The Superhero and his apprentice

Sorry ladies, the blue one is spoken for...

How cute is my boy?

Jonah started T-ball last Sunday and today was picture day. He is SOOOO excited to be on a team, he had a ton of nervous energy today. It has been so fun for me to watch him in this new venture, he is so grown up and embracing this new autonomy from me. He doesn't want me to cramp his style. His first game is in two weeks. I can't wait!! I hope the other fans are ready for my high pitched cheering!

Typical Grocery Shopping Day

These "car" carts are a mixed blessing for me at the grocery store. On the one hand, I've got two out of three of my kids accounted for. On the other hand I have my third one dangerously shimmying up the sides repeatedly, the other two hanging out the sides with their hands out hitting items on the shelves as we drive by, fights over who gets the working horn on their steering wheel, whose turn is it to ride in the cart, and lastly I'm steering a cart that is really hard to guage depth wise and I'm ALWAYS running into something and one time it was the back of some poor lady's heels!
I feel like my children are the loudest people in the store at any given time and people are always staring at me. Some of it's imagined on my part, but I know people can't help but wonder "what the heck is going on over on aisle 9?"
Today I had the awesome privelage of running a quick trip to the grocery store sans children, but I still succeeded in drawing attention to myself. I pulled a buttermilk out of the refrigerator section and a second buttermilk comes flying out of nowhere behind it, lands at my feet splattering open and spraying myself and the floor completely in buttermilk!! The one woman that was by me made an embarrassed grimace and quickly pushed her cart away leaving me to stand there by myself and my awkward situation. I toweled off in the bathroom and threw the busted container out. I guess I don't need my kids to provide me embarrassing situations, I can do just as well on my own.

What every parent would love to see

Payton stood like this reading for about 35 minutes today without moving or sitting down. I LOVE that she loves to read! I have glimpses of she and I in the future curled up some nights under a big blanket with cups of tea and cocoa both engrossed in our own books.
She just started reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" all over again on her own this time. We read all the books together when she was five and now she's doing it on her own at seven. Don't act like you're not impressed!

Growing up part 2

Realizing that perhaps the reason why your clothes don't fit that well is b/c you continue to shop in the teen section at Macy's.

My sister brought that to my attention on Monday and it was like the wool had been lifted from my eyes. It absolutely made sense. She too had been guilty of raiding the teen section with me, walking into the dressing room with armloads of clothes, perhaps buying one thing that you never end up wearing anyway b/c it never looks quite right on. I hearby vow to NOT set my feet there again and spare myself the future frustration and annoyance of ill-fitting clothes. I always wondered when I should probably stop shopping in teen targeted clothes and now I recognize that perhaps 32-33 would've been a great time to get out while I was still ahead.
Also, I did end up plucking one of my hundreds of grays on Tuesday b/c it was sticky straight up to the heavens and I just couldn't rock it. Gray hairs are not just a different color, they take on a whole other life of their own.

I'm growing up!

This year has been such a HUGE year of change for me in more ways than one. I'm on the Soul Kitchen (our ministry for women) core team and I have been planning the Spring Bible study (this is our flyer for it) with a group of three other women. It starts tomorrow! If you had asked me a year ago if I'd be doing this, I'd chuckle politely and say no. I never saw myself leading in a ministry for women, but I love it! It energizes me, stretches me, and at times overwhelms me. But I've been blessed to work with the coolest women and I'm grateful for it.
I was just telling Trav that right about the 11 month mark of us being here I realized I looked forward to going to church. The first 11 months I was always anxious about having to make small talk, meet people, stand in a room full of people I didn't know and who didn't know me, etc. But I finally KNOW people, I'm excited to see them and connect. When you miss it for that long you are so appreciative of it when you get it back. I'm connected again. Yay!
I'm also a T-ball mom of two. I live T-ball Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays now, it's my new part time job:). But again I love it, it's a lot of time, but I get to play and hang out with whichever of my two are not participating. Davey just sat in my lap and cuddled for a lot of Jonah's practice yesterday. I'm invited to slow down at these functions b/c I can't do laundry, dishes, bills, etc. It's good for me. I graduated from high school with Payton's coach's wife, and I was a cheerleader with one of the moms on Jonah's team. It's been fun to reconnect with people.
And lastly I'm growing up b/c I've got a head full of gray hair! They're taking over and I refuse to give into the impulses of pulling them out or combing my hair different to cover them. I'm old people. I'm leading women's Bible study, a T-ball mom, and I'm going gray. But I'm cool with it, I love where I'm at. I could do without the gray, but perhaps it makes me look more wise and thoughtful in my middle age:).

Old Skool took Payton to school

A few weeks ago Trav took Payton to her school's "Father Daughter Disco Dance". They encouraged people to dress up and Trav took it to heart. As you can see below, Payton was a little unsure of going to a dance with her friends with a date that would certainly "stand out".

I gave her a pep talk on being a good date and making sure she gave Daddy a few dances, and not to ditch him for her friends:).

Trav enjoyed walking up to our neighbors at the party and just saying, "Hey how's it going?" and then just stood there awkwardly chatting until all of a sudden they recognized him. I LOVE this about Trav, he doesn't embarrass easy and he always makes me laugh.

We finally coerced Payton to smile for at least one picture. She did end up ditching Trav for her friends but came back and gave him a few dances and checked in with him. All the other little girls were pretty much doing the same thing so Trav didn't feel too bad, how can you feel bad wearing that outfit anyway?