March on my iPhone

I'm not great about carrying my camera around anymore. It's just so much more convenient to whip out my phone! Here are a few gems from March. The bluebonnets showed up in February this year! Unheard of! They have been so pretty this year (as opposed to a bust last year) and I took the opportunity to take some pics of Mary Beth. The boys weren't thrilled with the idea of bluebonnet pics, so they opted out.

We enjoyed a day in Dallas on St. Patrick's Day. Bryon was anxious to spend the day with us after he was a bachelor all Spring Break, and we enjoyed just hanging out with Michael and family. Mary Beth adored feeding John David!
These two love each other so much!


This was MB's dance costume two years ago. It doesn't quite fit anymore, but Lydia loves to dress up in it!
Perhaps the best thing about church parking lots!! Matthew loves taking the car for a spin every now and then (when the place is clear!). He's actually incredibly good at driving. After all, he started driving for the first time at age 2...but that's a different story!
Matthew had a bunch of friends over one Friday night, and this picture cracks me up. MB is right in the middle of them! She adores those boys, and they treat her like a queen!

Sweet look alike cousins! We took James to the park this weekend. What a doll!
Thomas got to get the pie in the face at our school's Spring Fling. It is a big deal to get to do this as "seniors" of elementary school!

Thomas was playing goalie a few weeks back. A kid kicked the ball so hard into Thomas's thigh that it left a soccer ball inprint on his leg! The good news is that the shot was blocked, and we won by 1 point. Go Thomas!
Mary Beth being Mary Beth!
Sweet, happy Gus! He has loved that his family is spending more time in the back yard.

Pot planting day. MB and I put 8 pots together. I'm not going to lie. The fact that she could hardly wait to plant with me makes me so proud! She even wanted to make a pot for just "skunkulants" (succulents).
Lauren and Baby Ben's baby shower!

Mary Beth and Whitney (her bff) were allowed to come to the shower if, and only if, they were on their best behavior. They were so good until the last 5 minutes when they decided to make themselves look like cave women.

Spring Break in Alabama

Spring Break this year was a blast! Since we didn't get the chance to go to Alabama in the Fall, we had decided to make it our Spring Break destination. After all, we spent almost every Spring Break in my childhood going to Alabama, so I wanted the kids to experience it as well.

A few days before the trip, Bryon came to the realization that he had way too much work to do to make the trip a reality. Well, nothing much slows me down, so we decided to go on with the trip sans Bryon. We missed him terribly, but had such a great time. The kids were perfect. Really not a cross word between them for 5 days. I did a terrible job with pictures. Just took a few with my phone!
We spent a few days in Tuscaloosa and a few days in Birmingham. I loved introducing the kids to the Waysider. Best biscuits on the planet. It was where my parents ate when mom was in labor with me. I guess I have ALWAYS loved biscuits!
We toured the Sloss Furnaces. Birmingham had its start because of the steel and iron industry.
Of course, no trip to Ttown would be complete without a tour of the University of Alabama campus. Everything was in bloom. Tulips, azaleas, you name it!
Thomas was in heaven. He is counting down the days until he can attend UA. 8 years away! Yikes!
We spent time with my cousin Blair in Birmingham. Grace Street was where my dad grew up. I came home from the hospital to this quiet, beautiful little street.
We loved spending lots of time with Tesney and her boys. Kirill is such a little miracle and completely adorable.

Mary Beth and Blair in Homewood, AL.
This is the park that my dad played in as a child and where I played when we came for visits. We spent a gorgeous evening here during our week. So many memories!

ByeBye, Baby Smile!

It seems like everything is harder to say goodbye the last time around. Saying goodbye to Mary Beth's baby smile is no exception. Maybe it's because she hung on to it the longest..3 years after Matthew's front teeth came in, and one year longer than Thomas? I think, though, that I realize that nothing changes the way kids look than when their big honker teeth come in. I will miss her sweet, gummy smile, with her tiny little two front teeth, but will embrace her new sweet smile!

6th grade Talent Show

Last week was the 6th grade talent show. Matthew and company did a song called, "What's Up?" and changed the rap lyrics to fit them:

What's up, Midway, What's Up?

Welcome to the 254 Big Campus

Woodway Texas, Parents driving Lexus

And this is where the Panthers play,

And we be called, MIDWAY!

We're from the southwest and we like our fast food

Gettin' our groove

Hello teachers, we have a tip, Can you lay off the hair slip?

And don't forget about the bus ride home,

last time I was on I forgot my iPhone

And much love to Mrs. Holland

And all our peeps know we're beast at ballin'

Hey Mr. Heath, please ring that bell

Taking home all As, nobody here fail

We say, What's Up!, You say, What's up!

Teacher say Giddy UP...U TURN!

One of the moms and I spent two afternoons a week helping these guys learn their lines and moves. This group of boys is so much fun and they love being together. They were the last act of 25 acts and I couldn't help but laugh (and be slightly horrified) and the screaming middle school girls! Gonna be an interesting ride these next 6 years!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is one of my most favorite family meals of the year! It all started when Matthew was a baby. Bryon and I rarely went out in those days and it seemed like a waste of babysitting money to wait forever at a restaurant on the actual V-day, so we started having a date near Valentine's Day and making a special meal at home on February 14th.

As the kids have gotten older, we enjoy this tradition even more! I usually make spaghetti (red!) and chocolate mousse (chocolate!) for our meal, then go around the table and tell each family member why we love them. What a blessing these four Valentine's of mine are to me!

Upwards 2012

Another fun and exciting season of Upwards is now in the books! This is the last year that Bryon will coach all three. He has been Matthew's coach for 7 years!

There were many highlights, but perhaps my favorite story of all is about Thomas. Thomas has been playing on Bryon's teams since he was 4 years old. He has always been a pretty good player, but he was on fire all season this year! There were four teams in the division, and several weeks ago, he played against a team that lost 34-4. Several kids on the team were teary eyed and deflated since they had only won 1 game in 5. Thomas looked at Bryon and said, "I want to help that team out." It was worked out with the other coach (friend of ours from church) that Thomas would switch with the coach's son for the final three games of the season. He ended up scoring between 10-18 points per game the last three games, some shots from beyond mid court, and his new team won their final 3 games! I was proud of Thomas's athletic accomplishments this season, but more proud of his tender heart and selfless attitude.

Mary Beth also did really well this year. She scored 1-4 baskets every game and loved every minute of it. Bryon ADORED coaching the little girls again. Such a contrast from those competitive boys games!

Matthew had a disappointing season this year. There were only 2 teams in the division, and Matthew's team lost every game! Oh, the agony! Oh, the humility! Matthew was the only 6th grader on his team, and it was pretty painful to watch, but it was always fun watching Matthew play. He has become quite the 3 point specialist and had more 3 point baskets than 2 point baskets this year.

And then there is Bryon! I don't brag on him too much on this blog, but I will say that he is quite the Upwards celebrity. He has a knack balancing encouragement with pushing the kids to do their best. Despite the fact that teams are formed by the computer, he always gets requests to be on his team. I am so proud of him! It took lots of patience, time, and vocal strength to coach all three kids this year (practice from 6-9pm every Thursday after longs days in trial), and he loved every minute of it!

Thomas guarding his best bud, Noah, playing against his original team.

These two teams played against each other every week. Mary Beth is playing on the opposing team in this pic, since they were short handed the last game.
Bryon lets the girls "dunk" in the last half of the last game. Mary Beth got very into it!

Dodgeball Tournament

For the past 8 years, our church has hosted a Dodgeball Tournament to raise funds for the youth group's summer mission trip. Each year, Matthew has counted down the years until he could form his own team. Well, this was the year! Few sports incorporate so many characteristics that Matthew adores....intensity, aggression, pegging people with balls...like dodgeball. If he could major in it in college, I believe he would.

After 4 hours of Upwards basketball last Saturday morning, Bryon stayed at the gym to ref the high school division while I worked the snack bar. A few minutes before it started, Matthew raced over to me to let me know that a high school team was short a player and they had asked Matthew to fill in. He was beaming! My co worker at the snack bar told me to run in and watch him in action. Sure enough, I walked in with Matthew being the sole survivor on his team staring down two large high school boys. The crowd was cheering Matthew on and erupted in applause when Matthew pegged the first guy out. Members of the youth group started shouting, "Dude! You're getting beat by a 6th GRADER!!" It may have been the proudest moment of his life! The remaining high schooler waited until time expired and a tie was called. What a nice warm up!

Then, it was time for the junior high division. There were 13 teams involved with 6th-8th graders. Matthew and crew beat every team but one 8th grade team. They were so much fun to watch and are already planning on getting the team back together for next year. Something tells me these guys will be unstoppable! Bryon's team did great in the adult division later on that night. Last year, they came in 2nd place, and this year lost in the semi finals. After 14 hours of being in our church gym, we were very happy to get home!

1,000th post!

Well, this is officially my 1,000th post!

A little over 7 years ago, I started this blog as a way to connect to the outside world. Looking back on it, I think I can say that I started the blog in one of the most challenging times in my life. I was smack in the middle of my year that all three kids were home before Matthew started kindergarten. Having a 5 year old, 3 year old, and 5 month old at home was challenging for this quiet and solitude loving mama! I quickly found friends around the country who were also bloggers and enjoyed my little escape every day. Getting out of the house with my three babies was more trouble than it was worth many times, so I felt like blogging was the closest thing to socializing.

Well, 7 years later, my life has changed dramatically. Through the invention of the iPhone, I hardly sit down at my computer anymore, and Facebook has more or less replaced blogging as my way of catching up with friends from afar. I am also free during the day, as all the kids are in school, to eat lunch or exercise with friends, so I no longer need my computer to simulate socializing! In fact, I rarely read blogs anymore as I am usually out working or volunteering during the day, and so busy with the kids after 3:30. I view blogging as solely a way to document the kids growing up. I am so grateful to have this outlet to record our fun and busy family life.

My life with toddlers has slowly morphed into life with school aged kids. In a few short years, life will change dramatically again as Bryon and I navigate the waters of raising teenagers! Wow! If I am still blogging in 7 years, I will have one in college and two in high school. What tales will those blogs tell? Stay tuned....