Called

Sometimes you dream and you hold on to faith but you’re still stunned when your dream comes true!  It’s a moment you cannot describe.  Twenty years ago, I met a person who honestly changed my life.  What I mean by changed is that he inspired me to stay the course, finish the race, and to stay true to my calling.  That person is Sean Yost.  After a couple phone calls trying to meet with me about something called YouthQuake Live, I finally met Sean for the first time.   Sean and Bowen Slade came to my office and told me about this outreach they started to reach teenagers in the city.  I was already over my head running Young Life and Wild Life at the beaches along with being the Youth Pastor at my church.  I had no intention of getting sucked into something else that what cause me to be more busy and exhausted.  Thank God I said yes or I feel confident I would no longer be serving God in ministry.  I can only imagine what trouble I would be getting into if I turned my back on my calling.

I had come to a place of disillusionment of what ministry was about.  I discovered it was a bunch of hard work, dealing with crazy parents of teenagers who expected you to fix all their kids problems, which they created over the life of their child.  It was grueling and I was loosing my heart for youth ministry.   So many sad stories and hopeless situations and it was getting to be too much.  Christians didn’t act like I thought they should and I was about ready to give up.

We took our youth group to YouthQuake Live in a small Ponte Vedra strip mall and my life was forever changed.  My teenagers rushed forward during the altar call and the message was so passionately delivered that I really wanted to respond to the altar call as well and did so inside my heart.  I saw a genuine faith and love for God like I have never seen in another person.  I wanted to link with Sean so that what he had would be transferred to me!  I made the best decision to join the leadership team of YQL and the rest is history!  I was renewed in my faith, and reenergized to reach teenagers! Sean not only inspired me but also some key members of our youth group.  James McDonald was pulled out of his shell and became one of the most dynamic, hilarious cast members YQL has ever known. 

Last night, we hosted a Conference at our church and invited Sean to be our guest speaker.  That funny cast member is now our worship leader who has written powerful original songs that were captured in a live recording which is being produced by my nephew, William Smith! (Also a stand-out cast member of YouthQuake Live!)  It was like a crazy clash of my hopes and dreams colliding right before my eyes.  Pastor Howard has fostered and allowed unprecedented collaboration, freedom and unity at our church like I have never experienced in 40+ years!  He has helped to mend broken relationships and open our church up to new opportunities like never before!  He has empowered his staff to grow and develop in their gifts and talents!  I felt the good pleasure of the Lord last night as we launched our first Called Conference!  I believe supporting and partnering with churches is a true picture of what the Body of Christ is suppose to be!  I believe it is the true heart of God for us to love and support other ministries!

I remember many years ago meeting another passionate, on fire guy who had  contagious joy!  I was at a church event with Sean Yost when John Wyatt was introduced.  Sean told me he was involved with an awesome surf ministry.  Little did I know that his wife would become one of my very best friends, his daughter and my daughter would be best friends and dancers, that we would be raising our families together at the same school and in the same neighborhood.  It blows my mind how God strategically brings people together for His plans and purposes!   Now John is our guest speaker tonight!  Again…mind blown today as I ponder the goodness and the faithfulness of God!  I am so grateful I didn’t throw in the towel, turn my back on church and ministry when times got tough!  I am overwhelmed with thankfulness that dreams do come true!!  I guess it’s time to dream a new dream!  Who knows what’s coming next!!!  BOOM!!

Surprise Wog Vacay 2014

I used to be super brave!  I would stay in hostels in Europe and organize strangers we would meet for social outings.  I would fly with my flight attendant friend to ski in Colorado for a couple days and then red eye it to NY for the weekend, operating on no sleep.   Well, 20 years of marriage & 5 Wogs have made me insecure in my brave abilities.  I recently had to step it up and be brave on Bubba’s Washington DC when we left our tour group and rode taxi’s & subways to go to a Heat/Wizards game.  It took my friends pumping me up and also using their mapping skills for me to attempt it!  When I arrived safely back at the hotel with Bubba, I did indeed feel like a freakin’ rock star and was proud of myself for being strong or at least acting like it for my son's sake!!

I was on the phone with my mom and she was telling me about her friend who was going to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina with her grandchildren.  I suddenly felt a sadness enter my heart.  This was going to be the THIRD summer we didn’t get to the mountains and I just felt sick about it.  My entire life I have gone to the mountains almost every year and had managed to keep the tradition alive for the Wog kids.  Well, then my kids had to get all awesome and busy.  All their MANDATORY activities, overlapped with each other making it nearly impossible for us to find a string of days off at one time.  If by chance we could find a few days in row, Dan couldn’t take off from work…Waaa, Waaa, Waaa.

I told my mom how much I wanted to get away from the heat and go back to the mountains (where I am sure God lives!).  My mom said, “Well Honey, why don’t you and I take the kids.  I have driven up there before by myself.”  Mom said there was crazy dead air space on the phone.  My overactive brain, kicked into high gear, processing the idea.  “Could I do it, and not kill the kids with my driving?”  “Would it be any fun being the only parent in charge of five kids?”  You get the idea what was going on in my brain.  I told my mom I would really think about it and see if we could make it work

I texted Dan and asked what day and time Bubba had his first football practice, found out when the YouthQuake Live retreat was and was actually getting a little excited about the possibility.  I was shocked that Dan didn’t freak out and even said for me to leave the dog home!!  YIPPPEEE!!  Sometimes you just need a dog vacation!

The thing that was plaguing me was staying at the cabin we always stay at.  It’s very rustic in the most drastic way…it has an outhouse.  Typically Dan spends a whole day working to make it inhabitable, cleaning up rodents, digging out the springhead so we have water.  It is so worth it because we love it so much and it’s a good experience for the kids!   I was also freaked out by the locals at the bottom of the mountain that we wave to on the way up!  What if they took a liking to Bonnie.  Could Dan teach me to shoot his gun before I left?   Finally on Saturday, my mom suggested that we should definitely rent a place.  We would just go visit the cabin we usually stay at because we love it so much but the conditions are too unknown for us going with 5 Wogs.  AMEN!! I found a cheap place miraculously for the days we needed and I was ecstatic!    Dan was super sad and I felt bad going without him but I felt worse at the prospect of having 4 days stuck at home when we could be creating fun family memories and not taking advantage of it!  I realize that Bonnie has two more summers with us before she GRADUATES. What??

I got home from Annie’s Swim Championships Sunday night, the kids packed their bags and off we went with my mom at 7 AM on Monday morning for the mountains.  If ever I felt God’s grace, blessings and favor on us, it was this trip. I am pretty sure it had something to do with my desperate prayer requests that I sent out to all my praying friends!  We had no construction delays on the highway, which is miraculous, and more importantly no long lines at Chickfila!  We got to the mountains in 7 hours WITH 2 stops and no casualties in the car. Well actually I think Eddie had a bloody lip but thank God no chipped teeth or anything requiring medical attention!!!

 

When we stepped out of the car, leaving 92 degrees, it felt like pure air-conditioning!  We LOVED our little place and it was perfect for the Wogs.  Nothing fancy but it had a flushing toilet and we were in heaven! The kids wasted no time playing, swimming, boating, and enjoying the beautiful weather!  My brave meter also went up quite a bit having successfully and SAFELY getting all of us to the mountains!!  Little did I know, I would take my braveness to A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, that I never wanted to experience later in the week…

The first morning, my mom cut up copious amounts of peaches and spoiled my children and I, serving us in bed!  We got dressed and headed to the Biltmore Estate and experienced a picture perfect day AND all the 5 Wogs  got in FREE!!  (Apparently it's free for kids during the summer!!!)  We toured the incredible house in all it’s glory, ate in the delicious Stable Café, photographed almost every flower in the garden and of course shopped in the gift store and found treasures like Apple Jam that Bubba coveted and hoarded!

 

We got up on Wednesday and like idiots asked Siri how we should get the cabin we usually go to, from where we were located.  We estimated it was 15 minutes away.  I knew how to get there but we would have to backtrack a little down the road.  Siri likes to take the direct route which on this occasion meant traversing straight over the mountains and bypassing the interstate.  At first it was fine, a double lane road going 60 miles an hour…THEN she turns us on Rabbit Skin Road and it was shaped like an S.  The kids were screaming to turn around but turning a large suburban truck around ain’t no easy task. My mom and I kept thinking that around the next hairpin turn an interstate would gloriously appear.  Well, not so much…for the next 20 minutes, our condition got worse and worse.  

When we turned on a one lane, dirt road, I thought I might be leading my 5 precious children and beloved mother to their tragic death off the side of a cliff.  I was sweating in my long sleeve fleece jacket and yelling at Bubba to calm down.  He had his hand on the dash, panting heavily and his other hand on his chest, saying,”WE ARE GOING TO DIE!”    Bonnie on the other hand, was pointing out little bunnies and beautiful views and streams. LOL FINALLY, thank you Jesus!  We came to a paved road!!  My mom told me to pull over and she was going to knock on a door and ask for directions.  I called the local store that is right down the street from where we were going and the lady said we were just down the street and that I should NEVER ask Siri for directions in the mountains!  LOL!!!  Lesson Learned!!!  Mom confirmed the direction from the fine young man she spoke with and we were on our way!

We got to the cabin and waved to some young country boys on the way up and my original fears of them stalking Bonnie started tormenting me.  I was wishing I had a hooded jacket to force Bonnie to wear with sunglasses.   It was so wonderful being back at the cabin, the place where we got our dog KC and taking our traditional porch picture UNTIL… we heard a truck coming up the road, we watched closely and it passed my truck and went on up the mountain, much to our relief!!!  But THEN, they came right back down and parked BEHIND my truck blocking our exit route!  Bubba and I went into sheer panic thinking they were coming up to kill us and take Bonnie.  Me being SO brave sent my mom out there to intercept them while I locked the door in preparation to escape.  I could hear my heart beating in my ears and was shaking as I walked around where my mom and the guys were talking.  THANK GOD, they were the son of the man who upkeeps the place and they were just checking if we needed them to cut the grass or do anything.  Their dad is the one who gave us our dog KC .  

We finally got back in our truck and I have never been so happy in my life.  Bonnie asked why I was so freaked out and I explained that I could have put my 5 children in danger and if something tragic had happened, I would be responsible.   Her comment was, “Well, if we die, we die!”  How can one person be so dang calm all the time? We got to the country store and my mom bought ice cream for all and I sat in a booth and tried to get my breathing and heartbeat back to a normal rate.  All and all it was a true Wog adventure we will never forget and that we NEVER want to experience again!

The rest of our trip was calm, peaceful with perfect 70 degree weather!   I experienced such personal rest and peace that I desperately needed due to my crazy Wog life.   We had so many fun, memory-making moments with my mom and my precious kids.  I hated to leave utopia and 48-degree mornings to enter back into our insane Wog schedule but we have to face reality.  When I got in my bed back at home, I just thanked the Lord for his faithfulness and his covering over our entire trip!  My mom and I had such a blessed time of fun together and I treasured every second of it!   I feel empowered again and felt so proud that I did not let fear stop me from a trip of a lifetime!!!  Now I will be looking for my next brave adventure!  I just pray it doesn't involve Siri's directions!

Team Spirit

“It is a great thing when talent and passion collide!!!!”  My sister-in-law posted this comment on a picture on Facebook of one of my kid’s accomplishments. I have thought about that comment for days and have realized the truth of it. Each of our kids seems to have found what they love and what they excel at.  They never complain about practice.  It’s quite the contrary.  If a practice gets rained out or canceled they are bummed.  I couldn’t imagine keeping them all going if they didn’t want to do an activity. I hear of parents who ride their kids and put all this pressure on them to do a sport, play an instrument or dance.  I don’t know how or why they do it.  It’s just a waste of time and money in my opinion.

I haven't always had my kids in the right activities! When Annie was 4 years old, I put her in a dance class, which was during school.  I ran into the dance teacher and she said she was sorry I took Annie out of dance.  I was like WHAT?  I asked Annie about it and she said she told the teacher she wasn’t taking dance anymore!  She was a dance school drop out all on her own! There was no way I had the energy or time to push my kids in a direction they weren’t interested in.  I just wish Annie would had told me weeks before, so I wouldn’t have continued to pack her dance clothes! Bubba on the other hand, clearly let me know he was dropping out of piano class! 

Dan and I feel like it’s our job to facilitate our kids as they pursue their passions.  All five kids seem to have found what brings joy to their life and thankfully all seem to have the talent as well.  Helping five kids follow their dreams is no small task. I sometimes worry I am going to mess up their future by a bad decision to do or not to do something or by my lack of knowledge. 

I remember years ago when I felt like God assured me that He would sovereignly align me with the right people who would have the skill set to help my kids!  I have held onto that for years and have seen it come to pass!  Like the time, I ran into an old friend in Kmart.  She was inquiring how my tribe of kids was doing.  I told her that my Annie was having some issues and her doctor suggested she get into swimming to help keep her muscles strong.  Lo and behold, my dear friend just happened to be the beginner swim coach at the Beach!  You can’t tell me that wasn’t God ordained!

Bonnie has cheered for ten years now and danced for 13 years!  She has made us proud so many times it’s impossible to count.  If only Dan would stop yelling at her, “Sissy, you’re the prettiest,” which really embarrasses her!  She won the "All-American Cheerleader" award at the UCA camp she attended and was invited to a attend a national convention!   She is organized, dedicated and spends hours choreographing dances and watching YouTubes learning new cheer things!!  She is the Captain of her varsity squad this coming year and I know she will do a great job!

When Bubba started Pop Warner, I was actually afraid!  I had heard stories of crazy parents acting like maniacs and I was very nervous.  I quickly learned that there are some of the most amazing people sitting in those stands who support and show genuine concern for our kids!  Dan coached with some of the most devoted guys who he now considers friends!  They certainly do text a lot of smack talk, especially when Miami is playing their team! :)  It was nice that they could all definitely cheer for the Jaguars (To clarify, the Jax Beach Jaguars who had an undefeated season!!)

Being traumatized by the Dance Mom show, I was REALLY petrified when Maggie decided to pursue being on a company dance team.  With trepidation I eased into being a dance mom and quickly understood that dance teachers are loving and kind and dance moms are the best!  At the studio where Maggie dances, the love, dedication, loyalty and joy that the teachers and parents exhibit have made our experience so wonderful!  I had a moment during the recital practice that blew my mind. I rushed backstage to get a picture of Maggie and her friends in their tap costume. Maggie told me she didn’t have time for a picture because she had to help her friends do a quick change.  I watched Maggie hand her friend a costume and I backed away and didn’t want to stop her from serving her friends.  That blessed me so that teamwork was so evident and that she has learned from her amazing studio!

When Annie joined a swim team, I was again pleasantly surprised with some of the most incredible people who cheered for my girl and looked after her making sure she was where she needed to be for races!  What a blessing since Dan and I were clueless in the midst of the organized swim chaos.  They have loaned me money for heat sheets because we had no clue and had no cash!  At the championships last year, Annie was ranked at the top in a couple races.  

I was talking to a mom on our team who has an older top swimmer. I looked at her heat sheet and she had Annie’s name highlighted and told me she was going to come cheer for Annie! That is no small thing at championships when you have to fight a massive crowd to get near the pool.  I was feeling sick with nerves as the race was getting ready to start and she squatted with me at the end of the pool and asked me if I was OK.  She stayed by me the whole time for support.  I was so grateful being a novice in a chlorine world!  She may have just been there to pull me out of the pool if I passed out!  Either way it touched my heart!

Eddie has finally joined the rotation of Wog activities!  He played flag football last year and was only slightly interested in football but VERY interested in the concession stand!  I kept reminding him to go back by his team!   We decided to try soccer and were hoping that he would show some interest!  Soccer was Dan’s sport in high school.  He played all sports but loved soccer the most and played on a Men's league up until we had children. Eddie had some physical challenges from walking up on his tiptoes.  He was in physical therapy for a year and also wore leg braces day and night.  Honestly as much as it broke my heart watching him try to climb and run with those braces on his legs that forced him to stay flat-footed, Eddie didn’t seem to mind.  Dan called me on the way home from his first soccer practice and told me that he thought we had a soccer player on our hands after watching him run like the wind up and down the

field.  I was so happy and somewhat relieved.  I really worried that Eddie being the baby of the family and constantly dragged around to his siblings activities, would get lost in the shuffle.  I feared he would never find his own thing that he could take pride in! Eddie’s soccer coach was awesome!  He has told us that he is so lucky to have Eddie on the team!  The coach said how much he looks forward to watching him grow up because he knew he would be an outstanding athlete!  How nice is that??  I am thinking those leg braces may have been a blessing in disguise…Run Eddie Run!!

One of the most surprising things out of being involved with so many extracurriculars is the amazing people that we have met. Coaches and teaches have gone above and beyond to invest in our children! The time and effort they put in is astounding!  With the vast amount of time you spend at games, swim meets and at dance rehearsals, you are bound to bond with people whether you want to or not.  It has been so surprising how much kindness and team spirit that is developed amongst the parents!  I know that I could not keep up with all five kid’s activities if it wasn’t for family and friends who help manage and run the kids from here to there for me!  We have so many time conflicts in our schedule with things overlapping.  Dan and I couldn’t possibly handle everything alone.  I am so grateful for the help, support, love and care that we receive!

Before I had children, I would watch my sisters running off to soccer games on weekends and going to tons of dance rehearsals.  The time and effort they put in just blew my mind.  I remember dreading that stage with my kids.  What I have discovered is the joy and pride you feel when your child does something amazing!  There is nothing better than when they score, win or perform well!  So for all of you future moms or moms with babies, get excited and look forward to the incredible team spirit that I have experienced! Yes you will be exhausted, stressed, broken hearted when they fail but it’s one of the most fulfilling part of my life watching when talent and passion collide!! Go Team!

Go Heat!

Last week was the culmination of months of preparation, fundraising and great expectations.  Bubba and I were going on a school trip to Washington DC.  Although I was very nervous about leaving my family for four days with our psychotic schedule, I was very excited about experiencing this trip with Bubba. 

I worked like a crazy person preparing to leave.  I always want to bail out of a trip right before because of the extreme work it takes to leave.  I was doing school uniform laundry until midnight, the night before we left.  I felt like a walking zombie. The mental warfare was so great and I honestly didn’t know if I could handle it.

When I finally got to the airport and got on the plane, I “let it go!” (Yes, I have the movie Frozen on the brain and regularly pop out movie references!)  Bubba was so excited and to experience so many firsts with him was such an honor.  I just didn’t realize how many firsts he would really have…  LOL!!!

Our leader, Jennifer Shephard, has a calm personality (unlike me who is a tightly wound, ball of nerves!)  The whole trip was so peaceful and organized.  Even though we packed a ridiculous amount of things in the day, there was no stress until….

We got dropped off for lunch and after we ate, we still had a little time before we had to head back to the bus.  Bubs asked if we could walk a block down to the Verizon Center which is where the Washington Wizards, the NBA team, plays.  The Miami Heat were playing there that night!  We walked up to the building and someone was coming out of the door.  Before it closed, I grabbed it and we slipped in the lobby of the facility.  Bubba was freaking out thinking we were going to get in trouble.  I told him to calm down, I wanted to get a picture of him and then we would go.  

A guy came off the elevator and was looking at us. Bubba said nervously, MOM he’s going to kick us out!”  I said who cares hurry up and let me get my picture!!!  The guy noticed Bubba’s Heat jersey and asked if we were there for the game, which didn’t start until 7 PM. I told him no that we were from Florida, my kid loves the Heat and wanted to see where they were playing.  He then asked if we wanted to come to the game!!  WHAT???  He went on to explain, that the game was sold out but they decided to sell individual suite seats, which is very unusual!!  I didn’t really know if we were allowed to leave our tour group so I told him I would check. He gives me his cell phone and told me to call and let him know!  I asked him if he could let Bubba inside to see the court in case we couldn’t go to the game and he said sure!  He took us up in the employee’s elevator and into a suite!  Bubba was in heaven!

When we got back with our tour group, I told Jenn what happened and she exclaimed, “YOU HAVE TO GO!!  This is your trip!!”  I didn't want Bubba to miss any of our tour and Jenn assured me that the only thing we would miss was a Hip Hop performance. We laughed knowing that Bubba would probably rather be at the Heat game!!  My heart started beating chaotically!  I called Dan and after being with me for over 20 years, and knowing how God regularly blesses us in these crazy ways, didn’t really act that surprised and said YES!  Go to the game!!!  I called our new best friend, Zach and told him we were all in!  He proceeds to tell me that if I could get there around 5:15, he would let us in before the gates open and Bubba could watch the team warm up…WHAT???  I didn’t tell Bubba that info and kept that little surprise a secret!

We went to the Holocaust museum and I told Bubba to try his best to forget about the game, and to really focus on all that he was going to see and experience.  He did a lot better than I did.  My heart was racing and I was almost in a panic at what I had done.  I used to be fearless before I had five babies that depend on me.  I was envisioning us getting murdered on the street trying to get home to our hotel, which was in Virginia.  Kelly Trent did her best to pump me up.  She got on Google and mapped out our whole route home to the hotel and told me I could do it and to be brave!  I was getting ready to leave and was wondering where I should get a taxi and a sweet faced museum worker, walked up to me and asked if she could help me with anything.  I laughed because I must have looked like I needed help!!  She also pumped me up, confirmed Kelly’s expert directions and told me where the best place was to get a taxi.

 

Here we go…push past the fear and just do it was my inside voice.  I had to put my brave face on because Bubba was getting nervous.  I hailed a cab and despite almost getting hit getting in the cab, it went pretty smooth.  We got to the Verizon Center, called our contact Zach, and he came down, gave us our suite tickets and took us into the arena.  Bubba’s face was priceless.  All the players that he knows so very much about where on the court (minus Lebron who was “resting” for playoffs according to Bubba) it was crazy. We roamed around and Bubba talked to some of the players and got their autographs!  As I watched Bubba, I marveled at the favor of the Lord.  You can’t earn it.  You don’t deserve it but he still goes out of his way to bless us. 

An announcement came over the PA system that the doors were getting ready to be opened so Bubba and I started heading up to our suite. We were treated like VIP’s which was so funny and felt like a joke!  I asked an attendant where the restrooms where and she said, “Ma'am you have your own bathroom in the suite!”  WHAT??  

A man and three kids came into the suite after Bubba and I.  One of the kids had a Heat jerseys on which surprised me since we were in Wizard land. I asked the man if they were Heat fans and he said his kids were but he was more of a Miami Hurricane fan??  WHAT??  I laughed and asked him why since we were in Washington DC…..wait for it…..He says because he is a former Miami Hurricane basketball player?  I called Bubba over and they began having a great U conversation!!   I sat through the rest of the game in awe at how God orchestrated all of this to bless my boy! WOW, WOW, WOW!!  I called Dan and apologized that I was with Bubba at his first NBA game and that his Dad should be experiencing this with him.  He was so funny.  He said had he been there, he would have never gone to the Verizon center, gone into the lobby in the first place and none of this would have even been possible! 

It was all fun and games until it was time to leave…Lord help me! What was I thinking??  I had to put on my brave face again and act tough as we walked through the dark 6 blocks towards the Metro station. Bubba was looking all around worried.  I told him to walk fast, don’t look or respond to anyone on the street.  We focused forward and made it to the entrance.  It was pretty daunting taking the escalator down underground.  It was pretty empty and thankfully a security guard helped us get the right ticket and told us to go downstairs and to get on the Blue line not the orange.  We kind of panicked when there two blue lines going in opposite directions.  There were a couple people that didn’t look like derelicts so we asked them which one to Franconia.  They were super friendly and helpful.  We got on the subway and there was a pretty scary dude on there and we couldn’t understand a word from the announcer.  Bubs hopped up with every stop to check the map to find which stop we were on.  After a couple stops, the scary guy got off and our two previous friends were still there.  We started chatting with them and the nice lady thankfully was getting off at our stop so we could relax and just follow her!  

We were suppose to get picked up by our hotel shuttle but missed it because the van said Hampton Inn on the front. We were staying at the Holiday Inn.  That would have been great info for them to tell us when we scheduled a pick-up.  I was a veteran at this point in cab rides, so we took a quick cab ride to the hotel and felt like rock stars when we successfully made it back alive to the hotel!!  Thank you Lord for helping us!  Thank you Zach for hooking us up!  Thank you Jenn for letting us go and thank you Kelly for pumping us up telling us we could do it!!!  It was an experience we will never forget and it reminded me that our God is ever mindful of us and goes before us to prepare blessings galore!!  Go Heat!!

Bubba's 13th Birthday

I am in amazement that my firstborn son is already a teenager. Bubba never really asks for anything for his birthday.  I was surprised this year that he wanted Nike Elite socks and to go with some of his football friends to the River!  I was really excited that this birthday, which is on Valentine’s Day, was also on the day of the Middle school dance.  He loves to dance and was looking forward to it.  Bubba woke up throwing up on his birthday.  The little kids had the stomach flu the week before but I thought we were all in the clear.  He stopped throwing up in the afternoon and really wanted to try to go to the dance.  I didn’t think he was going to make it when I watched him sit down on the stairs on his way to the shower.  He was still so weak and decided to skip it, which broke my heart.  I had even bought him a new red dress shirt and black dress pants for his birthday.

Thankfully he bounced back quickly and Dan took a truckload of boys to the River and they had a blast!  They played games and much to my surprise even swam in the freezing river!  I think Dan may have had more fun than the boys!  It wasn’t exactly the 13^th birthday weekend I imagined for Bubba but he seemed happy!  Definitely happy with all the new socks!! His grandparents got him an Academy gift card and I thought he would cry with joy!  He bought the brightest neon yellow hoodie I have ever seen!

Bubba opened up a whole new world to me when he was born.  I learned so many amazing things that I would have never known about.  I became obsessed with Star Wars along with Bubba and went to extreme lengths to get EVERY Star Wars Burger King toy.  Yes, I will admit to buying the last “impossible ones to find” on EBay!  Can you say obsessive compulsive?  I learned to enjoy being a soccer, basketball & football mom.  I still watch Toy Story movies by myself and will never give away Woody & Buzz dolls.  Of course, I became a devout football fan of the Miami Hurricanes and have bought more orange and green than I thought was humanly possible!

There are so many things I admire and understand about Bubba and I feel like we have a special bond. I am savoring every moment with Bubba.  He is now taller than his older sister and is getting ready to be taller than me too!  In a mere 5 years, I will be packing my boy up for college.  I think that is why I cried so much on the last Toy Story movie.  The thought of packing up his room is a day I dread. Bubba is an overachiever in school.  He is independent and a leader.  The first time I realized that he was a natural leader was when he was in K3 and a mother told me his son begged to get Darth Vader shoes just like Bubbas!  Bubba is kind and compassionate and more than people think. I have so enjoyed having him as my son and look forward to this next stage of his life!  I believe great days are ahead for my Valentine boy!

Edwardo's 6th Birthday

Eddie celebrated his 6 birthday last Friday.  He is such an interesting kid.  I have all types and sizes for sure but he constantly shocks and amazes me with how unique he really is.  We started talking about his birthday immediately after Christmas. The rule in our house is we are not allowed to talk about a person’s birthday until after Christmas! That is when our birthday season starts.  We have a kid’s birthday every month until July (except May because I wanted us to focus on Mother’s Day that month!)  After the previous kid’s birthday is over, we can begin talking about the next kid’s birthday.  They think it’s so we all focus on the person’s birthday and that they are the star but the real reason is so that mom doesn’t get pushed over the edge and have a #gingersnap!   My brain can only process so much information believe it or not.  Yes I am a master multi-tasker by necessity but even I have limits, people!

My kids loves commercials. They are a marketer's dream.  They sing the jingles and fully believes everything they hear!!  We have ice makers, slushi makers, the go-go pillow, hot hues and more!   Eddie made it very clear that he wanted the Flipeez, a blue hat that has ears that flip when you press a button.  He also wanted “Party in the Tub”  It’s a contraption you put in your bath water that makes it look like a disco-tech with colorful strobe lights blinking!  I easily found the Flipeez much to my surprise at the “As Seen on TV” section in Walgreens.  The Party in the Tub was not as easy so I quickly bought that online and you won’t believe it, I got 2 for the price of one!! ;)

Just so Dan and Bubba didn’t have a total breakdown, I bought some baseball paraphenial on clearance!  Bubba never asked for anything except footballs and jerseys.  He went through a brief Star Wars obsession but has fixated on sports for most of his life.  Eddie cracks me up with his requests.  He wanted to ride Go-Karts at Adventure Landing.  He mentioned the chocolate fountain at Golden Corral but I pretended not to hear it.  Last year we went there for his birthday and that was enough to last for years to come!

We loaded the Wog bus up and headed out to the Go Carts. Of course it’s a northeaster kind of night.  I still have the image of Dan in my head of him holding up his hands shaking them because he thought they were getting frostbite as he was driving at breakneck speed.  All and all, it was a short, expensive successful hour at Adventure Landing! All his siblings pitched in their game tickets and got him a set of planes that he loved!  

And YES, he loved his Flipeez hat and wore for 4 days straight.  The recent 82 degree weather has really been jamming him though.  He has been partying in the tub for days and also using his colorful painting to make our tub look like a rainbow or Graffiti in the Tub!  I just really can’t believe my baby is already 6!  What a wild six years it has been!  I am grateful to God for giving us the bonus boy!  I can’t wait to see what is in store for him! I know for sure it won't be boring!

 

Poor Possum

We have all kinds of critters around our house.  A hawk swooped through our back yard a couple days ago and scared the kids and the dog!  We have a creepy owl that swivels its head around and hoots like crazy.  We have a serious raccoon problem and boy are they sassy.  They come in my garage and pilfer through our garbage bags and don’t even budge when I tell them to go.  I have chased them with a bat before to get them the heck out of my garage.  Speaking of bats…they seriously try to fly into my hair around dusk and totally wig me out.  Squirrels sit on the garbage can and act very put out with me when I interrupt their rummage through my garbage.  Foxes sashay down the sidewalk like they are trained pets.  It’s craziness.  You would think the word on the street would be out that I have a crazy coonhound that would love to assault them and bring them to me as a gift.  No such luck.

 

I am not an animal person.  I can tolerate fish and I did love my cat very much even though he defected and died at a neighbor’s house to escape Wogville chaos. Last Monday, was mind blowing.  Annie has been one of those kids who beats herself up on a regular basis. She has gotten Ouch Awards at school for using the most band-aids. Bets have been made if she can stay on her feet during a soccer game for more than a couple minutes.  Her baby pictures consist of many scrapes and bruises on her face, from all her antics.  She has never been short on bravery.  She is a fearless one.  Blood doesn’t faze her and I told her she should be a surgeon when she grows up. 

 

Monday when we came home from school, she jumped out of the car while I was getting the mail. Her neighbor friends were playing in the cul-de-sac.  They seemed to be having the best time.  She didn’t come in for hours.  Annie loves to eat and I couldn’t believe she never came in for a snack.  Well, little did I know that she was doing a surgical procedure on a possum skeleton that they found in our yard. I guess I should have looked into what was detaining her from pounding her afternoon snack. 

When it was getting dark, she finally came inside. She very proudly had a Ziploc bad and apparently the neighbor’s gloves, thank God. She showed us a tooth she had extracted out of the possum skull. I was disgusted and of course told her to wash her hands pronto.  She casually told me that she was sticking it under her pillow because she needed some cash.  She was going to trick the tooth fairy.  I honestly don’t know what to say many times to my kids. They constantly amaze me and not always in a good way.  All I could really think was how sorry I felt for the tooth fairy.  I never really considered that children would enter into such trickery and deception.  My friends and family are anxiously waiting if the Tooth Fairy ponies up some big cash for the extra-large possum tooth.  If she does, I think that may take care of any road kill along the highways.  Big business for sure!

I admire Annie for her ambition and courage. Who knows if we have another dentist coming up in the future!  I am just thankful she put on some gloves for the surgery!