End of an era

In the fall 0f 1995 I purchased a Jansport MSU sweatshirt. During my college years, the sweatshirt became synonymous with me. It was by the far the best sweatshirt I have ever had. Those who have known me for a while know what I am talking about. All this to say, I have lost my sweatshirt. To recount all the great moments in MSU sports this sweatshirt endured with me would take days. It surely will be missed.

Firsts

We like to celebrate "firsts" around here; actually we like to celebrate everything! But I pay a lot of attention to the moments when Luke and Jackson learn something new or say something for the first time or experience something special. It seems like we've had many of those moments lately--little and big. Luke discovered he could climb our magnolia tree in the front yard. He didn't go too high--not yet--but that's a special rite of passage for a Southern boy. He also had his first soccer practice and game. He is on the Bulls' team with three of his buddies from church, and although it was pretty chilly here last Saturday, he had fun on the field. He is #45; we laughed about that extremely common soccer number. And then we celebrated Easter here at Rivermont for the first time. Wait, you're thinking, I know they've been there almost two years. Correct, but I was sick last year and none of us even went to church on Resurrection Sunday. I was drugged up and don't even remember it. So this year was especially special for me. I actually requested that we go up to the church Saturday night before Easter to see the flowers and take pictures with the sunlight coming in the stained glass windows. I am a goober, I know. But it was so worth it. People have raved to me about the Easter flowers before, but I didn't realize the smell of lilies would overwhelm you when you walk in the back door, and that flowers would be everywhere, even outside the church. And that was just a small preparation for the celebration of worship we enjoyed Sunday morning. All of that beauty and loveliness pointed us to the goodness of God and the new life we have in Christ. Worship was triumphant and joyful and left me awe-struck at the reality of Christ resurrected. And the beauty of it all is that we can live in the joy of our salvation every day. So here are a few pictures that don't really do it justice.

This is actually the lid of our baptismal font (I don't know if those terms are right, but you know what I mean). I thought it was a cool picture with Luke's finger pointing to the dove.

SIN

Last Friday Luke informed Laura that he was going to do whatever he wanted to do. He said he did not care if we put him in timeout, gave him x's on his discpline chart, or used any others means of discipline. Luke followed this up on Saturday with one of the biggest fits he has ever thrown which came to an exciting climax by him peeing right in the middle of our living room floor. This was no accident, you could see the wheels turning in his head and just how pre-meditated it was. Needless to say his behavior has been much better since Saturday, but Laura and I were reminded of the effects of the Fall and the depth of sin in us all no matter what age.

The Big TWO!

Jackson turned two on March 15. We had his party on March 17 and invited a couple friends over. Laura made a Nemo cake and her effort was quite impressive. We also had an egg hunt and that was a big hit. It is hard to believe that Jackson was 4 months old when we moved to Lynchburg.

Point City Peeps

Aaron and Phillip came and visited us last week. They were both part of the youth group in West Point, MS at First Presbyterian EPC . It was great seeing these guys and spending 4 days with them. I took them into the mountains of Virginia for an afternoon. We went to a place called Panther Creek Falls. We were the only ones for what seemed like miles around. It was nice getting out in Creation, and Luke really enjoyed spending time with the big boys.

Little Photog

I let Luke loose with the camera last weekend, and here is what the world looks like through his lens.

Little feet

Luke's beloved bike

Our backyard shed

Our deck

Time Change = More Sleep

Luke and Jackson BOTH slept past 7am this morning. It was a blessing and one that Laura and I hope continues. Luke and Jackson are early risers, so we hope they do not revert back to their former ways. So far so good!

In the Kitchen with Luke and Jackson

L and J helped me make a chocolate chip poundcake Saturday, one of our favorite desserts--even before it's baked! They love to help me "cook." They refer to anything done at the counter, even the assembling of sandwiches, as cooking. Shane was a big help too, licking the beaters so I didn't have to wash them. =) You can see that the tendancy to be a big ham in front of the camera is genetic. Notice Jackson's big boy haircut. Now we can brush his hair without him crying!

Mrs. Pat had the duty of the first real haircut. She is Luke's Sunday school teacher and was his 2-year preschool teacher, so Jackson will be in her preschool class next year. She is a wonderful teacher and cuts hair too! We went specifically to get a trim for Luke, and after he was done, Jackson startd climbing up in the chair and said, "My turn!" I wasn't mentally prepared for this somewhat emotional event, but I was more excited that he would actually volunteer to get his hair cut. He looks pretty spiffy now.

Shane's Turn

If he were a shoe, he'd be a cleat.

If he were a city, he'd be Starkville, MS.

If he were a season, he'd be autumn.

If he were a car, he'd be a Jeep.

If he were a vegetable, he'd be corn.

If he were a fruit, he'd be a banana.

If he were a color, he'd be blue.

If he were a country, he'd be the United States.

If he were a piece of furniture, he'd be a coffee table.

If he were a beverage, he'd be a Guinness.

If he were the weather, he'd be sunny.

If he were a piece of clothing, he'd be a T-shirt.

If he were a dessert, he'd be brownies.

If he were a plant, he'd be a lily.

If I Were...

Here's my "If I Were." I'll get Shane to do this later too.

If I were a shoe, I'd be a flip flop.

If I were a city, I'd be Asheville, NC.

If I were a season, I'd be spring.

If I were a car, I’d be an Eclipse convertible (I've just always wanted one of those).

If I were a vegetable, I’d be a cucumber.

If I were a fruit, I’d be a peach.

If I were a color, I’d be pink.

If I were furniture, I’d be a front porch swing.

If I were a country, I’d be Switzerland, nice and neutral.

If I were a beverage, I'd be Diet Dr. Pepper.

If I were clothing, I'd be a great purse. Okay, that's not clothing, but I can't think of any item of clothing that I like as much as a great purse.

If I were weather, I'd be a summer afternoon after a thunderstorm, when everything is cooler and greener and smells so good.

If I were a dessert, I’d be key lime pie.

If I were a plant, I’d be an orchid. Tag, fellow bloggers, your turn!

Great Sermon

This past Sunday Pastor Mabray preached on Matthew 10:34-39. It was the first time I have ever heard anyone preach on that passage. It was a great sermon and Laura and I continue to feel blessed to be part of a church where God and His Word are at the center of all things. It is also a huge blessing to have pastors who will tackle difficult sections of Scripture and not water them down. If you are curious you can listen to Pastor Mabray's sermon from February 24 titled "No Peace, but a Sword" by clicking on this link. http://www.rivermont.org/sermons/2008/index.htm

Spartan Trail

This morning we visited a new spot that is very close to home. We live in the Sandusky neighborhood of Lynchburg, meaning we are right down the street from Sandusky Elementary and Middle Schools. Behind the schools is a huge playground, soccer fields, a football field, and a trail leading to someplace we hadn't explored. We went to the playground for the boys to play and then hiked down the Spartan Trail to find this beautiful creek and old stone mill. It was a hidden treasure, and we enjoyed our discovery.

What's New?

Running amok The bowling ramp saves the day The "I want to do it myself" face.

Last Saturday we went bowling with the middle school students in the youth group. Our friends the Halls joined us, and we got a lane with bumpers for the little guys to bowl. We also got this great ski-ramp looking device the kids could roll the ball down to get some momentum. They had a blast although it was a bit chaotic to control three 3-year-olds, a 2-year-old, and an almost 2-year old in an environment full of heavy bowling balls and oblivious teenagers. Luke actually bowled a strike using the ramp, and he said, "I can't believe I rolled a stripe, Mom!" It was pretty cute.

My friend Jennifer made the very accurate comment that sometimes blogs sound sugary sweet, making everything sound rosy and not very real. I have to agree. This will not be one of those posts! =)

We certainly don't have any bad news, but instead we're going to be honest about our good news--Luke is completely 100 percent potty trained. woohoo! It has been a long hard road, considering he'll be 4 in May, and as Shane and several of our friends in the same situation have said, it can be the most difficult, most challenging thing parents face with a young child. He had no problem going #1; he's been doing that in the potty for almost a year. However, he adamantly refused #2. But the good news is that all that has changed dramatically. He's not wearing diapers/pull-ups at all. And he is so proud of himself, and we are relieved and feel the stress level in our lives has gone down a notch. And all you overachiever moms whose beloved cherubs mastered this at 18 months, more power to you.

So with this in mind, a little encouragement for all our many, many friends who are pregnant right now: There is no formula for raising kids. It is SO challenging, and you'll want to scream when people tell you to just relax and enjoy it. But then you realize they're right. Despite how it feels, those little trials don't last forever. And life enters warp speed when you add children to your family. Parenthood has been a tool that God has used to teach us, to show us our sins in the mirror of our children, to help us glimpse the delight He takes in us, to show us His infinite patience, to show us the need for justice and mercy, to remind us to cling to the Cross.

Let It Snow!!

View off our back deck Laura and Jackson Luke and our snowman

Happy Bulldogs

New Year's Day--the day of Georgia's bowl game. We were ready. Luke took this picture of Shane and me. Jackson's latest trick is when we ask him, "Where are your teeth?" he gives us this hilarious expresson every time.

Shane and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary yesterday! It's hard to believe seven years have already gone by. We went out to a new Lynchburg restaurant Saturday night and just enjoyed each other's company and some delicious food. We got to eat and have an extended conversation at the same time--a rare treat for those with small children =)

Weird Stuff at Our House, Part 2

So yesterday morning, I'm taking the kids to the car to go to preschool, when I see this ginormous opossum walking across our driveway to our magnolia tree. Ordinarily I wouldn't be really scared of an opossum, but it was broad daylight and I remember hearing that if an opossum or raccoon is wandering around in the daylight they could be rabid. Also, this thing was kind of staggering and had his mouth open like he was panting. I rushed the boys back inside, and after Shane saw it and agreed it didn't look good, we got out the phone book to call animal control. But a Public Works truck picking up Christmas trees (cross-reference my previous post here) came along at that moment, and the driver slowed down when he saw the crazy opossum. He leaned out his truck and we discussed with him whether or not this thing was rabid. We came to the consensus that it was and he said he would call animal control. By this point the opossum had meandered out into the middle of the road and was just kind of going in circles. Shane told me to take the boys to the car (a safe distance from the road, don't worry) and he would keep an eye on the opossum. Then he went ahead and took the boys to school, and I took up watch at the door. The garbage truck driver stayed and watched the opossum too, and one of our neighbors was out watching all this from her driveway. After about 20 minutes, the animal control guy shows up, hops out, picks up the opossum by the tail, and throws it in the back of his truck like it was nothing. Is that a scary commentary on how many rabid animals he deals with each day, or is he just the Steve Irwin of animal control? Luke was completely fascinated by all of this and will probably be scared to death of opossums for the rest of his life. Shane said he walked into his little class and started telling them about the sick opossum in his yard!

The Christmas Tree Caper

We had the strangest thing happen, and in Shane's words, "You have to blog about this." Yesterday we took the ornaments and lights off our Christmas tree, and Shane dragged it out to the curb. This is proper garbage protocol here; we've seen neighbors with trees at their curbs as well. Shortly after, we went to get some groceries. When we got back home, our tree was gone. It was a windy morning, and on the chance that it rolled down the hill or into a neighbor's yard, we drove around looking for it. It was nowhere to be seen, so we just chalked it up as one of those strange things that happens to us on occasion. We thought maybe the garbage people came by (although that seems strange on New Year's Day), or maybe a landscaping company was picking them up to put through a chipper and use as mulch or something. I don't know--I mean what else could it have been? Well, this morning, Shane went outside to warm up his car, and he came right back in and said, "Go look in the driveway." I knew immediately what I would see: our Christmas tree. It was laying dead-center at the end of our driveway, and it had no needles on its bottom half. It had branches but no needles. I was completely creeped out by this. I am pretty sure that the tree must have blown down into a neighbor's yard, and they knew it was ours and returned it. But we looked around pretty well yesterday and didn't see it. Maybe someone borrowed it. If any of you reading this have any information, you can call in an anonymous tip.

Christmas Pictures

Back from our Christmas travels, we are ringing in the New Year at home in Lynchburg tonight. Last week, we visited Nana and Pop and Uncle Ben, and then we went to Aunt Danielle and Uncle Kurt's house in Newnan for a visit with Shane's side of the fam. Trips always go too fast--you wish you could spend more time with those you love. But it is still incredibly nice to be home! Here are some pictures of Christmas Day. Happy 2008!

December Preschool Fun!

Luke and Holter celebrate at a birthday party for Jesus in Luke's class.

Shane shared the Christmas story with Luke's class during "Circle Time." In the beloved sandbox. Notice the scuffle over the cement mixer. Pastor and Mrs. Mabray shared the Christmas story during our preschool's Christmas program. The different classes wore their pajamas and sang songs between readings. The four-year-olds came out first and sang the most songs. They definitely knew their stuff. Then Luke's three-year class came out and did a little bit of singing and a few hand motions. Then the two-year-olds came out and pretty much just stood there. Then Jackson's one-year class walked in with their teachers and jingled bells all the way to their mommies and daddies in the audience. Except for Jackson. As you can see in the video in the post below, he did come sit with us. Then he noticed Luke on stage and started calling, "Luke! Luke!" So I told him to go stand with Luke, and he did, front and center for the rest of the program! It was really precious, and Luke got a huge kick out of it.