Scrappin'

A few weeks ago, I was lucky to get several REALLY good hours of scrappin' in! Here are some of the things that I made...

(please excuse these poorly lit photos - I promise to do better next time!!)

Our Utah trip:

I had more photos that I thought were great, so rather than create another 2 page layout, I used this handy little insert page. It allowed me to do a little journaling in one block and include 5 more pictures!

Bennett's Birthday and Easter (4/4/10)

You've seen these pictures on this blog before, but here's a little layout with them :)

Oh, and here's my new car...

Valentine's Day cards:

And a relatively old event, Angie's and my trip to Providence:

Here is a little look at the book that I made for Bennett's teacher for the end of school:

I asked each child in the class several questions (and had them write their own answers), then took each child's picture. Here is Bennett's page:

I think that it turned out really cute. We were so blessed to have a WONDERFUL teacher for our 1st grade year!

Finally, I was lucky enough to be asked to teach a scrapbooking class at church. It was so much fun! This is what we made:I was able to teach a few ladies who had NEVER scrapbooked before (gasp!!) a little something, as well as fellowship with some wonderfully talented women. What could be better??

The last thing that I've done is the school's scrapbook. No pictures to show, but I did document the whole '09-'10 year for the elementary school in the past week. The principal sends me items throughout the year, and I put it all together for her. Can you imagine a better job?? School scrapbooker?? It's the best!

Have you been creative lately??

Swimming Fun

We spent a fun afternoon at Gigi and Bubba's pool yesterday! Here are a few pictures that I took - playing with the manual settings a bit for a photography class that I'm taking. Bennett was only willing to pose for pictures if I promised to get in the pool and play a game. I promised...

Brad was a much more willing subject :)

Hope you are having a great summer!! We are!!

Reflections on being a Mommy

As I've been reflecting on how lucky I am to be a mommy, a few things have occurred to me that I want to remember to be thankful for. Many times, as a mom, I focus on how much I do for my son. How hard I work. How many hours I spend folding clothes, driving carpool to school (and tae kwon do, baseball, soccer, & basketball), picking up toys, scrubbing dirt out of pants and ketchup off of shirts. How many times I run to the grocery store to get that special food that he just loves. How many light sabers and legos I've picked up from the floor, couch, table, etc. How many times I've watched Star Wars or Scooby Doo. How many conversations we've had about Clone Troopers and Mr. Incredible and, well, lots of other things that I know very little about. You know... the mommy 'to-do' list goes on and on. This weekend, though, I've been reminded of how much my son does for me. That's right - he does a lot for me!

He wakes me up each morning. Early. But you know what? I am greeted by a smile EVERY morning. He's never, in over 7 years, greeted me in the morning with a scowl or a frown. That's awesome. I couldn't ask for a better way to be awakened (would I like it better after 6 AM? Maybe, but that's not the point!)

He's brought me along with him on many adventures that I would have NEVER taken on my own. I never played a sport. Nope, not one! With Bennett, my horizons have been widened greatly with tae kwon do, baseball, soccer, and basketball. I've ridden on trains and tractors and slides and swings. We've gone to zoos and museums and parks. I wouldn't have experienced these fun things if I weren't a mom!

Bennett has taught me that the best way to spend my day is to take time to enjoy the little things. Like the flowers (weeds) that are pretty on the sidewalk. Or the frog that is on the window. Or the way my milk makes bubbles that look like Mickey Mouse. Or that the moon is still out when the sun is up. Isn't that neat? My tendency is to move from task to task as quickly as I can - to cross things off the list, you know? Bennett has taught me to slow down a bit. There's really not all that much to be in a hurry for anyway. These days will be gone too fast.

By being Bennett's mom I've realized that it's ok to let some things (most things!!) go. I don't need to try to control every little thing. After all, God's the one that is supposed to be in control, right? If my little guy wants to wear mis-matched socks, who cares? Will an extra cookie really be that bad? Not really. If he wants to play air guitar in church, is that really a bad thing? What about break dancing in Sunday School? Somersaulting down the hall? No biggie, right?

Bennett has brought out my inner cheer leader... I never knew that I would be one of 'those' moms who really gets into the game. Of course, I'm always yelling positive things, but still, I'm yelling! It's so fun!

Finally, Bennett has taught me that the important thing isn't winning, but the attitude with which you play the game. We've lost a lot of baseball games this season. Way more than we've won. But you know what? That hasn't stopped Bennett from loving baseball. LOVING it. He plays with 100% effort, even when he doesn't have the skill to always get the job done. He's always got a smile - even when he strikes out. I love that about him. I need that attitude in all of my life. Because if you play well enough, there's a huge reward at the end - no matter how the interim plays out. Keeping my eyes on the heavenly reward makes the earthly stuff all fall away.

So, while I thoroughly enjoyed my Mother's Day presents and cards - oh, and that Mother's Day Tea at school was the best! - I'm the lucky one. I'm the one who gets to be his mommy.

March Top 10

March was a great month!! Here's a quick run-down of the highlights (in chronological order, in case you are wondering :)

1. BASEBALL!!!!!! Wow! Baseball started and really took off! This was our first Spring Season (not to be confused with the low-key Fall Season...) and it has been quite an experience! We're having a blast... and we're getting used to our 2nd home - the ball field ;)

Of all the numbers, Bennett chose #23. Why? He just liked it...

This was at the first game of the season - that smile is not a 'normal' smile... We're still working in the 'camera' smile. Maybe one day...

2.We got a DS!! Well, we actually got 2!! (one for me and one for Bennett :) It was Bennett's big birthday present, but since we were going on a road trip, we decided to give him the option of opening a present early. His response? 'I'm always up for opening presents!!'

Here he is sporting the super cool bag that holds both systems and accessories.

3. Spring Break -I'm not sure why, but when Bennett was in preschool, I dreaded school breaks. Now, I LOVE them! I couldn't wait for Spring Break this year - and neither could Bennett! The grandparents wanted some time with him, so I got a couple of bonus days. Then we left on Wednesday for a little mommy-son road trip. We drove over to Atlanta and went to World of Coke. We both really enjoyed it. Bennett's favorite part? The tasting room, of course (ok, it was my favorite part too!!)

We also got to spend a little time with Chan, Rowan, and Shawn. So good to see them again! Bennett was so excited to meet Rowan that he bought her a glow worm with is own money. He's so kind - it amazes me sometimes... Oh, and Rowan is the cutest thing I've seen (since Bennett, of course :)

Bennett and I spent the night in a hotel - the first time we've done with sans Brad. We had a good time picking the 'best' one and snuggling in (with our DS's). I'm so glad that he still enjoys spending time with me!

4. Road Trip Destination - Our friends moved a few weeks ago, but they can't get rid of us that easily!! We got to their house on Thursday (Brad arrived via one-way flight) on Friday. We had a great time visiting, organizing, eating, shopping, and refereeing the kids.

Bennett doesn't quite know what to do with these red-headed girls sometimes...

give him a few years, and I'm sure he'll be much more willing to put up with their attention :)

5. Bennett dreams big...

'I want to go to Carasant becos I could be a jedi!

He wants to go to Coruscant (a Star Wars place) so he can become a Jedi... hmmm :)

6. Me and him. Somehow I got Bennett to wear a shirt that sort of matched mine to church one Sunday. I insisted on getting a picture... he wasn't thrilled, as you can imagine.

But look... it's an almost-genuine smile!!

Oh, and can you guess where I got my cardigan?

7.Fridays are always a treat - it's the day that Bennett bring home all of his school work from the week prior (or when he digs things out of his desk and decides to bring them home...)

This vocabulary assignment had him focus on the word 'ponder'. He wrote that 'ponder' reminds him of 'when Merry (Mary) pondered Jesus. I think that it is so great that Bible stories are always on his mind. He's written several times about about Jesus and God at school. I'm so thankful.

8. Birthday planning. We spent a LOT of time planning Bennett's birthday party. We found the greatest invitations on e*bay and when they came Bennett insisted that he wanted to address them all himself. I was shocked - this coming from the kid who doesn't want to spend 2 minutes writing his spelling words!! He did a great job!

9. AND 10. Baseball... Baseball has been a constant in our lives since it started at the end of February. We've yet to win a game, but I sure am getting good at cheering :)

Bennett just loves being out there. Winning would be nice - but he's always got a smile on his face.

(He was safe!)

March was a great month... I'm counting my blessings. How about you?

Especially for Gigi

On the way to Utah, Bennett was very upset by a little girl who sat in front of us on one of our flights. So upset, he was, that he journaled about it in his Share Journal at school:

It says: One Thursday morning me and mom droped (dropped) Sadie off at the vet. Then we picked up Gigi. Then we went to the airport. We got on the plane. A super-annoying girl sat in front of us. She stuck a neked Kin doll in my face! She tried grabing me too. She stuck a pen-cyl in front of me. I graded (grabbed) it! She said "Like my pen-cyl big boy..."

He was so upset about this little girl, that he talked about it several times on the trip, and 2 weeks later, he thought enough of it to journal about it. I didn't get this gem home from school until a week or 2 later. I asked him about it and he was still upset about the whole incident :)

This post is especially for Gigi, who witnessed the whole unfortunate event...

February Top Ten...

As promised... our February Top Ten...

1) Pulling Teeth Poor Bennett has been cursed with my teeth - he's only had one or two visits at the dentist with a clean report :( This visit was no exception - but it was even worse. Bennett needed to have 2 teeth pulled - bottom left and top right. They had abscessed (tons of mommy guilt since he had told me that his gums were hurting and I didn't know that it was due to decay!!) We sought a 2nd opinion and got the same news - the teeth needed to come out.

So, on Feb 1 those 2 teeth were pulled and 2 teeth were filled. Other than not liking the numbness (and creating a big blister from sucking on his lip!!) he did great! He had to eat soft foods for a week, but milk shakes are always good!!

Coincidentally, February was dental month at school!! They talked alot about teeth, apparently... and this is just one of the many pieces of work that came home...

On this side, Bennett has detailed 2 facts that they discussed at school.

They are: Canine teeth rip food and you teeth fall out. (pictures coincide with the facts)

On the other side we have...

(I'll translate) "Fact 3: Dentists may have to take out your teeth. Take it from me it's painful. They may have to give you a silver tooth."

That picture is showing the spacer that he has where the teeth were removed. Please note: It is NOT drawn to scale... much like this picture :)

2) Reading to the kindergarteners Bennett came home on Feb 4 and told us (quite proudly!!) that he was going to read to his kindergarten teacher's class. He carefully picked out a book and practiced with Brad and me. (we heckled him with lots of questions - asking to go to the bathroom, telling him we want to see the pictures :) It was so fun...

He reported that the reading went very well :)

3) Murder Mystery - On Feb 6 we had a Murder Mystery party with book club. The whole thing didn't work out quite right - but we sure had a good time!!

4) Baseball We were so excited to be back on Coach Mark's team this Spring!! Don't worry - there will be many more pics in the future!! :)

5) A look into the future

In 100 years, Bennett assumes he will still be an Auburn fan (blue hat), walk his dog (which we don't EVER do), and be fully decked out with ammo and guns :) Nice.

Oh, and I see from the picture that in 100 years, he will have learned how to tie his shoes...

6) Skiing!! You can read all about our trip here... It was fun!!

7) Pinot Camp We got to go on a double date with Mike and Rebecca to the Pinot Camp at B&A Warehouse. I'm not a red wine drinker, but there was still plenty for me to taste... and I even found a few that I could tolerate! (But Brad didn't love the ones I liked, so we're still on different wine teams :) This was so much fun - can't wait to go again next year!!

8) Giggles and Grace - I worked the sale again this year, but did not Chair the Finance area. It was strange to be there without any 'responsibility', but it was also really nice... The sale was a HUGE success - selling over $105,000 in just over 2 days!! God is great!

9) Spring Into Art This year I co-chaired the Silent Auction at Spring Into Art at Bennett's school. Wow!! It was a ton of work - but we've raised over $14,000 by auction alone!!

While I was working, Brad and Bennett played games and make great art projects. Check this out...

They made a Jedi (with light saber and gun!) from a recycled water bottle!! So great!

10) Women's Conference I didn't get to attend Asbury's women's conference this year because it was the same weekend as Spring Into Art. I did, however, get the opportunity to host a break out session about scrapbooking and the importance of remembering the journey that God has prepared for us. It was a wonderful reminder of how important it is to take a breather - no matter how hectic and crazy life is (and this month was SUPER busy for us!!).

God is so good to me - he's given me so many sweet memories - and I want to be sure that I take the time to appreciate each moment. No matter how small the event seems, it can be a life changer :) I'm trying to absorb it all day by day...

January top 10

Yes, I do know that it is March... how can it be March already?? I have no idea!!

I've been planning on posting January's 'Top 10' since the beginning of February - but better late, than never, right?? :)

So here they are (in no particular order - well, maybe chronological order :)...

1) New Year's Eve - Ok, well, that is technically December, but close enough! We spent the early part of the evening at the Wargo's - lots of yummy food, wine, and games. We told Bennett that he could stay up as long as he wanted (last year we told him the same thing, and he made it to about 9:04!!) So, we got home at about 9:45 - we thought we could get him to make it to the NY ball drop (11 o'clock our time), but he passed out cold on the couch at 10:57. No kidding. He missed it!! Poor guy :)

This picture is really dark, but it is me, trying to wake him up!

2)Visit with the Christophers. Brad got to be a part of a presentation about his mission trip to India on Sunday, the 3rd, at a church in Murphreesboro. Murphreesboro is too close to Nashville not a make a stop to see Jenn, Joe, and the girls!! We had a great time catching up... We CAN'T wait another 2 years to see each other again!!

3) My 35th Birthday!! It was a great day - Bennett and Brad took me out to eat at Mt. Fuji for dinner and cupcakes at home afterward. I got a nice gift card to get a new camcorder - I'm still waiting for the one that want to come into stock!

No party is complete without noise makers!!

We celebrated with mom, Ang, Gavin, Dad, and Papa on Saturday night. Good times!!

Oh, yeah... cookie cake!! (Dinner was my fave - ham and mac & cheese!!)

4) New Car!! Brad decided that I needed a new car... I told him that I was happy with the van, but he insisted!! So, we spent a few days thinking and I decided on this little beauty... I love it!! I do have to apologize to Honda for not continuing my loyalty. But, Acura is a Honda product, right? And, it IS still silver!! Oh, and Brad is driving the van!!

5) Seeing Ron and Denver - Ron and Denver, of 'Same Kind of Different As Me' came to town and spoke at Samford on January 22. Angie and I gave mom a ticket to go with us - it was a really great time! Their story is fabulous and so inspiring! Have you read their book? You should!!

6) Supper Club - on the 23rd we had the Parsons, the Fountains, and the Johnsons over for supper club. We fixed The Pioneer Woman's chili and White Chicken Chili. So much fun!!

7) Dad's Birthday - Dad's birthday was on January 20, but we didn't get to celebrate until the 29th. We enjoyed a wonderful night of entertainment with Bennett and Pa bantering back and forth. Bennett sold coupon books to everyone at the table - and the fortunes proved to be extra special. Dad's said something along the lines of 'Rarely does such poise and beauty rest in one person as it does in you.' Perfect!! :)

8) Basketball - In one of our more ingenious moves, we decided to offer Bennett $1 for each time he shot the ball in a game. Before this offer, he ran up and down the court like a fiend, but was too shy to get the ball. That $1 made all the difference!!

He's so handsome!!

9) Nighttime Technology Fast - Brad, Bennett, and I did a 21 day technology fast this month. At night, we didn't use the computer or TV for 21 days. Boy - it was so hard!!! The hardest part for me was when Brad was gone and I had no one to talk to once Bennett went to bed... we talk alot around here :) It was a really great experience for our family, though, and I'm so glad that we did it!

10) Kits for Haiti - We made 24 kits for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. It was a small thing, but really helped us talk about what was going on with Bennett. Our prayers are always with them.

Ok, so that is January... February might come tomorrow or Tuesday :)