handsful

We’ve recently instituted something new around here.  It’s the Comment Jar.  It sits on the kitchen island, with paper and a pencil nearby.

Do you have a grievance you want discussed?

A suggestion on how we could do something better?

A compliment to share with everyone?

An idea for discussion?

Put it in the jar.  After dinner prayers, we’ll jump into whatever topics those little slips of paper dictate.

Recent ones…

Dylan would like everyone to stop tickling him so much.  Especially Ethan.

Lainey would like us to all go to the movies as a family.

An anonymous person complimented Payton on how kind he’d been that day.

A certain kid’s friend even put one in.  It read “Pie is good.  You should get some”.  I’m thinking I should out-law friends adding to our comment jar.

Given Randy has been traveling for the last 7 out of 11 days, our jar is getting full.  Thankfully, he’s on a plane right now, on his way home.  And, he tells me he’ll stay home (mostly) for the next 2 weeks!  This wife is happy ’bout that.

If you’d like to add something to our jar, electronically, just let me know.  We’ll be sure to discuss it at the dinner table :)

Get your motor running…

Head out on the…field?

Looking for adventure…

in whatever comes our way.

BORN TO BE….Wait.  I don’t like where this song is going.

Born to have fun on dirt bikes!!  Without any concussions or broken bones!

Not a very catchy song, huh?

Our bigs (and their friend…our semi-adopted daughter…Kylie) dressed and ready for the parade.

The Mooresville Christmas parade was yesterday afternoon…and, all 4 of our big kids were in it.  Since my parents were planning on spending Thanksgiving with us anyway, they came a day early to watch the parade.

My mom was amazed at how llloonngg it was.  It lasted nearly 2 hours.  Our population is about 33,000…and I think about half of those were in the parade ;)

A few pics of the day…

Our local Shriner’s were the pre-parade entertainment this year…they have a special place in our hearts, since Dylan came into our family.  Dylan had his amputation surgery at Shriner’s Hospital in Greenville, SC, and he’s gotten two prosthesis’ so far…free of charge.  He will continue being a Shriner’s kid, with all of his care and prosthesis’ covered, until he’s 18.  Amazing.

One of Dylan’s best friends, Hollyn, was in the parade for the Shriner’s…this is the best shot we got of her :)  She’s the gal in green.  Hollyn and her family were a huge blessing to us as we prepared to adopt Dylan, having gone through the same surgery, same hospital, and same prosthesis need with Hollyn.

Having fun, kids?  They got more candy thrown at them at the parade than they collected on Halloween.

First up for us was the boys, in their AFFR group.  I’ve mentioned before that all the kids take tumbling/fitness/dance classes at Acrofitness here in town.  The boys class is Free Running…kinda like a spiderman, climbing and jumping, and tumbling with a little break dancing thrown in for good measure.  Both boys can already do back handsprings (on the mats, not concrete yet!), and they’ve only been doing classes for 2 months.

No, this is NOT the boys.  But, impressive, eh?

Why just the boys in the parade for Acro?  The required pants, shirt, beanie, and shoelaces were a little pricey.  And, the other kids classes didn’t have special performances lined up either.

Here they come…

There’s Payton…of course, we didn’t catch them doing anything.  That would have required good timing.  But, the rolling scaffolding was used to climb on, through, over, and jump off of.  It’s the kinda stuff they’re learning and they love it.  Gets them active, which I love.

Only picture we managed of Ethan!  Hey, we tried.  I like the feet beside him!  And, notice that Payton is the only guy NOT wearing his beanie.  He’s a rule-breaker and rebel like his dad.

Finally, the Testify Youth Choir showed up.

Abbey is in the Santa Hat, beside her friend Aaron in the purple tie-dyed shirt.  And, Randy is on the right in gray.  He just had to run up and ambush them…he got hugs from all.

What are you lookin’ at?

He’s happy now, his bling is back on (had to remove it all for the parade!)

I know what I SHOULD type here, but I just can’t say it yet…it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!  :)

My Grandmom, Dorothy West Hamilton, went home to be with the Lord yesterday morning.  She’d been suffering from mouth cancer for quite a while, went through one surgery and other cancer treatments.  It seemed the tumor was shrinking, but then came back with a vengeance.  Within just a few short days, she went from talking over old memories with my parents, to bedridden and unable to eat.  When given the choice, she refused IV fluids…telling my dad that she was ready to go Home.  Two days later, she was there.

I’m so thankful that we had the chance to visit her, one last time, on Monday.  She was sleeping heavily, morphine doses every 2 hours, and was basically unresponsive.  But, I choose to believe that she knew we were there, and heard me telling her how much I loved her, and what an amazing Grandma she’d been to me.  I will always treasure that, like I’ll treasure the wonderful memories I have with her.

Like…

She called all of her Grandkids “tootsie”.  I loved that.

From the time I was 4, we lived down the street from Grandma.  In fact, we lived in 3 different houses on the SAME street during my childhood.  But, that’s another story.  So, I spent a lot of time up at her house.  What a blessing.

I loved her house.  It was small, with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.  Down the very small hall was a huge grate that brought in heat (coal?  I’m not sure…), and when you looked down, it was glowing bright red.  As a child, that was very mysterious to me.

I remember spending nights with her as a child.  She’d always let me sleep with her, in her bed.  And the best part was her letting me wear her silky nightgowns…which she always safety-pinned to fit.

Her house backed up to the local little league field, with a fence between.  Her yard was elevated from it, and there was a tree right at the fence.  Us kids (me and my cousins) would climb the tree and watch whatever game was going on.  We felt like we had the best seats in the house.

Grandma was the best cook.  Ever.  My favorites being her green beans (I can’t cook them like she did…), chicken pastry (think dumplings, only they’re large, flat noodles), and her homemade chocolate pie.  I’ve almost got the last one down.  I remember the first time I tried it, the filling didn’t get thick enough.  She told me to cook and stir it longer.  She was right.

I have a sweet tooth, and I’m sure I got it from Grandma.  She LOVED her sweets, any and every kind.  Especially pie.  Meals to her were a vehicle to get to the dessert.  I totally get that.

As you can see in the pic, she had beautiful, soft white hair.  I want HER hair when mine goes gray.  For years she fought it, though, and died it jet black!  As a kid, I remember watching her at her kitchen sink, squirting what looked like black ink all over her head.  The stuff stained whatever it touched, it was quite a sight!  We finally talked her into going “natural” and she never looked better.

Grandma had a dog years ago, named Tippy.  He was a black and white mutt, and cute as could be.  I didn’t have a dog, so it was fun to play with him.  I remember how sad we were when he died.

Grandma’s house was always the meeting point for parades downtown.  She lived within walking distance, so everyone parked their cars there and walked down to main street.

In fact, her house was always bustling with family and friends.  She was very social, and loved being busy.  She also loved talking on the phone.  My parents would get irritated at her…her phone was ALWAYS busy, it was impossible to get a hold of her.  Sometimes we’d have to walk up the street and knock on her door :)

I loved hearing stories of Grandma’s life.  She married my dad’s dad at the age of 15.  She had 5 children, and they lived on a farm.  She married my granddad, and he died when my dad was 18.  She re-married after 7 years, only to have him pass away 5 months later.  From then on, she lived alone.

Grandma did have a “boyfriend” for many years.  I remember Jimmy as the tall, skinny man who always greeted me with whatever change he had in his pocket.  He was a very sweet man, and was a blessing to Grandma.

In later years, after Randy and I were married, we started a tradition of having a casual get-together at our house on Christmas eve.  It was always my parents, Randy’s mom and step-dad, and Grandma.  Once the kids were born, it was a kid-fest…holding babies and watching them be silly as they anticipated the next morning.  Lots of laughter, lots of food, and many memories.

As our kids got older, and we visited her, she would NOT let them leave without something sweet (remember the sweet tooth?).  Candy for each one, packs of cookies, etc.  There was always a “going away” present.

I hope Grandma knew just how much I loved her.  How much we all did.  She was the sweetest (I keep using that word, sweet…) woman and everyone adored her.  Remembering her will be easy, and I’ll continue to share these memories and more with my kids so that they can always remember, too.

Okay, I just thought I’d jump over here and share a few things that have nothing to do with each other. But, that’s life.

First off, about a week ago Nana and Paw-Paw stopped by while they were in Charlotte for a wedding. We hung out at the house and talked (while Lainey and Dylan entertained them with constant cartwheels and flips), and then headed out to lunch at a local spot. Nana posed everyone for pics…

I managed to start AND finish a project recently. Only took me 3 days even! When we were looking for houses, I’d hoped to find part of a wall in the kitchen to paint with chalkboard paint. Initially, I couldn’t find any spot that would work, and then started looking outside the kitchen. This is the short hallway between the kitchen and door to the garage. The laundry room is on the left.

I bought my supplies and went to work.

First coat.

Second and third coats.

Randy and Abbey photo-bomb my shot. They think they’re so cute.

Decided to use the kitchen wall color to make a subtle edge around the board.

This view doesn’t show it well.

See?

All six of the kids are taking classes at a local gym called Acrofitness. There are only two of these in the country, one in Connecticut and one 10 minutes from our house. They combine acrobatics with fitness…hence, the name. I love that the emphasis really is on fitness, and giving kids a way to be active and have fun.

Lainey and Dylan take a basic class for 5-7 year olds. Marley is in advanced tumbling. Abbey is taking a fitness hip-hop class. And, the boys are in AFFR…a free running class. They’re all making quick progress in their skills. Marley did her first (and several other) un-spotted back handspring last week. The boys did theirs today, though a tad less gracefully. :)

Dylan made it on the “Splits Board” tonight. If you can do all three splits (straddle, left foot front, and right foot front), you get your name and pic on the board. There are only about 10 up there total, and Dylan’s pic will be up there next week! Lainey is getting close to being able to do her back handspring, and Abbey is able to use what she learns in her hip-hop class to help her with her dances in Testify.

A few parting thoughts…

Is anyone else feeling like the holidays are sneaking up? The farther into Fall we get, the more crowded my calendar seems to get. Oy.

If you’ve not tried the Addicting Chicken recipe on Pin*terest yet…what are ya waiting for? Seriously, try it. You’ll be glad.

Jack has his torn ACL surgery a week from today. I’m so anxious for the poor guy to get his groove back.

We leave tomorrow morning for the NC State Fair! I’m gonna go walk on the treadmill tonight, so I can indulge a little tomorrow. :)

Another blog about the comings and goings of our crazy household…I really enjoy writing posts, and looking back at the history of “us”.

I don’t necessarily do them for the enjoyment of anyone else. Cause, truth be told, I have no idea if anyone other than a few very consistent people (thanks!) who comment actually read any of this. I kinda wish there was an app that alerted me when someone clicked over and read the blog….kinda sounds like something the government would do, though. Watching our every move…another subject, eh?

Course, I’m guilty of reading other peoples blogs and never commenting…I guess I should get better about that. It’s nice when you realize that others really ARE stopping by :)

Enough whining…

A little over a week ago, Randy made the last-minute decision to get us tickets for an Atlanta Braves baseball game. It’s been years since our last game. I think maybe 6, so Abbey would have been 10?

So, we hit the road that Friday afternoon…leaving too late, it turned out, and then having to back-track to get the forgotten camera. Ugh. Which made us miss the whole 1st and 2nd innings. Oh well, we were in our seats for the rest!

Our biggest “wants” for that night? To see Chipper play. To see Kimbrel pitch. And, of course, for them to win.

Chipper….first check. He retires this year, and Randy said should easily be a first-year Hall of Fame player. Some players wait years for that honor.

Notice Marley is missing? She had a previously planned trip to PA with her friend Kylie and her family. This was really the only weekend we could make a game, and she understood. We really missed having her there.

The wave, of course.

What I get these days when I ask the boys to pose for pics…goofballs.

Dinner…Dylan has portion control issues.

Hot dog and this ballgame treat…oh yeah.

Chipper again. He’s such a rock star.

Speaking of rock stars. The crowd went CA-RAZY when Kimbrel (second check) started running across the field. All the screens turned into fire! His stats are extremely good and this is only his second season in baseball. If you care nothing for baseball, I’m boring you to tears. Sorry…

I’ll skip to the end. They won (3rd check) and did a bit of celebrating.

They always have Friday night fireworks, so we moved farther up (a lot of seats opened up) and the kids started trying to get noticed for the jumbo screen.

It worked!

The fireworks were awesome…

If I could crop out the annoyed guy on the right, I would…but we look happy!

Showing off the signature Braves “Tomahawk Chop”

Me and my sweetie.

Forgive me while I post a bunch of pictures of my kids in random poses.

Smooch!

Payton’s been captured!

Not sure they had leap frog in mind when they made this statue…

We had such a great time at the game, and it was over WAY too soon. Rather than drive home that night (which would have gotten us home about 3am), we crashed at a nearby hotel and drove back the next day.

Hoping to watch the Braves in the post-season this year!

We can feel Fall weather starting to make it’s entrance around here, so our days are seriously numbered on boating. In fact, this might have been the last outing.

These were taken a week ago, Saturday. I made the hard choice to stay home (too much school planning left to do) and Payton chose sleeping in over boating. But, the girls got some seriously good pics of their time on the lake.

Abbey is a master on the knee board, she gets better every summer.

Love the expression here. Can’t see it?

There, is that better? :)

No matter how good you are, sometimes you’re just destined to crash.

Most of the kids kinda have a “game face” when they’re out on the water. Not Marley. She’s always smiling.

Marley and Lainey playing “rock, paper, scissors” while kneeboarding. Guess they were bored. Get it? Knee – bored?

Now, it’s Lainey and Dylan’s turn

They kept bumping into each other. They’re not good at steering yet!

EJ’s turn to wakeboard. He’s improved quite a bit this summer, despite the fact we didn’t go out as much as we would have liked. Marley caught this shot of him just beginning to stand up.

He cuts to the right and goes outside the wake. Then, turns back in sharply, hoping for a good jump.

Nice! Wonder if he stuck the landing?

Oops.

It’s all about trying and trying again when you fall. He looks so tall here…

Taking a swimming break.

It looks like they’re crawling on the water!

No, Dylan, Abbey’s gloves don’t fit you. Yet.

Someone might need a haircut?

What a handsome captain!

Boating makes her smile. Have I mentioned that?

Marley is our newest wake boarder. This used to be an Ethan-only sport, but she decided this year she’d give it a try. She’s already mastered getting up (a big hurdle when it comes to wake boarding), and now is learning to balance and steer.

She can even make it out of the wake already.

Marley is either showing them that she made it out of the wake, or she’s contemplating a career in real estate…just LOOK at these homes?!?!

You be the judge.

Lake Norman, we do love you!