Spring Break Road Trip (kind of, but not really) 2011.

 So, a few years ago we started a family tradition (or maybe it's more of a lofty goal) of taking road trips every year during Spring Break in hopes of getting the kids to see every (continental) state.  So far, we've covered over half....maybe 26 or so.  Which is great, but we've just about exhausted all states in the center portion of the USA....which means road trips for us may now have to include some air flight in order to be feasible during our time constraint.   

Basically what I'm saying is there's not enough medication in the world for me to travel say, from Alabama to Oregon, on a road trip with my husband who thinks he has to drive the whole leg in one stint.  Just to see if he can. And to annoy me in the process. Because he gets a kick out of it.  :)    

All this to say that this year, due to rising gas prices and a lack of funds for 5 airfares, we did a different kind of road trip here at House of Bowling.  We actually went to a state we've all been to before, but a place we had not.  A place where dreams really do come true.  A place where magical moments occur all day, every day.  A place where memories are made, laughter is deep, and family fun abounds around every corner. 

We saw her castle.

And toured the neighborhood as well as the gorgeous gardens.

(Look, I'll just be honest, my boys are not interested in stopping to get photos taken

 when, clearly there are better things to do....so Baby Girl stands alone.)

We rode rides.

(lots and lots of rides, over and over.)

Might I say, riding them during the day is fun....but riding them at midnight is AWESOME!

We saw lots of characters.

(but didn't want to stand in line to get our pic made with them.

Again, my kids saw bigger and better opportunities on the horizon.

So, we have several pics of random people) Hey, it's just how we roll. :)

Oh, how I love Woody and the whole Toy Story clan!

We stopped dead in our tracks to watch the parades.

And of course, life would not be complete withour seeing the main man himself....MICKEY!!

He's great, but Minnie was really showing her backside.  Women. Hmph. I dont' know, maybe she's mad because he gets to ride at the tippy top every. single. time. I'd get a little miffed too. 

I mean when two are joined together, they become one, right? 

So share the limelight a little, dude.

Of course if you yell loud enough, Minnie will turn around and become all embarassed by her unbecoming actions....and Mickey, like any man, will pretend that he was getting ready to give her a swift kick in the....well, you know, aren't these parades just a bundle of fun for the kiddos?    

And the night parade....well it's amazing.

While I know part of the reason was due to extreme exhaustion and they were just happy

to take a break from ALL THE WALKING,  but I do believe my Baby Girl and Middle Child

would have sat on the front lines watching the Electrical Parade for hours.

Before the stroke of midnight we even went inside the castle too. 

 Please excuse our grunge look.  We were pooped.

Some of us were so pooped, they had to be carried out of the park.  And there were others

who were just that pooped as well, but unfortunately, we may be too big for anyone to carry.

(I'm gonna feed Elder Son as much as I can and put him on a

strict workout regimen to remedy this problem before next time.) :)

Oh it was a grand time.  I mean a real dandy of a trip. And a family memory to cherish for a lifetime. Watching tinkerbell in the light up parade, meeting so many interesting folks in the lines, riding Space Mtn. with celebrities, the castle digital photo show from pics taken during that day at Disney, and the fireworks, and tinkerbell flying out right before our very eyes, riding thunder mountain deep into the night, pineapple aloha float treats, giggling every hour.....priceless.

For those moments when the time out chair is no longer effective.....

One season seems to play right into the next.....

Yep...since back at the beginning of February...when snow was almost still on the ground....and the girls were still playing basketball (a post to come about their greatness, soon),  Elder Son started playing baseball. Yippee!

What?  Sitting out in the elements of freezing weather after the sun sets on the horizon until deep into the early night doesn't sound like fun to you? Me either.  Well, not exactly, unless of course I have a child out there on that field of play...then I'll sit through just about anything. Including frostbitten toes. 

Can warmer weather get here to stay for a while? Please.

Denial is my best friend.

Denial.

No, not because Elder Son killed a pretty fox a few weeks ago. This isn't even really the picture I would have chosen to put on this blog post, but I knew it would make him happy....he was proud of his fox kill back in January.  And being the bad blogger I am....it never made it to it's own blog post, so here it is now.

Rather, I'm in denial because he keeps getting older....and I don't like it at all. AT ALL. 

He's all cool, calm and collected in these teen years. (Let's just hope it stays that way).

It's a blessing to him as our firstborn.  It's a blessing to watch him grow.  It's a blessing to see him play sports. It's a blessing to hear him lead a prayer at church services. It's a blessing to have him help his little brother or sister with something they can't yet do. It's a blessing to see him eat half our grocery supplies in a day that should have lasted a week. (if you are reading this and feel led to do so, please send money to feed him...thanks).

It's a blessing to call him my son.

Happy 14th Birthday, Elder Son. You are one of the greatest gifts God has given us!

Birthday Bowling...(aka the night I put the boys to shame).

To celebrate his brithday, Middle Boy wanted to go bowling.

With a few of his close friends....plus a little sister.

We screamed and shouted and jumped around and laughed like crazy all night long.

Baby Girl even found some creative bowling manuevers to help boost her score.

It's always more fun when Daddy's around to watch the excitement.

And by the end of our little birthday bowl-a-rama, I had proudly beaten the whole bunch....3 times. And I don't mean "sort-of", "by just a hair", or "barely"....I mean I put the SMACK DOWN on those kids. 

I came.
I bowled.
I kicked some 12 year old fanny!
I showed them who rules this joint. The mama.

But they look pretty cute, so I brought them all home with me, and tried to keep the taunting to a minimum....as this is the only sport I can school them in for now. 

Middle Boy got a hoot out of the trick candles....that continued to relight themselves every time he blew them out. I had to threaten him not to spit on the cake....because a piece of saliva coated icing is just not yummy if you ask me.  

My birthday brain is on it's last leg....after 34 total birthday parties over the last few years, it's fried. However, I couldn't have a birthday gathering without a cake.  So, at the very last minute on Friday morning (when I had guilted myself all night, even in my dreams) I baked a birthay cake for the candle blowing ceremony. 

It's a guitar....has nothing to do with bowling, but Middle Boy does enjoy his guitar, so thus, it's the best I could do....with what I had on hand. A yellow cake mix, some frosting and a few m&m's.  Don't think I'm real creative....I've just pulled enough pages from Family Fun magazine over the course of the last decade!  And look, I realize that cake decorating is not my claim to fame (obviously, it's bowling!! I WON!!), so if you don't have anything nice to say about the guitar cake (or the fact that I beat a bunch of elementary age kids), then remember what your mama told you. Otherwise you'll be in the doghouse with my husband, who, when I sent a picture of the cake and asked if it looked like a guitar, replied with the following sentiment: "yes or a hammerhead shark". 

All I know is we had a fantastic birthday bash, complete with a cake and festivities that made Middle Boy HAPPY....and his mama too. 

Who knows, they may be on a stage in Vegas one day.....

Earlier last month, Middle Child's school held a talent contest.  Middle Child is ALL ABOUT a talent show.  He, along with ,decided to enter the group competition with a gravity act. 

But let me back up.... Last summer we were all enamored here at House of Bowling with the popular show "America's Got Talent".  One act in particular that we enjoyed was from a group called Fighting Gravity.   A group of engineering students from Virginia Tech (I think it was VA Tech), who placed 3rd in the national show and went on to have a national tour afterwards. Seriously, if you didn't see them, you should click that link and take a look....or google their acts on youtube....super NEAT stuff.

This is Middle Child's group.  Blurry much?

So, Middle Child and friends, along with their teacher, set out to produce a great blacklight gravity show for the talent competition.  And that they did.  For a bunch of 11 year olds, in rural Alabama, with not a lot of props or practice time, they pulled off a real crowd pleaser.....in fact, they brought the house down.

They named their group GRAVITRON.  And Gravitron showed out on that small school stage.

Sorry his mother does not have the knowledge of how to take photos in the dark properly....but at least you can get the idea.  Clearly, when they strike out on the big stage, we'll seek professional help. :)

Needless to say, Gravitron won the group portion of the talent show.  And they are anxiously waiting a call to take it national...maybe they can be an opening act for Fighting Gravity one day.....America won't know what hit them when this bunch rolls in....

A special thanks to their teacher, who stayed after school to practice for hours, several days each week, to guide them to a victory.....a special teacher.....who really cares about her students and their interests! Congratulations to Middle Child and Gravitron...you made us all proud!

Temptation

One of my favorite reality shows is Biggest Loser. Do y'all like it? Oh, I do.  I love seeing those people change their lives week in and week out.  Sure, sometimes they mess up, make a mistake....but they get back out there and push harder next time.  They don't give up.  You know those episodes where they have a "temptation" challenge.....and Biggest Loser producers are good, they put out the contestants favorite items, the most alluring of foods, sensual smells, tantilizing sights of deliciousness.....some contestants are strong in their devotion to reach their goals and thus the temptations are far less appealing, and others, well they often come up a little short.  They are weaker.  They fall to temptation. 

No different than everyday life for all of us.  Biggest Loser is a show about losing weight and ultimately, searching, achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle with proper food and exercise.  And often they do a little inner soul searching along the way.  But back to those temptation challenges---certainly a part of their journey, but you know what, they are really just a glimpse into the devil's handiwork in all of our lives....and I'm not talking about the cupcakes either. 

We are all faced with temptation daily. Every. Single. Day. Temptations come in many sizes and flavors. Some are so crafty we don't even realize it until it's far too late...we're already knee deep in them (gossip or selfishness or affairs or bitterness or greed or whatever it is that hinders our walk with God) before the brain processes the Lord's conviction.  And then when we do figure it out, we are so upset with ourselves, it's easier to give in more. 

We knew we didn't need to eat the cupcake (or yell at our kids), we didn't really even want the cupcake (in fact, it was that unexpected bill that came in the mail that put a sour taste in our mouths, not even something the kids did anyway), but the cupcake was there, taunting us with it's mile high frosting (the kids neglected to put their laundry away, again) and brightly colored sprinkles (sure you thought it would make you feel better to get it off your chest and family was the best place to explode---they have to love you even when you're crazy).   And besides, the world (satan and his cronies here on earth) says cupcakes are divine, just divine...so go ahead and eat as many as you want.  

You know that's exactly what satan and the world wants us to do.  See the temptations.  Fall to them.  Wallow in our self-pity afterwards and in essence sin some more. Satan won't give up.  Please remember he tempted Jesus many times. He offered the biggest, moistest, red velvet cupcake smothered in cream cheese icing.....but Jesus stood firm. 

Satan is going to throw temptations at our feet as well....and sometimes we are going to fall....but we just can't give up and allow ourselves to stumble over them day in and day out. We need to remember that while satan may have the power to provide those very enticing temptations....we serve a God who has an even bigger power to help us overcome each and every one. Each and every one. 

So, the next time you are tempted (which should be sometime today, before, during and after you read this post) remember this month's H3 verse and speak it so your brain and heart can hear God's words.....

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  But God is faithful, he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."
                                                                     ~ 1 Corinthians 10:13

You are going to be tempted.  God says that.  But the good news is that He also says he will be with us and provide a way for us to stand firm just as Jesus did.  There's always a way out....we just need to look for God's light shining the pathway.

Happy Birthday, Middle Child !!

In honor of your day of celebration, I give you 12 words to describe the blessing God gave us in having you:

• Intriguing
• Loyal
• Charismatic
• Tender
• Intelligent
• Lovable
• Athletic
• Charming
• Polite
• Godly
• Witty
• Handsome