Happy 10th Birthday, Jonas!!!

Happy 10th Birthday, Jonas!!! It is unbelievable to me that my oldest son…the first one who made me a mommy…is now entering the double digits. Jonas, you are one of the brightest people I have ever known. You are so creative and funny…a truly voracious reader and an incredible artist. You keep us all on our toes, and we love you.

Walden Pumpkin Farm…

We headed out to Walden Pumpkin Farm this afternoon. It was super muddy after all of this rain we’ve been having, so the boys ended up with mud all over them after emerging from the corn maze. BUT…they still had fun going down the potato sack slide, walking through the Creepy Corner, playing in the corn bin, sending little plastic ducks down the water pump half pipe, and picking out a pumpkin. Happy Fall, Y’all!!!

Medallion Ceremony…

I was so excited to be able to attend the Medallion Ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame tonight with Mom and Kerry!!!

Mom, who was inducted in 2012 (along with Pig Robbins and Garth Brooks), had the honor of inducting Johnny Gimble, who went in along with Dottie West and Ricky Skaggs, tonight. It was an AWESOME night of music, and I loved being able to share it with my big brother and my sweet mommy.

Fall Break: Camping

We were so blessed to be able to go camping over Fall Break!!! It was definitely on the chilly side but so worth it to just get away from it all and be out in nature together…what a great way to ring in the fall season.

We are so grateful to one of Tom’s good friends from the Nolensville Volunteer Fire Department, Marc Fielder, who graciously lets us camp out on his land a few times a year.

We loved hiking, collecting and chopping firewood, drinking hot chocolate, eating s’mores, and hanging out around the fire.

Fall Break: Swimming

The boys and I went swimming at our favorite indoor pool this morning. Roman was BEYOND excited that, even though he wasn’t quite tall enough to go down the slide (he’s been waiting for so long), the lifeguards let him anyway because he’s almost 7 and such a good swimmer. The pictures say it all…

2nd Level White Belt…

Roman tested tonight and received his 2nd Level White Belt in Tae Kwon Do!!! It was so amazing to watch him out there on the mat, putting all of his heart into it. Here he is with his teacher, Mrs. Mast (who teaches the white and yellow belts), and her husband, Mr. Mast (who teaches green belts and beyond). Roman started just one month ago (he fell in love with Tae Kwon Do after attending a friend’s birthday party at the dojo) and has already come so far. We are so proud of our little warrior!!!

Boat…

Tom traded in the jet skis (much to the heartbreak of the boys…Xander cried, bless him) for a jet ski boat. We have been having so much fun taking it out on the lake with the boys and enjoying these last few days of summer weather.

Tom and I went out by ourselves on Friday while the boys were in school and enjoyed lunch on the boat and a rest in the hammock…here’s the boat next to a little island we love to frequent…

This is how happy and peaceful we all become on the water…just look at these two beautiful boys!!!

The boat is great for tubing and deck surfing…

Jet Skis…

Even though the jet skis were on their last leg this summer, we still enjoyed taking them out on the lake with the boys. Jonas and Xander are daredevils and like to ride with Tom. Roman prefers to take it easy, so he rides with me. They all really love cliff jumping…especially Xander…he’s our resident wild man.

Boy Scouting with Dad…

Tom is going to be working with Jonas, Xander, and Roman on boy scouting skills at home!!! A few of the skills he’ll be teaching the boys include: fire starting, how to shoot a bow and arrow, how to shoot a BB gun and a rifle, basic first aid, water purification, shelter building, camping, and service.

This weekend, he taught the boys how to start a fire (I know, I know…it makes me nervous too). But they were very serious about it, respectful of it, and safe with it. They were super into it, and I loved seeing them all gathered around their Daddy.

First Day of School…

The boys had their first half day of school today. It was REALLY hard to get a good picture of all of them. Roman’s had to be retaken after school (and Xander’s still needs to be retaken) because they were just not having it. I always get nervous about beginnings and endings too and wasn’t a big fan of pictures when I was little…so I understand. Here’s what we’ve got…

Jonas: “When I grow up, I want to be a graphic novel artist.”

Xander: “When I grow up, I want to be a marine biologist.”

Roman: “When I grow up, I want to be a poker player.”

Cumberland Park Sprayground…

This week has been a little disappointing for us. The boys and I drove out to Pump It Up on Wednesday for some inflatable jump time, and they were closed for cleaning. Then, on Thursday, we drove out to the Cumberland Park Sprayground, and they were closed due to inclement weather. Ugh!!! Oh well. That’s life. We ended up taking the glass elevator and walking across the pedestrian bridge in the rain anyway because they just love that part. Here’s to the last day of summer before school starts…