Third Day!

I think I was a junior in high school when my good friend Bo Dunkle introduced me to this band called Third Day. I've been a Third Day fan(atic) since. Got to see them last night at Hope Church -- the church John and I have been visiting. Best. Show. Ever.

Thanks to Katherine Whitfield for going with me. They played three songs she remembers from years ago. And I tried not to embarrass myself too much with all my giddiness.

Me, Katherine Whitfield and our friend Lauren McCann

Going and Going

I am in awe of Ben's energy. He keeps going and going, like no toddler I've ever seen. Today, we spent a couple of hours at the park with Ruby, Mary Beth and Dylan (where he tried to leap from playground equipment) came home, and then spent much of the rest of the afternoon playing in the sprinkler. He. Never. Stops.

Oh, but how I love that boy.

Almost home

Grammy and Pop are on their last leg of the long road trip from Arizona home to Nashville. They stopped to see us for lunch today.  Jack was a little confused because the camper isn't still in Arizona.

 



Pop and Grammy leave Cracker Barrel on their way home



Now what?

Jack was invited to his first playdate this weekend. I'm blogging so I'll remember this week -- a big one for me as a parent. My lesson: playdates rock. His friend, Josh, invited him over to play on Sunday. All morning, he asked me if it was almost time to go. I've never seen the boy so giddy.

After dropping Jack off, and learning that I didn't need to stay, Ben and I were off. Honestly, it took me a minute to reload and figure out what I could do with my afternoon. One kid seems so easy. Ben and I headed to Target and the park -- and spent some much-needed one-on-one time together. It's a rarity these days. I remember spending so much time with Jack, just us. And I wonder sometimes if I've slighted Ben because he doesn't get that attention. On the flipside, he gets Jack, and I think it's a pretty good trade off. If nothing else, we're always entertained.

I'm marking this date because it's one of the first times I saw real independence from Jack. When he hit the door of Josh's house, he was off. I went to find him 15 minutes later to say goodbye, and I'm pretty sure he ignored me when I did. Four hours later, I had to drag him to the car. And the next day, he asked me if he could go to school early to play with his friends. All my friends told me this day would come -- a time when my kids don't need me so much. And I'm every cliche: unnerved by how fast this really does go, sad to see him growing up, happy to see him growing up.

Looking forward to my next new adventure...

Mama, Mama, Window Down!

We went to visit The Mettees in Phoenix last week, and ended up falling in love with the Sonora desert. Good thing we liked it, because I have a feeling that's where we'll have to go each year if we want to visit family. My in-laws are officially snowbirds.

And why not. I can't tell you how many times I looked up at Red Rock, in awe of what our Creator crafted for this earth. His majesty and beauty was wildly evident. Really, it was breathtaking.

My father in law is always reminding me how much God loves his people and how big He really is. Our talks this past week were about the scenary around us: how we could go from deep, wooded canyons to dusty desert in just hours. How one cactus could grow for hundreds of years on 6 inches of rain each year. Really, he reminded us, it's part of God's great design.

Another gift of His great design: that toddler in the back demanding "Indow Down!" Suddenly, Ben has learned how to speak his mind -- and he too wanted to see the mountains during our rides through the desert. Jack, meanwhile, is still begging to head back to Arizona. It's not the desert he's missing, though. Big cousin Ryan is still there and, well, he's the coolest dude ever.

Anyway, I threw some photos onto Facebook and added some more here (largely for Mom and Papa Don).

Fall Festival

The tiger at today's fall festival. Who would have thought Jack would dare climb it.


Jack, coming down the tiger. He climbed it about 2o times.


Ben, in the bouncy for little kids

Zoo Day

Jack and Ben got their flu shots on Friday. The angst of knowing he was going to get a shot was relieved, somewhat, by the promise of a trip to the zoo afterward.

Jack and John, at zoo's Teton Trek exhibit.

Ben was asleep about 3 minutes after we pulled out of the parking lot. Riding in a stroller will really do you in.