Take Me Out!

Just to the park.

Tuesday night we used coupons the boys earned through a summer reading program to attend an Isotopes game, minor-league baseball. The game was fun. As you can tell from these pictures, we had the time wrong in mind and arrived 45-minutes early. While hot, it was actually a super low-key, nice time for our family to wonder around and play a little without a crowd. Student Center people arrived for the game on time and we spent an hour over there with them and Scott's co-worker's family. Our neighbors, who the boys adore, were also there so all the kids could play a while. What a nice summer night!

Why their interest in this display or their desire to take this photo, I do not know. The amazement never ends.

You can tell we're early. The stands are empty. They nearly were anyway, but not too this extent.

On the park's playground. HOT days.

Take Me Out fits our week to a T.

Ranne's first week of school, Tuesday through Friday, went fine. He had some obvious, quiet trepidation about going in each time but took a deep breath and marched through the door.

This week has been different. We get there a few minutes early and play on the equipment outside, but as soon as that bell rings he's full of tears and fears. On Monday night, he had nightmares all night and every morning he tries to sleep in. AAHHHRRRRG. I had hoped this transition would be easier on us both.

Today I tried to treat the boys, especially my bummed-out Ranne, to happy hour slushies from Sonic. Toby, trying to put Trey's straw back in his cup for me, gouged it through the bottom of the full drink. In my round state I couldn't get to it very fast so the new vehicle has nice sticky red drink spillage front to back. Sheesh. Take me out! I managed to clean it but am just now remembering a spot on the carpet I will have wished to have remembered sooner. Yet, on the bright side, I now have very clean car seats as I had to wash Trey's and so did the others as well.

Despite that mess, I'm actually pretty proud of today: picked up soil for Ranne's class' planting project (and the little costs begin); dropped him off; stopped at the post office; vaccuumed out the car; fed family lunch; napped the boys and caught up on reciepts and bills before baby comes (last baby, I forgot to pay the bills); cleaned, folding and put away all laundry; stopped at Sonic; picked up Ranne; cleaned car seats and Trey (who the drink spilt on; R finished his homework; fed all a strange dinner; we had a movie night and they're now in bed. I'm going to address some thank you cards and tuck myself in.

Goodnight all as well as a congratulations to both my dad and brother on their new jobs! I feel oddly relieved for them to have a change or just...work. God is very good. Dad said on the phone tonight that he's not sure he's been so happy with a previous employment situation. That is very exciting.

From Twig to Branch

Ranne is growing up too fast, faster than I can blink. Lately when looking at him, I have a strange overwhelming urge to just sit on him to make him stop.

Here the boys are on Ranne's first day of school. Yes, his pants are rolled up. Being the mother I am, I was not going to buy him new pants for school and have him grow out of them in the first week. I tried getting a serious picture as well, without his brothers, but the sprinkler soaked my backhalf as I tried to edge further from the house into the yard, all as the neighbor came up to talk. We were late.

And then, what does he go and do but loose his first tooth, on his first day of school! The nerve. Scott took him to the dentist the day before so he could have that experience. The hygentist discovered his tooth was loose. Why did he never mention it? Perhaps it's similar to when I was his age and discovered my hair fell out; I thought I had cancer and was dying. I saw it happen in a movie and assumed I was a gonner but didn't tell Mom for months, sure it would crush her. Ranne was pretty giggly over his tooth discovery, though.

To add to the tooth story, he submitted to the 'Tooth Fairy" game, knowing it's a game and who the fairy is. He and I put the tooth under the pillow and had a big conversation about it to be playful. Well, the fairy is new to this business in the Free House, having just graduated (or been forced into the job). She FORGOT to put the prize under the pillow and woke to find a teary son staring at her as she slept. He tossed the tooth on the bedside table and said, "THIS is what she left me." AHHHHHHH. The pain. The sadness and disappointment. Why did I have to forget the first time! I made up for it the next night with the quarter and a note written in tiny fairy print.

Lastly, here are the new wheels--and gas tank. It, as the man who sold it told us, is not a sipper. But, it will get our people around, as well as a couple extras. It also keeps us, me, sober when deciding whether a trip across town really has to happen. Most often it's "no", though cabin fever has set in. We do have the Fiat for commuting around town when it's just Scott or myself. We hope to get that going fairly soon. Yet the Suburban is a 99 so has some work to be done first, like getting the doors to open from the INSIDE. We are blessed to have it. So blessed!

Otherwise, baby is active and progressing. We expect her arrival any day, hoping is sooner rather than later. Due date is, again, September 7th but she's already big and healthy.

God bless you.

Wow.

I am humbled by this. On a day that it couldn't be less deserved, Scott and the boys show up with these after a late night at the ball fields. Scott often shows his pursuit, I think, of being Christ-like in that he will show so much kindness and love even when it's been undeserved and memorably one of my worst days. So, thank you, Love. Humbled, thankful and loved.

Scott took this on Sunday morn. All around the round mother....

Memories....

He looks a bit like a vampire here, we think. For some strange reason, he's been putting soap in his hair while doing the hand-washing routine. I commented on it to Scott earlier that day so Toby decided to impress us with a full hair-load.

My summer swimmers. Cuties.

Buying Bourbon

We have gratefully been borrowing some friends' Suburban until we can find a vehicle. It's strange to be a family without any wheels at all, to say the least. A friend and I talked in Chick-Fil-A today about working toward an attitude of gratitude while purposefully living with less. It's hard to train a child's heart toward contentment we ourselves struggle while making sacrifices and trying to shuffle important things like modes of transportation. The urgency combined with desire to be wise with God's provisions can be a difficult mixture. I'm glad the search is over.

Since we've been driving our friends' vehicle, our two-year-old talks about going to get in the Bourbon. We've been a little amused by this. Well today we bought Bourbon, a 99 Suburban with 140,... miles on it. We've been praying that God help us find a dependable way to move our four little people around. Today we found the first reasonable option and our offer was accepted. We were able to purchase it and purchase a couple things like tires and brake pads for what we sold our two cars for minus what we've spent on vin number checking and mechanic checks on a couple other cars. This one has some work needed, but nothing we're intimidated by or can't do personally. We're thanking God and will continue to even when things break. At least we have a way to get to the doctor to have a baby!

Which reminds me, the church threw a beautiful duel shower for the babies coming. My cousin did the decorating for it and it was so pretty! Yellow, white, black and gray colors with a tea-like theme. The ladies made wonderful treats and the church was beyond generous. We're going through all the clothes and blankets with much anticipation ('I' would be more appropriate; Scott's tolerating the mess as I try to organize). The other woman is Marin. She's due about a week-and-a-half before ours.

Otherwise, Ranne begins first grade on the 16th. We take him in for registration on the 11th. I am very jittery about this and worry about whether or not he's ready. They've said NOTHING about our home schooling him or asked to check and see where he's at academically. I worry a bit with his dyslexia as well as wonder whether the fact that some letters he hasn't figured out how to write properly will be a problem. But I'm sure he'll catch up fine. He reads well. I know he'll be a precious boy in class. It will be good for this silly mom to see the school and meet some people. Sigh. I feel like such a nerd.

Here are some pictures from the shower: