Homecoming 2013

So it was officially the first dance for our house, Tommy's Sophomore Homecoming.  If you read back a couple of weeks ago he asked his sweet friend Maria to be his date.  The dance was last Saturday.  They all met at a friends house for pictures before they headed to Bravo for dinner, then to the dance and then to a friends for an "after party". They had a terrific time and Tommy came home utterly exhausted on Sunday around 1:00 after sleeping over with the guys.

We are so grateful he went with such a sweet, sweet girl.

 During the photos Max was busy collecting baby frogs...

Maria's are the pink roses with the daisies..

Opening the car door for Maria...

Not sure Tommy was thrilled he had to drive by ALL of the parents and weave through our cars as they left...driving skills being watched. 

After dinner, enroute to the dance they evidently found our church Youth Director Brandon and he posted this picture.  Pretty fun.

The Overflow

Taken from Alicia Bruxvoort's blog..written for ME today.  Oh how I need to remember these things, how I have become so blinded in my busyness.  

For the Mom Whose Eyes Have Grown Dim / The Overflow

When I first laid eyes on my newborn son, I didn’t know that motherhood would impair my vision.

On that day when I first drank deep the sight of him, all wet and wiggly and wonderful, I had no idea that I’d  be prone to blindness.

When I lost myself in his baby blues, my labor-weary body ravished by awe,  I couldn’t have imagined that someday I’d have to fight to see him clearly.

I didn’t realize how quickly miracles can grow muddy. 

 

And on that day when the world stopped spinning so I could steady my ravished heart and count his tiny fingers and toes, I had no idea that  someday when those feet barreled down the hallway before sunrise, I’d forget to count them as proof of wild grace .

 

I didn’t know that the greatest challenge of motherhood wouldn’t be figuring out how to grow a boy into a man; but learning how to keep his mama’s eyes from growing dim.

I didn’t know how difficult it would be to live near-sighted; didn’t realize how easy it would be to miss the treasure right beneath my feet.

 

“Satan is an agent of familiarity…” Max Lucado writes in God Came Near.  ”His goal is nothing less than to take what is most precious to us and make it appear common.”

 

There’s no affliction that steals our vision more quickly than the curse of the common life. And no disease that hardens our hearts like the dimming of our eyes. 

 

When all I can see in the priceless moments of my day is the spelling words that need to be mastered and the laundry piled high and the dirty dishes cluttering the counter, then I am at risk of becoming blind.  

When the woman staring back at me in the mirror is obsessed with the black circles beneath her eyes and the extra wrinkles cropping up on her forehead and the bonus roll of stomach skin left from the stretch and pull of five pregnancies, then my vision is growing blurred.

 

And if  I can no longer see the gleam in my daughter’s eyes as she tells me the story she’s dreaming up, no longer notice the tenderness that seeps from my little ones as they take each other’s hands and walk in sync across the yard, then I am surrendering to the enemy’s battle plan.

When I cease to marvel at the way my boy is transforming daily into a man; fail to notice how those hands that used to tug me into the backyard for another game of soccer now lift and twirl little sister in the air like she’s a wisp ofdandelion dust, then I am losing my eyes of faith. 

If I view the familiar through my own impaired vision, I fall prey to the lie that my life is ordinary.   And the enemy celebrates my disillusion.

I’m tired of living blind.  

There is nothing common about ordinary life except for our all-too common  failure to see it as precious. 

Today, I will celebrate the familiar. 

Today, I will count to see.  

 

I will peer through the lens of praise, and notice how my ordinary laundry-folding, grocery-getting, carpooling  life shimmers with an extraordinary sheen of  grace.

 

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. -Romans 12:1, The Message

Grandparent love...

So I sent this funny cartoon to my parents yesterday...

And my Dad sent this response...

Absolutely not true.  There are the same rules applicable to Grandchildren as there were (are still) for children.  Keep that in mind when the Grandchildren come next.

Rule 1.  You can have Oreo cookies ( chocolate original) any time you would like.

Rule 2.   Eat any time you would like whatever you want or at whatever restaurant you would like even if Grandpa does not like it.

Rule 3.  Whatever you want at the store is just fine as long as Grandpa can afford and has his credit card with.

Rule 4.  Don't you dare tell your parents when you get home.

Love,

xoxox

Dad

No can you see why we call it "Detox" after they have been cared for by my parents for ANY length of time?

A day in the life...

Monday mornings are H-A-R-D around here, for some more than others.  Tommy has the Terwilliger gene for wanting to sleep, and he struggles on Monday mornings.  His Mom, may have, or may not have, had the same gene growing up.  His Mom, may have, or may not have, wanted to be home with her Mom most every day of the week growing up, though high school.

Yes, it was homecoming this past weekend, and yes I am, once again, behind on posting pics from the past week.  It was a blur and once I blog you will understand why...but I couldn't resist getting Tommy's Monday morning texts documented here.

This is pretty typical of a Monday morning...texting from school, between periods I hope.  Tommy's texts are gray my responses are in blue. (I may not be the MOST sympathetic Mom :))

Oil Change

Yesterday I was waiting for an oil change and an older lady asked me in the waiting room if we were Ohio state fans.  Max had on a Buckeye tee shirt, shocking I know. I explained the Ohio connection, that we had family that lived there, In laws that lived on a farm not too far from Akron, Scott went to Ohio State etc.  She and her husband are from Ohio, 45 min from Columbus and were having truck problems.  We chatted a bit and then her husband came in the room...

When the man came in she told him that we liked Ohio state. He said to Max. Are you going to be a buckeye when you grow up?

Max's response,  "I already AM a Buckeye"

Max proceeded to share pictures of his last trip to Ohio with Brutus from my phone, so proud.  Shared that he and his "brudders" spell OHIO together.  

Brainwashed?  Scott calls it leadership.  I thought it was too funny not to share.

Are you ready for some football?

Yes football is in full swing around here with both Drew and Jack playing.  Drew plays on the 8th grade team at DMC and Jack is playing on the Senior Team in the new tackle league through school for 4th-6th graders.  He plays with the 6th graders.

Thursday night, Drew played at home and it could not have been MORE beautiful outside for a game.  He is #16, which was the same number as Tommy when he was in Jr High.  Please don't ask me what positions he plays, I have NO clue...he does do the long snap for kicks I know that much, but otherwise.  I am not sure.  He plays both offense and defense and his best buddy Tyler #12 is the QB...I know that much.

This is how the 4th little guy rolls, he slept through the entire game, on a blanket on the hill.

Then this morning I looked out my kitchen window to find this scene.  Drew and Jack "practicing" for Jack's game while Max sat and "Coached" with his dry erase marker and board.  What a riot.

This afternoon was Jack's game in Osceola.  It was another beautiful day for football, we had fun cheering him on despite their loss.  Jack is LOVING his first year of tackle football.  Max has a hard time when his Jackie plays, he wants to be right there with him.  These two have such a neat bond.  When Jack ran onto the field he looked right in the stands for Max and then did the "I've got my eyes on you" point to Max...while Max waved like a crazy man.  Tears in my eyes,....Jack is SUCH a great brother to Max.  You can see some of the pics at the end of the game where we let Max go onto the field to see his "Jackie".  Jack is #71, I am sure he chose it since I was born in 1971.  :)

Max looking out at his #71

Still playing catch up..Camp Dontwannamissit

So I am still trying to catch up on blog posts from summer...my side gig of photography has been more like a full time gig lately which is a blessing but also a tough balance for me.  so...the laundry is behind, the house already behind...meals suffer...it's a tough juggle.  I don't know how moms work full time and juggle families, my brain doesn't work well that way at this point in my life at least.  :)

So back in August the boys attended "Camp Dontwannamissit" which is basically a night where Des Moines Golf and Country Club allows camping on the driving range, they cook the meals...and you get to camp.  It's about as nice as it comes as far as camping in a tent goes.  Scott agreed, bless his BIG heart, to take the boys.  I agreed, to stop in and take some photos of their adventures and I also suggested Max come home with me and they not attempt to have a 3 year old all night in a tent.  Tommy and his buddy David went for a bit, and then agreed staying at our house in the AC sounded like a very nice option.  That left Scott, Drew and Jack to the actual overnight camping portion.  They had a terrific time.

Setting up camp and hanging out before and after dinner is the best part...drive the golf carts out and set up camp.  It's NOT really roughing it I know but the boys really LOVE it.  Drew and Jack especially.