First Day of School 2009

Today was the first day of school...a day that marks the end of sleeping in, riding roller coasters, riding bikes, and playing in the water for a while. And every year when this day arrives, I'm amazed at how fast the summer went...and how fast my babies are growing up.

The night before always brings a flood of memories washing over me. As I playfully tousled their hair and brushed the bridge of their noses with my finger, I wondered when their baby face became so defined. I wondered when their arms became so muscular and hands became so strong. I wondered when I went from playing 'this little piggy' with their toes to their feet growing to be so big. I remember watching their eager eyes as they listened to the lyrical rhythm of me reading Goodnight Moon time and time again.

And as I leaned in to kiss them goodnight, they were in kindergarten all over again...waiting for butterfly kisses and bedtime prayers. Waiting for dreams of dinosaurs and red wagons. And I... I was savoring this moment...treasuring this memory.

As my strong, handsome boys left for Jr. High and 5th grade this morning, I swallowed hard and thanked God for every new day He's given me with them.

Goodnight stars, goodnight air, goodnight noises everywhere.

Last Ditch Vacation

Since we have plans for a big "family" celebration vacation later this year, we decided to take a short vacation with just the punks this past week to San Antonio...one of our favorite places to visit. We decided to make use of our Six Flags season passes and make that our main activity while there.

Just like when I was a kid, our boys really like hotels. We probably could have gone across town to a hotel with a pool...and they would have loved it just as well. We made good use of the pool within an hour of our arrival.

I love watching the punks play in a pool...with everything they have. They seriously love water! I also like to (and this may sound totally creepy, but not intended to in the least) watch their bodies as they swim. They are so unique...and I love noticing the differences in their body structure as they grow and develop. They are beautiful to me.

All boy...and yet stunning...

Every little feature screams "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." And I couldn't help but notice how Steve and I share our eyes with each one of them...the green eyed pair...

and the blue eyed beauties...

We're pretty happy to be their parents...and downright giddy to be away on a little vacation with some of the funnest people we know.

After swimming, we went down to the Riverwalk.

...ate some great mexican food...

did some sightseeing...

...and of course, we had to at least drive by it...

Then back to the hotel for um...play. Seriously one of the reasons the boys love hotels is because I let them jump on the hotel beds...and one of their favorite things to do since they were little boys is jump from one bed to the next seeing how high they can jump.

And of course there's the wrestling.... Like I said...all boy.

Monday morning we got up and went to Six Flags.

I used to love roller coasters when I was a little girl...and even into my twenties. Somehow with age, my body has not followed my heart and I don't handle the coasters too well. I was bound and determined that I would ride some coasters with the boys...part of their enjoyment is seeing me scared and hearing me scream (sounds sadistic, but they love it)...and I wanted to experience it with them. After dry heaving after the first three rides, I decided to just be the photographer for the rest of the day.

This was the boys' favorite ride...Superman. They rode it a total of 9 times over the course of the two days we were there.

I opted out of this ride...for obvious reasons...

Another favorite was Scream...again opting out. Caleb was sure to remind me that this was the same ride where the girl got her feet cut off in Ken-tuc-kee when one of the cables snapped. Thanks son.

Back again on Tuesday...more rollercoasters until the water park opened at noon...

We all rode this together...and although I had trouble getting started, I "beat" because I went the farthest...shocker, I know.

All I could think when I saw this was...wow, imagine how much pee is in there.

I rode this too. The boys tricked me into this...saying it was really a mild ride and that the intertube didn't go very high up on the sides. Uh...wrong. I saw my life flash before my eyes...up on the left....on up on the right...and up on the left...you get it. After I was able to swallow again, I realized that was one of the best feelings I had had in long time.

That night we ate mexican again...shocking again I know. They had a mariachi band that was pretty good...

...and a really weird Davy Crockett mannequin playing the fiddle on top of a replica Alamo wall. I would love to have been in the restaurant planning meeting that day.

Wednesday morning the boys got to do what they wanted to do from the first day at the hotel...use the luggage cart. I'm telling you...they are easily amused.

Before heading home, we went to the Alamodome and watched the Cowgirls in training camp.

We came home...closer as a family and feeling blessed we were able to enjoy so many fun things together...making memories to last a lifetime.

Ahhhh, summer...you never hang around long enough.

Going Deeper

The ladies at my church are planning a Ladies Retreat coming in September where our theme is "Going Deeper, Reaching Higher." I have the privilege of blogging for that retreat. You might want to check it out.

www.goingdeepreachinghigh.blogspot.com

Imaginary Friends

When Cody was about 4 years old (I tried to find my notes for the exact date...yes, I had a tab divider in my written organizer back then named "C&C" where I would write down funny things they said so I could use those notes to update their baby books...never got transferred to their baby book...but still have those papers somewhere in my keepsake drawer...and people, this is my keepsake drawer...


very scary...but it will get organized one day and get put into their respective keepsake folders...

which I am sure they will hang on to and cherish for the rest of their lives...right? Yeah, right. I heard I'm doing good if I get a phone call every once in a while when they're grown since I have boys. But I digress...)

Anywho, Cody had 2 imaginary friends back then. One was named Joey, and the other was named Jerry Narron. Jerry Narron was the then manager of the Texas Rangers. Joey, we thought, was a name pulled completely out of his, um, you know "imagination." He played with both friends...and if I remember correctly, Joey was always perfectly behaved, but Jerry had some behavior issues that were always having to be addressed. Cody would have backseat conversations with them...complete with asking us if Joey or Jerry could spend the night with him. We, of course, always said yes. Because we're nice parents like that.

These imaginary friends were a part of Cody's life for a good couple of years. It wasn't over the top...where he would open doors for them or ask for a plate for them at the dinner table or anything, but he would definitely have conversations with them...and of course they would spend the night with him...because once again...we're nice like that.

Imagine my surprise this past June...some 8 years later...when I met THE Joey. Cody was participating in a week long missions project with the CrossTrainers at church and we were talking about his day at the end of day one. He mentioned doing something during that day with his friend Joey. I said "who's Joey?" because I had never met a friend of his from church named Joey. He said, "you know...Joey, the boy who was my imaginary friend when I was little."

I have to tell you...this took me by a huge surprise. I said, "you mean Joey was real back then?" And he proceeded to tell me that he and Joey had gone to Sunday School together basically all their life. I cannot believe I did not know this. I felt so completely and utterly out of touch with evidently someone very important in his life.

I knew then that I would make it a point to at least find out all the kids that he shares his life with...even for an hour on Sunday mornings.

Now, does anyone know where I can find Jerry Narron? I have some things I need to discuss with him.