I have a sign I painted when we moved onto Zermatt Court that still hangs in our playroom today. It says, Of all the little boys in the whole world how was I lucky enough to get the very best ones? Oh how I love these boys!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
My Boys!
I have a sign I painted when we moved onto Zermatt Court that still hangs in our playroom today. It says, Of all the little boys in the whole world how was I lucky enough to get the very best ones? Oh how I love these boys!
"wis" you
When Lila Ray sees...or sometimes hears daddy pull into the drive way she run to the garage door calling for him...and when she gets outside she starts calling "wis you"! She wants to get in the car with daddy and pull it in the garage...you should see them pulling into the garage....Lila all smiles because she is "wis" one of her favorite people and she thinks she is driving....Jeremy all smiles because he is loved so much...how could you not feel lucky to be "wis" Lila Ray!
Mark Dodge...you are Ironman!!!!
Today was Ironman Louisville 2010 or what Jeremy dubbed Mark Dodge Day! Jeremy got up at 4 am and took his friend down to the water...he said you could feel the nervousness in the air! Jeremy came back and got Riggs at 6:00 and Riggs and Jeremy saw Mark start this unbelievable day!
We all camped out on the corner of 393 to give him a cheer at about his 80 mile marker...which he later told Jeremy was about the time the bike really started to get to him.
The Hardy party then headed downtown to see him transition from the bike to the run! We waited with such excitement and it was so amazing to see him running toward us all smiles....it was so touching to see him pause for a minute on this journey to see Kirsten and the kids.
We went home and did our day...all the while knowing with every activity we did Mark was out there running in the heat...trying to become an Ironman. Jeremy, the boys and I went down to the finish line to wait for him to finish. It was electric with excitement and emotion as these athletes...walked, ran, and crawled over the finish line...some with smiles pointing up to heaven, some doubled over in agony with tears streaming down their faces...and then came Mark and he was beat...and he was tired...but he was smiling and he was an Ironman!
We were all so proud of Mark...and felt so lucky to be there to share this amazing experience with him...Jeremy was so touched by this acomplishemnt of his childhood friend...and as Mark crossed the finish line the first thing he said was to Jeremy..."your doing this next year...you can have my bike!" And I know Jeremy would love to...we'll see!
We all camped out on the corner of 393 to give him a cheer at about his 80 mile marker...which he later told Jeremy was about the time the bike really started to get to him.
The Hardy party then headed downtown to see him transition from the bike to the run! We waited with such excitement and it was so amazing to see him running toward us all smiles....it was so touching to see him pause for a minute on this journey to see Kirsten and the kids.
We went home and did our day...all the while knowing with every activity we did Mark was out there running in the heat...trying to become an Ironman. Jeremy, the boys and I went down to the finish line to wait for him to finish. It was electric with excitement and emotion as these athletes...walked, ran, and crawled over the finish line...some with smiles pointing up to heaven, some doubled over in agony with tears streaming down their faces...and then came Mark and he was beat...and he was tired...but he was smiling and he was an Ironman!
We were all so proud of Mark...and felt so lucky to be there to share this amazing experience with him...Jeremy was so touched by this acomplishemnt of his childhood friend...and as Mark crossed the finish line the first thing he said was to Jeremy..."your doing this next year...you can have my bike!" And I know Jeremy would love to...we'll see!
Monday, August 30, 2010
A new member...
Tonight we had all settled down for the night...clean kids and babies and the smell of lotion lingered in the air. The children had gone downstairs for just a few more minutes of play before bed time. It was then that out the basement window they saw Ben trying to learn to ride his bike...down the same grassy hill in the Dowdy's back yard where the older court kids had gone before...Ashton, Riggs, Sarah Riley, Rollins...and now Ben. The boys were so excited for him and off they ran to get their bikes and join him to support and encourage their buddy...and it was late...and they were clean...but your buddy only learns to ride his bike once...and this was the start of a new adventure with Ben...he would now be a court bike buddy.
We stayed outside until Ben got it...and we all were proud of him!
So with dirty feet and a new member of the court kid bike club the kids sat on the curb and had a celebratory drink and then we all came in...put another memory in the Zermatt Court memory book!
I am so happy my children care about their friends and are happy to love and support them!
We stayed outside until Ben got it...and we all were proud of him!
So with dirty feet and a new member of the court kid bike club the kids sat on the curb and had a celebratory drink and then we all came in...put another memory in the Zermatt Court memory book!
I am so happy my children care about their friends and are happy to love and support them!
A heart like no other.....
Today was Book fair day at Goshen...I met Rollins in the library to shop for new book for him to read. He smiled when he saw me...so happy I was there.... and buried his little head into my tummy. Off he went to shop and soon he came back with two books...smiling happily as he walked toward me...must be good books I thought...he handed me a book about Justin Bieber (for sk) and a book about puppies (for Lila). "These are for my sisters," he said. "what about you?".....I asked him. He told me a saw an animal book but that it cost too many dollars so he would just get these for Sarah Kate and Lila....I am telling you...the giving and love literally oozes out of this child. He lifts me up everyday with some small but amazing act of kindness. We went and found the animal book and of course added it to our pile! He is a beautiful little boy...inside and out! Giving is like breathing for him...and I am lucky enough to witness this everyday in this precious little boy!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
It's Official!!! Top 7!!
The third and final time trial for Cross Country was this morning...and oh man was I sick with nerves for my boy! He did the warm up lap and had a bit of a cramp to we were all a little more nervous about what was going to happen once the time trial began. It was harder for him to get out front today but he ran a great race and he really was sprinting as good as I have seen him sprint as he approached the finish line.
He came in 6th today....5th...on the second one...and 4th the first time...so he is a top 7 runner and gets to participate in the first meet next weekend!
We are all estatic!! So proud of this boy and how hard he has tried and the effort and heart he has shown us! He was so excited to get his uniform and put it on in the car on the way home! So excited to truly be a part of the Goshen Cross Country team!
He came in 6th today....5th...on the second one...and 4th the first time...so he is a top 7 runner and gets to participate in the first meet next weekend!
We are all estatic!! So proud of this boy and how hard he has tried and the effort and heart he has shown us! He was so excited to get his uniform and put it on in the car on the way home! So excited to truly be a part of the Goshen Cross Country team!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wish come true
Lila Ray and I had some time alone today while Sarah Kate was at her reading tutor...it was so fun to be with this delightful...funny....beautiful little girl! I am still in awe that she is mine....a little girl that I truly wished on a birthday cake for....and that is why I call her my wish come true!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Breakfast with mamaw
This morning the girls got up and got dressed for a very special breakfast date!
We brought breakfast to Mamaw's and the girls sat at her table and talked about everyting...her eyes just light up when she is with the great grand children and you know you have made her smile from the inside out! After breakfast she read the girls a few books before we were off to tackle another busy day. They were so sweet sitting up on her lap as she read to them...just making memories with a very special lady they are lucky to know and love!
We brought breakfast to Mamaw's and the girls sat at her table and talked about everyting...her eyes just light up when she is with the great grand children and you know you have made her smile from the inside out! After breakfast she read the girls a few books before we were off to tackle another busy day. They were so sweet sitting up on her lap as she read to them...just making memories with a very special lady they are lucky to know and love!
Big Girl and her brush
Tonight we had cross country...and I ran in from that to dinner and baths...clothes laid out for the morning...back packs packed...I was running around doing all the prep work for the night and for tomorrow...busy busy while the kids had just a few more minutes before it was time for bed. I walked downstairs and into the kitchen and I heard this brushing sound....I peeked into the mud room to see Lila. She had pulled up her stool, picked out her tooth brush, wet it, applied tooth paste and was brushing away...."I brush my t t's momma!"....she proudly smiled and said! She was so cute and I just stopped what I was doing and covered her cheeks in kisses...just want to carry that moment in my heart!
"I lost a dollar, Moma!"
Rollins got off the bus today...in tears because he lost a dollar for making muscle man poses in the hallway....so funny that he did that...he is such a lighthearted, jovial kid, but he was so sad to disappoint Mrs. Howard and us...which I love him for! Riggs said, "I was in her class for two years and never lost a dollar, Rollins...and you have only been in there for two weeks!" So funny to compare them...they are so alike in some ways and so very different in others!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Half Day Hoorah!
Today was a special day...and you knew it was special from the moment my sleepy boys rolled out of bed...they were quicker to wake up...ready faster...and excited! Today was the first early realease day of the school year...two hours less school, but so much more fun....no matter what you do with these two extra hours it is fun because they are a gift! Today the boys invited friends over for an all boy playdate!
It was fun from the moment I pulled up to pick them up!
I had homemade snacks which they devoured in seconds to my delight! Riggs looked at me with such love when he walked in the kitchen to see I had made homemade Halloween cookies...and Rollins was so happy I had made his chocolate chip cookies!
They played baseball and laughter filled the back yard as they ran and chased each other...old boys...new boys....fast boys...slow boys...but happy boys! Funny how a baseball and a bat can bring a group of boys together in just a few minutes!
Later I took them down to the creek...and I have never seen such content boys! Happily exploring the creek....on an adventure with buddies...they reminded me of the Sandlot kids.
It was a fun afternnon! So heartwarming to see my boys with their best friends that they have had for years..... and with new friends that have somehow offered them something special in just a few weeks of class with them. My Grandma Taylor had a plate that hung above her stove and I couldn't help but think of her and that plate as I watched these boys...the plate said a saying I am sure you have heard..."make new friends but keep the old, one is siver and the other is gold"
It was fun from the moment I pulled up to pick them up!
I had homemade snacks which they devoured in seconds to my delight! Riggs looked at me with such love when he walked in the kitchen to see I had made homemade Halloween cookies...and Rollins was so happy I had made his chocolate chip cookies!
They played baseball and laughter filled the back yard as they ran and chased each other...old boys...new boys....fast boys...slow boys...but happy boys! Funny how a baseball and a bat can bring a group of boys together in just a few minutes!
Later I took them down to the creek...and I have never seen such content boys! Happily exploring the creek....on an adventure with buddies...they reminded me of the Sandlot kids.
It was a fun afternnon! So heartwarming to see my boys with their best friends that they have had for years..... and with new friends that have somehow offered them something special in just a few weeks of class with them. My Grandma Taylor had a plate that hung above her stove and I couldn't help but think of her and that plate as I watched these boys...the plate said a saying I am sure you have heard..."make new friends but keep the old, one is siver and the other is gold"
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
An unexpected suprise....and then another one
I was kind of having a day...you know, a day that you just don't feel good about your self....I call these my "bottom of the totem pole" days...because after you take care of five others...the time and energy to take care of me is little...becasue I am number six...at the bottom of my totem pole. But things happen for a reason and when you least expect it God's grace will give you a little wink...and when that happens it just feels so good!
The Direct Tv guy came today to work on a problem we were having...and the Direct TV guy was a daddy we had met on Rollins' baseball team this summer who little boy suffered brain damage while riding his bike at the beginning of the season....this father was forever changed by this event...their family is forever changed. They have four children and one may never walk again...as he yawned in my kitchen talking about hope and waking up every four hours to give TJ his medicine he also told me his wife was almost ready to deliver their fifth child....and my heart just wanted to help them...wanted to squeeze them in on my totem pole...and I know when that baby comes I will help, but suddenly my totem pole didn't seem so bad...even being at the bottom of it.
And then there was a knock at the door...and it was a box of flowers from the lady whose father I had helped when he was lost in our neighborhood with the kindest note.
And so maybe it was 2:00 and I was still in my pajamas...unshowered....and knee deep in laundry with a two year old clinging to my hip...but I got a wink and I felt beautiful...at least on the inside!
The Direct Tv guy came today to work on a problem we were having...and the Direct TV guy was a daddy we had met on Rollins' baseball team this summer who little boy suffered brain damage while riding his bike at the beginning of the season....this father was forever changed by this event...their family is forever changed. They have four children and one may never walk again...as he yawned in my kitchen talking about hope and waking up every four hours to give TJ his medicine he also told me his wife was almost ready to deliver their fifth child....and my heart just wanted to help them...wanted to squeeze them in on my totem pole...and I know when that baby comes I will help, but suddenly my totem pole didn't seem so bad...even being at the bottom of it.
And then there was a knock at the door...and it was a box of flowers from the lady whose father I had helped when he was lost in our neighborhood with the kindest note.
And so maybe it was 2:00 and I was still in my pajamas...unshowered....and knee deep in laundry with a two year old clinging to my hip...but I got a wink and I felt beautiful...at least on the inside!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Lunch with Love
What did you do for lunch today? No matter what you did or what you ate it was not as wonderful as the lunch I shared with the two most beautiful little girls in the world. For starters the menu was perfect...and the main ingredient was love...so I can tell it was the best peanut butter and jelly I have ever had in my life.
Lila was so pround to stamp these sandwiches into hearts for our picnic...her eyes just twinkled with "look what I did!"
It was a beautiful day and we took out picnic over to the park. You never know what will be magical to a child and at lunch today it was the magic of having a beautiful pink straw!
Lila rubbed her little tummy and said "nummy nummy, Moma!"
It was a very sweet, simple lunch...but I have said it thousand times and I may say it a thousand more...it's the little moments that mean the most...just a peanut butter and jelly at the park on a beautiful day...but it's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I will treasure and hold in my heart forever.
If the shoe fits.....
This morning as I rushed around to get the boys out the door for school...I could not find my flip flops. I later discovered that Lila had put about four pair of them under the coffee table...but in my hurry to get our the door I slipped on Riggs' flip flops....and they pretty much fit....I was happy at the moment because I had shoes at the bus stop but sad as it sank in that my Riggs is growing up....there was never a time I even entertained that I would wear his shoes....that our feet would be the same size...I will enjoy this same size moment knowing that in the blink of an eye his feet will be bigger than mine.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Lila's new bike....again
After the birthday mishap...where daddy smashed Lila's new pink tricycle with the truck....a new pink tricycle has arrived! Lila said, "new bike" ......"boken" (broken)...."aaahhhhh sad"......"Dad"....it was so funny and so amazing how she is putting all her thoughts together into these broken but intellegent conversations now.
Jeremy put it together for her and I watched as he showed it to her all over again...and it was just as special as the morning of her birthday...maybe more touching for me to watch. It seems like as he pulled her little trike across the court talking to her about the peddles and the bell that the guilt fell from his shoulders.
I want to remember her smile that Sunday Morning!
And her sweet piggies on the peddles.....
And her sweet fingers ringing the bell.....
Jeremy put it together for her and I watched as he showed it to her all over again...and it was just as special as the morning of her birthday...maybe more touching for me to watch. It seems like as he pulled her little trike across the court talking to her about the peddles and the bell that the guilt fell from his shoulders.
I want to remember her smile that Sunday Morning!
And her sweet piggies on the peddles.....
And her sweet fingers ringing the bell.....
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