Making Time for Us

Brian and I made a pact earlier this year to make an effort to prioritize our relationship.  I'm proud that we have made it happen.  With three boys and busy schedules it is easy to put a marriage relationship on the back burner and leave it on low until the work is done with family, friends and other demands.  Fortunately, we have the foresight to know we have to put as much effort into our relationship as we do everything else. 

We want to set a positive example for the boys and let them know that we are important to each other.  We try to do that in little ways every day with kisses and hugs, pleases and thank you's and by doing kind and thoughtful things for each other.  

Every so often we get all dressed up and go on an official date.  Thanks to great sitters (Nannie B and Papa G) we can enjoy ourselves and have a day and night to ourselvs.  It makes all the difference. 

We were fortunate to have a double dose of fun two weekends in a row. The first weekend we enjoyed an evening out at an area breast cancer foundation benefit where we got all dressed up and participated in raising funds for a very important organization.  BCFO touches the lives of the families of women diagnosed with breast cancer right here in our community.

The following weekend Brian had meetings in Columbia and Jefferson City so we managed to squeeze in a trip down memory lane with a visit to Mizzou.  We enjoyed food from a couple of our favorite restaurants and had lunch at Flat Branch (where we dined on our first date) before we headed to the homecoming game.  The night before we had dinner with dear friends - Adam and Angelique.  Adam and Brian immediately resumed their usual juvenile behavior.  Being on campus was so much fun, but it made us feel a bit old looking at the faces of now-college-students who were just starting elementary school when I was in college. 

I love life now, but I would go back to college in a heartbeat.  I love the collegiate feel, the campus vibe, constant intellectual stimulation and complete experience.  

Ok, ok, I enjoyed the non-educational aspects of college life as well. 

Aww, to be young again. 

Sharing Life Together

Time passes far too quickly.  We are so busy making memories, having fun and working hard there is little time left to contribute to the memory book.   I'll summarize.

Always on a quest to streamline the meal planning and preparation process, Ashley and I had a 5 hour cooking session one Saturday morning in September.  Mom graciously agreed to watch the kids while we cooked until our little hearts were content.   Using recipes from a great freezer meal cookbook we made 12 dozen homemade rolls, pizza crust, pork, chicken and beef dishes for our families.  We made enough for mom and dad too.  It was fun and very rewarding.  It is such a gift to walk out to the freezer on busy days and lay out a meal that allows us to sit down and share a great dinner together with minimal labor.  Yea us!

Brian and Brayden left in the wee hours of a Saturday morning to attend a Mizzou football game with another dad/son duo.  The daytrip included lots of driving, one very hot football game, a brief bout of car sickness and too very tired boys.  The quality time together was priceless.  

Grayson started 3-year old preschool and loves it.  He is learning so much.  Orange is his absolute favorite color and he wears it nearly everyday.  He is a sweet, curious, smart, thoughtful, energetic, sneaky, loving boy.  It is a joy and blessing to watch him grow and learn. 

Brayden turned 6 in mid-September.  We celebrated with two parties.  He loves being outside and talked all summer about having a camp out.  We worked together to pack everything up.  Despite a rainy, dreary day we had a great time camping at Brandon and Ashley's.  The boys ended up moving the tents into the barn and slept on the concrete floor.  The girls slept comfortably inside.  It was a simple celebration, but Brayden is still talking about it and we think that is what really matters.  Ashley surprised him with a camping theme birthday cake he absolutely loved. 

Instead of having a big friend birthday party we told Brayden he could choose anywhere to go for dinner.  He chose "throw your food up in the air" - also known as the japanese steakhouse.  He helped me make his cake the night before.  We had a great time.  He is really in to Captin America so the second party carried out the theme in decorations, costumes, cake and gifts. 

Our fall is off to a fun-filled, fabulous start because we are sharing it together making memories as a family.

Kindergarten Here He Comes

Thursday was a big, big day when Brayden started Kindgergarten.  He was excited.  He was ready. He was so grown up. 
The day before he got to meet his teacher and some of his classmates.  He organized his cubby in the clasroom and filled his desk with the supplies we purchased from the class list.  He was proud. 

Brayden at his Kindergarten desk. 

Currently obsessed with Captin America, we found the most perfect back pack and matching lunch box.  Inside the backpack was the superhero pencil case, folder and matching ensemble.

All decked out and ready for the first day. 

Picture with Mama

Picture with Daddy.

With his best buddy, Drew.  Neighbor and friend. 

  

With Mrs. Parrott

It made our hearts ache a tiny bit to watch him walk away.  No tears actually fell from my eyes to my cheeks, but I did get teary watching him walk away. Actually, I got teary again typing that sentence. Watching him walk away out of the gym with his class was like a metaphor for life. We will go through similar milestones when he starts middle school, high school and then when he stays and we drive away after dropping him off at college. My prayer is that each time he walks away from us towards his next adventure, Brian and I will have done everything we can to help him be successful in his next venture and to be confident and kind and know he is forever loved regardless of his success. The rest is up to him.
 
After pick up he didn't have much to say, but he greeted me with a huge hug and a big grin.  Later he informed me his school had the best mashed potatoes ever..."way better than yours are, mom." 
 
We are off to a great start. 

The Long Awaited

Finally, only four months after our target date of a mom/daughter date, Mom, Ashley and I broke free from our men for a night on the town.  There are no two women in this world I love more than my mom and Ashley. 
After reading "The Help" we wanted to see the movie together.  It made for a great excuse for a night on the town.  We caught the early movie, laughed and cried and then shared a great dinner together.  We laughed some more. We talked non-stop for at least five hours. 

Ashley and I have an uncanny knack for being able to carry on a conversation about one topic and take at least three to four detours and still get back to the original topic.   We follow each other easily.  I love that about having a sister.  Mom works at it, but always manages to keep up.  I love that about her. 

The time we spend together - just the three of us - is a priceless treasure to me.

Mom and I

Sharing a funny moment.  We laughed about a thousand times. 

Happy sisters out on the town.

Us

Summer Menagerie

Summer is winding down and we managed to pack lots of fun into the last few weeks.  Including......

...... a trip to the drive-thru Wild Animal park.  I've driven by it my entire life and knew the kids would love it.  We boarded a bus with no windows and enjoyed feeding all kinds of wild animals.  The camel nearly walked on the bus with us.  He gave the boys a slobbery kiss on the cheek.  They loved it. 

We enjoyed a plentiful garden at our house.  Helped Papa G pick tomatoes in his garden and ate lots of squash, cucumber and corn from Brandon and Ashley's garden.

Kennon fell in love with cattle this summer.  He is mesmerized when in their presence.

We made bread and butter pickles with cucumbers from our garden. 

The kids played outside long after dark.  They learned to push each other in their little car.

The older boys learned to play together and have fun.  The fun is even better when the get-away-car driver is dressed as Batman.

Brayden prepared for Kindergarten.  Here he is just before "Meet the Teacher" day.  He is holding the picture of he and Papa G riding on the Jeep at a nearby cave.  It was a special pre-Kindergarten outing for just the two of them.

It's a rare moment when I'm in a picture with all three boys.  Here we are just before Brayden's meet-the-teacher day - our unofficial last day of summer.  

  

Brian, Billy, Zac and Kenny

For Christmas Brian surprised me with tickets to the Zac Br*wn and K*nny Ch*sney concert in Kansas City.  After six months of waiting, we had an absolute blast once the day finally arrived in late July. 

It was smoldering hot.  The stadium was packed and we had a great time enjoying each other and the music.
Second only to a good country fair or an airport, there is no better place to people watch than a concert.  I had a little trouble paying attention to the music because I was distracted by the musings of our neighbors and other random crazies.

We made a mental note to wait several more years before taking the boys to a concert in hopes of putting off discussions about awkward should-be-only-in-private dance moves, strange walking patterns, obnoxiousness and other difficult-to-explain adult behaviors. 

Dressed for succes and just in case my dad asks, yes, I wore boots with a dress.  It's the style nowadays.

Brian and I can pack lots of fun into one weekend.  This particular weekend included dinner at a couple of our favorite spots, lunch dates, music and drinks at a great piano bar, shopping, long talks with good friends, a visit to the hospital where Brayden was born to celebrate the birth of a friends baby, breakfast in bed, ATLS testing for Brian, sleeping late and quiet reading time.

My favorites of the weekend, though, were long (uninterrupted) talks, holding hands and just enjoying each other.

Skate Date

As parenting goes there are days when I/we feel a little strung out and like we didn't get to really spend time with the kids having quality time because there were a thousand other things demanding attention.  Piles of laundry, dishes in the sink, footprints on the kitchen floor, jam smeared on the wall and the list goes on.  I could spend all day attempting to be immaculate, but then I look at the boys and realize how fast they are growing and changing and recognize that time with them is paramount. 

During Brayden's date with mom recently he got to choose everything we did.  He and I went for a bike ride.  We took a break in the "shop" - a portion of the garage set up by Brayden to resemble Papa G's shop.  We met daddy for dinner and then headed to the ice skating rink. 

He was all smiles.  I was too.

Then, after just two long circles around the rink, Brayden asked me to sit on the sideline so he could "try it on his own". 

Ahhh, ok.  Ouch.  Independence hurts. 

He crashed.  He burned.  He flopped around like a fish trying to stand up.  He smiled.  He giggled.  He was thrilled. 

As hard as it was to watch him struggle I realized he needed and wanted to do it on his own.  It dawned on me this was a sort of metaphor for parenting.  My job is to teach him and guide him enough so that he has the confidence to do it on his own.  It was hard to watch, but seeing his determination and pride in making progress was touching. 

And, yes, I cried a tiny little bit, but they were tears of joy.

At times, I think my boys teach me more than Brian and I teach them. 

We had a wonderful, joyful night together that ended with a, "Mom, thanks for spending special time with just me. I had a great time." 

Me too, Brayden.  Me too!