Tom and I took the boys geocaching this afternoon. We found a few caches in the new neighborhood connected to ours and on the trails across from the boys’ school. We also hid a cache, which was fun (our second in Nolensville)!
Blessing Bags…
The boys and I put together Blessing Bags for the homeless today…thought we’d keep the bags in the van…that way we can give them out when we see a need.
Drum Lessons…
We try to keep life simple for the boys (and for us) during the school year…they each only do one extracurricular activity. Over the summer, though, I really wanted to tap into their gifts and let them explore their creativity with artistic lessons.
Jonas and Xander love art and are interested in pottery, so I signed them up for a one week evening camp in July with Martha Booysen at Nashville Children’s Art Classes. Jonas took art classes with Mrs. Martha a few years ago…she’s amazing. I’m so excited for them!
I signed Roman up for drum lessons. He has always had a special penchant for the drums. When he was in preschool, I brought him to a vocal rehearsal with me in the church…he amazed the piano player by playing the chimes at the beginning and end of the song in perfect time. When Roman and I took piano lessons at home, he would run and get a wooden spoon and a pillow and keep time while I was playing and singing. When he was five, he saw a beginner child’s drum set at a yard sale and asked how much it was…when the man said, “It’s eight dollars”, Roman started crying and said, “But I only have five!” The man gave it to him then and there. I have a video of him playing and singing “We Will Rock You” with the biggest smile on his face. It was that pure, unadulterated joy that made me realize that music…and even more so…the drums were part of his calling.
All of that to say that I totally cried when he started rocking out to “Pancake Robot” right away with his drum teacher, Lael Eccard. It was such a beautiful thing to see him light up and to see his wheels turning and to witness him “getting it”. I’m so excited for him!
Splash Pad…
We met our dear friends (and former next-door neighbors), the Drinkards, at the Brentwood Splash Park this morning. I feel like all of Mrs. Amanda’s kids are my own…we’ve known Jeremy since kindergarten and Jameson, Josie, and JJ since they were babies. We were (and still are) beyond sad that they moved at the end of the school year, but we’re loving getting to spend time with them this summer.
Here’s a picture of Jonas and Xander with Jeremy…they had a blast. And here’s a picture of Roman…I’m amazed that I actually caught him smiling in this photo, to be honest. He was having a huge sensory meltdown at the time (thus the noise reduction headphones in his hands). Some days I can handle his meltdowns and some days I can’t. This was one that I made it through with him at the time but then needed a BIG break from him once we got home. Ah life…the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. We’ll take it all and be thankful for it. We’re all works in progress.
Nolensville Food Pantry…
So, this is so sweet…
One of the blessings that came out of this school year was that school breakfasts and lunches were free for all students. Towards the end of the school year, a classmate of Xander’s starting putting the unwanted food from her lunch on his desk. He thought to himself, “I’m not going to eat this. I should save it and give it to people who need it.” So, he decided to collect unwanted food from school lunches in his classroom and give it to the Nolensville Food Pantry. Then, he asked Roman to collect food in his classroom as well. (Roman even tapped a point person in each class in the 3rd grade to help out with their collection efforts.)
At the end of the school year, the boys bagged it all up…chips, fruit cups, fruit snacks, animal crackers, and juice boxes. We swung by the Nolensville Food Pantry this morning to deliver everything. When Debbie Noland, the director of the pantry, saw what the boys had brought, she said, “The Lord works in mysterious ways”. I said, “Why do you say that?” She said, “I was just telling someone earlier today, as we were packing fuel bags for summer school, that we really needed individual bags of chips”. Individual bags of chips are what made up the most of what the boys collected. When Xander got in the car, he said, “Mom, that felt good”. I totally started tearing up, and the boys were like, “Mooooooom!!!” Thank you, God, and thank you, Holy Spirit, for moving on our hearts and for showing up in our lives and in the lives of others.
Gabe Dixon…
I was SO excited to go see Gabe Dixon at the Franklin Theater tonight with my sister, Julie! She loves him as much as I do. We met early for dinner at Tazeki’s (I had never eaten there…fresh and delicious Greek food) and walked around downtown Franklin before the show. Gabe is SUCH a talented musician and singer that you can see it on the faces of the musicians in his band when he’s playing and singing…when he hits a riff here or there that just floors them (and us). I love listening to music and sharing that experience with people I love who love it too…Julie and I were jamming out, dancing in our seats. AND…I got to meet Gabe and get a picture with him!!! I had met him once before when he played piano for Kate York and I sang harmony for her…years and years ago. But I was super pumped to tell him how much I’ve always loved his music…something got into me, and I was even brave enough to sing a line of a song to him that he sang at a benefit for clean water many years back that has always stayed with me…he started singing along with me and said, “You like that song? I liked that one too. I should record it.” Hopefully, he will.
Roman’s Belt Testing…
Roman tested for and earned his first level blue belt in TaeKwonDo tonight! Congratulations, Roman!
Exploding Kittens…
Roman got a new expansion pack for his favorite game, Exploding Kittens, today. He is pumped up about it.
Ms. St. Pierre…
Here’s Roman and his PRECIOUS 3rd grade teacher, Ms. St. Pierre. I cannot say enough about her heart for kids…especially mine. Any other teacher might have battled it out with him and might have even given up on him. But she consistently reached out to me, to other teachers, and to the school counselor…and let me reach out to her…and communicated like a BOSS. She set him up for success with a very in-depth behavior chart and daily rewards for meeting his goals, always believing and expecting the best of him. I will forever be grateful for the impact she made on his life and on mine. What a difference a true teacher makes!!!
Rising Middle Schooler…
Look at my big guy…all graduated from elementary school and ready for middle school in the fall!!!
Xander’s 5th Grade Graduation…
Xander’s 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony was tonight! It was a big deal for this momma…it was already a big deal because my Xan-Man is going to be a middle schooler next year…but even bigger because of the year we’ve all come through and because we missed Jonas’ 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony last year due to COVID. It was definitely one of those head-shaking, tear-jerking moments for me, realizing once again just how fast time passes.
I totally teared up when Xander came processing into the gym, when the kids sang “When You Believe” and “Hall of Fame”, and when Principal Fuller asked us to give the kids a round of applause for making it through this challenging year. Xander received the Perfect Attendance Award and the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence! Congratulations, Xander!!!
Colorado with Tree…
I was SO excited to get to go with Tree, one of my precious sisters-in-law, to Colorado for some rest and relaxation this weekend/week!!! What a blessing!!!
We stayed in the sweetest guest house, ate dinner at one of the most delicious restaurants I’ve been to in a long time (The Roost), went for a drive along the Peak to Peak Parkway, picnicked at a reservoir, hiked in the snow (only for a half of a mile because every few steps one of our legs would sink into the snow up to our knees), walked around a beautiful lake, visited an old Catholic church (Chapel on the Rock) and camp (Camp Saint Malo), grilled out, did yoga, read books (I finished The Unwanteds: Island of Shipwrecks and almost finished Running with the Kenyans), went for walks/runs, went to mass, ate brunch (which we ended up boxing up and taking home because of a cold downpour), watched a movie, went shopping, visited used bookstores, ate healthy food, and caught up on each other’s lives.
Here are a few pictures of our time together in Longmont, Colorado (just outside of Boulder).
Jonas’ Belt Testing…
Jonas tested for and earned his second level green belt tonight! Go, Jonas! We’re so grateful for Mr. and Mrs. Mast and for all they’re teaching our boys…even outside of TaeKwonDo.
Magnet Fishing…
We picked the boys up early from school today and took them out on the lake to do some magnet fishing…a little celebration for making it through the first week of TCAP testing. We had fun just riding around on the lake, and the boys caught a grill grate, some electrical wire, and a hoop earring to boot. HaHa!
TaeKwonDo…
Xander belted up tonight at TaeKwonDo…he’s now a third level yellow belt. Here he is with his indomitable instructors, Mr. and Mrs. Mast. Congratulations, Xander!!!
Game Night Raddish Kit…
The boys had their last Flex Day today (where they do school work at home at their own pace). They all finished before lunch, so we had an open afternoon to cook through our Raddish kit. Roman and I worked on putting the Baked Potato Bar together, Xander and his best friend Jeremy and I made Confetti Corn Muffins, and Jonas and I baked Shortbread Domino Cookies. The surprise for me was how much I loved chili, cheese, and sour cream on my baked potato…totally doing that again!!!
Xander…
It is almost impossible to get a picture of Xander…he’s either giving me the hand and saying, “Mooooooooooom!”, running away from the camera, or making annoyed, sad, or silly faces. But, I was able to get a good picture of him today…he’s so beautiful. He’s my sweet-spirited, animal-loving, cool-because-he’s-who-he-is kid. He loves playing Words With Friends with me, having talk time before bed, and cozying up with 1,000 stuffed animals and blankets. Precious boy.
Spring Break: Day 3, 4, and 5…
We went to Red River Gorge, Kentucky for the latter half of Spring Break. We stayed in a log cabin in the woods (loved the view and the hot tub on the deck), took a sky lift up to a natural bridge (I was scared out of my mind, but all of the boys…including Tom…loved it), hiked three miles (I’m hoping for more family hikes in the future…however, Roman lost his mind about a 1.5 miles in), and spent time just relaxing (we watched the first episode of the Mandalorian and Raya and the Last Dragon with the boys). It was really nice…I’m so grateful we were able to get away.
For more pictures, click on the “Spring Break 2021” page on the right.
Spring Break: Day 1 and 2…
The boys are on Spring Break this week…
On Monday, we ended up just hanging out at home…the boys ate (which they do a lot of…especially on breaks), jumped on our neighbor’s trampoline, raced on hover shoes over and over again across the living room floor, and relaxed/played video games. I picked up, did a ton of laundry, helped the boys pack their suitcases, and quite honestly when I wasn’t doing that I had a hard time fighting the magnetic pull of the couch with my favorite blanket and my bed (these rainy/gray days, man). I’ve been struggling with depression lately…I’m not sure what is going on with me…where it’s all coming from and how to get on top of it. But I was able to drag myself out for a run and through a workout, so I count that as a win.
Today, the boys and I drove out to Grand Ole Golf. The drive over started out a little rough with Roman and his attitude…let’s just say it was pretty quiet the whole way there after I had a talk with him about it. But things turned around after playing 18 holes of mini golf and racing around the go kart track. It was the first time we’ve all been able to go go karting together because Jonas and Xander were both tall enough to drive on their own! Afterwards, we went to Opry Mills…ate lunch in the food court, walked around and checked out some of the shops (it’s so different shopping with boys…we went to Game Stop, the Lego store…Jonas bought himself a new Lego set, and Electronic Express), and played a few arcade games at Dave and Buster’s (Xander and Roman each purchased an arcade card). All told…we had a good time, but we were all totally exhausted and ready to come home and relax afterwards.
Jonas’ Art…
Here are some of Jonas’ recent pieces of art work…
