was deployed just about a month ago.  This processional today wasn’t just for one man, it was for all soldiers…past and present….ones who have served, ones that are there now, those that will serve in the future.  So many have sacrificed for our country… willingly… and today this soldier did not come home to hug his family, but he came home in a different way. 

As I watched the hundreds of cars drive by, looking into the eyes of those I could see… tears, smiles, cameras… I wondered what they must have been thinking.  They drove for 7 miles with people alongside the roads the entire drive.   Tears filled my eyes. 

Business closed for a few hours or excused their employees to come out in support… parents pulled kids out of school early to go…two entire schools brought their kids out in front of the school…. little kids (including mine) who probably don’t even understand what was going on.  For a few short hours, people stopped…. they stood alongside a road, most of them holding a flag, in silence, hands covering their hearts.  People showed that they cared and I am honored that my family was able to experience that.  Not only for Sgt. Chris Newman… but for all the fallen soldiers and those who are serving now. 

What was witnessed today will be forever etched in my mind. I’ve never experienced this before and I hope I never will have to experience it again.  Today I am thankful… for the freedom to live in a country that sometimes comes at a price…and for the freedom of eternal life that comes because of my Savior. 

Happy Birthday to Kensley!

My baby turned 5 today… a whole 5 years old.  {I’m hyperventilating a little.}  We celebrated her birthday on Friday night at the Dover YMCA with her Hello Kitty birthday party.  She was a little confused about the actual date that she turned 5 and on the way to her party she said “now I’m not the real 5 today… right Mom?  We are just “sal-a-brating” my birthday today and I will turn 5 next week… right Mom?”  So stinkin cute! 

She is such a sweet girl with such personality.  What a joy to have her in our lives.  I am so blessed by all my children  but God giving us a girl was the icing on the cake for me.  She’s such a priss and a diva but can hold her own in a fight with her brothers and get down right dirty as well.  She’s a good listener, tender-hearted, compassionate, a leader, spunky and so much more. 

She is in her last year of preschool at Aldersgate, started her first year of dance and loves life!  Here are a few pictures of her party.

The Boys of Fall

Carter is playing tackle football this year.  He has begged since Kindergarten to play and finally this year, we gave in.  He’s been so excited… to get to practice, to get the gear, and now to play the game. 

They started off the season with the Cleveland County Football Jamboree at Crest High School.  This is where all the teams in the county come together & scrimmage.  I had no idea that football at this level would be so huge.  I was somewhat surprised when we arrived to a full parking lot and lots & lots of people.  Here are a few pics … Carter kept the bench warm until the last few minutes of the game. 

Carter & his buddy Peyton Swink.

This past Saturday, September 17 was the first official game at Springmore Elementary.  Carter played a bit more in this game as the kicker/punter and also linebacker. 

First Day of School

Goodbye summer…another school year is underway.  Today my boys started school.  Chandler is in the 6th grade at Crest Middle School.  A new adventure for him.  He is on the Sharks team and starting band.  Wow!  It was a rough start to the morning for both of us, but he ended up having a great day. (this was an after school picture)

 

Carter is in Mrs. Hunt’s 4th grade class at BSE.  We were very excited because Chandler had her as well and we loved her.  Carter also has several of his good buddies in his class this year.  I got a very encouraging note from his teacher this afternoon saying what a great day he had & how proud she was of him for making the new kid in his class feel welcome.  Aww….

This is a first for us this year… 3 kids at 3 different schools.  Seems strange in a way.  Kensley starts preschool next week and she’s very excited about it.  I think all of the kids are going to have a great year. 

Middle School here we come!

Tomorrow we have a major life event taking place in our family. My oldest son Chandler starts middle school. Middle school… really? I mean, wasn’t it just last year that I was nervous about him starting 3rd grade? Ahhh, how quickly these kids grow up.

Mixed emotions elude from our family… excitement, yet nervousness… anticipation, yet sadness. We’ve had lots of talks this summer and I think he’s ready… I know he’s ready… it just the growing up that gets me most. He comes just above my shoulder & before long I will be looking up to him. I remember the first day I brought him home from the hospital. Holding him, looking into those blue eyes, thinking I never wanted that moment to change. I loved him with every being in my body. Rocking him to sleep, so tiny, so precious. Growing up was a distant thought in my mind. I was enjoying him being little and didn’t have to worry about that whole school thing for a long, long time. Before you know it, it’s here and now he’s a young man and I’m sending him off to middle school. To me this is huge. The beginning of a new era in our lives… the teenage years. The growing up, the forming of who he is, the making of a man.

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Chandler, I know God is forming you to be the man you will become. Each day he molds & shapes you little by little. My prayer for you is to be the LIGHT in this world…be the difference in someone’s life. We love you sweet boy & are so proud of you! You are going to do great!!!

Family Photo Shoot

I love pictures!  I take lots of pictures & love to have our pictures taken.  Photos to me are priceless.  I feel like sometimes I see life through the lens of a camera but I don’t want to miss anything.  I want to capture it all in hopes that I will lock in that memory to have for the future.  Now if I can just get back to scrapbooking those memories.  Anyway, I’ve always wanted family pictures on the beach.  I’ve joked that I was going to pack one of my photographer friends in my suitcase one year when we go to the beach.  Well, so happened this year that one of my friends, who is a photographer, was vacationing the same week as my family & she was just right down the beach from us.  She made some great photos of our family. 

You can visit her website by clicking here or her facebook page by clicking here. 

That's my LOUD girl!

Kensley loves to sing...especially LOUD! After we saw the movie Soul Surfer, we had to get the soundtrack & it had this song on it. We were on our way home from the pool one afternoon & the boys were beating the seats AKA "playing the drums" and Kensley was giving us her loudest performance. I just happened to catch it on video. Mind you, this is a frequent occurrence in our car.

Build A Bear

I’m short a kid this week and it’s been kinda strange.  Chandler is spending the week with my parents… a little one on one time.  Today I took Kensley & Carter to Build A Bear.  This was a long, overdue reward for Kensley… that she stopped sucking her thumb.  Walking around the mall with 2 kiddos instead of 1 felt like I was missing something.  

Anyhoo, it was a lot of fun!  One of my best friends from college works there so it was double the fun getting to catch up with her as well.  While we were there we got to meet a frequent shopper in their store.  He has 295 bears… every bear ever put out by Build A Bear.  Geez!  We even got to see pictures of his collection!  He was in to purchase the 3rd bear of the latest ones released. 

Kensley chose the Hello Kitty bear… eh, can you call it a bear????  She’s very much into Hello Kitty right now, so it was quite appropriate that she pick this one out. 

Even though Carter thought it was a little “babyish” to build a bear, when he saw the Panthers outfit, he changed his mind.  He picked out a dog that is REALLY soft.  We even built an army bear for Chandler too.  I mean… while we’re there.  I’m used to things in threes…

FYI… Build A Bear is having a super duper sale… through August 18th (I think).  You can get any of their bears (err… animals), an outfit & shoes for $29.95… ya know, if you feel the need to build a bear too. 

Beach baby, beach baby…yeah, yeah, yeah!

We are home from our summer vacation. Our annual trip with the Stamey family to North Myrtle Beach is always a fun week and goes by way too fast.

This year was so nice. We did a lot of relaxing and playing. We stayed late on the beach, late at the pool, slept in and played lots of games.

My friend DonnaKay (who is a fabulous photographer… check out her website here) was at the beach the same week and we were so fortunate to have her take our pictures. They turned out great & I’ll share the rest of them with you in another post.

We stayed at my friend Leslie’s condo at Tighlman Beach & Golf Resort. This place has a great pool & lazy river area and the kids loved playing there. We also had plenty of beach time. The kids dug plenty of holes and built lots of “towns” and sandcastles.

We also saw a lady who was stung by a stingray. The stingray was hooked to some fishing line which wrapped around and hooked her foot as well. Ick. I didn’t really get back into the water after that.

Now that we are home it’s time to get back into the groove and get ready for school. Summer is quickly coming to an end but it has been full of fun and laughter. Enjoy this slideshow of our trip!

Warning: Another post about New Kids on the Block

Ok, so I admit at this point that I am a "Blockhead"... and I don't mean the dipsy kind. (Don't judge me :-) This weekend I had a fabulous girls weekend with one of my great girlfriends from college. As part of that weekend I attended yet another New Kids on the Block concert... this will be my 4th in the past 3 years. (Click here and here to see my first 3 trips). Except this concert was even better because the Backstreet Boys were touring with them to make a combination of NKOTBSB!

Of course as a teeny bopper in the late 80's & early 90's I loved me some New Kids. I attended many of their concerts, had my room plastered in posters & magazine covers, purchased many t-shirts and big buttons, recorded every episode of Arsenio Hall and any other TV show that they appeared on and of course had all the cassette tapes, singles cassesttes and VHS tapes that came out.

As they started to phase out & new boy bands tried to replace them... (never will happen but that's beside the point)... the Backstreet Boys came on the scene. They were in a battle as best boy band in the mid-late 90's with NSync. But the BSB (Backstreet Boys) would be the only group that would even come close to my New Kids. I'm older, more mature at this point... still liking this group a lot & purchasing all of their cd's... but still just not the same.

Fast-forward to early 2008. There is "talk" that a new website is up & running at www.nkotb.com. What?! Are they coming back?????? You can imagine my excitement as all the memories came rushing back from the days of neon hammer pants and big hair. May 2008 the official announcement is released & NKOTB makes their first appearance as a group on the today show. I think I screamed like a little girl!

Who knew that this boy band from the 80's could make a come back & be successful and still running strong after 3 years. It's funny because all of those teen girls are now 30 & 40 somethings and I think this group is even more popular now than they were 20 years ago! They announced last year that they were joining with the Backstreet Boys and would start touring again in 2011. Cha-ching! Yep, that brings even more of a crowd and of course, I was gonna have to see them again.

Me & Darlene had a fabulous time and it was a GREAT concert! Probably one of the best one's yet. Maybe it's because it's been a couple years since I've seen them... maybe it's because I really needed a girls night out... maybe it's because we had awesome seats... or maybe all of the above. So, I forever will be a NKOTBSB fan and if they tour again, you can probably guess you'll be reading another post about a concert that I went to. :-)

These are my fellow Blockheads Misty & Jen, that have been to about as many concerts as I have.