That’s right, folks! Honey took another walk last night and received paper that says he finished another Master’s Degree.  (For those keeping score at home. . . we have been married 12.5 years and 7 of those have involved Honey attending an institution of higher learning.)  I am so very proud of him and so thankful for the way God provided for His education. . . again.

The ceremony was held in a beautiful church in Midtown and everyone who graduated was part of the School of Professional Studies. . . that means everyone was over 30, most had children, and one even had to have help walking across the stage because she was so much older.  It was exciting to be a part of it all.

It was also a very “you and me” evening.  It was the first thing we’ve done with no extended family surrounding us; it was just me on a pew clapping for my other half.  I am not a “hoot and holler” type gal and I was a bit panicked that people would hear crickets and a lone clapper when Honey walked across the stage.  Truth is that folks we don’t know rejoiced with us because they had lived the challenge too and knew that this man had accomplished something huge.

Congrats, Honey! I am so very proud of you and can’t wait to see how God’s going to use these things you have learned.

I had decided for him – he wasn’t doing baseball.   I had decided that he wasn’t super coordinated and so he wouldn’t want to play; he wouldn’t want to stand around and not play.  I was selfish.  I was wrong.

Bubs is on a 1st grade baseball team with 18 of his “closest friends”.  The first practice was in  April and since then we have had two practices and two games. . . all the others have been cancelled due to rain.  It’s comical how it has rained on Tuesdays and Saturdays. . . random and comical.

Bubs is having a blast.  There is really only one boy who seems to have skills and the rest of the team is struggling to learn the basics.  Honey has been out in the yard working with Bubba but there is only so much one can expect from seven-year olds.  It was fun to watch how much Bubba likes it.  He wants to do better and is willing to practice.  His relationships are also fun to watch; the Lord is giving him friends

There’s been two games and he’s had two hits.

The coaches have been encouraging and kind.

The team is 0-2 but Bubba was able to score one run and bat in another.  The Lord has truly been gracious.

And what does Bubba have to say to all this?
“I really want to play basketball, mom.”

THAT’S MY BOY!!!!!

For the mother of small children, Mother’s Day is not all it’s cracked up to be.  This is why. . . 

This Mother’s Day was full of firsts for me.  My kids turned a corner on understanding the “holiday” and I benefitted, for sure.

KB brought me breakfast in bed. . . a Toaster Strudel, baby carrots with ranch dressing and iced coffee.

I picked what we would eat for lunch and we took it to the park so the kids could play and I could sit in the glorious surroundings of creation.

KB and I had a tea party and “serious” conversation.  She also sang me a song that she wrote right there on the spot.  The line I remember is that “mommies are mighty, strong, and eternal”.  Sheesh.

I went out with girlfriends for dinner.  It was actually funny to see five of us out on Mother’s Day withOUT any of our children, but our dear friend April was in town and it was necessary to catch up and eat Mexican!!! So. Much. Fun.

I didn’t call my mom all day.  I sent a quick text in the A.M. but decided that my gift to her was that the phone wasn’t going to ring all day.

Hope you had a great Mother’s Day – - – whether you were being loved on or doing the loving.

Tuesday night I was watching one of the shows I enjoy (“Body of Proof”) and Honey entered the room.  Honey has never watched this show with me but his company was a welcome change and we settled into the comfortableness of just being together.  It was all going so well until the dramatic moment in the middle of the show when the music intensified and the camera revealed the back portion of a crashed plane through the trees.

Honey put his iPad down and said, “RIGHT!!! How did he miss that??? SERIOUSLY! HOW did he not see that???” I quietly responded, “You are welcome to be here but you are not allowed to say anything negative about my show.

Just now I was putting socks away and as I put Honey’s socks into his drawer I noticed a purple stripe and realized one of KB’s socks had gotten into Honey’s drawer somehow.  Then I saw another child sock.  Then another.  I ended up with eight socks that belonged to other members of the family! The kids have been telling me that they have no socks and I just couldn’t figure out where they were all going. . . turns out the dryer was NOT the culprit.

To be honest, if there are kiddo socks in Honey’s drawer it means that I put them there.  I have no recollection of doing so and cannot imagine the circumstances under which such a thing would happen, but I own my part in the story.

That said, I am on my way  to tell my Honey about the eight pairs of socks that have been staring at him from his drawer for what may have been weeks and to let him know that THAT is how the guy missed the burning plane (that was through the trees and off to the side); he was focused on the dying woman.” (Of course Tommy was focused.  Tommy is not an idiot.  Tommy is Tommy!) Or, comparatively,  he was “looking for blue socks” and so all the kiddo socks “blended in with the brown, navy, and black dress socks.” (Honey knows what it’s like to be focused.  Honey is NOT an idiot.  Honey is Honey!)

Sigh.  I love that story. . .

I wish I could get fit from just watching this. . . I love watching this!

April has been a whirlwind.  I’ve been working at the security desk at the kids’ school.  Beyond the fact that every child feels so much safer with me there *wink*, it has meant a lot less time to complete things around the house.  I’ve realized that blogging hasn’t been a regular occurrence and I have decided that is, in part, due to the hours my kids spend at school. . . away from me. . . doing heaven only knows what.

Actually, this April I do know some of what they were doing.

• I walked by KB’s room at school last week and everyone was sitting in circle time. . . everyone BUT KB, who was sitting with her head down at a table nearby.  Nice.
• Bubba came home from school this week and told me it wasn’t his best day.  He had to go stand in the back of the room (behind his classmates, he clarified) because it was the second time he had been silly.  Nice.
• I got a call from Little’s teacher telling me that there had been an accident and they had no clean clothes . . . or shoes. . . for Little to wear.  I asked what happened and, apparently, Little’s shoes had been bothering her and the teachers had told her repeatedly that she would have to keep them on.  SO, my little girl went into the bathroom and proceeded to pee on her shoes! Yep, you heard me! PEE ON HER SHOES so that she could take them off.  It was effective.  They asked me to bring her clothes but it was an hour before school ended and so I picked her up and we came home to discuss the consequences for her actions.

What ELSE has been going on this April? My mom came for a visit.

The girls found new places/ways to play their LeapPads.

Cardinals Baseball started again:

Little has been picking the paint off the bottom shelf of her bookshelf (it’s better than bloody fingers but it’s still obnoxious) and so Little has learned to vacuum! 

And we spent date night at a nearby Laundromat since our dryer was on the fritz and the laundry well had run dry.  I told Honey it was one of the most romantic dates we’ve been on in a while. . . it was really fun.  It was extra fun to leave with every article of clothing we own (except for the clothes on our backs) CLEAN!!! AND FOLDED!!!!

Oh, and in case you are wondering . . . I was sincere about the romantic nature of the date. It was so fun to stand their and pull clothes from the dryers together and chat.  We women just love to chat.  And the issue with the dryer was only  the need for a replaced vent hose. WOW.  Who knew a change so small could make such a HUGE difference.  My first load of clothes after the hose was replaced took 15-20 min to dry.  HEAVEN.

Only two days left in April and only 19 days till school is out.  I’m going to end this post right here because that last sentence seems to have stimulated a panic attack! I need to go make a list!!!