When we were pregnant with Tebow, I agonized over how exactly to explain to Fuller we were going to be adding a new person to the family. I really couldn’t tell how he would react and it worried me to some hormone-driven degree. In the end it worked out ok, and it has been 14 months since Tebow arrived and Fuller is just NOW realizing how intrusive the new family member can be.
With all the agonizing I did, I’m actually kind of surprised at how nonchalant I was about telling Fuller we decided to sell our house and move to a new one. Maybe it was because I have moved houses nine times in my life (not including all the moving I did in college- from the dorms to the apartments then back to the dorms then back to the apartments) and it seems like it should be no big deal. Or maybe it was because I let Damon tell Fuller. Continue Reading »
Soon after we got to Lake Martin last week, I mentioned wanting to go to one of the Auburn basketball games. It happened that Auburn would be playing Kentucky, so we got excited and made plans. But apparently a lot of other people got excited as well (probably mostly Kentucky fans) and when I checked the ticket site on Saturday morning I found out the general tickets were all sold out.
Rain dashed our ideas of buying from scalpers so Albert and Linda generously gave their tickets to Fuller and me.
This gift was generous because Albert and Linda have magic tickets that not only get them entrance to the games but access to the hospitality suite (aka free food, drinks, and Fuller’s favorite: POPCORN!). Also, it meant they were going to keep Tebow while Fuller and had a mother-son date. It all adds up to generous giving. Continue Reading »
Last Wednesday the kids and I packed up the car (I did most of the packing, Tebow did a lot of whining, and Fuller was fetching things like a good kid), kissed Damon goodbye (though I did help him move our bed first), and drove to Lake Martin to spend a few weeks with Grandpa Albert and Grandma Linda.
While trips to Lake Martin are usually of the rest/ relaxation/ spoil the grandkids variety, this trip is actually more of a relocation for us for a few weeks. We fled from Chattanooga with the dream of returning to a home with a newly renovated master bedroom/ main bathroom.
Yes, that is right! Damon has made the foray into the final big project for renovating our fixer-upper! I’m beyond excited, but I sit lakeside enjoying pretty sunsets and nature walks, my husband has been tirelessly working in the evenings doing demo work, plumbing, and framing. From what I understand work on the new drywall began today, so things are progressing.
Our time here at Lake Martin is relaxing (this place kind of oozes relaxation) but I have cracked the whip a little, bringing the homeschool books, pencils, and even the safety scissors to keep us moving along in the education arena. But we have traveled a little- visiting Grandma Great in Auburn yesterday. Fuller and I took in the Kentucky versus Auburn basketball game last Saturday, which really added to the family fun (it was like a little mother-son date!).
We hope to go back in the next few weeks, but until then we are looking forward to seeing the changes and enjoying our time here in Alabama.
In the weeks leading up to our Ohio Christmas trip I baited Fuller with hopes and dreams of the white stuff. Fuller’s first Christmas was spent in Ohio when they had the most snow they had had in 20 years or so (it was classified as a blizzard, we described it as cabin fever).
Of course there was really no way to guarantee snow would be a part of our holidays, but it was fun to dream. And then in preparation, I bought him snow boots at Wal-Mart. For some reason the fact that he had snow boots meant he really thought it was going to snow. He had faith it would be there.
The day we drove up to my parents’ house was very cold. And the forecast had called for snow in the early morning. But we weren’t sure if it would stick around long enough for us to enjoy by the time we arrive in the early evening.
A little bit before Knoxville I took over driving so Damon could take a nap. And as we were cruising North on I-75 I looked ahead towards a mountain and gasped to see it covered in white. I pointed out the picturesque scene to Fuller. He was so excited to see the snow. I suggested he take out his camera and take a picture. So he did.
Before our trip to Ohio, my mom asked if Fuller and I would like to go see Annie at the Schuster Theater in Dayton. I knew I wanted to (I think I jumped up and down while squealing like a little girl). I asked Fuller if he wanted to, and after a little explanation, he said he would LOVE to see Annie (seriously).
The three of us went last Saturday and it was such a fun experience. I had only ever seen the movie Annie, but I knew the songs was looking forward to sharing the magic with Fuller.
(video warning: Fuller gets a bit loud around 3:14.)
The Saturday before Thanksgiving, Damon and I were discussing our exit strategy for leaving Chattanooga for the holiday. We had been planning on going to Ohio where my mother has moved back to my folk’s house while my dad is still working in Texas. We knew Damon’s recovery from surgery was going to be a variable for when exactly we would go up there… Tuesday was most likely.
But with me having bronchitis and the kids being a bit cooped up and running amok, we decided that morning to pack it up and head on up to Ohio for a little help from my mom. We were on the road by 6 and thanks to priceline, we were in a motel room at midnight. On Sunday morning we rolled into Dayton, into the open arms of my mom who was waiting with a big smile on her face.
Since I was twelve, the motto on my side of the family has been “Home is where the Air Force sends you.” And while their location has changed five times since I graduated from high school, I can still say that I do feel like I am returning home whenever I visit my parents. Continue Reading »
Discover 40 Bible Study Methods
