Category: Family

Halloween…

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We were SO excited this year to get to celebrate Halloween with my brother, Kerry, who moved back this year after many years in Taiwan!!! It was CRAZY cold and blustery, so it wasn’t quite the party in the streets in our neighborhood that it usually is. But we still had fun dressing up and watching the boys trick or treat around the block, and enjoyed giving out a few pieces of candy and eating a bowl of warm chili on the porch after we got the boys snug in their beds. Here’s to having fun on Halloween with family!

Lunch with Aunt Beans…

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Roman has been skipping out on his afternoon nap lately. I knew this day would come…I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. I’m still torn between really working hard to try to coax him into taking a nap (which is honestly just darn near impossible and extremely frustrating) and just giving up and providing him with some things to do in his room for quiet time (which is what I’ve been opting for lately). It’s actually been a bit of a blessing in disguise…him dropping his nap…(once a dear mommy friend reminded me to let go of the expectation)…as he has spent more time playing by himself than he ever has in his life. He’s such an extrovert that entertaining himself is just not on his radar. So quiet time has been good for him.

All of that to say, because I didn’t feel like I had to rush home to get him down for his nap, we ended up heading out to Nashville late this morning to see Aunt Beans at work and walking a few blocks with her to have lunch. It was super fun and just like old times, as Jeanne and I both used to work downtown and tried to eat lunch together every so often. Aw…I miss that and my one-of-a-kind sister! Roman fell in love with a bright green and yellow monkey while he was visiting her office, so she let him take it home…what a sweet aunt…I think she had a hard time resisting those doe eyes he was batting at her…ha!

Franklin Classic 5K…

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Jackie and Phil surprised me by coming in town to cheer me on in the Franklin Classic 5K!!! It was such a grand gesture that meant the world to me…what special people who teach by example how to love in action and not just in word.

It was a hot morning for a run, and I went too fast out of the gate and ended up almost getting sick and having to walk for a little while about halfway into the second mile which killed my time…oh well, what can you do but live and learn not to give in to the adrenaline. Next time, I’ll try to stick to my best training pace…atleast I beat my time from the last race and hit my goal time on my last training run before the race.

“A real fighter fights whether or not the bell rings…I know why the caged bird sings…” – Matthew Ryan

On the Lake…

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The boys and I loved going on a boat adventure on the lake with MeMe, PaPa, Aunt Jean, Aunt Julie, Cousins Jordan and Dylan, and Aunt Jeanne. Jonas, Xander, and I went out on the tube (Xander and I fell in, which if I’m to be honest was more a little scary for me). It was fun just hanging out on the boat together and eating lunch with everybody on the dock.

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Lily’s Visit…

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Lily came to stay with us for a few weeks to help out with the boys, followed by a weekend visit from The Paccassis!!! It ended up being a SUPER busy time with VBS, swim lessons, park and pool play dates, a marionette show, a zoo visit, a fire department tour, a Centennial Park/Parthenon hang, and a van tour (Seyfried style) of downtown Nashville. Phew…it makes me tired just thinking about it…ha…but we had fun! Lily and the boys ran in the sprinkler and went down the water slide, made crayons, finger painted, and did lots of creative play. And she and I even got some good girl time in (we painted nails, worked on a sewing project, and went for a thrift store/ice cream run). Here are a few pictures from our time together…

For more pictures from Lily’s visit, click on the “Lily’s Visit 2014” page to the right.

Audrey’s Visit…

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We were SO blessed this summer to have Tom’s niece, Audrey, fly down from Connecticut to stay with us a few days in Tennessee before and after our road trip together to a beach house in Florida for a week!!!

Before we left and amidst the packing (and my shaky mental and emotional state…poor Audrey and the boys), we went to Centennial Park in Nashville to feed the ducks and to the Smyrna Splash Pad.

We really loved our time in Florida…playing in the ocean, splashing in the pool, and kayaking and snorkeling in the bay…and there is NO way we could have done it or enjoyed it without Audrey. Her sweet and calm spirit was SUCH a welcome addition to the loud and wild chaos of our family life.

For more pictures from Audrey’s visit, click on the “Audrey’s Visit 2014” picture page to the right.

Visit with MeMe and PaPa…

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The boys and I went out to visit MeMe and PaPa this morning. It was a rainy day, but they still had a big time…picking onions from the garden, painting watercolor pictures with MeMe, throwing Xander’s stuffed penguin up in the air with PaPa, playing with the wooden train and tool toys, and eating lunch on the back porch. We’re so thankful for the lazy days of summer!!!

Marty’s Photos at the Frist…

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Tom and I enjoyed attending a super cool event at The Frist tonight…the opening of a new exhibit called “American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart”. The exhibition was divided into three sections: The Masters, Blue Line Hotshots, and The Badlands. What a beautiful thing art is…to see the world through someone else’s eyes, mind, and heart…and what a privilege to be a witness to something that’s been years in the making.

Baseball Game with the Morozovs…

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We loved hanging out with Aunt Heather and Cousin Annabella at Jonas’ baseball game this morning. Annabella, Xander, and Roman had fun playing in the dirt/sand, and Aunt Heather and I enjoyed catching up and cheering for Jonas. I ended up having to make a quick exit with the little boys right before the game was over, as Xander and Roman were inconsolably melting down and ready to eat lunch and take a nap. Tom stayed with Jonas while he finished out his game and won…Go Lake Monsters!

Val’s Soccer Game…

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Jonas and I went to his cousin Val’s soccer game this afternoon while Daddy held down the fort with his napping brothers. We enjoyed hanging out with Aunt Heather on the sidelines, cheering Val on. I was happy to see Jonas be brave and go play with a group of kids behind us during the latter part of the game…his cousin, Annabella, was there with them so I know that helped give him courage. For as confident as he is (like his Daddy), he can be a little shy in big groups or in new situations (like his Mommy)…so I just love seeing him develop that social skill of making friends in a group of kids he doesn’t know for the most part. Here he is climbing a goal (or something like that) with Val after the game.

Baseball…

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Jonas had his first (coach pitch) baseball game of the season this afternoon. The game started about an hour late, but we enjoyed our time hanging out with Pops and Maw beforehand.

Roman pulled a nice one while we were there…I was talking to a friend I hadn’t seen in a while with Roman right beside me. The next thing I know this lady comes up to me and says discreetly, “I thought you ought to know his pants are down.” Goodness gracious… I have no idea if he had already peed, was about to pee, or had lost the battle of elastic with his pants…but either way…we all had a good laugh over it…and hopefully it gave some young mother hope in realizing she’s not alone. Ha! Atleast he’s two and looks like he’s one, so it’s somewhat excusable if not almost adorable…but still.

Next time, I’ll bring snacks and drinks (we had a snack before we left and I just didn’t think we’d need another one…but we did) and some sand toys for the little boys to play with in the dirt (they borrowed some from another little boy and it kept them happy and busy for a little while).

Jonas was so cute in his uniform. I love this picture of him with Coach Ed (who coaches his team along with Coach Josh), who has such a heart for Jonas…he was giving him a quick batting tutorial/pep talk here…and he hit the ball…he was so excited he almost forgot to run. Love it.

Grandma and Grandpa ‘s Visit…

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Grandma and Grandpa came over for a visit with us this past week!!! We loved just being able to do life with them while they were here…preschool, gymnastics, music class, meal times, nap times, bed times, play times, fussy times, etc. Tom and I were so grateful to them for watching the boys for us for the weekend so we could go on a much-needed marriage retreat as well. Here are a few pictures of Grandma and Grandpa and the boys hanging out.

The Marty Stuart Show…

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It was my privilege and honor to get to sing with my legendary mommy today on The Marty Stuart Show!!! We sang a song called “I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know (About Him)” by The Davis Sisters. I was shaking in my boots but loving every minute of looking around in slo-mo, which is what happens to me in no-words-for-it moments like that, at my mom (we have to not look at each other much, though, because we’ll either laugh or cry), Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives, Chris Scruggs, and Eddie Stubbs. It was so comforting for me to look out in the studio audience and see my brother, Kerry, too. We had a lot of fun hanging out before, during, and after the show. Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave fame) burned it up with Marty on “Rainy Night in Georgia”, “Soul Man”, and “Lonesome Whistle”. What a priceless treat!

ArtQuest…

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The boys and I met Aunt Heather and Cousins Val and Annabella this morning at the Frist Center. Admission was free with canned goods donated to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Thanks so much to Aunt Heather for letting us know about it. I was so excited to get to check out the Norman Rockwell exhibit! Soaking in the beauty, even for a moment until my little ones quickly figured out how the sounds of their voices and footsteps carried within the great acoustics of those halls, was such a treat. The boys loved exploring the ArtQuest with their cousins. (I think the last time we were there was with the Morozovs as well when Xander was Roman’s age or younger…amazing how time passes.) ArtQuest is a fabulous interactive art exhibit for kids…Jonas’ favorite thing was kaleidoscope drawing and Xander and Roman loved building with magnets and painting.

Christmas Day…

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We spent Christmas Day in Hendersonville with Pops and Maw, Eddie Stubbs, Uncle Darren, Cousins Kaia and Marina, Uncle Kerry, Aunt Julie, Cousins Jordan and Dylan, and Aunt Jeanne. It was so sweet just to be around everybody…eating yummy food, playing with the kids, opening presents, and catching up by the fire. Merry Christmas!