Nathan's Ma

Football!

2011-08-08T08:01:00.004-05:00

My amazing son wanted to try football this year. So, his daddy went and signed him up. We tried to prepare him for what he was about to embark on, but as it sometimes goes, he couldn't be convinced otherwise. He started on July 11th, and they spent 2 weeks conditioning. They ran and did various drills for two hours each night. He handled it well; like the true champ that he is. Until, they were issued pads and he had to learn to hit and tackle. Because, he is at the top of his weight class, he was paired up with the larger boys that have played for several years. He struggled and didn't like it. But, we encouraged him along and things are beginning to look up.

His first game he only played eight plays at right guard on second string offense. But, when the coaches watched the film and saw that he was eight for eight on his blocks he was moved up to first string offense AND defense. This past Saturday, he played almost every play and did a great job. We are so proud of him. They lost by one point but as the video shows Nathan, #16, had a fumble recovery to give us one last drive of the game, but we ran out of time.

A New Look For My Baby!

2011-05-03T21:44:00.004-05:00

My handsome man has a new look. He got glasses. He vows he will not wear them. He says he will only wear his contacts. But, I know better. He has done so well with his contacts. The lady at the doctor's office said he is the first child she has ever fitted contacts with before glasses. I am so proud of him. Being a baseball catcher, he cannot wear sports goggles under his catcher's helmet because when he takes it off it pulls the goggles cockeyed. Contacts were the only option.

Handsome Dude!

2011-03-28T15:33:00.003-05:00

Look who I got to spend the whole day with. He was out of school last Monday, so he and I had a date. The only problem was, I sure did spend a lot of money. First, we had breakfast at McDonald's. Then, we hit the mall. We had to buy him some new sliding shorts and a cup. (He said to me in a whisper, "Mom, I need a new cup, my other one is too little.") I shuddered at the thought, but managed to get him a new one. He then wanted to go and get some new clothes, which didn't take long because he doesn't like to shop. He's like his mama. And, we finished the day off with the movie, Rango. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was a waste of money. But, I enjoyed sharing a bag of popcorn with my main man and the best part of all... was when we were driving home...he held my hand all the way home. That was worth every penny I spent. Oh, how I love that boy!

Quick Update!

2011-03-19T18:14:00.002-05:00

Whew, are these games nailbiters! We are currently tied for first. That is exciting. We played the team we are tied with this morning. And, guess what the result was? You got it! We tied. Again. 10 - 10. What a great game it was. We play them again on Thursday night. So, we shall see...

One In The "W" Column!

2011-03-02T10:31:00.002-05:00

First game down and with a win! What a great game we had last night. It was one of those "on the edge of your seat" games. We went up 4-0. Then they came back and tied the game. They then scored two more to make it 4-6. We were down by two. Oh, but we fought back and scored 3 more runs to make the score 7-6. Nathan was put in as the closing pitcher and struck out the first three batters throwing that "heat" of his. Wow! What a game! Up next, is the same team on Saturday and I am sure they will be gunning for us!

Yay! Baseball Has Started!

2011-02-12T08:32:00.003-05:00

I couldn't be more excited about this year's spring baseball season. The league has three teams this year and they are pretty evenly matched. The boys are a year older and stronger. My boy is a lot slimmer from getting taller and should be more intimitating. He hasn't picked up a bat for 3 months and at tryouts he hit three of his five pitches to the outfield with his old bat. His new bat was banned by the league. So, needless to say, this mama is sitting on "ready!"

Baseball Is Right Around The Corner!

2011-01-23T21:18:00.001-05:00

And, I can't wait!!!!!!!!! Tryouts are next Thursday!

Overwhelmed!

2011-01-05T17:13:00.000-05:00

That's what I am right now. Overwhelmed...in all areas of my life.

Family Picture Time!

2010-12-13T16:40:00.012-05:00

Family pic.

Again.

Me and my main man!

My two handsome main men.

Love this one of my boy.

My handsome husband and me!

And, my favorite artsy pose.

Special thanks to my cousin, Kendra (DeeDah) Blount Harrell, for taking these awesome pictures for our family this year.

Man Hunt!

2010-11-22T19:09:00.002-05:00

Look what happens when you play Man Hunt at night. I tried really hard not to react. I mean really....why should I be upset? A stick that was protruding out of the wood pile missed his eye by mere millimeters. As Todd said, "That is why we pray for his protection at all times!" Nathan said he got his revenge because he pulled the stick out of the woodpile, broke it over his knee and threw it in the fire.

Disturbing...

2010-11-04T21:17:00.002-05:00

Nathan got off the bus the other day and when he got in the car he turned my attention to a very cute, blonde headed little girl. He said, "Mom, see that little girl over there?" I told him that I did and that she was very cute. He continued to explain to me that everyday when she gets off the bus, she stops at his seat and rubs her hands down his arms and says, "Bye Nathan, I love you." I think I said something to the effect of how sweet that was and he said, "mom, she's only in first grade." I tried to explain to him that she looks up to him and admires him. He didn't buy it. He said, "It's really disturbing."

Update on Fall Ball.

2010-10-25T21:02:00.002-05:00

The only thing I can say about fall ball is that we have lost every game. Well, maybe not the only thing. The boys have learned a lot and have improved with every game. They have come close to winning a couple of games but just haven't been able to close the gap. There are only a couple of games left so, we will continue to hope.

God Is Working It Out!

2010-10-11T21:06:00.002-05:00

Last night we were on our way to church and Nathan asked if he could call his cousin, Thaddeus, to see if he was coming to church. I told him that he didn't need to do that. We were almost to church and he could just wait until we got there. As we were pulling into the parking lot, Nathan once again asked, "Mom, is Thaddeus going to be at church." One more time, I told him that I didn't know, but that it looked like maybe he was because I spotted their car in the parking lot. He said, " Look, God is working it out." Todd and I cracked up. Indeed, he did work it out and Thaddeus was at church which made Nathan one happy boy.

Fall Ball!

2010-09-25T08:05:00.002-05:00

Yay! Fall baseball is in full swing. And, I couldn't be happier. As I have said many times before there is nothing that I enjoy doing more than watching my boy play baseball. Our small league only has two teams for the fall because most of the regulars are playing football. Todd is coaching Nathan's team and he is a great coach. We have about four boys on our team that have never played. Nathan recruited a few of his school friends to come out and join the fun, which are the ones that haven't played before. Nathan's granddaddy was talking to him the other day and he asked him if "So n So" knew how to play. And, Nathan responded,"Well, let's just say my daddy needs to work with him." So, in other words....NO! :) We have had two games and lost both of them. But, to my great delight, they have shown great improvement in just two weeks of games and practices. Next game is Monday night and I can't wait!

Camping, Skiing and Tubing for Labor Day!

2010-09-06T21:23:00.010-05:00

Isn't he just the most handsome kid you have ever seen in your life? I know, I couldn't agree more.

Anyway, for Labor Day weekend, we decided to do something different than going fishing. We all decided the kids were big enough to learn how to water ski. So, Todd and his daddy, Pappy, dug out the old water skiis and we bought an inflatable water tube and off we went. The kids were extremely excited but the I think the big kid was excited the most.

Todd found his old slalom. It still had the $50 sticker on it where he had tried to sell it in a yard sale we had a long time ago. He was glad it didn't sell. He showed us all that he's still got it.

Nathan tried and tried but this is about as good as he did. Each time he went a little further than the time before. If truth be told, I think he was a little scared to get out in the middle of the lake and fall. Because when he and I were tubing he kept telling me to be sure and come get him if he fell off.

Tubing was a blast. The kids especially loved it because as they rode it they would try to knock the other one off. It was sort of like 'king of the tube'. I must admit, I fell off but only because my arms got tired. :)

Thankfully we all survived and we all had a great time spending the weekend on Lake Luisa.

Yeah First Day of School!!!!!!!!!!

2010-08-24T07:10:00.003-05:00

So handsome!

The Best News Ever!

2010-08-11T16:46:00.002-05:00

School starts soon!!!!! Nathan is excited and so am I. Today we received the much anticipated letter from the school telling us who his fourth grade teacher would be. He got who he wanted. He is so excited. He thinks he has the best luck ever. But, I know that I wrote a letter to his principal requesting the teacher he wanted. Thank goodness he wanted a good teacher or he would have been one disappointed little boy.

We have had a great summer. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Nathan and I did get to go to the mountains for a week but other than that and a few day trips we hung pretty close to home.

The next best thing that can happen is fall ball can start. Because it has been so hot, he hasn't gotten a lot of exercise and has chunked up a little. This has made school shopping a little challenging. But, all in all, for school to start it is well worth it. There is no news I would rather hear than that because I am tired of hearing, "Mom, I'm bored."

Boing!

2010-07-21T09:20:00.009-05:00

About two weeks before Nathan's birthday, I informed him that we weren't going to have a big party for him this year. After all the explanations as to why we weren't, I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday. He told me he wanted to go to Boing. I had never heard of Boing before. He told me it was a place covered in trampolines and you jump around and play games. So, we took him to Boing with his cousin Walker, who was visiting from Mississippi.
Todd, checked them in and paid the $12 and hour fee. They were issued special jumping shoes and also a soft padded helmet.

They were very eager to get to the fun part, but after they were suited up they humored me and posed for a before shot.

In one of the arenas they held intense games of dodge ball. The team that won got to stay in until they lost by a challenging team. Walker and Nathan patiently waited to get another chance to defeat the champions. The jumping is so intense and tiring, I think they secretly enjoyed the rest of waiting in line.

There are three rooms of trampolines. This is one of the free jump rooms. Many were doing flips, bouncing over the padded dividers and flipping off the walls. Nathan was a little apprehensive of the walls.

But, as I expected, before his hour was over, he got a little braver and started jumping on the walls and having a great time.

Another Birthday!

2010-07-17T11:09:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is my baby boys 9th birthday. I don't know where time has gone! We have a day full of fun plans. Stay tuned!

Home...

2010-07-09T21:24:00.003-05:00

...is where we are. We had a great time in the high mountains. Monday we drove home and Tuesday it was back to work. Yesterday, I was called to the hospital. My cousin's daughter was having seizures. So, needless to say, I am exhausted. I haven't even unpacked yet. Nathan has had a ball at his DeeDee and Grandaddy's. He stayed with Grandaddy while Mama and I went to the hospital. She told him he was in charge and he had to take care of Grandaddy. Today she told me that he had cleaned up that house and straightened things on the table and had even hung his clothes up before he laid down. Tonight at supper I asked him why he cleaned up DeeDee's house but not mine. He simply said, "because I was in charge." If he only knew....

The High Mountains!

2010-06-26T16:48:00.003-05:00

My brother has a log cabin in North Georgia. We love it there. Ever since Nathan could talk he he has referred to the mountains as, "the High mountains." I thought that was just a "baby" thing and now that he is eight almost nine he would just call them the mountains. But, the other day I heard him ask his uncle when were we going to he High mountains. Well, we are on our way to the High mountains and we are very excited!

I Miss Baseball!

2010-06-16T20:15:00.005-05:00

Baseball is over and I miss it. Our boys did really good in their little tournament. Nathan ended up playing first base instead of his usual catcher spot. He played it like he had played it all year long. We lost the first two qualifying rounds which seeded us. We won the next one and returned to play a fourth game on Sunday morning. The team we played against was a powerhouse. The game started off with them running away with the score. But, our little Pinecrest boys fought back hard! They came within 2 runs and we ran out of time and the umps called the game. The final score was 14-16. I think the parents were more upset than the boys. They just wanted to go run around and play football or hide-n-seek.

We watch the Rays most every night that they are on TV but it's just not the same as watching my boy round the bases after smacking that little white ball, or throw a runner out at second from home plate, or strike a batter out with his "fast ball."

So, again I say it, "I miss baseball!"

My Homerun Homeboy!

2010-06-04T21:57:00.003-05:00

That's right, my boy hit a home run in the first game of the All Star tournament. Even though we lost, Nathan played a great game. He played first base and had ten outs with two of them on a double play. The third baseman threw the ball to Nathan and he turned around and threw it right back to him for a double play. He had his mama screaming her head off in the bleachers. There are very few things I like to do more than watch my boy play baseball.

Sometimes You Just Need A Day Off...

2010-05-25T19:49:00.006-05:00

....at the beach. And, that's what we did. Todd's brother, Tripp, got a room for a couple of nights and invited us down for the day. So, after church, we threw our suits and some towels in a bag and headed to Pass A Grille beach in St. Pete. The beach is not my favorite place, but my son loves it and once I get there, I do enjoy the serenity of it all. We arrived around three in the afternoon which was just after the heat of the day and so we got just enough sun and managed to leave without getting blistered.

Nathan loved diving for shells. Every so ofter, he would come up to the beach where I was and show me a treasure he had found. Most of his treasures were broken shells...except for this one...

...a perfect sand dollar. I even managed to get it home without breaking it. Which scored me a lot of points with my son. When we lived in Jamaica, we visited Negril and the boys went snorkeling. Nathan found a really cool sand dollar and I put it in the sink in the motel room. When we got back home, his sand dollar was still in Negril. He has never let me forget it.

We ate dinner at the famous Hurricane. I wasn't very impressed with my salad and Todd wasn't very impressed with his grouper sandwich, but Nathan's cheeseburger was good. I was definitely impressed with the butter pecan ice cream I got in the waffle cone at the ice cream shop, too.

Thanks, Uncle Tripp, for sharing you room with us and inviting us down.

Muffins With Mom and Mother's Day.

2010-05-10T17:46:00.014-05:00

Mother's Day weekend started off with a bang. Friday morning I had muffins with my son in his class. His teacher invited all mothers to come to the class and enjoy muffins and juice with their children. The kids had poems they had written to present to mom and they put on a little mother's day play. Mrs. Flagg worked hard to pull it together and make us moms feel special.

Saturday, Nathan had a baseball game and what an exciting game it was. Nathan's team beat the strongest team in the league. I was so proud of him. He played a solid game as did his teammates.

Sunday, we went to Mama's for lunch. I struggled with her cooking the feast she did, but neither one of us wanted to go out to eat and wait for hours to get served. We took lots of family pictures which were well over due.

I love this picture. My son is a mama's boys and I love that he loves me the way he does.

The three of us. We haven't had a family picture taken in a long time. Nathan of course has changed the most.

This one was funny. We had just moved into the sun and Nathan was caught in mid sneeze.

It has been a really long time since I have seen my brother with a tie. Isn't he handsome?

Picture with Mama and Daddy. I love them so much. I have a wonderful family.

And, now you know where my white hair comes from. Love this woman.

The Ray's Game!

2010-05-01T14:41:00.015-05:00

Last Sunday we took Nathan to his first professional baseball game. It was little league day at Tropicana Field, home of the Rays. Nathan plays for district 13, so we went with some of his teammates and some of the players and parents of other teams from Pinecrest Little League. Needless to say, Nathan loved it. Not long after we were seated, he looked at me and said, "Mom, I'm going to do this when I grow up."

The game began with presentation of the colors. The Rays were playing the Toronto Blue Jays so the special guest sang the Canadian national anthem as well as our Star Spangled Banner.

He was even happy to oblige me and pose for a few pictures. That made me happy because I didn't have to bribe him.

Our seats were just behind left field. Perfect to catch a Crawford or Upton home run ball.

We had a perfect view of Carl Crawford, who plays left field. He showed off a few times for us.

Nathan had his glove ready at all times. But, just as I suspected, when an opportunity to catch a ball didn't come in the first five minutes of our arrival, he was ready for something different.

First, came the $4 bag of cotton candy. Todd helped him eat that. I didn't.

More waiting. Then he convinced his daddy to take him to the concession stand. I was so glad they went.

Because, they came back with a Papa John's pizza and an ice cold Diet Coke. I was more than ready for the Diet Coke. Before they left to go get the pizza, Nathan handed me his glove with strict instructions to put it on in case a ball come our way. The little boy behind me had a ball he had gotten in warm ups. I asked him if I could borrow it to play a trick on my son and husband. So, when Todd and Nathan returned, I had a ball in Nathan's glove. The look on his face was priceless. And, I and the boys behind me, got a good laugh.

The Rays won 6-0, so it was a good day. After the game, Nathan and Logan posed for me in front of a Rays banner.

A Day On The Boat!

2010-04-21T12:18:00.007-05:00

Saturday was a good day for us. We decided to take a day and have some family fun. Unfortunately, we didn't catch enough fish for supper. Never the less, it was a great day of fun.

Grammy and Pappy came with us and brought their boat. We launched at a new place in Riverview and rode up by the port of Tampa. We even passed a cruise ship that had just set sail. Even though the ship was sailing slow, we had quite the ride as we rode over it's wake. Nathan of course thought that was cool. I, on the other hand, was a little concerned at one point.

And, true to his ways, Nathan fell asleep on the ride home. We have taken him on the boat since he was a baby, and he always falls asleep. I guess the rocking and hum of the motor lulls him to sleep. And, I don't complain one bit.

Wacky Tacky Day.

2010-04-07T20:03:00.002-05:00

The week before spring break is Spirit Week. Today was Wacky Tacky Day. My boy did a good job picking out his outfit. He fixed his faux hawk, with his plaid shirt and shorts, a red sock, a black sock and two different colored shoes. How can a mother not be proud?

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2010-03-25T08:04:00.002-05:00

Why is this cow in my front yard? I know she is trying to get to her baby, which you can see in the background, but in my non-bovine opinion she should have stayed with her baby and not tried to get to the greener grass on the other side of the fence. Oh, and somebody should tell her that my front yard has no grass, it is all dirt!

Doing Better!

2010-03-19T13:06:00.003-05:00

We have won both of our last games. The team seems to be gelling. It appears that everyone is getting use to each other and learning to anticipate what the other is going to do. We have had two kids that have been sick but in spite of the illnesses we have prevailed.

Tomorrow we travel to Antioch. We beat Antioch last time we played them. Hopefully we can pull out another win tomorrow. That will bring us up to 3-3.

Nathan is continuing to improve. He is doing really good pitching and his catching is almost flawless. What can I say? He lets very few balls get by him. I am so proud of him and watching him play is still one of my favorite things to do.

Baseball Update!

2010-03-12T16:29:00.002-05:00

We have had a slow start to our baseball season. We have only played 2 games and unfortunately we have lost them both. We were suppose to play last night but the rain put a damper on that. No pun intended. Our next game is tomorrow morning and I am really looking forward to it.

In fall ball, Nathan pitched. By the end of the season he was doing really well. This season however, he seems to have been a little intimidated by the bigger boys. Last game he told his daddy before the game that he didn't want to pitch and Todd didn't make him. That night all of our pitchers were off. And that is all the encouragement he needed. He has practiced extra hard and is back and ready to pitch. And, I am ready for him too. I was very disappointed when our game got cancelled last night. So, needless to say, tomorrows game can't get here soon enough.

Opening Ceremonies 2010!

2010-03-03T10:02:00.004-05:00

Last Friday we had opening ceremonies for this season's spring baseball. It was a lovely evening despite the wind and cold. The above picture shows our team managed by Todd. This year we are the Rays. What a handsome group of players and coaches!

And how about these two handsome boys? Aren't they the best. I was able to bribe Nathan to sit still long enough to let me get his picture with Coach Dad. We had our first game last night and lost 11-4. The boys did good. Nathan caught the whole game. He has lost his interest in pitching for some reason, but we hope to get it back. Next game, Saturday morning.

Play Ball!

2010-02-16T15:56:00.003-05:00

Practice. Practice. Practice. I am so ready for some game action. At least a scrimmage game. Something. But, Coach Dad is not ready. He thinks we just need to practice this week and maybe (keyword maybe) have a scrimmage game next week. Ugh. That means I have to endure another week of practices.

The weather here has been less than cooperative. Florida is suppose to be warm. Not lately. Saturday morning I had to dig out the hardcore winter apparel. It was brutal out there. I would have given anything to have a little portable heater under the bleachers. Layering was definitely the key. Tonight shouldn't be too bad if the wind will lay down.

So, off to another practice I go. Next week can't get here soon enough.

Let The Season Begin!

2010-02-01T21:55:00.003-05:00

Tryouts are done. The draft is over, and the season is off. Tonight we had our first practice and parent meeting. Coach Dad did a great job and I can't wait until the games start.

Baseball Tryouts Are Thursday....

2010-01-24T22:35:00.001-05:00

....and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!

Icicles....In Florida?

2010-01-11T22:17:00.005-05:00

That's right! Florida had been frigid for the the last week or so. Todd has watered the trees religiously. He has a special guava tree that he has raised from a seed. Every night he goes out to turn the sprinkler on which makes beautiful icicles. Nathan made sure we saved some, so there are several on a pan in my freezer. There have been snow reports as close as twenty miles away, but none developed where we live.

The guava tree is actually about seven feet tall, but is bent over from the weight of the ice. This morning we had no water. I brushed my teeth with a bottle of water. Then before we left for work, I heard a strange noise. When I looked out the back door, water was spraying all over the backyard. Todd had it fixed before I got home from work. Hopefully tomorrow morning that won't happen, because I am going to want to take a shower....a hot one at that.

Back To School!

2010-01-05T20:40:00.004-05:00

After two weeks off for Christmas break, yesterday, was back to school. I can honestly say, Nathan was excited. When I put him to bed Sunday night, he tossed and turned and talked and talked and talked and finally after what seemed to be an hour he drifted off to sleep. He usually goes to sleep really fast unless he is excited about something. Florida is having a cold spell right now and we are about to freeze to death. Usually Florida cold spells last a day or two. This one is suppose to last all week and into next week. I am really thankful for my heated seats when I take Nathan to the bus stop. Todd has a guava tree he is trying to keep from freezing. So, every night he puts the sprinkler on it so the ice will insulate it. One of those cool miracles. Nathan and I still think the tree is a dud because it hasn't produced any fruit. But, Todd is a determined man. After all, he has raised it from a seed.

We had a good two weeks off. Todd had to cut down a tree and of course Nathan helped him. Nathan also worked on his science project and got it ready to turn in. So, we are back to our school schedule and life is good. Really, really good!

Where Did This Year Go?

2009-12-18T08:57:00.003-05:00

It is just too hard for me to believe that Christmas is next week. But, believe it or not I am almost ready for it. Just a few more gifts to buy and I will be ready to invite my husband to the wrapping party we will be having. I sure hope he wants to attend.

Nathan's class is having a party today since it is their last day before the Christmas break. Later today I will be taking in Cokes and Cheetos, and gifts for Nathan's wonderful teacher, Mrs. Flagg.

It seems every year I get a new revelation about the Christmas story. This year I have been pondering Mary's feelings after she gave birth to Jesus. I know how overwhelming my feelings were when I first held my newborn son. I waited thirty six years for him. I remember one time while we were still in the hospital, Nathan was having a squalling fit. My mother handed him to me and as I layed him on my chest under my chin, he snuggled his little head into my neck and settled right down making little cooing noises....kind of like when a cat is content and purrs. I'm sure Jesus did that to Mary. Can you imagine the face of God snuggling into your neck. WOW! It was the one time that humanity actually "held" God. It makes me wonder. Does He still feel like he can snuggle up to us and let us hold Him? Does He find contentment by being with us? I think when our attitudes, mind frames and intentions are pure, He does.

Straight A's!

2009-11-23T19:58:00.006-05:00

From the looks of the above picture, I think 8:15 is way too early to have an awards ceremony. They had to have it early because the third grade was leaving at 9 to go on a field trip. Even though it was early, it was well worth attending.

Of all the third grade classes, only 10 students made straight A's. Nathan was one of those ten. He is so glad that he is finally getting real letter grades. Since kindergarten, he has received S's for "satisfactory" and E's for "excellent."

All the students were very attentive and they were very quite. The principal did a great job complimenting them on such good behavior.

Nathan was also a super pilot and received a window decal. This award is given for good behavior and good citizenship.

Mrs. Flagg is Nathan's teacher. The first day of school he got off the bus, walked over to the van and the first words out of his mouth were, "Mom, I love my teacher." She is wonderful and Todd and I love her, too. She is a great teacher and we are so thankful for the investment she is making in Nathan's life and education.

A Little Bit Of This And A Little Bit Of That.

2009-11-07T13:47:00.002-05:00

That's exactly what we've been doing lately. We went over to April and John's for Halloween. Nathan didn't want to dress up but he sure wanted to go trick or treating. Which we did. Cruz was a little horse. The hoodie on his costume was the horse's mane. And, of course it was just too cute. The food was good and so was the candy! And...it still is.

Nathan has been the best boy ever. He is making straight A's and working really hard in school. He even got chosen to be on Student Council. He continues to get better in baseball and is just an all a round good boy. This morning he was watching TV in his room and I went in to get his dirty clothes. I picked up a big pile and on my way out he said, "Thanks, Mom."

I said, "For what, baby?"

He said, "For washing my dirty clothes."

And, he did that all on his own. Not after a big fat lecture from me or his dad. So, now he can do anything he wants to. Just kidding or not.

The Pitching Continues...On and Off the Field!

2009-10-27T14:06:00.005-05:00

Nathan continues to improve with his pitching skills...on the field that is. He has started the last two games and pitched two innings. In the first two innings of each game, he struck two batters out.

Off the field, he needs to improve in his decision making skills. Twice now he has managed to make decisions that were less than wise. While his Daddy was away on a trip, he and I were outside by the barn. He decided to start throwing the keys to the barn in the air. I was busy trying to water some potted trees. The throwing got higher and higher until the keys landed on the roof of the barn. That's where they stayed until his Daddy got home and retrieved them.

Then, the other night we were at a church social after the evening service. None of his friends were there so he went into the youth hall and started entertaining himself by throwing his Croc shoe into the air. Harmless, right? It was, until the Croc landed between a built out wall and the wall of the metal building. Thankfully his Daddy and the pastor were able to locate a ladder, a flashlight, a piece of rope and a homemade hook. In a matter of minutes his daddy had fished it out saving us $30 on another pair of Crocs.
There is about a 6 inch space between the black metal wall and the blue sheet rock wall. Todd said the Croc was all the way on the floor between the two walls. Only my son!

Whooo Hooo! We finally won a game!

2009-10-15T20:57:00.002-05:00

Yeah! It finally happened. We won our first game. Nathan started the game pitching. He made two of the 3 outs in the first inning. One was a strike out and the second one, was a fielded ball. He even bobbled it, but he stayed with it and threw it to first base just in time to get the runner out. He was behind the plate the rest of the game. Unfortunately, he wasn't feeling up to speed. He is fighting a head cold. So, he was a little sluggish. His hitting wasn't on tonight either. He struck out the first time up to bat and walked the second time. All in all, the team banded together and won 11-10. Way to go Pinecrest!

Pitching Debut!

2009-10-02T12:46:00.003-05:00

Nathan had his pitching debut last night. The picture isn't good because all I had to take the picture with was my cell phone. I didn't think they would put him in to pitch because they really like him to catch, which he does really well. And, in my opinion he pitched as good as the other pitchers do. And that was after having caught a lot of wild pitches from our other pitchers for two innings. He only got to pitch for one inning, but hopefully he will become a regular.

I May Not Have To Cook Breakfast Anymore!

2009-09-21T10:34:00.014-05:00

On Wednesday nights, Nathan attends Royal Rangers at our church. It is a boys program sort of like Boy's Scouts. They are trained in various aspects of safety and survival outdoors and they earn badges to advance in the program. Last Wednesday night, they were working on their cooking badge and learned to cook eggs. I am loving this badge! The next day he came home from school and wanted to cook some eggs. So, I let him, and he did a great job! I told him that I no longer have to cook his breakfast. He now can get up and cook his own. He really didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
He started by putting a little butter in the hot pan.
Then, he cracked the egg. He said this was his favorite part.
He used the spatula to bust the yolk.

While his egg cooked, he put a slice of cheese on his bread. Then he flipped the egg in the pan.

It wasn't quite done because I wouldn't let him turn the heat up real high.

I then had a brainstorm. I showed him how to cook bacon, so he could have bacon on his sandwich, of course. Okay, really so he could cook us all a full breakfast. And, no surprise here he did a great job!

He cooked it nice and slow and flipped it often.

I even got him to look at the camera while frying his bacon.

He drained the grease off on a paper towel.

Then put it on his sandwich.

And, the final product..."just bend it over like a taco, Mom."

Fall Ball Begins...Finally!

2009-09-10T21:44:00.004-05:00

I am so thrilled Fall Ball has started. There are few things I like doing more than watching my boy play ball. Nathan has been moved up to Minor A, which is a whole different ball game, than machine pitch. No pun intended. I never expected them to consider him as a pitcher but, I think I might like it. He will probably play catcher some, which is pretty exciting, too. Our first game is Monday night. They have only had two practices together. If I were Coach, I would have called an extra practice. I'm just sayin'.

First Day...of Third Grade.

2009-08-25T18:05:00.011-05:00

Today, was Nathan's first day of third grade. It is so hard to believe for me. He really is growing up so fast. Before I know it he will be getting his driver's license and driving himself to school.

But, today he rode the bus. As a matter of fact, he insisted on riding the bus. I wanted to take him so I could get some pictures and Todd could get some video. He suggested that I just follow the bus to school and meet him there. What a grand idea. Seems like I've done that before. I did that in kindergarten, when I really didn't want him to ride the bus.

Jacob and Nathan on their way to breakfast. Jacob is in fifth grade and is a bus patrol this year.

The school advertises healthy breakfasts and lunches. They had pizza for breakfast. Am I missing something?

He knew exactly where to go. His classroom is located in the new wing of the newly remodeled school.

Until, he got here. Then it was, "Which room is it Mom?" He almost passed it, but we got him back on track.

He only has seventeen students in his class. I was very happy about that. No overcrowding there.

He didn't cry when we left. Matter of fact, he hardly even told us goodbye. Once he found his desk, he settled in, started unpacking his supplies and was ready for Showtime.

Third Grade...Here He Comes.

2009-08-22T08:52:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that just yesterday, he was a baby in my arms. Today, he is a very healthy eight year old going into the third grade. When I say healthy, I mean it in a good way, but he really needs to start fall ball and drop some of those pizza flavored Pringles. We have tried to stay busy this summer but he has spent a lot of time in the house watching TV and playing Wii and the new DSi he got for his birthday.

Thursday night we went to orientation and met his new teacher. I was very pleased with her and the fact that he only has 17 students in his class. That is very unusual these days. Seems the school board is always talking about the overcrowding in the classrooms. Stay tuned. I will try to remember to take pictures on the first day of school.

Summer...comes to an end.

2009-08-13T19:20:00.004-05:00

I got a wonderful piece of mail today. It was from Nathan's school. It gave me lots of information. The best piece of information is that school starts soon. I've got one more week to entertain my son and then it's his teacher's turn. We have had a great summer. But, I must admit I am weary. I'm ready for school to start.

We have had a full summer. We started out camping in North Carolina. We celebrated Nathan's birthday by going to Busch Gardens and most recently we went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando.

Heather, Jacob and Nathan

Happy Anniversary To Us!

2009-07-28T08:19:00.003-05:00

Look at us! This was our engagement picture. Boy, were we both skinny. We can really say that our wedding day was the most fun ever. We had a blast because our wonderful friends and family took care of everything. It went off without a hitch. Well, except for my poor brother. He was sick as a dog and had no less than a dozen songs to sing. But, he was a trooper and suffered through.

Today, the center of my world, turned eight!

2009-07-18T19:33:00.006-05:00

He went from this:

And this:

To this:

Happy Birthday, sweet boy of mine. I love you, so much.

Mom

Vacation in the Smoky Mountains. Part 1.

2009-07-07T15:02:00.016-05:00

We love the Smoky Mountains. My grandfather owned a cabin in Franklin, North Carolina. I have many fond memories of staying with him and all the places he took me. Todd's family vacationed there too, when he was a child. When he and I got married, we went their on our honeymoon. We go as often as we can.
My brother owns a cabin in Blairsville, Georgia. Blairsville is a gorgeous little town and we love being there, too.
Nathan loves going to Meeks Park to swim. It is also a great place to exercise as the park has a wonderful trail that follows along a creek.
Uncle Howie loves to take us to all the sightseeing places. One day we went hiking up to Duke's Creek falls.
Once we got to the top, Nathan was disappointed. I realized that he thought we would be climbing the waterfalls as he did at Dunn's River Falls when we lived in Jamaica. Oops!

Nathan and Uncle Howie posing in front of the waterfall.

Uncle Howie, Nathan and Todd.

He found a walking stick on the way up. He borrowed his dad's knife to whittle.

On the way back down, we had to test our balancing skills. There was a fallen tree across a small ditch.

He did it. But, only after mom showed him how. I can't figure out why no one took a picture of me.

Even though he was disappointed that he couldn't climb the waterfall, he had a good time building a dam with another little boy.

We stayed in Blairsville for a week. We enjoyed lots of great restaurants, golfing and going to the movies. Our second week was spent camping on the banks of Deep Creek. Part 2 coming soon.

On Vacation...literally!

2009-06-20T09:25:00.002-05:00

We are on vacation for two weeks in the Smokey Mountains and loving every minute of it. Internet connections are few and far between. So, update posts will be made as I can.

All Stars!

2009-06-16T10:10:00.003-05:00

Look what I bought at the All Star tournament!

Top left: Perfect catching form
Top right: Throwing someone out at second
Bottom left: Catching a ball thrown home
Bottom right: Intense look running to first

All Stars, Here We Come!

2009-06-05T14:21:00.002-05:00

The long awaited All Star Tournament starts tonight. We are scheduled to play at 6 PM. My son will be the starting catcher and I can hardly wait. I told him the other night that when I was tucking him in for bed that watching him play baseball was my favorite thing to do. He just looked up at me and grinned. We play again in the morning at 11:30. Then the third game is tomorrow afternoon and if we win we keep playing and if we lose we go home.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

2009-05-28T19:45:00.002-05:00

But just when we have ball practice and ball games. We have been in a drought and really need the rain. I just wish it would rain while the kids are in school and not when we are trying to practice for All Stars. We only have a few days before the tournament and these boys haven't played together much.

Tonight the rain stayed until after practice.

And, we were all very happy.

All Stars!

2009-05-16T10:05:00.005-05:00

I got my computer back from the shop with it's new hardrive and with the same problems I put it in the shop for. The new hardrive didn't fix the problems. I think I see a new computer in my future. (Smile)

Anyway, we officially finished Nathan's first ever baseball season last night. They had their last game Thursday and beat the Ray's. They finished 10-6. Not bad in my opinion. Our league has three minor B teams and each coach was able to pick 4 players to take to an All Star tournament. My son was one of the players chosen as an All Star from our team. I am as proud as I can be and he is as excited as he can be. Monday begins practice and he will be trying for the catching position. Last night we had a pizza party for the team and handed out individual trophies. Nathan is pictured above with Coach Steve presenting him with his trophy.

Todd was assistant coach of the team and had a great time and learned a lot of patience. Before the night was over one of the parents, who took pictures of every game presented Todd with a framed 8x10 of him and Nathan.

He was instantly moved to tears. In the picture, Todd is coaching third base and Nathan is running home. It is a memento he will forever treasure.

We are looking forward to the All Star tournament that will be held the first weekend in June and possibly to fall and winter ball.

Back Soon!

2009-05-08T12:42:00.003-05:00

My computer is in the shop getting a new hardrive....therefore, I will return when it gets out.

Sandhill Cranes

2009-04-29T20:47:00.003-05:00

In the past couple of years I have developed a fascination for these big birds. They can be seen all over. I don't claim to be an expert on them, but, the thing I like about them is that they are always found in pairs. My brother told me that they mate for life and when the young are born, both mom and dad take care of them. We have a lot of pasture land and they frequently fly over squawking. They have a very distinctive call. But, mostly they are graceful.

The other morning I was driving to work and needed to get on the interstate. As I was getting on the on ramp I spotted a pair with two fuzzy twins. I took a chance, pulled over, and snapped this picture. The very next week, they were in the same place. As I go to work in the morning, I will be looking for them.

Chassahowitzka.

2009-04-23T18:39:00.009-05:00

That is where we went for Spring Break. My cousin Brenda and her family, from Georgia, came down and met us there. Brenda's mom and dad went with us, too. Hailey and Layna were in Tallahassee for the first part of the week but their Nana and Grandaddy brought them down on Wednesday, the day we got there.

Reese, Mason, Hailey, Denise and Nathan.

We went fishing, crabbing and the kids went swimming. The river is spring fed and most of the time is crystal clear. There are a lot of underwater caves for the brave of heart to swim through. To fish, we go out into the gulf and trout fish. To crab, we stay up in the river. Blue crabs are fairly abundant and we like to go crabbing at night when the big ones come out.

We have a 16 foot Jon boat. We have been there many times before, but this is the first time Nathan was big enough to grasp what all goes on. His daddy taught him how to drive the boat.
He already knew how to cast a rod and reel but this time he took over my rod and my spot at the front of the boat. And...
caught a fish. Unfortunately, it was a catfish which we don't bother with, but the point was that he caught a fish and I didn't. He also enjoyed catching pin fish with shrimp. His daddy taught him how to cut his bait and put it on the hook. One less thing Todd had to worry with.

For years I have read the "no wake" signs. This area is home to a lot of manatees but, I have never seen a manatee. This trip however, we saw a manatee feeding up in the spring. It was so slow moving and seemed like it would be very gentle. If you look closely you can see the marks of a boat propeller.
It was Nathan's first time seeing a manatee. He thought it was awesome, except for the "scratches" on its back. He thought they were kind of sad.

We love camping at the river and we call it Chaz for short.

Cruz Man

2009-04-15T21:05:00.004-05:00

Remember when Cruz was born last August and looked like this? Tonight we went to Sushi with John, April and the Cruz Man and now he looks like this:

He is the best baby with a mouth full of teeth and he is a "lunger." And....I love when he lunges at me.

He Did It!

2009-04-06T13:15:00.008-05:00

When Nathan was born, Todd and I got the shock of our lives. Our pride and joy was born with red hair. And we love it! For several years now Nathan has been a modern day Samson. He has taken great pride in his long red locks. So, when I announced to him that we were going to get our hair cut, (which is usually a bangs trim for him), you can imagine my surprise when he said, "Mom, I want to cut my hair off." I honestly thought he was kidding. He wasn't.

So, he went from this

To this!

While Uncle Tripp was cutting and cutting and cutting, I really felt like I was watching his first haircut all over again. Look at all the hair he cut off.

Now, Nathan, at a whopping age 7 can't go anywhere without having his hair fixed. And...I'm the one who has to fix it.

The Florida Strawberry Festival

2009-03-06T08:37:00.009-05:00

The first of March is all about the Florida Strawberry Festival. The school board even gives the kids a day off school for the festival. It is always a Monday and every year we go to the parade and see how much candy and beads we can get. This year however, we didn't attend due to the passing of my daddy's sister, my Aunt Bertha. We had family in from out of town for the funeral and we had one of Aunt Mary and Uncle Eugene's famous fish frys. Even though we didn't go to the parade we have been to the festival twice now, and we may squeeze in one more trip.

Jordan, Thaddeus, Nathan, and Bailey.

For Nathan, the festival is all about the rides. For Todd and me, it is all about the food. Oh, we love the gyros, and corn dogs, (remember when we use to call them pronto pups?), smoked turkey legs, onion rings, fried mushrooms, roasted corn, cinnamon rolls to die for, and of course strawberry shortcake. We do split everything, that way we get to enjoy a bigger variety.

Getting a drink while waiting to ride.

We always arrange to go with our cousins and their kids so we don't have to ride the rides with Nathan. The first time we went, Nathan only got to ride a few rides. But the second time we went he got an armband which allowed him to ride anything on the midway as many times as he could. And, he and his cousins got their money's worth. Rather, they got our money's worth. There wasn't a ride on that midway that my son didn't ride. I don't care how high it went, how many times it turned upside down, jerked or twirled him, his reaction was the same every time he got off, "That was awesome!" He even rode Big Ben, the one that takes you four miles up in the air and free falls back down.

Taylor, Nathan and Bailey on Rock n' Roll.

Same ride with Mason.

Spinning strawberries.

Baby Cruz with Daddy John, and big sisters Hailey, Jillian and Layna.

Some of the kids entered various items for competition. Emily and Taylor entered plants. Emily won Grand Champion, earning her quite a bit of cash, and Taylor won as well but I can't recall what it was. DeeDah, when you read this, leave a comment and let us know because I don't have time to call you and find out. :) Then Hailey entered her bunny and won a 1st place blue ribbon in it's category which I don't know what it is either. April when you read this, you too can leave a comment and let us know. Todd and I entered and won first place for eating the most fair food. We may go once more tomorrow night, after all, the festival only comes once a year.

I Did It!

2009-02-27T08:55:00.004-05:00

I conquered my greatest fear this month. And, I am just about as happy as I can be. When I was in college,twenty one years ago, studying to be a science teacher, the state of Florida was just beginning to incorporate the Subject Area Exam for people that were preparing to be teachers. In order to get a teaching certificate, one had to pass the SAE in the field (i.e. history, math, science, English, etc.)they intended on teaching in. I was petrified because Biology is such a multi-faceted, in depth subject. But, then I found out that because I had attended a state community college and had taken and passed the CLAST (College Level Academics Skills Test) I was grandfathered in and therefore wasn't required to take the SAE. Whew!

Once, I began teaching I was able to recertify every five years with in service points. Teachers are required to attend meetings and workshops. For attending, they earn and accumulate points. Then when it is time to recertify, the DOE will evaluate the points and issue a current certificate. Mine expires at the end of June this year. Well, since I haven't been teaching, I haven't earned any points. So, I had two options to recertify. I could take TWO college level courses or pass the SAE for each area I am certified in. Since I didn't enjoy the studying part of college, I opted to go the easy route (so I thought at the time) and take the tests.

I purchased the study guides online and the process began. Google became my best friend. I have spent the last two months studying by researching the standards set by the state on my laptop. At one point, I thought my computer was going to crash. Thank the Lord it didn't. My redneck techie (Do those two words go together?) husband worked his magic on it. On February 2, 2009, I took and passed the Middle School General Science test. Here's the proof:

And yesterday, I took and passed the Biology grades 6-12 test. Here is that proof:

These say "unofficial" because this is what the testing coordinator gave me when I left the testing center. I am upset that the state doesn't give a numerical score but I am very happy to get the "Pass." That's all I really need to know. I have received the "official" pass in the mail for the General Science and I am eagerly awaiting the Biology one in the mail.

I would especially like to thank Todd and Nathan for their patience in letting me study. When Nathan got off the bus yesterday the first thing he said to me was, "Mom, did you pass your test?" I told him that I had. He said, "Good, now me and Alaina can come inside and play Wii." Alaina is his friend that lives next door and they have been banned to outdoor play for the last two months. And, I would like to thank everyone who prayed for me. To me, it was a real miracle.

Mountain Biking!

2009-02-17T08:07:00.016-05:00

My boy, who never poses for a picture.

This past weekend we went camping with Uncle Tripp in Belleview at the Santos trailhead. In spite of the rain, we had a great time. We went with my in-laws. Grammy and Pappy took their motor home and Pappy cooked most of our meals for us. Uncle Tripp camped in his tent. Aunt Lisa and Uncle TR, Heather and Jacob stayed in a tent and we stayed in a bored travel trailer.

The focus and primary entertainment was of course, mountain biking. This area has trails for all levels. Yellows are the easiest, blues are intermediate, and reds are the most difficult. I rode a few of the reds but I didn't get crazy and managed the weekend without taking a spill.

Right at the trailhead they have a pump track. It is made up of berms, moguls and narrow bridges. It allows riders to practice what they will encounter on the trails. The kids loved it. The main focus for the kids was to "get air." In the above picture, Nathan's front tire is getting a lot of air.
Jacob did really well. Here he was able to get both tires off the ground and "get some air."
This little girl was out at the pump track on a bike with no pedals. It was so funny to watch her on this little bike. Her dad called it a walking bike. She was only three and did everything the older kids did walking her bike.
The narrow slat bridge was quite a challenge. It requires good balance. The kids fell off the sides several times, but before long they had mastered it. This particular day, I was just watching the kids. I wasn't going to try any of the tricks. But, I couldn't stand it.
As you can tell, I had on flip flops and no helmet. I sure hope the "Helmet Nazi" (Uncle Tripp) doesn't see this picture. But, I did it on the first try. Then, I was done. I only have to prove to myself one time that I can do it.If the bridge wasn't hard enough, they also have a board no more than three inches wide they expect people to ride across. I didn't even attempt it. I know when to quit. Jacob mastered it, though.

Nathan made it through the weekend with two skinned elbows (one seen in the pic), lots of bruises on his legs and a sore behind. On one of his spills, his seat poked him in his bottom. He got up kicking it and really mad at his bike. I went over to him and tried to make light of the situation and asked him if he needed a "butt cup." Exasperated, he just said, "MOM!" But, I didn't miss the grin he tried to hide.

More Baseball Pics!

2009-02-09T11:07:00.004-05:00

Being a Ham!

Batting with the pitching machine.

Baseball Practice

2009-02-05T10:41:00.008-05:00

Practices have started. Unfortunately, the first one was rained out. We were, however, able to have a team meeting and glean a lot of important information. You know things like...rules.
The second practice was Saturday morning and it was cold. Not as cold as tonight's practice is going to be but, for this Florida cracker, it was cold. These pictures are from Uncle Howie, since I was not able to go. I was studying for my state's subject area exam in General Science that I had to take on Monday. The test is to re-certify my teaching certificate that expires in June. In studying for the test, I realized that I have been out of college for twenty one years and haven't taught for eight. Anyway, with the help of a study guide and the Internet, I prayed, prepared, prayed, panicked, prayed and PASSED the test. Oh, and did I mention that I prayed and so did the rest of the people in my life. We'll be praying again soon, because now I am preparing and panicking about the next one I have to take in Biology. Anyway,...back to baseball.

They will be using a pitching machine but coach started them out by hitting the ball off of a tee. Monday nights will be batting practice with the machine in the batting cages.

I was so glad to see this picture, because even though my boy is big and as the coach says, "...has an arm on him," his aim needs to be fine tuned...if you know what I mean.

Baseball Tryouts

2009-01-28T08:31:00.006-05:00

Tryouts began with warm ups. The players were paired off and they warmed up by throwing the ball back and forth to each other. They did real good with the throwing part but that catching part was a little more challenging. They chased more than they caught.

Tryouts were short and sweet. There were over thirty players so each player only had a few moments to show what they had. First up they were placed at shortstop. A coach hit two balls to them. They had to field the hit and throw it to first. Then, they were placed at first base and had to run to second base. At second, they could either stop or slide. My son chose to slide even though he has never, ever been taught how to slide into a base. That is not unlike my son. According to him there is nothing he doesn't know and nothing he can't do. After the running drill they got to bat. The balls were pitched from a machine. And, for first timers like us, that ball comes out of that machine like a bullet. We were told later they are pitched from that machine at forty three mph. Each player got four balls pitched to them. Most of the players that had played before, never even put a bat on the ball. But my boy, my boy, well... here I'll let you see what my boy did.

Out of four pitches, my boy who has never done this before, put a bat on two of them. One, was a foul ball, but the other one was in fair play. Now, many of you doubters and naysayers may call that luck. But, the coach in me, calls that POTENTIAL! Granted we need to work on his posture some. He was trying to hit the ball in his Kung Fu horse stance. I'm sure that will be remedied soon enough.

First practice is this Thursday. "Play ball!"

Icicles In Florida?

2009-01-22T08:52:00.014-05:00

Wow! It got cold last night. At the bus stop this morning, Nathan had to get out and "play" with the icicles on the blueberry bushes. He had such a good time.
As we were riding to the bus stop, Nathan said, "Mom, you know what I want to do to those icicles on those bushes? I want to Kung Fu kick them." I told him he couldn't do that because it would damage the plants. He did pose and pretend to give them a good kick.

The sprinklers were still running and so was Nathan to dodge the water. He thought it was fun to get wet a little.

Todd's pride and joy, a guava bush he has raised from seeds, got the sprinkler treatment last night too. The weight of the ice made the limbs lean over. This bush normally stands over seven feet tall.

Icicles were hanging from the fence. The temperature reading in the van this morning was a cold twenty two degrees.

Our calves, Brownie and Cotton (at least that's their names this week), were laying down huddled together trying to keep warm. Of course they had to get up when I approached.

I don't like to be cold and I am very thankful that Florida doesn't offer too many real cold days.

Finally...Another "Mommy Moment."

2009-01-19T09:19:00.004-05:00

I can't remember the last time I've had a mommy moment. After all, Nathan thinks that being sweet to his mom is so babyish. But, when I least expected it, he delivered.

Yesterday he re-discovered his ipod and asked his daddy to charge it for him. I say re-discovered because he's had it for several years but he hasn't really used it that much. Anyway, he listened to it while we rode to church and back last night. When we got home he went to his room and Todd and I were in the living room with the football game on. In a few minutes, Nathan came in and walked over to me and asked if he could sit on my lap that he wanted to snuggle with me. What??????? Was I hearing correctly? Sure enough. I put my laptop down and he put his pillow on my lap and plopped down. He weighs 84 pounds now and is almost as tall as I am. As Uncle Howie says, he is a hoss. After he got his nest fixed, he looked up at me and asked me if I wanted to listen to his music with him. Absolutely, I did. So, he gave me one of the ear buds and we listened/sang to some of the Polar Express soundtrack, some of one of his old Christmas program soundtracks, Rascal Flatts' Life Is A Highway, I'll Always Come Back, and the Siamese Cat song from Walt Disney's Lady and the Tramp. After the cat song he wanted to have movie night and watch Lady and the Tramp. And even though it was 11:42 PM we watched the movie. When the movie was over, I realized that my legs would never work properly again because I had 84lbs on them for about two hours. Such a small price to pay for a mommy moment.

Taken with Todd's camera phone thus the poor quality.

What Do I Know About Baseball?

2009-01-14T13:43:00.002-05:00

Not much. But, I guess I better learn. As of Saturday, Nathan is signed up and tryouts begin next Friday and continue on Saturday. So, his Daddy bought him a glove and a baseball. We have been working with him on the rules of the game and I'm not convinced he is grasping them. He can throw the ball well (unless aiming counts) and he can hit most of the balls that are pitched to him but that catching thing....well, let's just say he needs a little bit more practice. Is catching really that important in baseball?

What We Did Over The Holidays!

2009-01-05T11:45:00.028-05:00

Disclaimer: I know the spacing isn't uniform on this post but, I got tired of working with it.

Once Todd got home we started in preparing for the holidays. First up, was starting on the beef jerky Todd always makes for our family members. Only problem was that when he got ready to put the meat on the dehydrator, which had been in storage, it didn't work. So, the meat went in the refrigerator and Todd went shopping. Thank goodness he found one at...at...at...oh I just can't say it, that store like Wal-mart that I refuse to shop at that starts with a "T".

Todd cutting up the london broils for beef jerky.

Next up was our annual Christmas party at Jeff and Tonya Mayo's. They are always gracious enough to host about twenty of us close friends. Unfortunately, this year some weren't able to make it so there were only about ten or twelve of us. We had a great time watching old choir videos that my brother Howard brought over. He is forever the archivist of all videos and pictures, and often reminds us that he could blackmail any of us. April, however, is quick to remind him that I have the video of him singing at my wedding that would blackmail him right back.

Me, April, Tonya, and Lisa. (Girls, it was the lesser of the 2 evils I had.)

Everyone gathering around the appetizers.

Then on Christmas Eve we started with my family at my cousin Holli's house. The main menu was steak, (everyone brought their own) and then of course we had baked potatoes and all the fixin's, sides and dessert. Everyone also brought an appetizer. So, there was no shortage of food.

Appetizers.

Marvin, Uncle Olan (who finally got his hat to blink) and Todd cooking.

Everyones steak on the grill.

Living room group shot.

Marvin, Holli's husband, is a carver. He can carve anything out of wood with his pocket knife. He carved all of these ornaments on this Christmas tree.

And, he carved all of these little snowmen, that represent his wife and children. He has carved ornaments for most of our family members. He carved one for mine and Todd's first Christmas and one for Nathan when he was born and the one that means the most to me is the one he carved for Angel Ruth. April announced that he had never carved her any. My guess is that the Cruz-man will get one for Christmas next year.

After steak at Holli's, we went over to Grammy and Pappy's. Todd enjoyed Pappy's fried pork and I enjoyed Lisa's stuffed mushrooms and Grammy's peanut butter balls. Then the kids opened their traditional one present. Nathan has finally figured out that they always get matching pajamas. He got a lesson in family traditions.

Heather, Jacob and Nathan.

Nathan and Jacob taking a break from arguing.

Christmas morning started very early at our house.

I don't have any pictures of Christmas morning at our house because Todd always sets the video camera on the bar and lets it record. I got up very early and made Paula Deen's gorilla bread. Oh my was it ever more delicious. We had to wake Nathan up because we had to open our presents, then go to DeeDee and Grandaddy's and then back to Grammy and Pappy's. At our house Nathan's big gift was a new mountain bike. Todd and I exchanged practical gifts. He got me a car phone charger and a shower head and I got him tennis shoes. Our main gift to each other was a TV for the living room. After 10 years with a console TV and an antenna we turned manually, we are loving our new flat screen Samsung. Then we were off to DeeDee and Grandaddy's.

Grandaddy, Nathan and DeeDee.

Counting the chapters in The Tale of Despereaux.

Uncle Howie got Nathan a first edition book of The Tale of Despereaux. It was very important for Nathan to know how many chapters the book has. He also got a bunch of Mystery Tree house books.

The only DS game he got this year.

I made a breakfast casserole and we opened presents while it cooked. It was really good. Mama, Daddy and Howie went over to Aunt Mary and Uncle Eugene's for lunch and we went to Grammy and Pappy's for lunch and more presents.

Nathan and Jacob.

Pappy and his girl, Heather.

Uncle Tripp got Grammy and Pappy new watches.

Grammy was appreciative for her new watch but Pappy didn't think he needed one. Just because he has to change the time with needle nose pliers because the winding stem is broken off means nothing. Plus it wasn't an indiglo Timex. Oh, his son, (my husband) is so much like him.

Finally, the one and ONLY thing he really wanted.

We finished the year off with a cook out at our place. Todd and Pappy cooked boston butts on the grill and everybody brought a dish to share. The highlight of the day was the softball game. We had a blast. We all laughed at each other and us old folks realized that our bodies won't do what our minds think they can.

At the last minute, I realized that I hadn't taken any pictures and quickly ran inside and grabbed the camera. I was too busy eating and recovering from the softball game.

We are so grateful to all of our family and friends for a wonderful holiday season. We had so much fun and,...we kept Christ in Christmas.

"Happy Christmas Eve Gift On You!"

2008-12-24T07:35:00.004-05:00

...is what my Granny would always say. Unfortunately, I don't recall the whole story but from what I can remember this was a saying that my mother's family always used with each other on Chrismas Eve. My mother's mother, whom I affectionately called Granny, had nine children. How she did it, I will never know. But in her later years she would always call on Christmas Eve and when whichever one of her kids answered with "Hello." She would quickly say, "Christmas Eve gift on you." So, now with my mom and dad we have always had a "race" on Christmas Eve to see who can say it first. Well, I win this year, Mama, because I am saying it first here:

"Happy Christmas Eve Gift On You!"

New Secret Spot.

2008-12-15T08:38:00.004-05:00

Now that we have moved back into our house, Nathan has had to find a new secret spot. It didn't take him long. At least he waited until the carpet was dry after Stanley Steemer's visit. Most of his "treasures" were strategically placed between the wall and the closet door.

But, not all his special items were placed in plain view. This item was tucked away behind his laptop, which he moved before I could get a picture, in the cabinet.

I'm glad he knows that his tooth fairy money is a little more valuable than a used toothbrush.

A Lone Pair Of Crocs.

2008-12-10T09:15:00.006-05:00

Nathan is thrilled to be back in his own house. We moved back in last week with only a few household items. So, we have been camping inside. He couldn't wait to get in and see things. I had to let him in to "see the inside" before the carpet was even dry after Stanley Steemer's visit. The first few nights that we stayed here he had to sleep with me because he didn't have a bed yet. I have since gotten him bunk beds and he loves sleeping on the top bunk. After getting him off to school our first morning here, I went into his room and looked around. He had neatly aligned his Crocs against the back wall of his closet. Most kids especially boys would have tossed them in the room and been gone. But, one thing his Jamaica school taught him was to "tidy" up his office. He is very good at it, too. He is constantly telling me that he is going to "tidy" up his room, or his desk, or his closet. I hope he continues to keep his "areas" tidy.Because, goodness knows I don't like to tidy. I would rather throw away than have to tidy. He also has new secret spots. I'll post them later.

Secret Spot

2008-12-01T08:10:00.004-05:00

Nathan has always been a collector of incidental items he deems special. To most of us these items would be things we would normally put in the trash...things like metal juice bottle caps. Most of the time he thinks they are special because they are colorful or because they make a cool noise. All the more reason in my opinion to throw them away. We surely don't need anymore noise in our lives. Most of his secret spots are truly secret. Some of them are just under a piece of furniture or behind a planter. And, he makes a secret spot anywhere he spends the night. In August, we stayed with my parents for a few weeks and there were several items that went missing. I couldn't find my bright pink and purple hair clips, and Grandaddy couldn't find his small pocket knife. We looked high and low for these items. We never found them even after drilling Nathan about their where abouts. He didn't know anything about them. A few weeks later my mother called me and told me that she had found the missing items. I asked her where they were and she said that she was vacuuming and moved a small table and the clips were under it. She said she also found a few items that we had not missed behind her dresser. Those of us that know my mother know these items were not casualties of falling behind the dresser. They were put there by a little boy that always has a secret spot.

Now we are staying with my in-laws for a few days and of course Nathan has another secret spot. This one however is a little more visible than most of his other secret spots. It is just under the corner of his little bed.

He has all of his Madagascar toys from McDonalds lined up, his special pens, pencils and eraser, his tooth fairy money and an old used toothbrush that should be in the garbage.

The other morning we were headed to town and I happen to look in my purse and realized that I didn't have my little leather credit card carrier. I pulled the car over and searched my purse to no avail. I told Nathan that I couldn't find it and that we would need to return home to find it. I made a few more worried comments about not knowing where it was. He said, "Maybe it's in my secret spot." I told him that it better not be. He assured me that it wasn't. And it wasn't. I had left it in my jacket pocket. But, I have learned that when something does go missing to look in one of his secret spots. If I could only find them all.

He Wants His Own Website!

2008-11-25T19:47:00.004-05:00

I just got a call from my seven year old son. He said, "Mom can I make my own website?" He told me he went on MySpace.com and he wants his own website. As if to seal the deal, he told me that his cousin has one. I quickly handed the phone to his father who proceeded to explain to him the reasons why he can't have a MySpace account.

The main reason is because he is seven and the second reason is because his Uncle Tripp has a MySpace that he can't get rid of and he says his MySpace has "Hoochie Mamas" pop up all the time.

Well, no son of mine is going to have a MySpace that has "Hoochie Mamas" pop up on it. And... because he is seven.

Morning Rituals

2008-11-20T15:39:00.004-05:00

I love when Nathan comes up with "rituals" that he insists I be a part of. Every morning when he goes to school he has his own method of saying goodbye. It is similar to what a baseball coach does when he is signaling to one of his players. He blows a kiss, gives a thumbs up, gives the "I love you" sign and has to wink with both eyes. The kicker is that Todd and I are expected to participate and do the exact signs back to him. If I drop him off in the car, I usually have my sunglasses on and he can't see when I wink back at him. He gets aggravated and mutters a disgusted, "Mom," and I have to lift my sunglasses so he can see that I am actively participating in the ritual.

The below video will give you an idea of the ritual. Unfortunately, because he knew I was taping he doesn't exhibit near as much enthusiasm as he usually shows.

And like most things, now that he is seven, and all grown up, he doesn't think its important to continue the ritual. I try to be grown up about it, too. But, it's hard.

Happy 45th!

2008-11-16T19:30:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday Todd!

He was most happy about the baked ham and homemade carrot cake his mom made him. I was pretty happy about it too.

Young Love....Way Too Soon!

2008-11-10T08:21:00.003-05:00

I like to think that I am an opened minded mother. But, when my seven year old looks at me and says, "Mom, can I tell you something?" my insides always clench up. This time he informed me that he has a girlfriend and that they are dating. I tried to remain calm and ask him lot's of questions. Most of his answers were infantile. Which made me feel somewhat better. I explained to him that I was suppose to be his girlfriend. He didn't buy it. And, I really thought that it would be a passing phase. But the fact remains that he continues to talk about how cute so and so is and he told me yesterday that he googled "how to kiss." He has even gone to the paint program on his computer and made a little drawing of hearts and their initials and saved it as his background on his homepage. At least he didn't put TLA. So, now every time he turns his computer on I have to be reminded that I am no longer the only woman in his life.

Okay, this madness must STOP! After all he is my baby.

51 Years And Counting

2008-11-03T06:43:00.000-05:00

To the best parents ever:

Happy Anniversary!

Thomas The Tank Engine.

2008-10-26T22:03:00.021-05:00

We have been through many periods of obsessions in our family. We call them stages and usually we make fun of each other because at the beginning of the stage, the world revolves around it but after a period of time it dies out. That's why it's called a stage. Nathan has had several stages. The longest one was Thomas. The boy lived and breathed Thomas. Everything he did or everything we did for him revolved around Thomas.
When we traveled, either by plane, boat or car, Thomas and his friends went with us.

We had the deluxe table and all the track he could possibly squeeze on to it. He would get it fixed one way and then change the tracks around to go another way. Thanks to family members he had every accessory, engine and car they made. Some of them he had duplicates of in different colors or anniversary editions. Thomas is so wholesome, what's not to like about him and his friends.
We had almost all of the videos. What kids like about those videos, I can't figure out. There is nothing animated about Thomas videos. But, Nathan loved them. And would watch them for hours. He would watch the same ones over and over.

We went on vacation to Bryson City, North Carolina and went to the train museum. Nathan loved it. We had a really hard time trying to get him to leave. I think we bribed him with another Percy.

On his fourth birthday we were camping and every present he received was of Thomas. He had Thomas coloring books, sheets, lamps, lunch box, stickers, t-shirts, placemats. If they made it he had to have it. And of course the birthday cake had Thomas on it.
On one of our vacations we went up to see my brother in North Georgia. He told us that Thomas was coming to Bryson City, North Carolina and did we want to take Nathan to see him. Of course, we did.

We drove over to Bryson City and it was like a Thomas amusement park. There were tents set up for the kids to play with the trains. There were more kids fighting over more engines and then the temper tantrums these kids threw (not mine of course) when their parents told them it was time to leave were unbelievable.

Nathan even got a tattoo that he was oh so proud of. The one thing he wouldn't do was get his picture made with Sir Topham Hatt. (Nathan use to call him Mr. Top Hat.) He hated clowns and anybody dressed in a costume.
So, a picture with him was out of the question.

Then the moment that we all anticipated. My son got to see his hero in real life.
To my great surprise, when he arrived, I cried. I normally am not real tender hearted. But, when I saw that Thomas engine and realized how excited my son was to see him. I cried. It really was a moment for me and my son and a crazy train engine. My brother and my friend Sherry were with us and they cried too, but they cry at everything.
As parents we love to do things for our kids. This special day was one of those days that as a parent, I was so glad to be able to give to my son.

But, like most stages in life, one day he waved goodbye to Thomas and just like that the stage was over.

No Cool Weather Here!

2008-10-20T11:32:00.015-05:00

Everyone I have talked to and every blog I have read has commented on the cool weather that they have been having. So, I searched my archives of pictures and found some that brought back cool memories. And, let me state for the record that there is no cool weather here. None. Nada. These pictures were taken at Amicalola Falls State Park in North Georgia. My brother has a cabin in Blairsville, Georgia and we went up with him for a visit. He took us over to the park for the day.Along the trail we stopped to look at the flowing water and climb on the rocks. And like all good parents, we like to document our children, but my child has never liked his picture taken.
And so, although you may think he is scared because he is about to fall off and crack his head open, that would not be the case. He is mad because we wanted to take his picture. If memory serves me correctly he proceeded to pitch one of his finest fits. Which resulted in him getting in trouble.
Strolling along enjoying the cool weather and the beautiful sights that Amicalola Falls State Park offers.

After we finished hiking, we headed to the lodge. At the entrance they had these huge stuffed black bears. Nathan wanted to crawl all over them. I think we let. At least he cooperated and let us take his picture. The Lodge also sports a beautiful view and a yummy buffet.

So, yes I am envious of the cool weather. The only coolness here is when I have my air conditioner on for hours. Which I don't enjoy as often as I would like because I can't afford the electricity. To see some more beautiful pictures of North Georgia go to my brother's blog here. He just returned home yesterday after spending a week there and may post soon about his beloved North Georgia.

My Son, The Artist.

2008-10-15T16:59:00.002-05:00

I have to emphatically state that he did not get his artistic ability from me. I taught ninth grade science for fourteen years and whenever I had to illustrate something on the chalkboard, my kids would always laugh at my drawings. I quickly learned to warn them that I had trouble drawing stick figures. Thankfully, most of my illustrations were of the energy levels of atoms which only require circles.

My earliest recollection of drawing was being made to draw in second grade. My family was living in Chile at the time and I had to be homeschooled by my mother. The curriculum included art and I hated it. We use to have the worst fights about it. I would sit for hours and just stare out the window, because I just couldn't draw what they wanted me to. I remember the day my mother, exasperated, drew a simple flower and told me to just copy it.

My son on the other hand, now loves to draw. I am so glad he does. It took him awhile to catch on, but thanks to his buddy, Jaleel, he is doing quite well. I can remember just a few years ago when I would beg him to just sit quietly and draw or color. Nope. That was boring. I must admit that I think his interest was sparked by the fact that he lost the privilege of playing his DS and watching TV whenever he wanted to. But, even now that he can enjoy those privileges occasionally, he sometimes chooses to draw.Most of his drawings are of fish. He started out drawing just Blue Marlins but he has since branched out to drawing other types of fish.

He has found a website that has hundreds of pictures of different types of fish. He sits at his desk with the picture of a fish on the screen of his computer and draws it.

Here are samples of his fish drawings:

He and Jaleel have enlisted some of the girls in their class to grade their drawings. He got an A+ on this one.

Check out the detail on the above fish. I would not have the patience to draw all those little bitty marks on it.
Even though he draws mostly fish, he has branched out to draw other things. Here is some kind of super hero and the next one is of dinosaurs.

The first thing he showed his DeeDee when she arrived last Monday was his drawings. I just love his body language as she brags on how good his drawings are.
Nathan has never been a child to make messes or color on walls or anything that has required a lot of clean up on my part. I remember, my sister in law telling me that when her son was small he got a hold of a large jar of Vaseline and smeared it all down the walls of their staircase. Or when my cousin's little girl dumped out a bottle of baby powder. Several years ago, you can imagine my surprise when I saw the masterpiece Nathan drew with a Sharpie permanent marker on the white paper covered boards we had to set our Christmas tree on. My shock was that he found a black permanent marker, managed to draw himself and a reindeer and not get any of the marker on our brand new carpet we had just installed. All without me knowing it. The new carpet was so thick that the Christmas tree wouldn't stand on its own, so we set it on these boards. When I asked Nathan why he drew on the boards without asking he said, "Mama, I was just making it pretty." He was right. It is so pretty, the board with his masterpiece on it is safely stored in our barn at home. Don't you just love the antlers on his reindeer?

Another "Funny" From Nathan.

2008-10-12T15:50:00.005-05:00

Do your children always have to go to the bathroom right when the food arrives at a restaurant or is it just my son? I swear, that boy always has to go at the most inopportune times. Last Sunday we went to a restaurant we haven't been to in a long time and as always he had to go. Thankfully, this time we were finishing up. So, off we went. Now that he is seven he thinks he is old enough to go in the men's bathroom by himself. You would think by now he would know that that won't happen until he is at least thirty two. In the ladies restroom, I did let him go in his own stall.

I don't know if it is just my son but he is so easily distracted...by anything. He can waste more time than anybody I know. I want him to get in, take care of business, and get out. Of course that doesn't happen. At the table, when he tells me he needs to go I try and get him to wait but he can't. He's got to go baaaaaaad. But, when we get in the bathroom, he has to check out the soap dispenser, see if the water works, if there are paper towels or a hand dryer, oh and of course he must make sure he picks a stall that will lock. Once on the toilet, he can sing and hum, lean over and play with his shoes and do anything, but get done, which is all I want him to do.

I use to try and encourage him to hurry. That did no good. He just won't be hurried. Now that he is older he pokes around just to irritate me. So, on Sunday, I waited a good fifteen minutes for him without saying a word. And, I was proud of myself. Finally, I heard him pulling the toilet paper out of the dispenser. And I waited, and waited and waited. And he never pulled anymore out. I couldn't stand it anymore and said,"Son, are you about done?"

"Mom, I'm still wiping," he said.

"Well, if you are using that much toilet paper, you better go ahead and flush so you don't stop up the toilet."

"I'm only using one square at a time."

"That's not a very big piece to wipe with."

"Well, Mom, I'm trying to use it wisely," he retorted.

Swimming Lessons

2008-10-09T11:22:00.032-05:00

Is this not the cutest little face you have ever seen? Look at those pretty little baby teeth on that smile. I'm surprised that he is even smiling because this picture was taken just before his third birthday and he had just finished swimming lessons for the day with the Redman sisters in Plant City, Florida. His swimming lessons were for a week every summer. He started just shy of his second birthday. The Redman sisters warned all the parents that most kids would cry the first two or three days but that it was okay and they were use to it. They assured us parents that by Thursday they wouldn't cry anymore. They were wrong! At least for my son. He cried the whole week for the first two years. I think maybe by the third year he was prepared for it.

Now that he is seven, swimming lessons are less stressful for me. There is no crying. Well, except when I have to make him get out of the pool so we can leave. He is now taking lessons through Swim Jamaica in Kingston. On our first visit, Coach Omar assessed his swimming at a level three. There are seven levels in the program.

Class begins with a few warm ups. He makes them touch their toes and swing their arms to loosen up."Auntie" Joyce shows the class how she wants them to enter the pool. Joyce is head of the Montego Bay program.

Perfect form.

Once everyone entered the pool. They were all lined up along the edge waiting for further instruction.First up is floating on his back. Coach Omar makes sure his chin is back and both arms and legs are spread out.

Same thing, only face down. Again perfect form.

Lined up again. Everyone gets a floaty in front of them.

He had to demonstrate that he could swim on his back while holding the floaty against his chest by only kicking.

The class had ten students and it was divided in two. Here they had to hold on to the side of the pool with a noodle under their belly and demonstrate proper kicking by keeping legs straight and kicking from the hip.
At the end of the class they were lined up for a relay race. Nathan loves competitions. He was first in line for his team. They had to swim to the other end of the very loooong pool with the noodle out in front of them. Touch the wall and swim back. Nathan easily beat his opponent but kept slowing himself by looking back to make sure he was still ahead.
On the way back they had to swim through a hoola hoop as well. I can't remember if his team won or not but being the impartial mother that I am, I'm sure they did. I can't imagine where my son gets his over confidence from.

The Pork Pit

2008-10-06T20:30:00.012-05:00

We've been here fourteen months now and have driven past The Pork Pit too many times and have read about it countless times in the local tourist magazines. But, we just haven't mustered up the nerve to try it. It just doesn't have the "curb appeal" you want a restaurant to have. However, last week a missions team was here from Oregon and they invited us to join them at none other than The Pork Pit. Twice. It was a pleasant surprise.

We started the experience by ordering inside. The first time we went, everybody got a drink, a side order of peas and rice and a festival (fried bread). Once, you get your basket with your side orders, you take it and your receipt to the grill and you get the meat you paid for.

Nathan loved spinning, not sitting, at the counter on the high swivel stools. And it was really great to get his own bottle of Coke.

Here is a view of the grill pit. One grill has chicken and the other has pork. Can you spot the cute little redhead peaking over the half wall awaiting his chicken?

The second time we met the team we were a little late. I was glad because we wanted french fries this time instead of peas and rice. The pork had good flavor, but as always it has to be "picked through" for the bones, fat and bristles. We also tried the jerk sausage and their bar-b-que ribs. The ribs were very tender and the meat fell off the bones. Nathan's chicken had been left on the grill a little too long and was dry.
Another view of the pit. The grill on the left is the chicken and is cooked on a grate and the grill on the right is the pork and is cooked on some sort of "poles" laid across the bars with the coals underneath.

In the foreground of this picture, notice the boards and the sheet of tin. Here the tin is called zinc.

These last two pictures aren't clear but I was trying to show what they do with the boards. They are laid on top of the pork. I don't know why.
And the sheet of zinc is placed over the chicken. I assume it is to help keep the chicken moist. If that is indeed the reason, it didn't work.

New Found Friends From Georgia.

2008-10-01T12:01:00.010-05:00

Most of the commenters on my blog are family members. But, occasionally a non-family member will venture out and leave a comment. I love all comments. It lets me know that you are out there. A few months ago a couple from Georgia stumbled across my blog and left a comment that they too, did work in Jamaica. Through several emails they told us that they were very excited about coming with a missions team the last part of September. We agreed to meet and have dinner and get acquainted. I give you, Doug and Stephanie Jenkins from Carrollton, Georgia.

Doug called us Sunday night to confirm our dinner date for Monday. We picked them up at five o'clock at their hotel and were instant friends. We took them on a short tour of the area and showed them where we live. They are extremely excited because they are awaiting a new addition to their family in February. They are hoping for a red head. Needless to say, we love red heads around here.

Nathan did a great job taking this picture of the four of us. I had my doubts, but he assured me he could handle it. And, he did. He even took one with Doug and Stephanie's camera.

We had dinner at The Native. At the Native, dining is outside on a lovely terrace overlooking the famous Hip Strip and the sea. It was a little warm and the mosquitoes were out but Todd had the bug deterer in the car and put it between Stephanie and me. It was so nice to talk to people that sound like we do (with their Southern accents) and share stories of being in Jamaica. Doug actually lived here about ten years ago, before they got married. And they have been to Jamaica countless times since.

In the foyer of the restaurant, they had a lot of typical souvenirs for sale along with a cabinet full of wooden bangle bracelets.

They came in all sizes and colors. I didn't ask how much they were.

After dinner we returned Doug and Stephanie to their hotel. Doug played Santa Claus and handed out American goodies for the three of us. Thanks, Doug and Stephanie for a wonderful evening and for the peanut M&M's and Hershey kisses. Nathan loved the airheads, as he tore into one of the boxes before we were able to get turned around in the hotel parking lot.

No Rhyme Or Reason.

2008-09-29T13:42:00.003-05:00

There are no patterns. I like predictability. It is impossible to do. Some days there is no traffic whatsoever and you arrive early to your destination and other days when you think you have left in plenty of time, only to find, traffic looks like this:

For the last three weeks I have taken the kids in the back room for children's church. Let me say emphatically that I am not a children's worker. But, sometimes you just do what you gotta do. Maybe one day I will learn not to say, "I will never do such 'n such." The kids in our church are...let's just say...unchurched. Very unchurched. So, in order to help instruct them on how to behave in church, I have taken them in the back, told them a little Bible story, and we've even done a couple of craft activities.

This week I thought they would enjoy watching a video. I got one of Nathan's DVDs, took my laptop, and was going to surprise them with a movie. Only, I was the one that was surprised. The first week, I had twelve kids. Last week, I had seven. Yesterday, besides Nathan, there were none. Zero. Not one. Should I read something into that? Or, is it like the traffic...there's just no rhyme or reason to it.

Another Sign!

2008-09-26T22:01:00.003-05:00

And why exactly is this sign on the cash register on the inside of the restaurant?

Kung Fu Lessons

2008-09-22T12:43:00.018-05:00

Ever since we saw Kung Fu Panda, Nathan has asked repeatedly if he could please take lessons. Since some of his school mates have enrolled in Kung Fu, we enrolled Nathan. He loves it. I must admit I was a bit leery and wasn't sure what we were getting into but so far it has been great.

The classes are held at a church in downtown Montego Bay. The first week the instructor, who they refer to as Master Shifu, was off the Island, so some of the older kids did the instructing.

There were quite a few newcomers, so they were split up into two groups. Let me take a moment to apologize for the pictures. It is not a well lit room so they are not the best. I will try to do better next time.

I am not qualified to talk about Kung Fu because really I don't know much about it. But, from what I can understand each "club" is different. Some give out belts or sashes and some don't. Our club does. There are nine sashes starting with white and going up to black. In between are yellow, orange, gold, blue, purple, brown, and grey. I think they are in that order. The thing I do like about Kung Fu is that it teaches self respect, self control, self confidence (which Nathan doesn't lack in) and self defense.

Class begins by running several laps and lots of stretching. Look close and you will see that my boy is pretty limber. I do believe his head is on his knees and his knees are not bent.

They stretch a little at a time and progress by slowly spreading their legs further and further apart. Most of them are very close to doing a true split.
There are several stances that are taught. Here Dewayne, Master Shifu's son, is showing Nathan how to do the crane stance. Dewayne is a brown belt. I was told at class that he is good enough to be moved up to a grey and possibly even a black but his father, Master Shifu, doesn't think he is responsible enough so he won't award it to him yet.

Ready stance.

Break stance.

The break stance is done by holding your fist out straight in front of you and taking the other hand and wrapping it around your fist. I loved when Master Shifu was teaching the newcomers this stance. When he thrust his fist out he said, "This is our weapon," and as he wrapped his hand around his fist he said, "but we prefer peace."

Master Shifu was very impressed with Nathan's self confidence, his attitude and his strong legs. He had to really encourage some of the other newbys to hold their head up high and keep their chest out.

Master Shifu is a great instructor. He is tough, knowledgeable, and confident. He has no trouble telling a kid what he is doing wrong. But what I loved about him was the way he loved the kids. He is passionate about his sport and really wants the kids to learn it.
He had no problems raising his voice to correct a wrong move but then he had no problem picking a child up and loving them, kissing the top of their heads or patting them on the back to affirm a job well done. I absolutely loved it. What a great teacher he is.

Nathan and his buddy Jaleel, watch the experienced kids.

Dewayne is showing the proper way to do what Nathan calls the Horse stance. He had a time trying to get Nathan to keep his back straight and his behind down. In the video you can see the pain on his face. But he didn't quit.

The club just got back from competition in Orlando. A lot of the kids won gold medals. The little girl beside Nathan is only in first grade and is really good. She should have gone to competition and would have won a medal but her father let her passport expire and she wasn't able to go. Maybe some day Nathan will get to compete. He really wants a medal like Michael Phelps.

Signs.

2008-09-15T11:20:00.006-05:00

There are many signs here that bring a smile to my face. This one is along the road that leads up to our house. Our road is not in the best of shape and as we approach the rainy season, the pot holes will only widen and deepen. As we were going to church yesterday Todd commented that there was no longer a "line to pick" while driving down the road. I'm glad they post these signs though, so I know where the 16.5% tax that we pay here goes.

This sign is along the "top road" and I am glad to report that since this picture was taken the road has been paved and no longer floods which is great with the upcoming rainy season.

And my favorite sign posted along the main highway speaks for itself:

VBS in Anchovy, Jamaica

2008-09-07T19:09:00.032-05:00

The week before school started here we had a three day VBS at church. Todd and I are not children's workers but we wanted to do something special for the children in Anchovy. The team of seventy that Todd just finished hosting on the south side of the Island did VBS at churches in the mornings. They had everything pre-planned and prepared for each day. We inherited the surplus of supplies so all we had to do was follow their guides.

We really didn't know how many to expect because on any given Sunday at church, our children's attendance runs anywhere from Nathan alone to fifteen kids. We went prepared for twenty five though. It's a good thing we did, too.
Each child was given a name tag when they arrived. We have found that to be so helpful because most of the time when they tell us their names we can't understand them. It makes it much easier if they spell it for us and we can see it written.
Wednesday was our first day and we started with only five kids, a baby and three adults. That quickly changed. True to Jamaican culture more continued to trickle in.

Soon we had ten kids and several idle hecklers that hung around in the back.

Todd told a bible story and had some of the kids role play it as he told it. It seemed to keep the kids attention a little better.

One of their crafts was to make a necklace out of twine and thread foam shapes onto the twine. Then tie it around their necks and it makes a cute little necklace. One, these kids will treasure.

Such concentration.

Before long we had twenty one kids and four adults.

You can tell by Todd's shirt just how hot it was.

At the end, they all came up to be prayed for.

Day two arrived with just a handful due to the threat of Hurricane Gustav. We started the day off with Todd painting Jamaican flags on the back of hands of those who wanted one. Since the Jamaican track and field team did so well at the Olympics this year, patriotism is at an all time high.

Judienne gets a flag.

Wendy intently watches "Pasta" paint her flag.

They were so good not to complain about having to color their pictures in their chairs.

On day two we only had nine kids but we had several idle hecklers that congregated in the back and were very distracting.

They had a golf ball and were playing a friendly match of football while we tried to keep the kids attention and have VBS. It is very hard to ignore these idlers and we have no "authority" to ask them to leave because after all we are using their community center.

But, when you look around and see this precious face holding her "light" up...

...somehow it seems worth all the aggravation.

*Day three was cancelled because of Hurricane Gustav.*

First Day Of Second Grade.

2008-09-02T20:11:00.014-05:00

It is really hard for me to believe that my baby is in second grade already. He has grown up so fast. Although in most ways I am glad that he is now able to do things on his own, parts of me really miss the baby.

I warned him when he was getting ready that he was going to have to let me take some pictures of his first day of second grade. Since he really hates to take pictures, I have found that there is less of a battle if I prepare him ahead of time. He wanted my first picture to be of his new backpack. He is really proud of Po the Kung Fu Panda on it.

This was his pitiful attempt at a smile while battling some Pokemon.

He was apprehensive on the ride to school. He told us that he was a little scared. I told him that it was normal to be scared but that he had an advantage because he already knew all of his classmates and that he already knew his teacher Miss Gooden. He had her last year at Summer's Cool.

On the way to school these cows were along the roadside. Todd told Nathan that they were waiting for the bus. Nathan informed him that cows don't go to school.

Steppin' up with new school shoes.

Miss Gooden has there names on the door.

Nathan quickly found his silly buddy Jaleel.

The school got a fresh coat of paint this summer. All of their "offices" were clean and fresh looking. I told Nathan to try and keep them looking that way.

When he came home from school yesterday and today he informed me that second grade was easy for him. I hope he says that every year.

Don't Take "Normal" For Granted!

2008-08-31T20:37:00.017-05:00

It's good to be back to normal. The power came back on around 10:00 PM on Saturday night. We had the generator going and our landlord called Todd and asked him if we knew the current was back on. He quickly turned off the generator and turned on the AC. Earlier we had been so hot that we went for a drive to pick up several cases of water that a team going back to the US had left over and wanted to give us. We were thankful for the chance to cool off in the car.

Gustav's wind and rain.

The football field below our house flooded.

Since it wasn't lightning and Nathan was bouncing off both the walls and my nerves, Todd took him out to play in the rain. He was concerned about someone seeing him in his underwear. I assured him no one was around to look.

Todd cooked breakfast for us on the grill Saturday morning. He made bacon, french toast and scrambled eggs.

He was sure to use his earplugs cooking next to the generator.

Water we used to flush the toilets and bathe with.

The missionary that was hosting a Convoy of Hope missions team called us Saturday to see if we could use about six cases of water they had left over. We indeed could. We had just about used all the potable water we had stored. Each case contained twenty, one liter bottles of water. When we got there to pick it up they had ten cases instead of six. We took several cases to church Sunday morning to give to our church members. They were grateful because as they put it they had "no wata in di pipe." They were shocked when we told them we didn't have "wata in our pipe" either. I took another bath-in-a-pot Sunday morning, but when we got home from church the water was back on. The pressure isn't the greatest and we have been advised to boil it for about two weeks just to be safe.
This little jewel was my savior during the time of the power outage. I picked it up at Wal-Mart for a mere $13.00 and it has been worth every penny. It is lightweight, and can be used with power or with eight D cell batteries. We set it up on the ironing board and slept much more comfortably.

I also took it to church Sunday morning and pointed it on me while I played the guitar. It made the heat much more bearable because there was no breeze Sunday morning.

Here is a clip of how we had the generator hooked up and the layout of the cords. Nathan even got to play Wii while it was running. Make sure you have your sound on so you can enjoy the noise of the generator. You know, just to make you feel like you were here with us.

I enjoyed my nice hot shower this morning and am very thankful for "normal" again. Please remember to say a prayer for those that are still in the path of what is now Hurricane Gustav.

A Grill And A Generator!

2008-08-30T08:20:00.008-05:00

They sure do make surviving a tropical storm more bearable. We are able to have coffee in the mornings and meals during the day.

I was very concerned when the generator wouldn't crank with the battery thingy that came with it. The man we got it from assured us that it would crank it. It didn't. However, I remained calm.

Todd went out and got the battery out of the car. Connected the wires using the clips on the battery thingy and it cranked right up. I was able to smile again.

Purring like a kitten. Okay...maybe purring isn't the right word. Because really it sounds like a jackhammer. We have been able to run the refrigerator, charge all of Nathan's electronics (DS, DVD player), the computer and internet (Whoo Hoo!) and at the moment Nathan is even playing his Wii. Now, if I only had a camp shower. Because I am really not looking forward to the spit bath I am about to have to take. But, I will be able to dry my hair because we have a generator.

TS Gustav Update!

2008-08-29T10:18:00.003-05:00

We lost power for good around 3:30 AM. It woke me up because the air conditioner buzzed off. The wind was blowing in loud strong gusts. Right outside our bedroom window are coconut trees, palm trees, mango, bread fruit and pear (avocado) trees. The wind blowing through them was incredibly loud. The rain had continued in spurts. As I type this it is raining really hard.

How am I typing this? Thanks to my husband's ingenuity. We have a generator that he started by using a car battery. Because we have a phone signal he was able to plug all the right plugs in and get us going. We are only running the generator an hour at a time. It is extremely loud and the sound reverberates off of these concrete walls.

Please keep us in your prayers. Pray for the people of Jamaica whose living conditions are now made worse than they were by the heavy winds and rains. Most of where we look out below us is flooded. Pray our gas will last so we can continue to run the generator to keep the food cold in the fridge. I will update as soon as I can.

Gustav Is Here!

2008-08-28T13:56:00.011-05:00

Jamaica is the red oval pictured above.

As a matter of fact I think he is about to be right over the Island. We were able to have VBS this morning although only nine kids braved the rain to attend. We went to lunch and went to Mega Mart and Super Plus for last minute items only to be turned away from both. All the stores and businesses are sending their employees home for shelter.

So far it has only rained and the wind is starting to blow harder and harder. And, as you can tell we still have power and internet service.

**********************************************************************************

Please pray for Jackie and Crystal. We called Jackie this morning on the way to VBS to see if we could give her a ride since it was raining. She told us that she was at Cornwall Regional, the local hospital. Four gunmen broke into her home last night. She said that they threw Crystal off of the bed looking for money. The police did come to help her and they sent them to the hospital to get checked out. Thank the Lord they survived the ordeal without losing their lives. We called her after lunch to make sure she had a safe place to go until the storm passes. She told us she was going to her mother's house.As you can tell Jackie doesn't have anything to steal except herself. She is a squatter on the railroad property. You can see the railroad tracks that she crosses to get to her humble home. We would love to find Jackie a job so she can move into a safer home. As long as she has to live where she does she will remain so vulnerable to those that have nothing better to do than take advantage of others. At times we feel so helpless.

Nathan and Crystal at VBS yesterday.

Another Safe Trip

2008-08-26T21:25:00.013-05:00

After a time at home for a summer vacation, Bubby and I are back home. It was wonderful to be with family and friends once again. It was especially great to be a part of welcoming our newest family member into this world. Nathan and I flew Spirit Airlines this time as Air Jamaica wasn't running any specials. This experience was better than the last. They seemed to have turned over a new leaf. Both flights from Tampa and Fort Lauderdale left on time. On both flights, we had three seats to ourselves so Nathan was able to lay down. We still had to bring our own snacks on the plane because I didn't want to pay $6 for a bag of chips.
I decided to take some pictures from the plane window this time. It was really hazy and taking the picture through the double paned plane window made them kind of fuzzy. One of the cruise ships was in port.
The water was still pretty despite the conditions. We were seated three seats from the back of the plane so I decided there was no hurry in getting off of the plane. We took our time. On the long walk to immigration Nathan's Croc caught on the tile floor and he took a dive. His DS went one way, backpack another and his pull behind landed on his legs. He whacked his knee and elbow pretty good but he didn't cry. When we made it to immigration, for the first time since we have been traveling in and out of Jamaica the officer got it right. She processed our passports without asking me fifty questions about why we live here and what we do. She made her stamps, marked her initials and dated all the right places and said, "Welcome home!"

After we got our luggage we sailed through customs without having any of our bags opened. After telling four taxi drivers we didn't need a ride, we walked out the doors, the heat slapped us in the face and Todd was waiting for us.

On the way to the Chinese restaurant for lunch we passed a local fisherman. I have seen lots of fishermen with stringers of fish but this one was the biggest of all.
If you look close you can see that most of the fish are red snappers but right at the top is a lobster. Yummy! I was starving. My white chocolate mocha from Starbucks was long gone.

Today we started a three day VBS with the kids in our church community of Anchovy. We thought we might have four or five kids but to our surprise we had twenty one kids and four adults. More about that later. After we ate lunch at KFC, we went and got stocked up on hurricane supplies since it looks like we might get some bad weather from TS Gustav. We got propane for the grill, gas for the generator, food, and batteries for my fan. Since my hot flashes have progressively gotten worse, I told Todd that he and Nathan would be miserable if we didn't get some batteries for my fan.

Can Your Children Make You Laugh?

2008-08-23T21:13:00.005-05:00

Most of the time my son gets on my nerves or as he would say I get on his because I tell him what he can and can't do. But twice this week he has made me laugh out loud.

Bubby is famous for changing his mind. For a week he will drink sweet tea for meals. Then all of a sudden, he says he doesn't like tea anymore. Or he may eat broccoli for months and then all of a sudden he doesn't like broccoli. And when we ask him why, he can't give us a good reason. We often tease him that his likes and dislikes depend on the day of the week and what the weather is doing. For instance he may not like broccoli because it's Sunday and the wind is blowing. Needless to say his continuous changes make me very frustrated.

Yesterday we went to Studio Tripp to get our hair cut before we go back to Jamaica on Tuesday. Nathan had dosed off in the car on the way so I had to wake him when we arrived. Uncle Tripp wasn't quite ready for us so I sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting area. Nathan came over to me and started climbing in my lap. "What are you doing?" I said.

" I want to sit in your lap," he replied.

"Why? You never want to sit in my lap."

He looked up at me and promptly stated, "Mom, because it's Friday and it's raining." That was good enough for me and I laughed out loud as I hugged him tightly.

****

Today was one of those days that I sacrificed what I wanted to do and did what was fun for Nathan. He got to spend the whole day playing with his cousin Jacob. Around five o'clock this afternoon I picked him up and he had to go with me to get a pedicure. It was closing time and I was one of their last customers so he got to sit in the big pedicure chair beside me. He sat quietly playing his DS while the girl worked on my feet. When we finished I took him to the Dollar Tree and he picked out a bag of cotton candy.

While we were driving home, I was talking on the phone to my friend Lynn and she was asking me about Angel Ruth. As I was answering her questions my voice began to crack and before I knew it tears were flowing down my cheeks. Nathan, who I thought was engrossed in catching a Pikachu said, " Are you crying?"

"Yes."

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I was just talking about Angel Ruth," I said.

After a pause, he asked, " Is that something I need to get involved in?"

Instantly the tears stopped and laughter filled the cab of the little red S-10 pick-up my Uncle Olan has so graciously let us borrow while we have been home. I assured him it wasn't anything he needed to get involved in. I'm just thankful he remembers who she is.

A Rib And A Prayer

2008-08-19T19:45:00.015-05:00

Sonny's BBQ has all-u-can-eat ribs on Tuesday nights here in Plant City. My cousin, Holli, her husband, Marvin, their son Harrison, their daughter Heather and her three beautiful children joined us. I really meant to get pictures of everybody but as they always are, the kids were the center of attention. Heather's youngest is Javin. Is he not the most beautiful toddler you have ever seen? Those baby blues and that blond hair are just too much to resist. He also has such a passive, sweet personality. He came to me like he sees me everyday.

JerriLynn is Heather's oldest. She is four and, like her mother, doesn't have a shy bone in her body.

Then there is Joslyn. All the bones in her little body are shy. She had a birthday party this past Saturday to celebrate turning three.

Joslyn and Javin playing.

I want to bite his face!

Uncle Harris behind Joslyn and Javin.

Nathan enjoyed trading Pokemons with Harris on their Nintendos. School was cancelled today because of Tropical Storm Fay. Uncle Howie took the boys to see Star Wars The Clone Wars. The boys liked it. Uncle Howie traded on Half.com on his new 3G iphone. So, he couldn't tell me if the movie was good or not.

And my favorite part of the evening... after we ordered our ribs, JerriLynn prayed over the food.