Because a boy will only sit still for a little while....

 And quite frankly, it doesn't matter A) How cute the cheerleader is or B) How big the bucket of cotton candy is.....

Eventually, he will lose interest and have the need to move about to bigger adventures.

It's just part of being a boy. 

And a cute boy at that.  :)

A cute boy of a sweet friend. 'Twas great to see you, friend, even if just from the other side of the fence. I continue to be amazed by your youthful appearance.....you still look like you're 12, and clearly you couldn't be 12 and be the mother to this bright young lad climbing fences. :)

Now, here's a fanatic....

It's Homecoming Week at school....time to show your spirit with dress up days galore.  Today was college fan day. We'll take any excuse to pull Baby Girl's hair up Cindy-Loo-Who style anytime!

L137---trust me, you're gonna want to remember it.

L137

So, if you've been visiting the House of Bowling blog here for any length of time, then you know that on the 3rd of every month we put up a new scripture to think about and try and memorize.....in hopes of "hiding HIS words in our heart" (H3). 

And for those of you who began this little adventure with me into the H3 club ---- pat yourself on the back, it's our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!  That's right....we've been at it for a whole year. I'm glad you started with me.  I'm glad you're still here.  I'm sure we've lost a few, but I know we've gained new people it seems like each month, and we're always ready to have ANYONE and EVERYONE join us!!!   And I am thankful for each one of you.  Maybe you only learned a couple of verses, maybe you can recite them all from the past year---it doesn't matter, what matters is that God's word has been resting in your heart every time you read these verses....and for that He is pleased. 

I bet you're wondering what L137 stands for.....I'm about to tell you.  Is it a bar code?  A ticket # ?  A call out at the Bingo?  A skew # for produce? An aisle in Target?  A train ride? Your stadium seat? An airline flight?

Nope.  It just so happens to be a little code for this month's verse selection.....which includes a few profound words from our Lord:

"For nothing is impossible with God."

~Luke 1:37

Look....it's short, easy to remember, EVERYONE can use it (I think daily), and we even have a code for it.....God is so good! 

All month, and for the remainder of your days here on earth, remember L137.....For nothing is impossible with God.

• When the evil of the world is crushing in, and it becomes increasingly harder every day to find the good, remind yourself:   L137
• When you are having a hard time accepting the will of the Father, through death, divorce, harsh work climates, miscarriages, liars, infidelity, envy, bitterness, you think there's no way past it all....always know:  L137
• When your teenager's behavior is less than desirable, you're exhausted and at your wit's end, your doubting your ability to parent, know that there's always a place to turn for help.....keep in mind: L137
• When you are struggling to make end's meet, your family has experienced job loss, financial burdens are piling up, there is a way out, seek His face and remind yourself: L137
• When you are tempted time and time again, trials are around every corner, the devil is after you like never before,  and he's saying mean and ugly things that you are believing about yourself, he's laughing at your inabilities, your shortcomings, your failures.....shout back at him: L137
• When a close friend or family member has betrayed you, it seems too hard to forgive, almost impossible to move on.....but wait, remember: L137
• When chaos reigns at your house, the laundry never ends, the bills arrive daily, the children expect to be fed, the co-workers ask you to do more than your fair share, the friends take but rarely give, the challenges of parenting are overwhelming (it is a HUGE responsibility), the committee meetings, the constant rush through life, the fact that sometimes people just aren't going to like you, some will never agree with you, and we all still have to live here together on this planet anyway.....when all of it comes crashing down, week after week, please take a single moment daily to take a deep breath and don't count to 10....just say to yourself very calmly: L137

This verse comes from the gospel of Luke when the angel Gabriel is predicting Jesus' birth. The angel has told Mary what is to come, and she questions him.  I'm sure she was not particularly happy with his insinuations....a child? Why I haven't even been with a man!  How could I be having a child? 

Gabriel continues on telling her of Elizabeth's pregnancy as well....and reminds her she herself will be carrying not just any baby, but rather the Son of God. And what does the angel say to back up his story:  L137

"For nothing is impossible with God."

Not even an immaculate conception. 

Friend, do you hear that?  Mary, the mother of Christ, was a virgin.  A great miracle, no, the greatest miracle ever....all because of Luke 1:37.  We all know how that story pans out in the end.  Don't you know Mary has to be the proudest mother ever.....just think of her brag book. Oh, if she only had a blog......she could certainly top any ol' story I could dig up about my three little blessings. 

Was she scared in the beginning? Sure.  Was she uncertain how people would perceive her and her growing belly?  Was she ashamed of what Joseph would think?  Worried silly about the gossipers of her day? Do you think she ever felt like the world's burdens may be too much too bear alone?

Mary trusted God with her problems.

Now, don't you think God can handle our problems as well? 

Mary believed in God's promise.....she believed in the words of L137. 

Will you?

Baby Girl had her first gym meet for this season!!

I'm excited to say she came home with a slew of medals hung about her neck!!  Finishing 5th in the All-Around---not too shabby for her first competition this fall.

Seen here with her coaches, Candace and Lauryn, who are mighty fine, fantastic gals!

Highest score for Baby Girl = balance beam, with a whopping 9.30!!

Her highest place on the podium for the day = 2nd on Vault with a 9.275!!

Highlight of the meet = her cousins came to watch!!

Proud of you, Baby Girl---and we can hardly wait to watch you compete again!!

A little late AU post....

So, a couple of Saturdays back, we traveled down to the Plains to see our beloved Auburn Tigers for gameday!  And fortunately, we were happy to meet up with many of our extended family....cousins from all over the south, uniting forces in family ties, and against Clemson!! :)   

Lucky for you, I didn't take very many pictures during this game....because I was in a glass box during the game....and it doesn't fair well for photo opportunities.   However, I can tell you by looking at this photo, Clemson's #93 forgot to put his underpants or girdle or whatever you call it, on under his football pants.

 And whether behind glass or not,  I can also tell you that I can't help myself but take a picture of Cam...the man.

My brother, his wife and son were also in attendance for the AU-go big Blue-game as well. 

And since T-5 and I were holed up in a box (with air conditioning, cushy seats, private bathrooms, and a plethora of free food) we had Nana and Pappy keep watch of Elder Son and Middle Boy over in the cheap seats of the stadium.  

 

Let me just say, I don't think my ol' ticker can take many ballgames like the AU-Clemson, or the AU-South Carolina one from this past weekend.  But I am so proud of my TIGERS.....and there's no place like AUBURN! 

WAR EAGLE!

Oh, they're changing alright.....

the leaves...on the trees.

They went from green and ALIVE, to brown and DEAD.

But at least we are getting some fall type weather this week.

I love the crispness of the cool air, don't you? 

The Climb.

It really isn't about how fast you get there.  Nor is it always about what's waiting on the other side. 

Life is all about the climb. 

Especially for Middle Boy.

He's not the dare devil of our bunch to begin with, but when you also factor in the broken femur that resulted from a random accident on the last day of school in 4th grade....he may be a little more cautious than most.

Hey, if you fell down and broke your femur on the playground you might be a little more careful in life, too.

He's still my hero. Frog legs and all.

Yo-Yo.

This is a summer leftover post.  I'm finding many of them...you'll just have to suffer through it with me, maybe I'll get everything posted before the turn of 2011.

Our niece spent the night with us and one of her favorite activities was watching Elder Son perform his Yo-Yo tricks.  But of course, as with any inquisitive toddler mind----she wanted to try it out for herself as well.

I have no doubts she is a brilliant child, but it still may take a while to catch on to the idea behind a Yo-Yo!!  :)   However, Elder Son will be happy to keep teaching her.

Scripture Cards

I have heard from many of you, but I don't want to leave anyone out who may be interested. Don't forget to message me (text, facebook or email) to let me know if you would like to receive the H3 scripture verse cards in the mail every month. 

H3 folks...sorry to bother you, but...

I have misplaced my book that has all of the H3 folks and their addresses in it....along with various other vital information.  I am very sad. I even resorted to offering 5 WHOLE BUCKS to the first kid who found it over the weekend.....under a couch, behind a chair cushion, between the mattress, etc.  And either it's really lost, or they weren't impressed with the $5 reward money. 

Maybe I should up the ante.

First one to find it gets to live in a house, with a cook and a maid, and free laundry/taxi service.  Any takers?

At any rate, I need my book and it can't be found as of yet.  Believe it or not.....I have all your H3 cards to mail out (even the ones left from this summer when I took a break from things).   Some of you may not care to get the reminder verses in your mailbox at home, and that's fine too.  However, I know it's a hassle, but if you would still like to receive the H3 cards in the mail please, please, let me know. Or if you are new and wanting to join up with H3--super!  Text me, Facebook me, leave a comment here, shoot me an email, whatever....thanks!

It should be a great marriage, with such wonderful beginnings at AU.....

During the Auburn game this past weekend the sweetest thing occurred at halftime.  The ladies in navy suits and the guys in orange blazers are known as the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen.  They were recognized on Jordan Hare field at halftime during the season opener.  

Just as they were about to exit the field, one lone orange jacket stayed behind, lowered himself to one knee and popped the big question to his girl......right there on the 50 yard line in the center of the AU, among 87,000 of the Auburn family.  It was so sweet. I didn't realize what was happening soon enough to get a pic of him on his knee but here's what followed:

Congratulations to the happy couple and WAR EAGLE!!

I just took a bunch of extra medicine and went anyway!

No matter how sick I am, I never miss an opportunity to spend a day in Auburn, especially watching my beloved Tigers in their season opener!! 

And Baby Girl never misses an opportunity to put in a little gym practice....who knows, maybe an AU gymnastics coach caught a glimpse of her abilities at the tailgate! :)

We made it to the stadium and hadn't even sat down good before it was time to make a trip to the concessions.  But aren't these AU pretzels just the neatest thing??  And yum, too.

                                               

Then it was time....one of my favorite times of the year....I get giddy just thinking about it all over again.....time to watch the 2010 Tigers bust forth from the locker room and take the field!!

And next it was CAM time....oh, that Cam, what can I say, he was fun to watch--run, pass, scramble, you name it! 

You certainly can't miss him, at 6'5" he stands heads above most of the team....and I think he's going to prove to be a great choice as our QB.

And here is my new friend Cam, talking with our 3rd string QB, who happened to go in for a trick play of sorts, and he has an ARM on him as well....he chunked the ball downfield for a touchdown reception! 

I can't leave you without a pic of one of my favorite sideline coaches ever....Trooper Taylor.  However, I wouldn't trade places with him for anything....I'm not about to chest bump Lee Ziemba.

So, all in all, here's the summary:

Our defense needs some work, but I could watch Cameron Newton all day....in fact I think I will do just that every Saturday!

Yep, a day on the plains with all my favorite people---life is good....even with strep throat.

Updated to add:  Cam also received SEC Offensive Player of the Week (thanks for reminding me Michele)