Mayhem in Memphis

Mayhem in Memphis ~ November 10 2012

Fynneus 40lb pre-bantam 2nd place

Rollin 40lb bantam 1st place

Tucker 55lb intermediate  2nd place

trying to catch up!

I know I have really been slacking on blogging about my sweet sweet boys but I feel like I am always just trying to catch up these days.  Even as I write this I should be cleaning the kitchen and putting laundry away, and Koda needs a bath because she rolled in something awful this morning.  But here is the thing that I am forcing my self to take the time to write down......


Yesterday I had to take Tucker to the Doctor for an eye infection and and while we where waiting for his prescription to be filled I began talking to him about Christmas.  I told him that we were not going to   have much money for Christmas this year because we are getting ready to move and I explained to him that we would need to pay to rent trucks and a new house would require deposits and money up front.  With out even missing a beat he said "well I could help". I turned to look at him and said "you could? How?" He said "well with Fynn and Rolli, I could make their presents."  Then he talked a little bit about things he could make them, including duct tape wallets and whips.   It was so sweet and refreshing to watch this response from him. I was expecting him to be sad that he wouldn't be getting much and instead he was so selfless and eager to help make the Holiday special for his younger brothers.  He is so good, and so sweet.

More to do, less to say

I know I have been slacking on my blogging lately but it isn't because I have nothing to write about! In fact I dare say we have been more busy than ever around here!  The Boys are playing soccer this fall. Tucker and Rollin are on a 2nd and 3rd grade team together and Fynneus is on a 5 and 6 year old team.  They are picking up the sport very quickly. I on the other hand, am having a hard time feeling comfortable in the "assistant coach" role I volunteered for! The same great guy is coaching both of the boys teams so when I heard he needed help I jumped right in. I don't know if I will ever get used to kids calling me coach!  Anyway the boys did great in their first game. They ran and kicked their little hearts out! Also they have been doing gymnastics at a place nearby and seem to be enjoying it. Although Tucker is ready for it to be over, Rollin and Fynn say they really want to continue. I think Tucker is ready to get started with wrestling for the season, which should be starting any day actually.  (can i just throw a side note in here that i am really uncomfortable, and our comfy desk chair is out in the woods somewhere. Boys) Back to Gymnastics then! Rollin seems to be getting really close to doing a back hand spring! They all do amazing at all of the apparatus'. The rings, parallel bars, rope climb, trampoline, floor! It is so fun to watch them! I do hope Rollin and Fynn stay with it for a while it seems to be a great thing!  Of course we have been doing school but nothing really amazing, just getting the bare bones done so we can enjoy (or work) the rest of the day.  Then of course there is the Big BIg NEWS! We are moving to Kentucky! We are super excited about this move, but of course there are a ton of people we will miss here too!  We have definitely made this our home and it will be hard to leave, but hearing how excited our family up north is to have us closer makes it easier for sure!  So there has been a lot of cleaning and boxing and painting and organizing and de-cluttering and painting! There is so much to get done before a move and the last time I did it I had three little babies, and we weren't actually selling a home! But I have this sort of built in confidence that everything will work out, and I know I can do practically anything on my own with just hard work because I've watched my parents all my life! They know how to make things happen and they give amazingly motivational pep talks. But i think their example is the most motivating. I know they did it so I can too, just like learning to walk and talk and everything else I've watched them do. Just like finding the love of your life and then working to keep a strong marriage, I watched them do that too!  So guess how excited I am that they are going to be moving to Kentucky too!  I am grateful because it means I get to keep watching them and that means i get to keep learning from them! So on to some boy stories........

The other day we were picking up pizza or Chinese after a long day of errands and soccer practice and I was starting to back out of my parking spot. Fynneus was still trying to get into his seat and buckled in and i hear him say "ahh, hold on I can't even identify right now!"

Tucker was riding the dirt bike a few days ago and as he took off into the woods and over the jumps on the trail i heard him shout "Blood and glory!"

Today I noticed Rollin was giving Fynn lessons on the "air guitar".

Tucker has finished four books in the last few weeks and is now reading "Moby Dick", a youth version, but still he is really enjoying it!

Rollin wants to be something creepy and bloody for Halloween.

Well I know there is a lot more to say but my brain is shutting down for the night and we have two soccer games and a birthday party tomorrow so I'd better get some sleep!

Tuckers 9th Birthday

Tucker's last year in the single digits! Thadeus wanted to do something special with him for his birthday this year so the two of them went over to Arkansas, on the White River, for a all day guided fishing trip. I think they both had a great time and Tucker tole me that he wasn't trying to hurt my feelings but that he had been having so much fun he didn't even miss me!  On his actual birthday the weather was so beautiful that we ended up outside most of the day. We were all out front riding bikes, well i was just taking photos, but all the boys were ramping bikes and having a great time. Thadeus got the little dirt bike out for Tucker to ride. I think that made his day!  We made a pinata and tried to round up all the neighborhood boys to whack it with us but most of them were not home. Our friend Noah came down though and the boys had fun smashing it with the bat, all except Rollin who was last in line and didn't get to hit it.  We went out to dinner that night for BBQ ribs, Tucker's choice of course. And for desert........ root beer floats!  I can't believe I have been his mom for nine years! He is amazing! I love you Tucker James Andrew! 

August 13th

Well lets just see if i can focus for a moment and document a few things. First of all The school next to us began classes today which has applied to me the great pressure of needing to ready this family of mine for the school year. I will officially be schooling three children. A third grader, a second grader and a kindergardener! I'm definitely feeling the pressure!  So I spent quite a lot of time this afternoon unsuccessfully searching for just the right curriculum.  I guess I'll have to leave that on the mile long "to-do" list.  However, this morning was a bit more successful. I managed to get all three boys signed up for soccer. Tucker and Rollin will be on a team together, with the same coach and some of the same kids from their baseball team.  Okay it was the last day for sign ups, and yes sign ups have been going on for at least a month and a half but look they are signed up now and with a couple of hours to spare!  Success!  After that we had an extremely pleasing library visit. The boys were so well behaved I was sort of blown away. They were each allowed to choose 5 books.  It is important for us to establish a number before we enter the library and it worked very well, although Tucker and ROllin each came home with six, Fynneus definitely had just five. I am certain because he counted and stacked them 7 times before we checked out.  Tucker had some specific topics in mind, so we asked the librarian to help. He wanted books on edible plants, animal tracks and signs, and a "how to guide" on field dressing animals, specifically deer.  The librarian was so sweet and eager to help and she found tucker a whole stack of books on these various topics.  Then to find a book on edible plants we had to cross over into the adult section of the library.  There we found multiple books on edible plants and even one on medicinal plants which is currently his favorite.  After the librarian retreated to her desk Tucker began to look through the stack of "juvenile" books she had found for him. He was so disheartened at the content and drawings/images in these "baby books". So we continued to look through the adult selections and while this was more up to par with his interest he quickly realized that his own reading skills are not yet refined enough to devour the information the way he would like to.  I encouraged him the best I could and assured him that his reading will improve but he was solemn for a good part of the afternoon.  Everyone seemed (mostly) content with their selections so we checked out and I was really not even too disappointed  about not getting a single book for myself, although I was longing for some inspirational homeschooling and parenting information, I was glad just to walk out still calm and collected and with three, okay, two smiling boys. Success!!  Then we went to get groceries! I don't really feel like talking about it. Fast forward a bit to this afternoon. Rollin approaches me with complaints of a headache, I am in the middle of insisting that he drink a glass of water when Tucker pipes in, "hey Rollin would you like me to make you some lemon balm tea, we have it in our garden it will help with your headache".  Rollin happily agrees and they run out the door to gather leaves. Rewind back to breakfast: The plan is to make scrambled eggs with crumbled sausage and onion, I grab my favorite skillet, drizzle in the olive oil, chop the onion, and then as I add it to the skillet I think to myself "that oil looks funny" then grab the bottle to add just a dash more olive oil, and as I tip it into the skillet, like I do almost every morning I realize I am holding in my hand the fancy bottle of dish soap that normally sits next to the sink.  Fail.


Unrelated to today, I took Fynn grocery shopping with me and he saw some black cherries in the produce section and began to beg for them as if it where a rare forbidden candy. I agreed and he cheered and thanked me repeatedly. When we got home in all the confusions of unloading groceries and breaking up fighting brothers I sent all three boys into the living room, they were slightly disgruntled over the situation but Fynn announced to them, "well we got cherries, and that's good news!"

puddles and smiles

Fynn-tastic!