Cousins

We went and played with the cousins one night at the beginning of September. The boys had fun playing outsdie and the pink instruments were a big hit with Cash.

Parkes goes to Kindergarten

Parkes started Kindergarten in August...I cannot believe that he is old enough to start Kindergarten and to be at a different school then me and Cash. He is having a great time and is loving his class and his teacher. I feel like he has grown up so much in the short time that he has been in school. He is coming home and working on his homework by himself and talking about what all they are doing. We are so proud of how well he is doing and it is just so amazing to watch him grow up so much. Here he is with his teacher.

Last Week of Summer

We enjoyed the last week of summer by spending our days at the pool and staying up late riding bikes, playing games on the iPad and watching movies. It is hard to believe this is the last couple of days before Parkes starts Kindergarten...the years have gone by so quickly. Parkes is such a loving and caring boy, but at the same time is all boy. He loves to swim which took awhile for him to decide he would swim anywhere besides the stairs even though he knew how. He can sound out all the letters and with helping him is starting to figure out words. He loves to draw and look through books.

Cash is becoming a very imaginative little boy. He is always pretending to hold, throw, eat, etc. something (usually a bug or butterfly). He is also getting quite the strong will, but at the same time is such a loving and funny boy. He is no longer a baby which was very apparent when he was not on the younger after care list at school but instead with the big kids.

Homebodies

This summer the boys were just as happy to stay home all day as to go do something. I'm figuring after last year of 5 days a week they just wanted a little break. So between the trips to the pool and other outings we made sure to spend a couple days a week at home doing nothing and they were very happy. Here's Cash and his "friend" Dopey watching Berenstein Bears which has become Cash's favorite show this summer. He, however, calls it "Care Bears".

And here's Parkes reading up on recipes. He likes to see what he wants to make. His favorite being to come up with his own recipe and seeing what happens.

Blogger kicked me out and cancelled my account for awhile this month so I will have more pics to post of our Holiday World trip and pool pics, but they are all on Brandon's phone so I will have to wait until he gets home and is not using it.

Cash's First Haircut

Cash is 2 1/2 and finally had his first haircut (Parkes was 3 before his). I didn't get that much cut off because I wanted to keep the curls so we just got rid of the long mullet in the back. He did great and did not move once while Jeff was cutting his hair. We had talked about for a month before hand so he was ready and he watched Parkes get his haircut first to know what to expect.

The Boys after their haircuts enjoying their sucker.

Froggy Potty

Here's what we have been doing...

Cash loves his froggy potty (and I must say it is a great potty for boys...no removable splash guard it's built in). He is doing really well minus a set back where he got a hold of Parkes' miralax drink. We still haven't ventured out without a diaper on because he is still mastering art of realizing he needs to go and getting to the potty, but as long as I remember to put him on there every 30 minutes or so he does great!

Last Tee Ball Game

A couple weeks ago Parkes played his last Tee Ball game of the season (possibly ever as he will probably move up to coach pitch next year). He really enjoyed playing this year and even got to where he liked his uniform. We celebrated his last game by going to the sounds game that night where Cash almost got knocked out by a line drive foul ball while Brandon had him and while everyone in the stands noticed it Brandon somehow missed it. Cash loved to watch the Tee Ball games and cheer for everyone on the team. He really wanted to play...we're hoping next year they will let us sign a waiver and let him play because I don't know if he can wait another year (Brandon is "on" the board for the league but has yet to make it to a meeting so we'll see how much pull that has). So needless to say our days this summer have been spent in the backyard with me pitching to the boys so they can hit

We have been taking it easy this summer so far. I have for some reason been in a design mood and have started on or thought of several projects to do so I decided to move the boys in the same room so I can have a craft/sewing room to spread out all of my projects which has lead to some sleepless nights. I've made a billion pillows because I figured out how to sew those so now I am moving on to new things. And I got the urge to paint the den and dining room so I imagine I will probably end up starting on that because once it pops in my head I will want it done.

Parkes' Preschool Graduation

I can't believe it, but Parkes is no longer a preschooler. It is crazy how fast these 5 years have gone and yet I hardly remember day to day life before I became a mom. Parkes has brought so much joy into our lives and taught us a lot as well. Parkes was suppose to have two graduations since he goes to two preschools, but one school was not a good fit for him and it all kinda escalated with graduation practice so we ended school there a little early and he just had one graduation so that explains his lack of enthusiasm in the pictures (I was really proud of him for being up there even if he didn't participate in all of it). He has been fortunate to have two wonderful teachers who have taught him so much through play. If you listen to the video at the end you will hear what he chose to be when he grows up which actually goes along with his disheveled appearance which in my defense I thought he would have a gown (I should of known though he would not want to wear it if he had) and we had had a crazy week of driving back and forth from west tennessee starting on wednesday with Brandon's nana's funeral then friday night was Brandon's sister's high school graduation where we left the boys and drove home so we could go out and volunteer with church on saturday to turn around after church to get the boys and drive to graduation. After graduation he enjoyed his special dinner of a brownie sundae with grami, grandad, aunt hayley, uncle brad, texas granny and texas grandpa.

Spring has come and is almost gone...

and I feel like we have been in overdrive the whole time. We started out Spring with Tee Ball starting. Brandon was helping our neighbor coach Parkes' team, however, lately he has been not able to do a lot of helping so it's a good thing our neighbor is such a good coach. Parkes has really enjoyed it and it has really clicked for him. He is doing really well at playing. Cash wishes that he was on the team and is quite the athlete already showing off his skills on the sideline as he cheers for everyone on the team. And look what has grown. Cash's hair has really started growing and to my amazement it is curling. I still don't think his is going to be like Parkes so I'm holding off on a haircut so I can enjoy how cute he looks with his baby curls. With the Nashville Flood has come a lot of long hours for Brandon. Me and the boys were out of school for a whole week due to damage at the school, roads around the school and some of the families at the school who lost everything. Brandon and his partner, Chris, spent the week after the flood leading teams of volunteers from our church out into the affected areas helping to get the houses demoed so they will not have mold growing while continuing the jobs he already had going and jobs coming in (they worked 80 hours last week). The stories that he has told and the pictures he has are both devastating and uplifting. I got to join him out on Saturday and it was such a wonderful experience to see Brandon and Chris working with such love for the people that have been affected and amazing to see the hope in the people that have lost all their possessions. In a tragedy to this extreme it would be so easy to crumble, but that is not the feeling out in these neighborhoods and I hope that volunteer help and spirit continues as people start getting back to life as normal. This picture above is nothing compared to what is seen on these streets. Below is Chris and his family taking a break from working in Green Hills. Enjoy the rest of Spring. We are looking forward to the end of school.

We Survived the Flood

This post is for Jennifer. We are safe...I didn't know how quick i would get pics up or post not because we have any damage but just because crazy boys so wanted to make sure all our family (yes Jennifer and John you know you are family) knew we were good. We were so fortunate to live on an area where there was so much devastation with the creeks and rivers we only had a flooded back and front yard which I am hoping has flooded out our mole problem that doesn't seem to go away. I am devasted for those that I work with that have been evacuated from there homes and Brandon is meeting up at our church's Bellevue campus tomorrow to see what all they can do to help.

More Easter Pics

Here are some pictures from the Easter Egg hunt at Uncle Brian and Soon to be Aunt Amy's house. I attached this letter that was sent in to our pastor from a lady that Brandon had been given her name to do some work. I add it because it is easy to get caught up in life and forget how you are impacting people with just simple encounters. It's amazing how so many people touched this woman's life and brought her back to church. This is really what brought us to this church, and we have been amazed by the generosity of the whole church to give so much of themselves to really impact the community. This has really inspired me to really focus on every encounter I have with people knowing most encounters don't end up with this type of result but you never know exactly how it will affect the person.

Hi,

I just returned home from my first service at your Nashville campus and just wanted to tell you how incredibly awesome I thought it was.

It has been over 30 years since I last attended church services and was a bit nervous and unsure about attending. But everyone I spoke with was so genuinely nice and welcoming I instantly felt right at home.

I learned of your church when I was getting an estimate on fixing my rotted bathroom floor. Brandon was the gentleman that came and called me back in a few days telling me his church group would come and do the repairs for nothing. I was, of course, skeptical and an army of workers showed up and did many other things besides the floor. I was in awe and shock that so many people would show up to a perfect strangers home and help like they did. They invited me to attend and I said I would think about it.

I was recanting my story to a gentleman I have dealings with at work, Jason, and found out he was an elder there. I felt it was too much of a coincidence and that God was telling me I needed to come.

My husband of 32 years unexpectedly passed away last year and my life seemed to be at rock bottom for quite some time. Then I started renewing my relationship with God and things have started to fall in place for me. I am totally relearning who I am and how to live again and the journey has been hard, but amazing.

I was so touched by your service, more so than I had thought possible.I look forward to attending next week.

Thank you so much!!

Kristil

Easter

Our Easter this year was so much fun with both the boys being at such a fun age to really enjoy it. Our house was full of little Cash's voice yelling "Jesus is Alive!" while throwing his hand up in the air and Parkes repeating "Jesus really did die on the cross. The Bible is real not like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (or insert whatever movie he is thinking of at the time)." Our church adds two services Saturday night on Easter to make room for visitors on Sunday so we went that night so we could all sleep in and enjoy Easter morning. Ironically for having all my parents here and now Brandon's mom here too they were all out of town and we enjoyed a quiet morning with just our family before heading off to church to work the nursery and off to Uncle Brian's for an Easter egg hunt and lunch (which the computer was acting up so those pictures will follow later). But here's some pics from saturday and sunday.

Happy St. Patricks Day and Exciting Changes

Here's Cash on his Leprechaun Hunt at one school (since he had two hunts at each of his schools he was an old pro by the end yelling "I found it" with each leprechaun he spotted). Hope everyone has a fun St. Patty's Day!!! For the past few months I've been trying to figure out what I was going to do next year. This past year has been really hard on me not because of anything bad happening just working five days with aftercare two of those days and at two different schools is just leaving me really run down and not spending the time I need to with my boys, but realistically I really should work five days even though Brandon is doing great and really has the referrals and jobs coming in after a few tough years and changes with running things he is in a really good place being true to himself in the way he works. All that still doesn't leave the fear from me dropping five days, but I am taking a leap of faith and know that God will provide for us as He has always done. So I am doing something for me and will be writing a column for Her Nashville magazine called Her How-To. It will be a how-to on different types of crafty, artsy projects (see picture above where I made Parkes a pillow). My first column will run in the May issue and I'll continue to work three days at only one school. So I'm excited to see what will come with it and the challenge of coming up with projects each month which I already do but usually don't really realize it could be a project since it is second nature to me to change things and reuse things in different ways. So I've started the first project and documenting it since I need to turn it in at the end of March so look for a Mother's Day idea in the May issue.

What Makes Me Smile

We are home from school (not due to snow like most people since the school we are at today is open, but due to pink eye) so I am getting lots of things accomplished today one of which is updating the blog. I wanted to just write a list of things that make me smile about the boys so I will have them listed out for me to keep. Parkes...he used to call his paci his "funny", he called motorcycles "cahcahs" when he was 2, he loves his curls so much he wants me to put gel in his hair and dry it with a diffuser, he refers to last night as "yesternight", he will tell me at least 3 times a day that he loves me, he is so outgoing all the time except at the very moments you think he would love and he gets shy, he likes to watch the food network with me, he loves to cook his own recipes he makes up, he loves his brother. Cash...he wants to have a ball in his possession at all times, he can shot and make basketballs from 5 feet out while yelling "good shot", he calls his paci "meme", he calls footballs "huthuts", he will tell you thank you for everything you do for him, he will repeat "hi" until you say hi back (can go for a long time when he's talking to people at the store and they don't realize he's talking to them), Parkes is the first person he asks for in the morning. I could go on a lot more but wanted to document at least some.

Snow 2010

We've had so much fun playing in all the snow. I heard we got 10" here, but at our house I would go with about 5". The boys love the snow...Parkes is too busy playing to pose for pictures, but got a few and Cash was all about posing. We played in the yard and went for a walk in the snow. Then the boys had fun watching one of our neighbors who wanted to play in the snow too got his bobcat out and started clearing driveways and the street while piling all the snow in one huge pile for everyone to play on. Then on Sunday after church and a good lunch at a new Mexican restaurant we headed out to the capitol and went sledding on the hill which Cash thought was so much fun...he's a little daredevil. We get lots of looks from people when we put him in the sled and send him down for him to tumble over, but then they just laugh as he gets up and says "more". Parkes got more daring as the day went on and started climbing further up the hill to go down. So we are home from school one more day before going back tomorrow.

Cash's Muscles

Here's a video of Cash's favorite trick...he really enjoys doing this when we are out to eat because he gets lots of people paying attention to him. The boys had their 2 and 5 year check-ups, and I definitely found the right time to go to our doctor is 2 since she has to pick up her daughter from school (we were in and out including ice cream downstairs in just under an hour). So for their stats... Cash - 29 lbs (60%), 32 1/2" (5%) and 50 cm head...he finally made it on the growth chart!!! Parkes - 40 1/2 lbs (50%) and 40" (10%) We have been lucky enough to not see the doctor at all this past year so she wants us to make sure to come in in 6 months or so even if we aren't sick to get a height check so she can have more dots on their curve to have a better indication of where they'll be. Parkes also got his hearing and sight checked and all was well there after two times of checking his hearing because he decided not to participate the first go around. And Parkes was the lucky one to get 4 shots which he did not enjoy, but ice cream afterwards made it all better. We are slowly getting back into school routine after our nice break, and the good news is I have only one child in diapers now!!! Parkes is doing much better then he has ever done before just in time to start with Cash this spring (I pray that he won't put me through 2 and a half years of potty training).

Happy New Year

For Christmas this year Brandon and I wanted a nice camera so we could capture the boys in action...we are still playing with it but here's some pictures. Parkes has a strange obsession with coconuts so Santa brought one in his stocking which we took to Happy's house for him to open (years in Aruba has made him an expert). Parkes did not like it though so maybe he'll stop calling people coconuts in the grocery store and I can stop explaining to them why.Brandon hard at work...he's just start another gut and rebuild. And exciting news this Christmas is Brian got engaged to Amy. We are so excited for them and their happiness just shines through them.