Since last year, life has gotten busier than I ever expected. I entered a new realm that I had hoped to avoid. I became a "soccer mom" of sorts. None of our children play soccer, but Number One plays basketball, Number three cheers for the basketball games, and Number Two started baseball in February. We have limited the children to ONE sport per year so they have the option of changing a sport but not adding thereunto.
I am not sure how parents do it but I guess they do. I definitely had to decide if the sport controlled us or we controlled the sport. I say I, but Mr. Handsome was involved as a silent partner. He goes along for the ride and when things look like we are taking a wrong turn, he jumps in and steers us correctly. He never leads us wrong! Anyway, WE decided we controlled the sport. Thankfully, Number One's coaches were upright Christian men who understood that our priorities were not necessarily being obsessed with the sport! Number Three's cheering coach? Not so much. But when I found out I could stand up and draw clear and definite boundaries - as in we will attend on these days but not on these (we have a midweek church service and that is one thing we have committed ourselves to not missing). The girls also belong to American Heritage Girls, which is a Christian scouting program. And if there is a game and ahg, we go to ahg. Number Two has the same rules and they are working for us.
Sports is an interesting adventure! I was an avid, yet not very accomplished, athlete as a kid. Thankfully for my parents, we lived one block from our school so it wasn't such a hardship for them. I am glad that I had the opportunity and I am hoping our children enjoy it too. Sports have definitely changed since I was young as well. I am amazed at how competitive people are. I took Number Two to sign him up for baseball and I am sure the moms were trying to be polite - most of them are Southern after all - and they asked me how long he had played. I shrugged and said, "never." They all were aghast!!! And then they proceeded to tell me how their little Johnny (named changed to protect myself!) had been playing since he was in diapers!! Well, probably pull-ups but I know I heard diapers. It never occurred to me to subject my children to sports until they were interested. And I didn't have to deal with naptimes, fussy babies, etc. I am glad we waited and we will see. They may never become Hank Aarons or Kareem Abdul Jabbars but they might come to love the sports. Their coaches have been great - except for said coach of Number Three - they want the kids to learn to love the game more than they do win. WOW!!! Who would have thought!!
Staring with May of 2013, Lindsay made this delicious cake for us!
Robert broke his arm. Rather, I should say, Lindsay broke his arm. He told her to pull him behind his bike while he rode his scooter! And of course, there was a crash. Mr. Handsome was sure he didn't brake it but I KNEW he did! We are telling everyone that Lindsay finally got her revenge on him because he broke her arm when she was 2. No there was no fighting involved. He got mad and pushed her off of a chair and her arm got caught.
Field Day. If you meet the minnimum required PRESIDENTIAL goals - you know, how many cigarettes can you smoke in 30 seconds, can you say Jihad properly?! - I'm just kidding!! - if you meet the goals, you get a badge. KK got her badge.
Beatrice, the human wheel barrow!
A quilt for a friend's new baby boy.
And here you have a port o john, with guess what streaming out of it? I know you aren't supposed to use your phone while driving, so Maddie took the picture for me. It was too funny to miss!!
Lindsay got an early birthday present.
Robert riding his Uncle's motorcycle. And mysteriously, the next time we went to visit, it was gone! Just like that! It vanished!
I can't remember what they are doing here. Watch the video and let me know! The girl on the right is my niece Lily!! We LOVE Lily!
Another quilt for a new baby. You can't see it up close but the pinwheels are actually 3-d. I know, I'm a wonder!
Robert graduated from elementary to middle school!!!
At the pool. Rachel is all the way on the far left. That is my younger brother's daughter.
Beatrice's birthday.
After church with some friends. My preacher, on the left, and my friend Aileen. Frozen yogurt is the new big thing! Someone apparently missed it in the '80s.
Robert's buddy Jared. He loves KK!
Maddie's birthday with Mr. Handsome's family in Myrtle Beach.
Our children love Duck Dynasty. For some reason.
At the beach with friends. KK on left, BB on right, their friend Kellan in the middle.
At the beach. I am a chicken mom. I don't like parks and I don't like the beach. It is too difficult to keep up with everyone. They are all too mobile now!! But we go and I pray the whole time. God protects us and I am grateful for it. As you can see, they love it!
Maddie's birthday at home.
New vehicles! YES! While I like the fact that I am driving the batmobile, I can not get used to the lack of space. We had to downsize because gas mileage was so high! And we can't fit our friends!
At the pool. Robert, KK, Jared, Beatrice, Maddie, Lindsay
My younger brother's wife loves Dr. Who (Who?) so I made their new baby - who was born August 1, Grandma Jones in NH's birthday - a Tardis quilt. I know, it looks like a phone booth to me too.
At the Battleship. Yepski, we DO have alligators here.
Maddie the gunner!
At AWANA Big Splash. I went on the slide AFTER all the kids left. My best friend and I went up in a stealth manner but someone noticed and everyone else has photos of us! We had fun!
In Charlotte for the God Bless America crusade. If you haven't been to one and they come to your area GO!! It is free and it is wonderful! Our choir sang and there were almost 500 people in the choir every night!
Lindsay's birthday.
Quilt for another friends' baby. Disregard the wonky lower right side.
I have no idea. We are at my younger brother's house.
Hubb's corn maze. Fun, fun fun!
Kristine doing school
An eclair ring. It was delicious!
Helping a friend clean her dogs. No, not me.
This is supposed to be a video of Lindsay cheering.
Birthday party at a farm somewhere.
Lindsay's pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving.
Our Christmas tree. I had to run an errand and this is what I came back to: yes, confetti!
Another quilt for a friend's grandbaby.
The children's Christmas play
Mr. Robbie decorated like a Christmas tree
Mom and Dad at my brother's house
A year in picutres.
This gigantic thing was built right here in SE NC! It was the tower where the announcers spoke in Time Square for the Super Bowl.
Taylor making venison stew. Notice the white blop in the middle of the bowl? I told him to put it in the SILVER bowl but he wasn't listening. The stew still came out great!
Mini cheerleaders!
Our Cardinal gal
Sledding in North Carolina!! These kids today!! They have no clue what being the downhill person means!
Friends! The extra girls are Bailey (in the back) and PJ (In the plaid coat)
Beatrice playing her ukelele
Robert is actually taller than the Empire State Building!! HA! Actually, he built it.
Valentine's Day celebration - Taylor was in San Jose. He now knows the way to San Jose!
Beatrice was in two Bees this year. She and Robert entered the geography bee (which as it turns out, she came home and told Mr. Handsome, "Daddy, I was in the geography bee and I don't even know what geography is!!) and Bea entered the spelling bee.
The way I make Norwegian pancakes now. Number Three is learning the art of making them. She does a great job too.
Our Elsa and Anna! From Frozen.
Church's Valentine's dinner.
At a paint your own pottery studio with the family.
On the left is Aiden, our grandnephew, Chris' grandson
Watching the boys play
My basketball mom friends! Notice how interested we are in the games!
KK with her two friends - notice how interested they are in the games!
At soulwinning class. Robert represents someone who is dead in their sins. Just for the record, I would never let him climb on a piano. But - I wasn't teaching the class so it wasn't up to me.
My anniversary present from Taiwan. A tea buddy, because everyone needs a buddy! And oolong tea which smells like stinky feet! Taylor had a business trip to Taiwan for 1.5 weeks. I learned how to take apart and reassemble the sink and take apart and reassemble the dishwasher. My Mom wanted to know why I didn't call my older brother. Wellll, I love my older brother but what took Robert and I one hour, would have taken him FIVE because he LOVES to talk. Yes he does!! And I didn't have time for talking.
Getting ready to go get Mr. Handsome
My co-op class singing Let it Go! Kristinie the Great is second from the left.
Robert at bat.
Our baseball player
I decided to color the waffles green for St. Patrick's day.
Kristinie the Great practicing her violin
Lindsay and her best friend.
Maddie's mosaic stone
Robert made unleavened bread
At the Gestapo-like pediatric dentist. We went to a different dentist who was WAY better. KK had to have three teeth pulled and about six cavities filled. She told her brother and sisters: When the pedeatwic dentis dot mad at me, I dot mad at him! I had no idea that happened because I was glad to sit in the waiting room. Apparently she got scared because I wasn't in there and when they tried to calm her down she got madder. They accused her of being afraid of the dentist. She is not afraid of the dentist, as you will see later on in my story.
Britt's famous donut shop - homemade donuts!! They are the best!
And here we are at the good dentist's!! Who didn't postpone all the work needed but did it all in one week.
And even Olaf is happy
Our last day of co-op. Our class was great!!
Happy Birthday, Mr. Handsome!
Maddie's new pets. Aflac and Waddles!
And that is the story of our last year. It has been a great year and I thank the Lord for all that He has blessed us with. Maybe I will be better at posting this year!
