First Kicks

Little Buddy made his mark on the soccer fields for the first time ever this weekend. The day started off right when he got his uniform just before the game and it was blue from head to toe. He took one look at it and responded "totally awesome" and was ready to hit the field.He was in his ready position from the get-go. I was unsure how he was going to do being that in a previous practice he cried and had to sit out for a while because "everyone was taking the ball from him and hurting his feelings". After a little discussion on the ins and outs of soccer I think he got it.He did a great job getting the ball and attempting to dribble it (even if it was soccer in slow motion). He stole the ball several times and even ran to protect his goal when the other team was near. I think his late October birthday is serving him well in this three year old soccer division.He scored five, yes FIVE, goals in his first game ever. He was SO proud of himself and had a great time playing. I think his team pulled out a win but I can't be sure. The other team had "black haired kid" that Rhett said was pretty tough to beat and he scored quite a few for his team as well. Rhett put on a great first showing and I'm so glad our money paid in appears to be a good investment. I keep having flashbacks of when we paid 85 bucks for Grant to play as a three year old and we were forced to sit sideline and watch for a full season while he twirled circles with his jersey pulled over his head and picked bugs out of the grass.

Way to go Little Buddy!

Another Great One!

Bobby, the absolutely awesome ticket snagger, once again came through and got us SUPER seats for the Keith Urban/Sugarland concert. We were stag this go around but that didn't stop us from having a great time!The night started out with a little love her or hate her Jennifer Nettles. Her twangy singing sends some folks rolling their eyes and gagging but the Morgan's? We loved her! My only complaint is that she should've probably shaved her pits a little better before the concert....or maybe tried waxing them. Really. Even Bobby noticed her pits on the ginormous jumbo screens behind her onstage. That's okay. I know what a booger pit shaving can be. I'd still be her friend.

I will give her props on being energetic. She was all over that stage acting crazy. And for the record, if I can find a tank top with long fringies like that, I'm totally getting it. I would just wear it to Publix and stuff because you know there's not much else in this one horse town. I guess it could be a date night tank top........anywho.

She sang a little ditty called "Nightswimming" that was both a little strange and mesmerizing all at the same time. Bubbles everywhere, sequined red swim cap, big umbrella, blue backlighting. I was in a trance. Overall I thought they were great. But inquiring minds (mine and Bobby's) want to know: Are they a couple? BFF's? A couple that denies they're a couple but secretly share the same tour bus? Friends that just say they're friends but they accidentally kissed back in 2002 and now it's hush hush and a little awkward at times?? Hmmmm. So many questions.

After Sugarland we had a brief stage-changing intermission and I had a nice lady that didn't seem too intoxicated to safely handle my camera take a quick pic.

And here's the Big Time : Keith Urban. Wowzer. The only thing better than watching Keith Urban or Brad Paisley play the guitar would be to see Brad Paisley AND Keith Urban playing guitar TOGETHER. Why hasn't someone thought of that? I'm writing their managers today.

Bobby would want me to tell you that he took a majority of the pictures. So, I'm going to keep it real and let you know.....Bobby took alot of these pictures. We are both particularly fond of this one. It has an aura of coolness to it. If it weren't weird we'd have it made into a poster and pin it on our wall with a thumbtack like a middleschooler. But it is weird.....so we're not.

We could get some awesome shots from our 14th row seats. I ran out of my seat a couple times to get a better view. It supposedly was allowed but the bouncer guy made us show him our tickets and made me feel like I had broken the rules. So from then on I just stayed in my seat area like a good concert attendee. Did you know that in a span of about 2 hours you can shoot about 872 pictures of Keith Urban? Me neither. But you can.

You want to know who wasn't a good concert attendee? Well, other than that guy that got thrown out right at the beginning there was one other.... Ol' Granny. Keith was crazy enough to run off the stage down the aisles playing his guitar (RIGHT beside us THREE times I might add) and just look at Ol' Granny. She completely mauled him. I'm not joking. Once he ran by her his shirt was off his shoulder. The back of the blonde you can see in the pic got pushed by one of the bodyguard people and she fell right into me and almost knocked me down. No lie. I never knew a country concert could turn so violent!

This is how close we got. It all happened so quickly though that I'm glad I have snapshots to remember it by. My brain can barely remember what I did yesterday so things that only last a millisecond don't even get a chance to be registered.

Confetti shot out everywhere at the end of the show and this time I was able to get my camera out and capture a bit of it.

Something about this next pic I just really like- cool vantage point, Keith with his guitar, the crowd, the colors from the confetti and the lighting- I just like it.






Here's to checking off the list another great concert date night. There is nothing better than singing along as loud as you can without fear that someone might actually hear you, sitting in a seat close enough to see a celebrity sweat (which is yucky even when you're famous), and being the only sober people in a crowd full of drunks that think they can dance (I'm talking about you young man in row 12 that appeared to have an invisible person behind you performing the heimlich maneuver for over 2 hours). Good times!!

G Makes His Debut and Little Buddy Ain't Happy

Today was Grant's first day to get up and get ready for "real" school. He was so excited that his belly just wouldn't let him eat his breakfast. No bus today being that it was a half day and good gracious, if I have to hear him ask one more time when he gets to ride I think my ears are going to blow off the sides of my head.

His brothers gave him the celebratory group hug before we hopped in the car to head over to the school. On the way there Cade gave him lots of tips on the cafeteria and what games were cool to play on the playground.

He also promised to walk him to his class every day.

Thank the Good Lord (and the principal) that we got the same AWESOME kindergarten teacher that Cade had. We love her to pieces and Grant was so excited to have her. Please note that I just had the child's hair cut last week. I'm not sure why now all of the sudden it's hanging in his eyes. I have not been using Horse Mane shampoo and typically it doesn't grow that much in a weeks time. Hmmm.

After the dropoff Little Buddy and I headed out the door. He said, "Wait. Where's Cade?" and I replied, "He had to stay and go to his class. It's just you and me, kid." His answer? " How about I don't even like 'just you and me kid' ."

And here is a true portrayal of his feelings:

So sad.....and just a bit mad.

He did have some deep thoughts to share with me on the way out. Here's our conversation in the car:

LB: "Why are we going soooooo slow??"

Me: "Because we are in the school zone. You have to go slow."

LB: "Are those people [speeding by] breaking the speed lemon?"

Me: "Yeah. Probably."

LB: "You know? People that do that just don't like Jesus very much. It's not that they're Jesus haters- that they just really hate Jesus.........it's just that they are choosing their own pathways."

Whaaa? I had to turn around with my confused face to make sure there was a three year old still sitting in the car seat. When I looked at him he threw his hands up and said, "What?? WHAT???".

Here's to a swell first day of kindergarten for Grant and some more words of wisdom from my ever swiftly maturing third born.

A New Favorite Sport

We spent our official last week of summer learning some golf skills at a kid's golf camp in the area. Little Buddy wasn't old enough to partake but that didn't keep him from honing his own golfing technique in our makeshift backyard golf course. Bobby has taken to mowing our back field into his own personal green. At first I thought it looked like crop circles. Now I'm just feeling that it's starting to look ghetto. That's neither here nor there. The testosterone in this house likes it so it will stay.

Between me trying to learn to hit some balls and the boys chunking theirs everywhere Bobby has only a few shag balls left. Who knew it would be so hard to locate your ball once it rocketed into a grove of trees? Yes. Cade is wearing a helmet while golfing. Normally I would suggest that it probably isn't necessary, but in this company I figure a little extra protective gear to the head is never a bad option.

We've somehow managed to get two lefties in this little family. That means sharing some golf clubs for now until we can find another set for Grant. And inevitably it also means that at some point during golf practice Little Buddy will get hacked off and storm off the green.

Sharing is not his best virtue......

So, for now, we have a new favorite sport....or so they say. Quote on the last day of camp, "Yeah. Well, me and Grant, we just decided that golf is pretty much our favorite sport and we're probably just going to play that forever and not play anything else." Grant: "Did you know there is NO RUNNING in golf? None. I think it is my favorite." Ha. Gotta love it!

Movin' On Up

Where have the years gone?? Cade has his first day of SECOND grade today. I can't even believe it. I took him to school today but from this day forward he claims he wants to ride the bus to and from school. We'll see how that goes.
What a handsome fella. I try to give his hair the messy look......even just a little texture to it, but no. He insists on having Ken doll hair "just like daddy". Whatever floats your boat. And I guess I know what's going to be on the top of his Christmas list this year: his two front teeth. ha. Lost both of them a couple weeks ago. From his own lips, "No more corn on the cob or eating whole apples for me for a while".

I got a quick pic of him at his new desk, hard at work. No picture with his teacher this year. She was all busy and stuff and I wasn't sure if it was totally uncool to get your pic with your teacher in the second grade. Let's just all be thankful that I didn't lug my big camera in there like I usually do. I just discreetly snapped a couple with my little pocket cam. It gets the job done.

Here's to a great second grade year. In a couple weeks Grant will take his turn as a bottom of the barrel kindergartner. I probably won't shed a tear but I guarantee I'll have a lump in the ol' throat. Stay tuned!

Belay On?.......On Belay!

Months after their initial invitation I was finally able to meet up with my cousin Joseph and his girlfriend Jennifer for a little indoor rock climbing. Bobby was suppose to give Joe a run for his money in the climbing arena but a shoulder snafoo had him sidelined for this go-around. My sis, Tracie, made a trip up to tag along for the fun.

Since we were not avid Climb Nashville participants we had to go through an intro class that taught us the basics of how to harness up and how to belay (where one person attaches themselves to the opposite end of the climbers rope in order to keep them from falling). Needless to say, it was quite nerve-racking for me to know that if I came flying down that wall all I had tethering me was my 100 pound sister. I'm sure if I'd of come down fast enough the rope would have completely jerked her into the air........anyway, thankfully that didn't happen.

Jennifer was my belay on one climb. I'm saying, "You best not let me die...." in this pic. She didn't. Thanks, Jenn!

I'm nearly 45 stories up in this picture. Well, not really. Actually, not even close. But that's not what my central nervous system was saying. I had voices in my head saying, "Get Down!! Go back!! Turn around!!" and then others saying, "You wuss. Suck it up. Baby. Make it to the top or die!!" I'm not going to lie--- my pits were sweating. Not so much from working hard, but from sheer terror.

I found out that I'm pretty much a fraidy cat. My sister also called me Nancy Nay-Sayer because I'd take one look at a path on a high wall and say, "yup, can't do that one. Not even gonna try."

She hung in there and belayed me on even the eaisiest routes. And for once in her life she can say she beat me at something. There. I said it. She's better than me at indoor rock climbing. :)

It was a great time hanging out with Cousin Joe and Jennifer. I know they think Tracie and I are complete goofballs. Which we are no doubt. I am definitely up for trying Climb Nashville again.

Until then I'll be channeling my inner Spidey Man and working on my fear of heights. Next time people it's Game ON!

One Season Down, Umpteen to Go.

Rhett was ecstatic to finally have a turn being the sports participant and not the sports spectator. We signed him up for Lollipop t-ball and he loved every minute of it. His first uniform came with a ball cap and he thought that was the greatest thing ever. In fact, one game I forgot the cap and we had to borrow one from the coach because Rhett just couldn't play without one. Ball without a cap was just unheard of!

His team was full of buddies from church so along with a little batting and fielding there was a lot of horseplay and roughhousing. I'm pretty sure that he and his bud are discussing team strategy here not whether or not their mom's are packing Lunchables to the pool tomorrow.

It was a sight to see him running with reckless, and I do mean reckless, abandon toward any and every ball that entered the field. Once the ball was hit it looked more like tackle football than baseball for sure. Every now and then Rhett would surface from the pile holding the prize.....more often than not he just wrestled it out of some girl's hand.

He did fairly well hitting this year. Every time Bobby and I tried to practice with him in the yard his response was, "I know, I know, I know. Now just back away and let me do it. I don't need anybody's help!" I'm giving him an "F" on teachability this year.

He was always all smiles running the bases. It takes skill to run and hold your helmet on at the same time!

And the moment he lived for: the end of the game when tickets were passed out. Inevitably one of his brothers became his very best friend and would escort him to the concession stand. It was there that they would choose something wholesome and filling....something good for bone strength and stamina.....and excellent for tooth enamel:

Fun Dip. Nothing like dipping a sugar stick into sugar and eating it an hour before bedtime. One plus is that it's good for sharing....hence the reason he always had an overly loving brother to accompany him with his ticket. Next sport on the agenda- soccer. Hopefully my eighty bucks will go towards watching him learn to kick and run, not twirl on the field and ask when snacks will be given out. Only time will tell!