orange belt testing

I mentioned that P started Tae Kwon Do in mid April, and he love love loves it.  He usually chooses to go to class five days a week, so by the end of May, P was ready to test for his orange belt.

Testing has multiple components, and students have to demonstrate knowledge of each one.  P had to do his form {I didn't post a video - sorry!} and show off his self defense skills with Mr. Barr.

There were several rounds of sparring, including a chance for P and his classmate Noah to face off.

And - P's favorite - a chance to break a board.  He did it so quickly I wasn't able to get a photo.

At the end of his testing, I asked P to pose for a photo with his instructors.  They are such wonderful teachers, and such sweet, sweet, girls.

I love you, P, and I'm so proud of your hard work!

a Public Service Announcement from C

ordinary days

In the spring and summer, our family spends lots of time in the backyard.  We often eat on our back porch, pull out the outdoor toys, and {new this year} the boys love to run laps around the house.  The swingset in our backyard is always a popular attraction.  The boys love this two-seater swing!  Happy summer!

P's largest Lego creation to date

Martha's Park

Memorial Day weekend we met Layne and her mom at Martha's Park for some outdoor fun.  I love living next to this park - the kids always have a blast, and the splash pad is a huge hit in warmer weather.  As expected, all three kids started out in the water.

Also as expected, C was the first to leave the water, and he headed straight for the swings.  I'm not sure why {I guess because he doesn't have to hold on?}, but C still loves to swing in these bucket seats instead of in what he calls "a big boy swing".  In fact, he just had me put our "chair swing" back up at home.

Eventually all three kids made their way over to the climbing structures.

Everyone had their vitamin D fix for the day before it was time for dinner.  It was a fun way to spend part of our holiday weekend, and the company was great!

Martial Arts for St. Jude and an overdue book review

I mentioned a few posts back that P was involved with Martial Arts for St. Jude this year.  I've always tried to support St. Jude and am so grateful for the work they do, and I was proud of P's hard work to raise money for "a hospital for kids who are sick that aren't cured yet".  P explained to countless friends, neighbors, and church members {who were extremely generous!} that he was working to raise money to help the hospital "so that one day all kids will have cures".  He raised enough money to earn a gold medal from St. Jude, and while he was proud of his hard work, he also told me, "Mom, it's really about the hospital and the sick kids - not this medal."  You're right, and I'm so proud of you, buddy!

All of this talk with P brought Rachel's book to the front of my mind.  A year ago, we went to Virginia and visited my mom.  She offered to loan me her copy of her friend's book about the year her daughter battled brain cancer.  I took her up on it, went to bed with the book in hand, and stayed up until around 1:00am reading.  I read the book from cover to cover.  I emailed Rachel to ask her if I could write about her book on my little corner of cyberspace, and she readily agreed... and then I promptly went back to school, played with my boys, volunteered at church, and got months behind on my blog.  So here are my overdue comments.  First, my overarching opinion: go read Four Seasons for Charlotte.

Because all people and all situations are different, books affect different people in different ways.  {Profound, I know.}  But I can say that this book is worth the read.  Of course there were sad parts {I shed my share of tears}, but there was hope and a deep joy that extends beyond happiness to the story as well.  I felt like I was talking with a friend over coffee {well, tea... I'm not a coffee drinker} and hearing about her life experiences.  Regardless of your life situation, family situation, or beliefs, there are lessons to be learned and thoughts to impart.  I'd like to think the read has made me a better parent.  Charlotte started complaining of headaches four days after C was born, when she was three and a half.  C was three and a half when I read Rachel's book.  At the risk of making this all about me, I'll say that reading Four Seasons for Charlotte made me so grateful for whatever time I have with my children.  I try to be slower to anger and more gracious in my words and actions.  I'm sure there are lessons for you as well... stop reading my rambles and go check out Rachel's website!

in which I am amazed with how far modern medicine has come

Y'all.  I bet this post had you thinking I was going to talk about all the new technology in various medical fields, and how much we {as a society; I didn't go to medical school} know about the practice of medicine now, and the fascinating intricacies of those things.  I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this is actually about all the little "extras" nowadays.  {Maybe these aren't new; this is my first experience with a child's MRI, but they seemed new-fangled to me.}

In late May, P was scheduled to have an MRI.  Thankfully, prayers were answered and the scan came back clear, so you can rest assured that he is fine and not be worried for the rest of my post.  We had to go to the children's lab in Asheville.  It is worth noting that P wasn't nervous at all, but I was still glad that common sense is showing up in that facility these days.

While we were waiting for the MRI, P was informed that either his dad or I could go back with him.  He assured the technician that he wanted to go back by himself.  Then we were told that a therapist would be coming out to explain the process of the MRI to P.  When she arrived, she asked for permission to include P in a study.  We filled out a short survey before and after P's MRI.  The study was to determine whether having a therapist come and explain the process of a medical procedure before the procedure was done would help kids have less anxiety about the procedure.  {This is what I mean when I say the common sense is starting to come into play here.  I mean, hello, of course that's going to lower anxiety.}  But the grant for this study bought the lab a child-sized wooden MRI machine and there was a cd full of MRI sounds, and the patient and the therapist used Grover {a bluish-purple puppet} to act out what an MRI is like.

You can tell from P's expression that he's not anxious at all.  The therapist then asked, "Now, P, did they tell you that someone can come with you back to the MRI machine?" and P responded, "Yes.  And I already told them that I want to go by myself."  {They had us come back and get screened just in case.}  There were headphones for P to wear while the machine went to work.  He asked for "boring music" so that "the music won't make me want to bust up out of here", and the classical music they played must have worked, because P fell asleep about halfway through his MRI!

The extra touches {headphones, a puppet, and a therapist} made the whole experience much more positive for the parents and the patient.  Thank you Mission Children's Lab!

Friday night

P's friend Layne {you may remember her from the Valentine dance} was on his t-ball team this season.  He made plans {a week ahead; that's my boy!} to take her to dinner after a t-ball game.

First up for our Friday night - a rousing game of t-ball.  {Layne is wearing her uniform tee, but she has on a skort instead of pants.  I couldn't resist putting that out there. :)}

Then we met up with Layne's family at "Gracias".  Layne changed out of her uniform in the car before dinner.  She's quite the fashionista!  P and Layne are almost equally picky eaters - I was shocked to find someone even close to as picky as P - and yet they both like Mexican food.  The restaurant was too crowded for them to get their own table, so we got a table for eight and left two empty chairs between our families and P and Layne.  They had a blast!

Right now P's friendship with Layne is innocent and platonic {although they do say they're going to marry each other one day}, but maybe I better get my dating advice ready now!

Letterland!

P's class spent a day at Tweetsie when Letterland was visiting.  There was a chance to meet some of the letter people and take in some letter shows, but everyone also had some time to take in the regular activities at the theme park.

I had promised P since the start of school that I would do my best to take a day off of work and go on this field trip.  Daddy A and I allowed C to take a day off of school as well, and all four of us headed up the mountain.

It was no surprise to me that P requested the tilt-a-whirl early in the day.  Daddy A, C, P, and P's friend Noah climbed into the car and got ready to spin!

A group of us rode the train into the mouse mine.  I dazzled frightened everyone with my knowledge of the cheesy {pun intended} song lyrics playing inside the mine.

I agreed to take P and Noah for a ride on the Tweetsie Twister.  We got buckled in, and just before the attendant pushed the button to start the ride, Noah looked at me and said, "I hope I don't throw up on this ride."  Fortunately, he didn't.  In fact, P and Noah spent most of the ride shouting, "Faster!  Faster!"

We met up with some classmates to take in one of the Letterland shows.  Daddy A and I used our theme park prowess to score front row seats for our group.

Before heading home, we rode the train as a school group.  All of us had a great time, and I think this field trip can be labeled a rousing success!

ordinary days

Both of my boys enjoy craft projects.  They love to settle in with a variety of materials and create.  It makes me so happy to watch - I believe that God created us in his image, and because God creates, WE create!  P has adopted this mantra as well.  There's nothing unusual about this picture - it's a common scene around our house - but that's what makes it special.  I want to catch these moments when they happen, so that instead of having our memories swallowed up in the day to day activities, our memories ARE of the best parts of our day to day activities.

Kirkin O' The Tartan

Our church has a special service to celebrate the Presbyterians' Scottish heritage.  This year, C didn't fit into a baby kilt anymore, so he wore some plaid shirts with a polo shirt and was allowed to take his Merida doll to church with him for a special treat.

Getting P to agree to wear his kilt was surprisingly easy.  He didn't seem too concerned about it, but I had already offered my insurance policy.  P got to take these {plastic} swords to church for his special treat.  He did very well - other than posing for this photo in the church parlor, he kept his swords tucked into his kilt all morning.

Our boys makes handsome Scotsmen!

Tweetsie!

It's Tweetsie season again!  Since this visit was in early May, it was still cool on the mountain.  P was thrilled to discover this opportunity to wear his favorite sweatshirt.  I'm not sure why, but as we were walking past the engine on our way to the Palace Saloon, P asked if we would take his picture in front of the train.  Normally, P is not a big fan of photos, so we {of course} agreed, but I had to calmly say, "I guess... if you want." and I couldn't smile, or blink, or scratch my arm, or give any other indication of my excitement in case he decided to take back his request.

P took Daddy A for a drive, and I took C for a spin around the track up at the Country Fair.

In another surprising turn of events, P did not turn his nose up at the carousel.  He happily chose a horse and went round and round.

P is too big to ride these boats now, but C was still able to sail around the circle.  {Another reminder that the boys are growing up so fast!}

As we were preparing to head home, we heard C's friend Fancy Carol calling to him from the train.  We weren't in a hurry, so we jumped back on for one more train ride into the Old West with Fancy Carol and her family.  Seeing friends from town was a fun surprise!

I hope you enjoyed the inaugural Tweetsie post of the season.  If you've been around long, y'all know there are more Tweetsie posts to come this summer!

Guess who's enrolled at Monsters UIniversity?

Martial Arts for St. Jude

As soon as cheerleading was over, P started Tae Kwon Do classes.  He was hooked right away, and at the end of April his school participated in Martial Arts for St. Jude.  P was very interested in helping raise money for St. Jude, and we had discussions about what exactly St. Jude is and what it does.  The close of the month long fundraiser was a carnival put on by the martial arts school, and the boys both participated.

C walked in the front door and stopped at the face painting station.  He asked for - surprise! - a mermaid on his cheek.

P's favorite stations were board breaking and the "Crazy Birds" beanbag toss.

The boys also entered a cupcake eating contest... which didn't end so well for P, who ate too fast.  He recovered quickly and went on to use the rest of his tickets breaking wood boards with his hammerfist.

a fun carnival for a great cause = a good way to spend our Saturday morning!

ordinary days

This little tagline is on the front page of our paper every day.  April 26th was Daddy A's turn {and vicariously, our family's,} to be featured, and I just think this tradition is so cute that I couldn't resist taking a picture for posterity.  Or just because I think it's cute.  Whichever.  So here's our 15 minutes of fame - our subscriber was in the paper!

Storm banquet

Almost a month after the national championships, P's cheer family gathered for the annual awards banquet.  P was happy to join his friend Haley at the "cheerleaders' table".  They called each team up on stage and gave each member a trophy, and then announced and presented the few special coaches' awards for each team.

We were so excited when P won the "Team Before Self" award!  He tried literally every position on the squad and endured multiple routine changes, and despite being one of the youngest members of his team, if he was the base, he would sacrfice himself and hit the ground before he'd let his flyer fall.  In fact, one of my proudest moments was when he came home from practice in February and said, "Morgan was shaking today and everyone else was like, 'Oh, I'm not paying attention,' and then I could tell that either Morgan was going to fall and get hurt or I  was going to catch her and fall and I might get hurt.  So I had to quickly make a hard choice and decide that I would get hurt so she wouldn't."  His coach told me about the incident from her perspective, too, and she said, "He got creamed.  But he didn't cry, even though I thought for a second he might, because Morgan fell on him hard.  But he just got up, shook it off, and said, 'Okay, let's try it again'."  P also decided partway through the season that he didn't want to do cheerleading anymore, but we explained that he had to stick it out for the season with a good attitude, because his team was counting on him and he had given his word.  He agreed and did just that, which is a big accomplishment for a five year old.  Shoot, that's something adults sometimes struggle to do!

Way to go, P!

school picture day: edition take two

C was all dressed and ready for school photos {in his Easter suit, per his request}, and when we arrived at school we discovered that the photographer's wife had just gone into labor and pictures would be rescheduled.  No big deal.

Two weeks later, we gave it another go.  C was so excited to have his photo taken, he posed for Daddy A before morning meeting.  C's smile wasn't nearly this big for his "official" picture, so this is the "spring school picture" I chose to keep for C - and it didn't cost near as much as the professional photographer.  :)

in which we mini golf with friends

Backyard Bible Camp

This summer, I am one of the co-directors for our VBS.  We are using God's Backyard Bible Camp for our curriculum this year, and this spring we decided to do a "Bible Camp Preview" for our Wednesday night children's program at church.  What better way to kick off our camp preview than with s'mores?  {If you're in the area, feel free to drop by August 5 - 9 for Backyard Bible Camp.  Spoiler alert: S'mores will be making another appearance!}

Myrtle Beach

P's cheerleading team had their national championship competition at Myrtle Beach during our spring break.  Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred took us to Myrtle Beach for some vacation time along with P's activities.

Our group stayed at the Dunes, which has two indoor water parks.  This worked out well, since it was still cool in early April.  From our deck, we could see the ocean {although in this photo the boys appear to be examining something else entirely}.

Our first night "on the town", we took Grandma and Paige to a restaurant we chose last summer specifically for its pirate theme.  P posed again with his pirate friend.

After dinner, we walked around and looked in some shops.  Princess Sparkles was outside her store, and C was unable to resist her beautiful pink dress.  She sprinkled some fairy dust on his crocs.

The boys had a blast at the indoor water parks.  C was an especially big fan of the waterslides.  I lost count of how many times he went up the steps, down a slide, and repeated the cycle.

P took his turn on the waterslides too, but he also checked out some of the water parks' other features.

While I wasn't exactly warm at the water parks, it wasn't as cool as the beach.  And the smiles on the boys' faces made it worth every minute.

We made a return visit to the Pirate's Voyage dinner show.  C reprised his role as a mermaid, while P was once again a pirate.

This time we cheered for the Scarlet team, and P dressed in his Jack Sparrow costume.  When it was time for the pre-show, the host pirates asked P if he'd like to come onstage!  P was thrilled to be part of a sword fight.

Grandma Paige brought P a Skylanders sweatshirt, and he wore it almost every day.  We made some time for other "beachy" activities, like frozen treats.

We took in a show at the Alabama Theatre.  P fell asleep about halfway through the three hour show, but C was entranced.  During intermission, a few of the performers came out to the lobby.  C walked right up to Gail Bliss and asked her if she would please spin around in her princess dress.  She was so sweet!  She spun around, and then she picked up C and posed for a photo.  They became fast friends!

We couldn't leave the beach without visiting the oceanfront at all, so we headed out for a stroll one afternoon.  No one had on swimsuits, but somehow once we arrived at the ocean this happened:

and then this:

and the boys ended up going back inside {in soaking wet clothes} to change into swimsuits.  I was glad they had their chance to swim in the ocean, but it was too cold for me!

And, of course, since the impetus for our visit was a cheerleading competition, P had some practices.  Here he is with his friend Anna.  It turns out she is a huge fan of Skylanders, too.  P was excited to meet a fellow "portal master".  It's too bad they didn't discover their common interest earlier in the season!

P decided to sport a red mohawk for the national competition.  As you can see from this picture, this competition was the real deal, with a dark arena and spotlights on the stage.

P and his teammates were ready to go.

So was C, sign at the ready to proudly cheer for his brother.

If you ask P his favorite thing about cheeleading, he will say, "It's liftin' the girls in the air".  You can see him "liftin'" in the center of this photo.

Here's a close up of another stunt.

Part of the routine was to My Boyfriend's Back.  P had all the girls lined up in front of him, and then he pantomimed pushing them away, and the whole line fell down at once.

Following that, P did his favorite dance move - he showed off his "strongest" muscles.  :)

After a season of hard work, P and his team won the National Championship for their division!

P learned a lot of things, including discipline and teamwork, during his year on the squad.  We are so grateful to his loving, patient, and hard working coaches.  Here is P with Coach Melanie, and they're both wearing their new championship jackets!

Way to go, P, and way to go Storm!  We are so proud of all of your hard work!