And We Didn't Even Shoot Each Other!

We had the best date ever this morning!  Several months ago, I bought a Living Social Voucher for clay pigeon shooting on a "range" near Harrisonburg.  How much fun!  While I grew up shooting .22 calibre rifles at my Christian camp (and eventually passing the Expert Marksman qualification), I had previously only pulled a shotgun's trigger on one occasion.  I don't remember the details of the occasion, but I was given the opportunity to shoot with my Dad and his college buddy one day when I was in high school.  Wow!  The thrill of a shotgun and a moving target is something else compared to a .22 shot at a paper target.  (But I will admit that sending 5 bullets through the center of the bulls eye on a target that looks like only 1-2 bullets have passed through it is a pretty awesome feeling, too!).

So when this opportunity landed in my inbox, I had to jump on it.  Months later (and with Grandma generous enough to babysit while in town this weekend), we hopped over to Mt. Crawford for our 1-hour shooting lesson.  Our instructor, John, was fantastic.  I joked with him that his expertise instructing was evidenced by Michael's improvement over the course of his 25 shots:)  With some kind of luck, I managed to nail my first 5 pigeons.  Woo-hoo!  As fatigue set in (mind you this is the 3rd anniversary of my tremendous left arm break---the remarkable non-compound fracture), my shots became slightly less accurate.  And that is when my Love decided to start the competition!  As my aim became less predicable and his sharpened, wouldn't you know we would end up tying?!?  So then I had to count my first 5 perfect shots and claim a clear victory!

Ah, the Memorial Day memories!

Aim

"Pull!"

Fire

Michael with our hysterical instructor, John

SMOKE AND GUNS!

John calls this good form.

Still got some "guns"!

Smashed it!

Raise Your Glass - Take 2

Our first video to Pink's "Raise Your Glass" was published a few months ago.  Here it is again, as a refresher.

Take 2 was last week.  Note the addition of the bike helmet, complete with flames.  Since Andrew has decided he doesn't want a bike (his birthday present, of course), he's taken to wearing his helmet in the car every single time we are in it!  No kidding.  It's a nice addition to the video, as is the nose picking and the explanation that he is somehow dizzy! 

Last week of Preschool:(

We've had fun downtown at the "Fridays @ 5:00" concerts the last few weeks. The kids have been remarkably good and we've run into great friends of theirs (and ours) each week.  Gotta get these times in before it's 90-100.  We do not venture out in that kind of heat. 

"I'll take my pizza whole, thank you very much!"

Compass on the downtown mall!

Love our neighbors' swing set...and their generosity.

"Is that a phone?  Cheeeeeeeeeeeese."

Our visit to Snow's Garden Center yesterday was productive. Sadly, we're losing our 3 Bradford Pears out front and 3 fruit trees out back to Fire Blight, which has consumed our neighborhood.  Rather than treat annually for $500 with no guarantee of survival, we're going to replace them.  Research is under way, but we're finding a tremendous benefit that Corbin Snow lives in Still Meadow! 

This last week of Preschool has been very sad for me and not because I am panic stricken that I am now 100% responsible for the complete entertainment of my children 24/7 for the next 3 1/2 months, but because Andrew has loved it SOOO much this year.  He has been unbelievably fond of Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Buford, who were amazing with him this year and the whole class.  Wonderful for the parents was the weekly email they sent detailing all of the songs and topics, etc. that the kids were exposed to in class.  That way, we could help encourage at home.  It was really fun for all of us.  They are truly special teachers and we were quite lucky to get them.

Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Buford made a wonderful booklet for each child to document their year.  Some pages were "my favorite Christmas present was my orange guitar" (which, mind you, Andrew asked for and then showed zero interest in until his birthday presents were all unwrapped!), and other pages were vital stats.  In September, he weighed 39 lbs and was 41" tall.  In May, he now weighs in at 44.5 lbs and is 43.5" tall.  Growing like the weeds he helps me pick! 

Wanting to color in his "yearbook" and write his name on every page.

Last day of school!  Special treat - Daddy got to take him in the new Infinity car!

Mrs. Bush and Mrs. Buford invited parents to come listen to their end-of-the-year concert on Monday.  First song?   Five Fat Freckled Frogs...this was new to us, so must not have been a favorite of Andrew's, but the boys all seemed to know it!

Next up?  The daily, "Merrily We Start the Day". 

Merrily we start the day, start the day, start the day,

Merrily we start the day, all of us at school. 

"Prek-K Next Year"

Pre-K next year, Pre-K next year,

We're moving up!  We're moving up!

Where we'll learn our letters,

Write our names much better.

We'll have so much fun.

Bomp, bomp, bomp.

And finally, "The Goodbye Song"

All day long we worked and played, worked and played, worked and played,

All day long we worked and played, now our day is done.

Wave goodbye to all our friends, all our friends, all our friends

Wave goodbye to all our friends, until we meet again.

Surprise! Happy 7th Anniversary:)

The last two days have been an emotional roller coaster. We “pulled the goalie” but I am still nervous about that. It’s a terribly exciting, yet also terrifying thought for the Type A wife of an often travelling husband. Sunday morning before church, it appeared that a new journey was not in the cards…at least not this month. Yesterday was our anniversary. Despite reminiscing about our stunning day 7 years ago, I woke up mad. I was mad at myself for being mad, but I was…at him. I was mad that I had tripped over 2 pairs of crocks on my way to bed and the whole pile of swim suits and towels from the pool earlier that day. I know that cleaning, tidying and laundry are my job, but I also feel like it’s not too much ask for someone else to move them out of the way if he literally has to step over them to get to bed. Afterall, the laundry room is on the way to the bedroom! Am I the only wife that struggles with,
         A) Do I mention something that’s bugging me because it’s not fair to him if I’m mad at him but I don’t even tell him why? I shouldn’t have expectations of him if I don’t let him know what those expectations are. Or…
         B) Do I keep my mouth shut b/c it doesn't come naturally to him think, “Oh, I’ll just drop this pile off by the laundry room on my way to bed” and chances are, my mentioning it is not to going to change anything. And again, we both know it’s my job anyway. So I hem and haw and ruin the morning. Mission accomplished? I don’t think so:(

During nap time, I take advantage of the working-from-home schedule and go visit a friend who is dealing with a devastating pregnancy. My spirits are lifted by our conversation about church, TV shows, planting flowers, and weddings. We dealt with the elephant in the room and talked of the precious baby that is not developing properly in her womb, but we mostly laughed and enjoyed each other.

When I arrived back home late afternoon, I’m thinking again about Sunday morning. More than a day and half ago now, that brief sign that quickly faded has not returned. Should we get the pink box out of the bathroom closet that has a leftover stick in it from Margaret? Hmmm? What the heck. Why not? It would make for a good story… on our anniversary. So we parked the kids in front of something mesmerizing and followed the instructions on the expired box. Look. There’s one line. Hmmm. There’s always one line really quickly. “How long does it say to wait?” “Let me look again.” “Wait. What’s that? Is it? No. It’s too faint. Our eyes are playing tricks on us. But…..are they…or is that?” Giggle, Dad. Giggle, Mom. Look childishly at each other. “Huh? Well what do you know?!?”, grinning from ear to ear. !@#$%^&* Elation. Fear. Joy. Insecurity. Take a picture of the two lines just in case you wake from a dream. Kiss the kids goodnight. Kiss Daddy “Thank you” for putting them both down later so I can go to Mom's Group at church. Stuff emotions back down. Leave for meeting.  Chat normally with Pastor's wife and gals. 

Whew. Happy 7^th Anniversary!

 

Lady Meg

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

Yesterday, I took the kids to Richmond for a brief visit with Marion & Lucy Williams, my Dad's cousin.  When the Beeville cousins come East, you gotta catch 'em quick!  We didn't even have time for a photo op, but I can report that Andrew warmed up quite quickly to them and Margaret was pleased to show off in the fountain:)

We did NOT set her up to pose for the picture - really.

Andrew's 4th trip to the dentist and he's officially laying down now!  Guess the "cool dude" glasses help:)  Daddy reported that the prone position was obviously tense for a while, but that Andrew eventually "collapsed" in the chair and relaxed.

Unsolicited, Andrew quietly drew this for me one night. He told me from across the living room that he was drawing Daddy the tallest. Then his entire explanation ensured.  From right to left, we have Daddy, Mommy, Andrew. Then Margaret is the "blob" at Andrew's feet. Molly is the circle to the left of that, and the two stray marks on the top left as "Daisy up in Heaven".  The big blob on the left is "my picture". 

Don't know how it's comfortable, but she never even flinched with the flash.

Comfy, cozy

Gettin' ready for somersaults!

Fridays at 5:00 - Concert at the Downtown Pavilion.  Daddy makes it look easy, doesn't he?!?  Give these kids pizza and good people watching and you're golden!

We need to take a hint - no more animals in the crib!  I sneak in at night to give her her Bible and a toy to wake up with, but she's even rejecting those now.  Fine with me, provided she doesn't expect me to go get her 30 minutes earlier now!

Sunday morning ritual

Learning to shave

Gettin' it just right.

Mother's Day 2012 - A Day for Romans 8:28

Mother's Day was a mixed bag of emotions this year.  As it always does, my heart melted as I remembered the day I became a Mom.  There is simply nothing like it.  And Margaret's birth was nothing any less joyful or exciting. See below for attempts to get a decent shot with a 20-month-old and a 4-yr-old:) 

Andrew helped me put the finishing touches on our first family garden.  Then we prayed that WE get to enjoy some watermelon, squash, and a variety of peppers someday and that our efforts are not merely encouraging our already ridiculous deer and bunny populations.  This is after I planted our window boxes on the deck for the first time!  Gardening again by moonlight, I planted these on Michael's birthday after the kids were down.  Some petunias, sweet potato vine, and some yellow flower "for height", the nursery told me, better do well this summer and give me some confidence!

Sadly, Mother's Day this year also came with some terrible news.  A dear friend here from church had just learned that her 4th pregnancy will not end in the "Happily Ever After" she had planned.  Her 20-week ultrasound revealed that the little boy is developing without a brain.  A small portion of his lower brain is in tact enough to explain the movement she's been feeling and allowing swallowing to keep him alive.  But these precious babies do not make it out of the delivery room, if the pregnancy even goes full term.  What's remarkable, though, is my friend's attitude.  After the sobbing and the shock wore off, she handed the situation over to God realizing that He had called baby Samuel home early for a reason...a reason she may not like and wouldn't have chosen, but a reality she is accepting already.  I am in awe of her strength.  She is truly letting God hold her in the palm of His hand.  Her "Footprint" poem would surely have only one set of footprints right now. 

I told her that I was reminded of Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

We are not promised any answers this side of Heaven, as difficult of a pill as that is to swallow.  Later that very same day, one of the several daily emails I receive from Tandom.com shared with me the very verses following this:

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Have truer words ever been written?

________________________________

Mother's Day Picture attempts - 3...it is only three people I am hoping will look at the camera simultaneously!  Not an army.  Just three!

A Week in Review

Last Saturday was the Family Fun Run fundraiser for preschool, First Pres.  The two-mile course wound through downtown and had its fair share of hills for little ones on bikes and scooters.  Andrew opted for the stroller that morning (thankfully!) and we felt like we were cheating!

The Starting Line!

Cool Dudes

Post face painting booth - sly guy.

What a face!

Before bed last night Andrew randomly said, "This is the face I make to be mean to people".  Evidently, Daddy explained that we are not "mean" to people and we certainly don't make faces at them....but then promptly asked him to pose, of course!

My "mean to people" face - scary, indeed.

Margaret proved this week that she knows ALL of her body parts.  We tend to review them when she's on the changing table.  "Bottom" is the funniest one---legs already in the air, she'll life them higher while she's laying there and pat both of her hands on her precious bottom:)  Need to capture video of this!

"Patterns" have made an impression on Andrew at school this year, so he decided we need to have a "pattern” for breakfast…pancakes, waffles, cereal, oatmeal, toast & 'running' eggs (i.e. 'running oaks', as he says!). I told him that was a FINE pattern, provided we always managed to get the running eggs on Saturday. Mommy can't pull that off any other morning!

Our grass head has been a HUGE success!  We got his eye glued back on, propped his sagging neck up, and have been growing like a weed!  We've decided that both grass head AND Andrew are due for a buzz cut:)

 

We had fun taking pictures in the car this week.  That means traffic was bad (which is all relative here). 

He hasn't shown much interest in his bike yet, but at least he's all about his helmet!  Andrew's decided that it makes him safer in the car.

Are you kidding me???  I turned around at a stop sign and my jaw dropped.  Is he 4 or 40???

Do I use my phone camera too much if she immediately mumbles "cheese" when I pick it up??

Too stinkin' cute!

Film going up on the foyer window - it had better help our heat and thermostat issues!

This is a big ladder, but it's actually nothing compared to the ladder used to replace the foyer chandelier with this baby of mine.

The ladder for the electrician had one base in the playroom on the left.  The other base stretched from the bottom of the stairs out the front door.  It was simply massive. 

No pictures of last weekend's House Warming/Cinqo de Mayo/Derby Party at the Eastlack's new house.  Two kids in a new house with food and drinks everywhere = all hands on deck!  Wish we had pics of their awesome house (two HUGE sun rooms) and beautiful property just down the street.