Merry Christmas from our World of Crazy...

Many blessings to you all in the year to come!

Um, yeah… We're Still Here...

It seems that I cannot keep a blog anymore.

It's not for a lack of checking it, or a lack of desire to post.

I certainly get on here quite a bit to see if anyone else has posted something new!

But, there are times (like tonight) when I'm procrastinating (editing sessions…I'm so close to being finished with this round but I'm lacking motivation to push through tonight) and I think "Oh! I should put a handful of photos on the blog so that I can say I posted this month!" Ha. Something like that.

Here's some small, tiny glimpses at what this fall has entailed at our home. Flag football for Caleb, baseball for Logan, tons of playing on the sidelines for Toben, Logan's 6th birthday, a Star Wars Halloween (again), and more.

Toben had finished his Ring Pop and thought it worked well as a mouthguard.

Look at that boy juke!

There were two awards handed out to the team when the season was finished - one was for Most Improved, and the other was Most Sportsmanship-Like. Caleb was awarded Most Sportsmanship-Like! {Proud parent moment} I couldn't care less if he was the star of the team, I desire for my boys to be good sports and leaders for their teams in that manner! Way to go Caleb!

Two Clone Troopers of some kind and Jango Fett. Jango is in the middle.

The highlight to Logan's fall baseball season was his Kindergarten teacher, Miss Ables, coming to watch him play one evening.

Logan is six years old! We had his first "friend" party at Inflatable Zone, on the most perfect day to be indoors on inflatable bouncy things -- it had been so cold and drizzly outside for several days, and all the parents THANKED us for having the party so that their kids could bounce out some pent up energy!

He wanted a "football field cake"

Hopefully I can post a bit more regularly. I probably should install the Blogger app on my phone, and post some more day-to-day photos from there!

A Little About Logan...

We are in a really, really good season right now with Logan. He has amazed us with how well he's adjusted to elementary school and it can only be directly attributed to the Lord's hand in his life. So many prayers have been showered over that boy in the past few years due to his anxiety and self-confidence issues, and BOY has God answered!!

Here's just a couple of funny little stories to shed some light on what our talented, funny, insightful middle son is like these days... Both happened in his kindergarten classroom, and his teacher shared these little encounters with me yesterday.

*******

First Week of School
Miss Ables (an A&M grad): So, Logan, I hear you like to watch Aggie football.
Logan: Yes! I like the Aggies. It's fun to watch the games.
Miss Ables: Do you think you'd like to go to Texas A&M and play football for them one day?
Logan (apparently very seriously): Yeah. If Johnny Manziel can't cut it, I can go in and play quarterback for him.

*******

Just This Week
The schools in our district are focusing on anti-bullying strategies. Logan's class had watched a short video about bullying, and the teacher was leading them on a discussion about what to look for in order to tell if someone was being bullied. She asked the class what sort of actions would make them think someone was in danger of bullying. Several students raised their hand, and she went around letting each have a turn to share. Logan was about the fourth student to answer, and here's what he said... Put your 'thinking cap' on and try to imagine this with me...

"If someone is holding someone else." -- as he's gesturing, holding his right hand up in a fist and his left hand holding his right forearm, just as a football referee would if calling a HOLDING penalty.

********

So, basically, relate everything to football (or baseball) when teaching Logan, and we're good.

Back to School...

School started for us this past Monday, August 26th.

{cue the angels singing}

We had a busy, yet laid-back summer -- and it was time for these boys to be back in a routine, to meet new friends and reunite with old friends, to learn to respect and follow another voice of authority, to make new adventures happen.

And it was good.

Caleb, age 7.5: likes any and all things LEGO, enjoys coloring, playing Wii, swimming, bears, the color orange, Star Wars, Ninja Turtles, going out for frozen yogurt at U-Swirl, pickles, cucumbers, has lost 7 teeth, wants to be just like Daddy. Will be playing flag football this fall.

Logan, age 5.75: Likes any and all things dog-oriented, LEGOs, Star Wars (especially Darth Vader), Aggie football and baseball, playing baseball, running, jumping, and cartwheeling everywhere, playing Wii, ketchup is a food group, has lost 4 teeth, still wants to be a meteorologist, can make his bed better than his brothers (and is proud of it).

The face of a Kindergartener who says "I've got this, Mom. You can leave now."

The 2nd-grader fake smile. :) He was ready for me to leave, too.

He's a Graduate...

Logan is about to start Kindergarten at the end of this month.

How did that happen?

His preschool graduation was at the end of May, and we had the best time celebrating this fun milestone with him. It was truly a celebration, since Logan really struggled to like and enjoy going to school for the first two years of preschool. Something just 'clicked' (really, I believe it was an incredible combination of maturity, dynamic teachers, and PRAYER) and he all of a sudden transformed from a sullen, uncooperative little boy who cried when I left him to an energetic, imaginative, engaged, fun little person who would run into class with hardly a wave goodbye!

Logan started reading simple words this year, and throughout the course of the summer has expanded his efforts at reading. I sure hope his Kindergarten teacher is able to continue this newfound love of learning, exploring, and living. He's definitely my creative soul; constantly amazing me with his understanding of various things.

Logan with his teachers, from l-r: Ms. Amy, Ms. Angie, Ms. Shannon, and Ms. Adriana

 

Bring on Kindergarten. I think he's ready.

Just hope his teacher is ready for him... ;)

And so he became a fish...

I finally started going through some of the photos on my computer and giving this neglected blog some love. I so enjoy going back and reading old posts, as well as keeping up with others' blogs, and I'd like to try to keep on posting. Soooo -- here goes! Catching up on some life...

On May 1st, Caleb started his first season of swim team as a part of the Pin Oak Piranhas! It was a rough start -- Caleb wasn't the strongest swimmer, I was the agonizing parent sitting to the side, and his coaches were trying any trick they knew of to get him to Just. Keep. Swimming.

BUT!

Swim he did!! He finally swam the whole length of the pool without stopping at his second meet, and after that there was hardly any stopping the boy! By the last meet of the season, his times had been cut nearly in half over the beginning of the season, and he was swimming in at least four events in the meets.

Beginning of the season = Lack of confidence, barely swimming 10m of freestyle

End of the season = Full of confidence, swimming the length of the pool, swimming freestyle, breast stroke, back stroke, and butterfly!

The First Floor...

Welcome! We've been in our new house for about 3 1/2 weeks now, and the boxes are gradually disappearing (although toys and other items are taking their places). I thought it was time to start giving a bit of a picture-tour.

The problem is, the lenses I have for my camera aren't adequate to fully capture a room. (Mental note: Start seriously looking at the 35 and 85mm lenses...) I ended up taking these with my phone, but at least more of the rooms are visible!

Come on in!

Dining room

My office (computer and sewing) and adjoining bath

The family room. Keeping it real, here - I made no effort at straightening up and 'staging' these rooms. ;) Also, the study/Ryan's office is behind the French doors. It has his large antique desk, a curio cabinet, and a piano in there. Oh, and some remaining boxes.

I love my kitchen. The breakfast area is off to the right. The boys' swim gear is adorning all the chairs this afternoon!

Our master bedroom

Master bath

Powder room

Mud area off the two-car garage, complete with light sabers. :)

(Wow, several of these aren't in focus!) Utility room off of mud area. We will be adding more shelving in here soon, and one day putting another refrigerator in here. Three boys sure go through a ton of groceries!

That's pretty much the first floor. Maybe I'll post a tour of the upstairs next month! Ha!