Sometimes life is about...

 unscripted moments,

 fancy dribbling,

 stuffing your brother,

 smiling,

 being adorable,

 being grown up and handsome,

 and then remembering you are still a kid.

 Sometimes life is about taking another picture for Mom,

 and being big like your Bubba,

 and being an annoying 5 year old,

 all of the time,

 then giving in and smiling a fake smile,

 only to give your best MEAN face,

 followed immediately by cuteness.

 Sometimes life is about relaxing,

 and being silly,

 while fitting in some "coolness".

 Sometimes in life, you find out your best friends,

 share your freckles, your smile, your last name, and your annoyance for your Mom's camera.

And sometimes, you just smile because it was a great day.

Today...the rain cancelled our day.  It was booked solid.  We had games, practices, more games, and birthday parties. 

Instead, we had each other...

and it turned out to be the perfect day.

It's funny how life works out sometimes.  Thank you God for this beautiful day of nothing. 

Have a Blessed Day!

Referee of 3

In the Middle

Sometimes, the middle child gets left out.  Big does everything for the first time...and we are excited to be doing it all for the first time as well.  Little does everything for the last time, so we hang onto everything he does with all that we have. 

And then there is my amazing Middle.  Middle is such a blessing in our lives.  Last year at this time, Middle looked like this.

Baseball started off a little rough for my Middle last year when he broke his arm over spring break.  It was a long season and he had little success even after the cast came off due to his over protective Momma. 

The other night at his baseball game...he wowed me.  I try really hard not to make it all about my kids when they are playing team sports.  Coach tells me quickly that it is a team effort.  They win as a team and they lose as a team.  But the Momma in me was so proud of my Middle the other night.  His first pitching attempt a few games ago, didn't go well.  I wasn't there to see it, but from the sounds of it, he was pretty nervous.  But Monday night, he did great.  I was so proud of him.  He was serious.  He was focused.  He was doing a good job.  And he came off the mound with the biggest smile I've ever seen. 

Every single one of my kids is different.  They look different...they act different...they ARE different.  Middle has the best smile.  He has the bluest eyes and the biggest heart.  He is quick to anger and quick to recover.  And now...I would like to add to the list, that he can pitch.  Way to go Middle!!!

Have a blessed day!
Referee of 3

This Hand

This hand belongs to me. 

 

This hand belongs to...

This guy.  This is my Big.



His heart belongs to this gal...right here.

So he is a big guy now. And his hands are bigger than mine. Younger looking and better manicured as well. Laying in my unmade bed after school, we stretched our legs to the ceiling to see whose were longer. Mine...by a smidgen. We stretched our arms to the ceiling next, his are longer. He gets that from my Dad. Then I held his hand. I turned my head as I teared up. His hands are bigger. How is that even possible?

I may not be good at a lot of things...but one thing I am good at is loving my kids with all of my heart and soul. I love them so much it hurts.
One thing I am not good at...is letting them grow up.

I did NOT sign up for this part.

Have a blessed night!
Referee of 3


The Round Up

It happened. 

My Little went to Kindergarten Round Up. 

I am not sure how it happened so fast.  I stood in that gym 6 years ago watching Brett give the performance of a lifetime when he was in Kindergarten...pregnant with this unexpected blessing.  At that time, Big seemed so...big to us.  And Middle was just 4.  He was little in every sense of the word.  He clung to me until I could no longer hold him with my baby belly.

A month early, we were given one of the three best gifts we'd ever received.  And he looked a little something like this. 

It wasn't long before he was rolling, and crawling all over the place.  By the age of 18 months, this kid had a vocabulary like none of us had ever seen.  He has been small, but mighty since he got his first set of stitches and still wows us with his words all of the time. 

 How we got to this point, I am not sure.  My sweet, little, Little...is now getting Big.  I can almost not stand it.  The tears welled up in my eyes several times yesterday at the thought of letting him go.  I know, I know.  It isn't college.  I know he isn't really "leaving" me.  But he is.  His toddler-hood (my own word) is.  He needs to know how to zip up his coat and tie his shoes.  He needs to be able to write his name and open a milk carton.  He needs to know how to survive in school...without me.  His Momma.  Up until this point, he has needed me for all of those things and now...I have to let him learn.  What will I do when no one needs me?  What will I do? 

Clearly I need a large dose of reality and some cookie dough. 

Little...in Kindergarten.  I don't know if I can do this.  But Mr. Little...I am so proud of you.  I love you with all of my heart and I will eventually loosen my grip.  Ask the other boys.  They'll tell you...I only hold their hand when no one is looking. 

Have a blessed day!
Referee of 3

That awkward moment when...

That awkward moment when.  I've seen this phrase on facebook many times.  I've heard people say it in conversation.  But not until today, did I fully understand the meaning.  I had that awkward moment today...and flashed back to an awkward moment of my past.  I will warn you.  This has to do with an appointment at the Dr. and a gown.  That is your warning.  Read the rest at your own risk.

I had an appointment this afternoon where I was asked to remove my clothing and put on a gown.  Well two gowns.  One for the top and one for the bottom.  Oh how I love the moments of complete and total humility at the Dr.'s office.  The fear that the door will open at any given second as you stand there trying to get un-and-re-dressed before anyone sees what has become of your body. 

I made it.  However...before my sweet nurse left the room, she instructed me that the top half of my gown was to tie in the front. 
Perfect, I thought.  I have always wondered how those stupid things go on and now she told me.  I will not look like an idiot.  I will have the gown on correctly and will appear to know exactly what I am doing.  And then I saw it.  There were two sides to this garment.  One that opened and one that was closed.  And the ties were on the side.  One on each side.  So they could tie to the front or to the back.  And I didn't know which was the front and which was the back.

GREAT.

I have a 50/50 chance of screwing this up.  Either they are going to walk in and see I have the garment on backwards, or they will think I have it together.  Which will it be...what do I do?  Does it tie in the back?  Why would it tie in the back.  Well...other gowns that have failed me in the past, (part II of this story) tied in the back.  But maybe this one ties in the front like a robe?  ACK!  Time is ticking away and I am still not dressed!  I was sweating.  And worrying.  And there was absolutely no food in my purse.  Not that I would have eaten it anyway as I had just stepped off the scale. 

So.  I held the gown in my hands and decided to try to make sense of the it.  I finally tied it on like a robe and sat down with confidence.  When the Dr. walked in, I smiled and said...

Is this thing on right?

It was.  And I still looked like an idiot for asking. 

Oh well. 

That awkward moment when you don't know which way the gown goes in the Dr.'s office. 

Part II

When my Little was born, I was in heaven.  I loved him from the moment I first saw him.  He was precious and gorgeous...and four weeks too early.  So upon arrival, they whisked him off to NICU for observation.  After gathering myself and having a cup of coffee, I decided to go down and visit my sweet, newborn son in the NICU. 

A little background.  I got to the hospital in time to get an epidural and the little darling was born.  So the epidural lasted 12 hours longer than the 15 minute birth.  Okay...that is an exaggeration, but this is my story.  Anyhoo...the kind nurse put me in my wheel chair and away we went.  Upon arriving in the NICU and laying eyes on my precious baby boy...another nurse came and asked me to lean forward in my wheelchair.  Sporting a real pretty hospital gown that TIED IN THE BACK, and after just giving birth, I wasn't wearing any undergarments...at all.  As the other nurse asked me to lean forward, she tucked a baby blanket into the back of the wheelchair and quietly whispered in my ear...

"Oh honey...your hiney was showing."

Oh really?  My HINEY WAS SHOWING?????  All the way down the hall?  I mean...I couldn't feel it because I was STILL NUMB FROM THE BIRTH! 

What is with me and those stupid gowns?  AAAAACCCCKKK?

That awkward moment when you realize...maybe it isn't the gown.  Maybe it is just you. 

Have a blessed day!
Referee of 3

P-dub's Mac and Cheese and God's timing

 We all know several things about  me.  But two things in particular...

1. I cannot cook without burning things.
2. I am not a good photographer.

For whatever reason, this woman I continue to talk about called The Pioneer Woman, has inspired me to do both.  Cook...and take pictures of what I am cooking.  Why, you ask?  I have no idea.  I guess I am doing it because she does it and she is super cool. 

So...in an attempt to pay tribute to my good friend Ree...(define good, you say?)...I cooked her macaroni and cheese and then took pictures of it.  I realized while listening to her presentation last week, that she started out taking pictures of things that were still.  Good call.  My pictures are usually of blurry sporting events or school music programs.  No one stand still and I am not educated enough to know how to fix that from behind the camera.  So...taking pictures of food makes perfect sense.  It doesn't move.  Unless it is on fire.  Then the smoke moves.  But we won't get into that.

Anyway...here are my pics of the Pioneer Woman's macaroni and cheese.  There was no scald on this dish and the fam loved it.  Well...okay...I loved it.  It is pasta and cheese.  I mean...who doesn't love pasta and cheese?  And chocolate?  And cookie dough? 

Moving on...

I heard a verse on K-love today that really brought me to my knees with the Lord.  2 Peter 1, verses 5-9

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

I was thinking about efforts.  Are they my best efforts?  Am I adding to my faith...goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love?  Uhmmmm...

There is always a reason when God drops something in your life.  He wanted me to not only hear this verse, but really understand what it is saying and how it applies to my life.  I know I haven't been making my best effort to be with the Lord.  I know that my self-control or lack there of isn't a reflection of Him.  The part where it says...if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Am I ineffective?
Am I unproductive?
Am I making every effort to be who He wants me to be?

Good questions...calling for some REAL answers. 

Thank you Lord for watching over us last night and for sparing our little town.  I am grateful beyond understanding for the calm that came when we realized the storms had passed and for being able to watch the boys playing today in a yard that was untouched by the devastation.  So many people are in need right now Lord and I just ask that you be with them and allow those who can help, to be available.  Wrap your loving arms around the families that are in the midst of their storm and help them to see that you are always there.  Amen

I am so grateful for the safety of my family and friends.  I am in awe of the one that calms the storms.  I am also in prayer for those who experienced the destruction of the storms from last night.  It is so encouraging to hear about all of those people who are helping and doing good in His name.  I am also in prayer for those whose lives hang in the balance of the unknown.  With many places of business being destroyed, there is a lot of uncertainty about jobs and financial security.  I just ask that you join me in lifting up those in need. 

Have a blessed day!
Referee of 3

Luck...Time...and a Cheeseburger

Talk about luck.  I know better than to call it luck.  It was God answering one of my many, crazy prayer requests. 

Let me start from the beginning.  I don't want you to think I like this woman just because she is awesome.  I have a story of my own.

For Christmas, Coach got me a kindle and the very first book I downloaded was this.

I told my Mom last night (as we waited) that once I started, I could not put it down.  For anyone out there who loves a hilarious, real, love story...this book is for you.  After reading this book, I was reminded about things that I had forgotten regarding Coach and I's relationship.  How it started...how it felt...how far it has come...and so on.  I don't want to ruin the book for anyone, but it reminded me so much of how Coach and I started out 14 years ago. 

Anyway, after reading the book, I found out Ree had a cooking show on the food network.  Apparently she has been doing these shows for awhile now.  I got in on her second season and have loved every show.  Reasons I love her show...

1. It is a 30 minute program with commercials.  This means that my attention span can handle the time allotted for the show.
2. She is funny.  I like funny.  I like that she can laugh at herself.  Her honesty is so real. 
3. She makes recipes that even I can follow.  Note I said follow...not make without mistakes.  Most people could whip up something of hers in no time.  This girl can at least get all the ingredients and fake it. 
4. She includes her family.  I love that.  I realize that this group of people appears to be perfect.  But I know better.  I like to imagine her hallway being lined with laundry baskets and that sometimes she sits in the pantry and eats cookie dough when the cameras aren't watching.  I like to think that her kids maybe sometimes talk back and that her kitchen doesn't always look like it does on TV. 

She is a blogger.  I am a blogger.  She is funny.  I attempt funny.  She has a dog.  I have a dog.  She lives on a ranch.  She is a photographer.  She is an amazing cook.  She is famous.  She is a blogger.  I am a blogger.  You get my point...right?  I just like her.  

So last night...

A little while back, I heard that Ree (I call her by her first name because now that we've met, I consider myself a friend) was coming to Wichita for a book signing.  I decided I wouldn't miss it for anything.

Except of course, for baseball, soccer, and anything else that might come up.  I wrote about it.  I facebooked my disappointment.  And the response was so great!  I have some of the best people in my life.  I knew I should go for myself, but I also know I'd feel terribly guilty if Middle had a big hit and Momma wasn't there to see it.  I knew I'd kick myself for years to come.  So...I kindly wrote my friend Ree an email and told her I wouldn't be able to meet her.  (I totally did this).  I let her know where I'd be when she got finished if she felt like stopping by the baseball fields to kindly sign my book.  And that was that.

Until I saw the forecast.  Rain...RAIN RAIN RAIN!!!  Glorious Rain!  All of the activities that were preventing me from seeing Ree were outside.  I had better get tickets...I thought to myself.  Just in case.  I called the bookstore and reserved two tickets.  I wasn't even sure who would be crazy enough to go with me.  (I should have known it would be the woman who gave birth to me)  So tickets in hand and books to be signed...we waited.  As I was sitting at my desk yesterday, I heard the rain.  It rained and it poured.  And all events were cancelled...except Little's soccer practice.  (this my friends is another story completely)  So I called my Mom and we were set to leave at 5:15pm.  The first 500 people would get in to listen to Ree's presentation.  Our tickets were 1213 and 1214.  So we took our time.  We stopped for coffee...we put on our lipstick in the car...and we walked about a mile from where we parked...in boots...for Ree of course.  We walked in and there were about 8 people in front of us.  Odd...where have all the people gone?  I thought to myself.  Then, a woman come up and said the next 10 people...come with me.  I was giddy.  WE GOT IN TO HEAR HER SPEAK!  Which I realize isn't a huge deal to some people, but I was so excited!  Let me put this into terms you can understand.  I was BLACK FRIDAY excited!!!

We listened and then we waited.  We waited and we waited.  We waited  some more.  We talked about food...and called Chick fil a to see what time they closed.  We waited some more.  And then it was our turn.  WE WERE NEXT...and Ree needed a bathroom break.  So we waited some more.  And then...I met her.  My words were perfect.  So eloquent.  I was able to say exactly what I wanted to tell her.

That is a lie.

What I said was...wait for it...

This is overwhelming!

Yes.  It was.  She laughed and looked at me.  And then laughed again.  She said..."yes, this is very overwhelming!" 

Wow.  I am really glad I took the time to come up with the right thing to say.  I am lucky I didn't blurt out something about food as I was starving.  My brain was mush from being hungry and waiting.  But I met her...and I got my picture taken.  And we are now...really...friends...I think. 

She did sign my Charlie book to Mrs. Nelson for my classroom.  And then she asked what I taught.  I said...I am still in school. 

Wow.  Again.  REALLY?  I quickly corrected myself that I had gone back to school to finish my teaching degree I started long ago.  GET ME OUT OF HERE...was all I could think.  The good thing about it was that she was exhausted and I don't know that she was even comprehending what I was saying.  I didn't tell her that I had made and not burnt her meatloaf.  I didn't tell her how much I loved her book and how it inspired me to remember my own love story.  I didn't tell her how I love her blog and how real she is.  Just that I was overwhelmed and I'd been in school for a long time.  Awesome.

Oh well...I got her to sign my books and had a wonderful evening with my Mom.  It was a blessing.  We had luck on our side...time to spend together and in the presence of the great Pioneer Woman...and we had a cheeseburger on the way home.  That cheeseburger tasted so good...you would have thought I'd never had one before.  It was a great night.  I didn't miss anyone sports...Coach was super supportive...and Mom and I had fun. 

Sometimes...in the craziest ways...life just works out. 

Have a blessed day!

 Ree Talking about Marlboro Man

 Ree talking about Charlie

Feeling Pretty Lucky!

 Yay Us!

 Even Marlboro Man had to sign books!

 Still Waiting...

Mom, My good friend Ree...and me...the Referee of 3

Have a Blessed day!

Referee of 3