Sure I love football, but he is my baby afterall.

Oh my, today is the day. 

On Monday, Middle Child began and ultimately survived his first ever TWO-A-DAY. 

That's football lingo for "the beginning of hell or the time period of practices where you can no longer feel your feet because they hurt so bad, your arms and legs are bruised, your lower calf muscle will probably be cut from a cleat at some point, your chest and back is likely to have numerous scrapes, and you will puke at least once a day for good measure, or to make sure you are still alive. Because in the south, two-a-day practices occur in the heat. You know when it's nice and HOT....with a heat index of 110.  And you are required to run sprints in the wonderful afternoon hours of summertime."

Middle Child and Elder Son have been slow to move around the past few days. They lay around and moan a lot. The up side is I'm not having to get on to them constantly for wrestling in my bedroom floor in the evening hours during commercial breaks. They are just too tired. And their thighs hurt.

And today, they begin FULL PADS.  Which is football lingo for, "today you will get drilled. you will lie flat of your back. you will be thankful for padding, but reluctant to go full speed at the tailback ever again. and you will puke at least once for good measure, and to reassure yourself, yet again, you are still alive."

Oh yes, today, Middle Child will have his first ever experience with FULL PADS. Football is a contact sport afterall. He's been anxiously awaiting this time for a while. Elder Son went through this rite of passage a couple of years ago....he knows what's coming.  And I don't think he's being very helpful to his little brother. 

Yesterday, when I picked them up from their 2nd practice of the day (hence TWO A DAY), I stopped a couple of the Varsity players for a quick chat. Or rather a stern statement.  From the mama of that 75 lb. squirt on the team. With my mama face on and eyebrow cocked. 

"Hey, (biggest lineman on the team), y'all need to take it easy on Middle Child tomorrow, don't hit him too hard. I mean,  it wouldn't be very good for one of the biggest members of the Varsity squad to hit him at full speed, now would it?" 

To which the biggest lineman replied, "Oh, Mrs. Kimberly, we are gonna take care of Middle Child, I promise we'll look after him." 

I also gave the same statement to a couple of other Varsity players before returning home. 

Later I find out, Middle Child had been weaving his own safety nets as best he could prior to today's HITTING drills.  Turns out, he was passing out gum at practice yesterday to a few of the known Varsity hard hitters in an attempt to get in their good graces.  One of the first on his list to achieve mercy status with was the quarterback, a senior athlete.  Back during spring practice, Middle Child gave us an eye witness account of when the quarterback hit Elder Son at full speed.  And "lit him up"....football lingo for Elder Son got drilled. Elder Son survived, but the memory of that hit is still as vivid as the day it occurred.  

Middle Child will probably have one of those vivid memory jolting moments to chalk up in his career today. 

And thus I think it would be a good time for us all to pray.  Fervently.

Because Middle Child ran out of gum yesterday.....

Calamity? What calamity?

There's never going to be a month go by that I couldn't write a post similar to this one. It's just how life goes. Because we live in a fallen world, nothing will ever be perfect, not even for just a month.  That is of course until we live with our Father in the promised land one day....for eternity.  
I have friends and family who are going through some pretty deep things right now. Good and Bad. Difficult decisions. Thrilling fun.

I mean some emotional oceans. A cousin who tragically lost her husband. Friends battling cancer. Friends who are experiencing their children leaving the nest for various reasons. An uncle who had emergency surgery. Friends who are making big moves. Milestones for others. New businesses. Marriages. Pregnancy. Buying new homes. Inferitlity. Success in school.  etc.etc.

Depths of sorrow, depths of love, depths of joy, depths of pain, depths of excitement and anxiety all rolled into one. 

Well I have encouraging news to deliver from the good book.  News to help you make it through the hard times and news to encourage you in the joyful moments.  News to help you aspire to reach for what the Lord has waiting.  

"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

He has a plan for you. He makes that clear, in fact he declares it in Jeremiah 29:11.

He gave us these words.  Why don't you hide them in your heart....and pray them over your children, the family who is grieving, the friend who is depressed, your girlfriend who is struggling with finding her mate, any new adventures that are calling you....use this verse for all aspects of your life.  Let the Lord lighten the load through the heavy stuff as well as craddle close those joyous moments today!

aunts, uncles, cousins galore.

Family.

Wouldn't take anything for these moments.

Scenes from the lakehouse.

Sweet summertime, how I love you so.

It only makes my heart stop every other throw.

As it turns out, sometimes it works to your advantage to be a bit small, as Middle Child found out at the lakehouse pier.  

His cousins would hoist him up limb by limb and swing him...

 Back...

 and forth....

and back...

 and forth...

 until finally....



 the release....

and exhilaration of the fall.

And then he'd climb back out and beg for more.

Sweet summertime.

We know how to pack in some fun.

Sister and I have had our children on a little excursion for the past two days. Thrift stores. The hood. Johnny Rockets. Candy Stores. Pizza delivery. Krispy Kreme. Late Movies. Swimming. Hotel fountain drinks galore. etc.etc.

And it's not even been 24 hours yet. That's just how we roll. :)

However, I do have to stop for a moment and tell you how wonderful our movie experience was last night.  Each ticket only cost a buck. You heard me, a whole dollar per person.  I love the $1 movie theater.  And we were able to see a movie from earlier in the spring/summer that we missed at the big fancy schmancy theaters that charge $8.  What movie? Soul Surfer.  The one about the girl who was bitten by a shark, arm completely severed and still she perserved and became a professional surfer. Have y'all seen it?  Oh, it was just fantastic. Fantastic, I tell you.

My boys thought it might be more of a chick flick so they opted to take their buck and see RIO. Middle Child said it was really funny, but I hate to tell them, our dollar went a lot further than their animated humor. Seriously, if you haven't seen soul surfer, you totally should. Baby Girl even hopes to get it on DVD for her birthday.

Oh and another score for the evening....we hit the jackpot at the concessions too.  Apparently it was $1 coke and $1 popcorn night as well.....now that's a place where you don't have to take out a loan to get in the theater with your milkduds and buttery kernels of goodness.

Family Game Night.

Seriously, I can't get enough of these kids.

Thrift Store Finds

As one of their summer coupons of fun, I told the children I would take them to a thrift store, turn them loose with $10 each, and see what treasures they could find. 

Man, I had no idea the thrift store could provide such entertainment....they each had the best time scouring the aisles with bright eyes when they would bring something to me to confirm that indeed that 79 sticker on the top of said item meant that it was a whopping 79 cents.  Below you will find a sampling of the items we purchased, loaded in our car, and promptly came home to put in a scalding hot dishwasher cycle, a thorough clorox wipe cleansing, and a final lysol spray disinfecting.  Basically, the chemical process to dispose of the germs probably cost more than the sum of all items, but it was worth it.

Apparently I have a thing for glasses.  I bought several on the excursion. These bicentennial ones (a quarter each) because they remind me of those tupperware sold in the late 70's...I don't know why but they are one of my favorite kind of glasses to drink from, weird, I know.

These steins are for fun as well.  A couple of years ago on a spring break road trip, we took the kids to eat pizza in New Jersey. I figured we needed a New Jersey stein just because....and it currently acts as a pencil holder.  The Michigan mug I just bought because Middle Child has a thing for anything collegiate, logos, etc., and it is being housed in the basement kitchenette, ready you need a fun mug to pour your root beer for movie night. 

And these little jewels were only 17 cents each....some are old even.  We like little juice glasses. And I used a couple in the guest bathrooms for a water glass. 

Middle Child found a bag of toys for $1.98....which included all these Toy Story figures, including Lotso the mean bear from Toy Story 3 even.  Toy Story is one of my favorite movies...Mr. Potato Head and his wife make me laugh out loud every time.

A new game for only 99 cents.

 Middle Child also has some new love affair with lacrosse, and for weeks has been insisiting he NEEDED a lacrosse stick.  Lo and Behold, the thrift store made life complete for him....for the low low price of $1.48. 

Baby Girl asked for this robo dog thing two Christmases ago. I didn't see the point in paying $40 for a fake battery operated dog when we have a beautiful lab (Sadie) at home that loves attention, so she went without the latest toy craze that Christmas....poor deprived child. Imagine her delight when she found this guy for 99 cents....and he still works like a charm....but if you ask me I still say Sadie has it beat by a mile!

And what about this nifty penguin....

which can provide hours of mindless eye-popping fun?

Needless to say, the thrift store was a big hit and we'll be returning again one day. 

Concerning marriage, no truer words have I ever read :)

Presidential Wit from Lyndon B. Johnson:

"I have learned that only two things are necessary to keep one's wife happy,"

"First, let her think she's having her way.  And second, let her have it."

At least they outlawed M80's or who knows what might of happened.

My boys, especially Elder Son, have an extreme fixation with the FIREWORKS.  And after having some fun with leftover firecrackers, I walked out our back door to find the following:

The Crime Scene.

You may be amazed at what you can find hidden in those trees and surrounding landscape.

Oh my. Legs.

Oh my. An arm. A detached arm. As in seperate from it's body. Ugh.  

Uh oh. A body. Um. a headless, one armed, naked, barbie body.

Look closely....right in the middle of the photo.
Yep. There's her head.
Must've took a hard roll when the firecracker blew.

Now, just to be clear, and so that the boys don't get all the blame for her terrible condition....Baby Girl had chosen to shear her hair off at the scalp many months ago.....but at that time, it was still attached.

However, that decapitation proved to be of little challenge for a couple of boys and a round or two or ten of firecrackers.

Oh the joys of trying to keep them out of juvenielle court raising boys.