Nice Weekend so Far!

Our weekend started a little bit early because Matthew & Jacob were both off from school yesterday, and I took the day off from work to spend the day with them. Unfortunately, Rob wasn't off work...but we made the best of it anyway! We slept in...which is always nice! Then we went to Barnes & Noble for hot cocoa and to look at books. We then picked up McAlister's Deli for lunch and headed to the park. We spent a good part of the afternoon there...it was gorgeous outside. Nice day.

This morning, Jacob had another flag football game. This was the first Saturday that Rob hasn't worked in probably two months and he was excited to get to go! Jacob was hot today...he scored two touchdowns and pulled three flags! He was excited. The first touchdown happened so fast I didn't even have my camera out of the bag...the second I got him from the back...you'll see him carrying the ball in the top photo...he's number 5! After the game, Rob headed out to combine beans, and I took the boys to Pioneer Orchard's fall festival. We had fun...but it really started to get cool & windy, and Matthew wasn't feeling the greatest. They made sand bottles, rode horses, went thru the hay maze, and ate. We had a fun time. We've been home now for a while...we made mini apple pizzas and the guys are now watching a Scooby Doo marathon! Fun day.

Congratulations to Stacy today...she's getting married in Louisville KY. Even though we couldn't be there today, we wish her and her husband a lifetime of happiness.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Rob & I were able to meet with both teachers this evening for Parent/Teacher Conferences. We were so happy to hear that both boys are doing great, and have adjusted quite nicely to their new schools! This is such an answer to prayer! The boys are so blessed to have two wonderful teachers that really care about their students. We couldn't have asked for a better transition.

To celebrate, we took the kids to the batting cage and they were thrilled!

Have a great Wednesday!

What a Lovely Monday...

can you sense the sarcasim??

Around 11:00 am I received a call from the school nurse at West Lane Elementary. Matthew was complaining of stomach aches but he was not running a fever. I went to pick him up and as we just stepped out of the school doors, he threw up. I headed back inside to let the secretary know...she happily said..."we'll take care of it"!
After about 5 more episodes of that at home (thankfully he made it to the bathroom each time!) he felt well enough to go to Jacob's flag football practice.

When I went to pick Jacob up from school at three...he walked to the van with an ice pack held up to his mouth and he had tears in his eyes. :( He had fallen in his classroom face down on the floor...he really didn't know what happened! His sweet teacher took care of him and by the time I held him a little bit when he got home, he was fine. He wasn't going to miss flag football practice!

All is well now...both are asleep.

Jacob got his first science test back today and he didn't miss one question! He was very proud...as were we!

Parent-Teacher conferences are tomorrow night...hopefully all will go well.

All About Me by Jacob Moore

Jacob will be Star of the Week this coming week at school! His teacher sent home an "all about me" page that he had to fill out. Here are his answers:

1. My favorite color is: Camoflage

2. My favorite book is: Lego Star Wars Dictionary

3. My favorite T.V. program is: Spongebob

4. My favorite sport is: Football

5. When I grow up, I want to be: a fisherman

6. I'm special because: Jesus Loves Me.

7. The place I'd most like to visit is: LegoLand

8. My favorite food is: catfish

9. One thing I really want to learn is: skateboarding

10. The best thing about me is: that I love my family

11. The people in my family are: my Dad, my Mom, my brother Matthew

12. I have a pet: named Oliver and Calli, two cats

13. My best friend is: William

14. The person I most admire is: my Dad

15. My favorite subject in school is: reading

Pics from Johnson's Shut-Ins, Labor Day 2010

When I picked Jacob up from school today, he was SO excited. He has his 1st science test tomorrow and he was ready to study! His test is on different habitats...the wetlands, forests, oceans & desert. We studied together and I think he'll do great! I do NOT remember taking a science test in 1st grade! Matthew is eagerly awaiting his first science test to come back from the teacher graded!

Tonight was Upward Flag Football practice for Jacob and he was supposed to wear his Jersey and boy was he ready to go! He had a BLAST...his first game is Saturday morning. His team name is the Chargers and he's number 5. He was so excited to get Albert Pujols number...and he's not even in football! In the meantime, I'll be checking in to a "football for dummies" online course! Ha Ha! I have a lot to learn...as does Rob! We were in the same boat when Matthew started soccer many years ago.

Happy Birthday to my brother, Paul, today! Hope you had a great day!

We started off today by going to church, and boy am I glad we did. Our pastor's message today was on grace and he gave this analogy...God's grace is like when you're sitting on the edge of the vast ocean and the waves keep rolling in...one right after the other. God's grace is like that...continuous and never-ending. Great sermon today!

After church Rob & Jacob (it was his turn today!) headed out to the farm to finish combining the corn. Matthew & I took the van...I hadn't seen the combine yet and wanted to take a few pictures. Jacob had a wonderful day...he got to play in a big corn bin...and then Rob helped him make a spear...with an actual arrowhead. He was on cloud 9 when they got home.

We ended the day with a double-header baseball game...Matthew's team won both games. Yeah!!

Catch Up!

It has been SO LONG since I've posted and there is so much that I want to share, including photos! We've had a busy last month or so and I'm going to try and remember as best I can what we've been up too!

Rob: He's been so busy lately with work. Penzel has acquired several bridge jobs and each one has a specific time-line. This past week he has left home at 4:00 am and hasn't gotten home until 8:00 pm. We miss him! It's been rough on him but he never complains. He has missed going to the boys' sports practices but knows that it is only temporary. He has also started shelling corn this past week, well, this past Friday. He was off work and then had to work today. Weird! We are now combine owners! He found an awesome deal on a combine so he bought it...just needed a few touch-up things done to it and now it works GREAT. Corn prices have gone up overnight so we are thankful that God has provided this extra income for us. It will be very helpful for us over the winter when Rob isn't working as much.

Becky: Not much to say about me! I continue to work part-time @ Siemers & Pizza Pro and am completely happy with that! I stay busy with the boys' activities and helping with homework in the evening. Been spending a bit of time lately reading...just finished "Choosing to See"...a must read.

Matthew: We celebrated his 10th birthday while on vacation in Florida in July. He got BRACES in August and he just looks GREAT! His smile is really cute and he hasn't complained yet! This fall he has started soccer training again and he'll play fall baseball...his first game is tomorrow afternoon. At school he has joined the Mark Twain lunch club...he did this on his own and just told us afterward! They meet once a month over lunch and he has to read some of the nominees for the Mark Twain award. We are so proud of him that he has developed a love for reading!

Jacob: We recently celebrated Jacob's 7th birthday in September! He got a skateboard for his birthday (he has asked for one for 2 years now and we finally gave in!) and he is doing GREAT with that...helmet, knee/elbow/wrist pads are a must! No exception! He seems to have given up soccer...which is okay! He wanted to play Upward Flag Football this fall so we signed him up! He's had two practices so far and loves it...his best friend is on his team so I'm sure that helps! He loves school! One morning he was visited by the "desk fairy"...she had left him a lollipop for having a clean desk...he was thrilled!

Family Stuff: We were able to take a wonderful vacation at the end of July to Orlando, Florida. We had absolutely nothing planned and we ended up having a wonderful time! We spent a lot of the time in the pool areas at our condo, we went to Sea World, Downtown Disney...and the highlight was our day trip to Daytona Beach! It was awesome there and we would love to go back.

The Thursday before school started we took the boys to Kansas City to see the Yankees play! This was a dream trip for Matthew...but I must say that we all enjoyed it and want to do it again! It was a quick trip...the game was Thursday night and Rob had to work Friday! The things Rob does for us! Even though it was one day, we will never forget it!

The boys started new schools this year! Jacob now attends Orchard Drive Elementary and Matthew attends West Lane Elementary. They are within walking distance of each other, and of our house. The transition was a smooth one and I want to thank all of you that have prayed for us about this. The boys LOVE their schools, their teachers...and are learning and having fun at the same time! Matthew's school has already had grandparent's day and both Rob's parents and mine were able to go and have lunch with Matthew!

On Labor Day we went to Johnsons' Shut-Ins State Park. It was a beautiful day and we even did a little hiking! It's a GREAT place to visit and we'd love to go back!

That's about it in a nutshell! We give thanks to God each and every day for the blessings he has given us...good health, work for Rob, family & friends...all of the things that are really important in life!

Thanks for reading our blog...hopefully I can keep this up on a more daily basis!

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday we went to an outlet mall and swam the rest of the afternoon at the condo. Went to Planet Hollywood for supper...cool and LOUD!

Today we're headed to Daytona beach!

Monday

After legoland in downtown disney (we could not get the boys out of there!!!), we ate at the T-Rex...like the rainforest cafe but with dinosaurs...pretty cool. Rob fixed bacon & eggs this morning and now we're headed to Sea World for the day. Kids get in for five bucks so we can afford to go!

Sunday

Had a late breakfast at Ihop this. Spent a couple hours at the pool. Getting cleaned up, eating lunch here at the condo. Then headed to Downtown Disney to Legoland!

We're Wimps!

Didn't make it straight thru driving to Orlando! Had to stop about an hour past Atlanta @ 3 am. We'll be at our condo in about 1 hour. The boys are ready to swim and so are we! Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Headed to Florida!

We are taking off for a few days to Florida...will hopefully post while we're there!

A FUN night and a SAD night...

at the baseball park tonight. I'll start with the sad news and a prayer request. There are 13 boys on Matthew's all-star team. One of the boys, Brody, is at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis with inoperable brain cancer. They found out only a few short days ago. At the last practice that he was at, he was having great difficulty seeing so his parents took him to an eye doctor. This is how they found out. Please pray for him and his family. He is actually going to be at the all-star game on Saturday watching from the bench...these are his wishes. The boys are having his initials monogrammed on the back of their hats to show their support. It is just so sad. Regular eye exams are a must...I've heard that lots of medical conditions/problems can be seen thru the eyes. Just made the boys their appointments a week ago. Please pray.

The coach told all the boys the news about Brody...then he gave them the option of having practice or not, or just having a fun game of baseball. The boys wanted to play against the Dads...so that's what they did and they all had a great time. Jacob even got to play on the team with the Dads and had several good hits!

Give your kids an extra hug tonight (or today)...you never know what tomorrow will bring.

All-Star Baseball Scrimmage

Matthew was asked to play on the Baseball All-Star 9 year-old team to represent Jackson. He was thrilled! Since the end of the season, he's been practicing with this team and tonight they had a scrimmage against the 10-year old team. Pretty rough...until the bottom of the 4th. Bases loaded, Matthew is up to bat. Score is 5-0, we're losing. Matthew hits a blast over 1st base and scores 3 runs! Then he steals 3rd & home...end score was 5-4...!!!! They lost, but Matthew didn't really care! 1st tournament is this weekend here in Jackson, Saturday night at 5:00 is their 1st game. Should be exciting!!!

The Yankees take 1st Place!!!

Matthew's team tonight took 1st place in the 9-year old baseball tournament to end the season! They were undefeated going in to the tournament and remained undefeated to the end! Tonight Matthew hit a triple and had 2 RBI's. They won 14-4. GREAT night for a baseball game!

Happy 36th Birthday, Derek Jeter!

In honor of Derek Jeter's birthday today, we had a little celebration which was Matthew's idea (of course!) The pictures tell all!

Jacob...Doing What He Loves BEST...FISHING!

One of the nights that Matthew was gone at camp, Rob, Jacob & I went out to his parent's pond to let Jacob fish. He is quite the fisherman, and I believe that he would sit ALL DAY fishing. He baits his own hook, catches the fish, and unhooks the fish from his line...all by himself!

He Makes All Things New ~ Revelation 21:5

Pinecrest Summer Camp 2010

Matthew had a GREAT time at camp this past week. They went to Fredericktown, MO this year (instead of 5 hours away past Nashville!) and Matthew claims that it was even better than last year! (when he got back last year he said it was the "best time ever"!) Summer camp just keeps getting better & better, I guess! The verse at the top of my post was the theme for the week, and all memory verses, Bible discussions, etc. were based around this verse. The electives that he chose this year were: Clay Works, Woodworking, Fishing, Sports & Tie-Dye Shirts. Free time was spent swimming in the lake, swimming in the pool, and it seems there was a lot of WRESTLING going on during free time! I am so glad that our church provides this camping opportunity for the kids...it goes until age 12...then on to Junior High/High School Camp! Jacob MIGHT be able to go next year...he says he's ready! I'm posting a couple of pictures but as soon as our chapel website posts more I'll post some more on here.

What a Ballgame!!!

Tonight Matthew's baseball team, the Yankees, played against the only other undefeated team in their league, the Diamondbacks. The Yankees WON 12-1!!!!! Matthew had a great night...2 hits (a fly ball to the outfield & one down the 3rd baseline) and a walk. Then, he slid in to 3rd on a hit and was safe! Awesome night. Now his team is the only undefeated team in the league!!!

Doesn't this photo just scream...CUTENESS?!?!

Back-Up Again! 3rd Grade Basketball - Matthew

This past January & February Matthew played basketball on a parochial school league with the boys in his class. He had a great time playing but, as always, the season was too short! Here are a couple of photos...sorry for the blurriness!

Melaina Cunningham Playground Walk-A-Thon

Back in March (I'm playing catch-up again!) several of you had donated to a walk-a-thon that Jacob & Matthew's class at school had participated in...thank you for the donations! The Walk-A-Thon raised approximately $10,500 for Melaina's playground! It was a HUGE success. Here are a few photos:

{4-21-10}

We were sitting at the supper table this evening when Jacob wanted to tell us something very important. It was so cute...he sat there very excitedly and then said, "Mom, I've just got so many things right now going on in my head that I just can't get one thing out...you know, like baseball, reading, school, my friends...it's all in there and I just can't get it out"! I thought to myself, "Jacob...I know EXACTLY what you mean!"

{April 19, 2010}

Just wanted to remember this...Matthew asked me tonight if I wanted to see his "signature". I said "sure"...then he wrote his name and he said, "This is how I'm going to sign my name when I get drafted by the Yankees"!!!

Building an Animal Habitat (April 2010)

Matthew had to build an animal habitat for a school project that is due on Tuesday. He chose a white-tailed deer for his project...we NEVER would have guessed he would pick a deer (ha ha...it IS his favorite animal!!) Because Matthew was building one...Jacob wanted to also...he chose to build a dinosaur habitat! How cute. Here are a few photos:

Jacob & Upward Basketball - Jan-Mar 2010

This was Jacob's 1st year to play Upward Basketball. Upward is an awesome program for youth that Lynwood Baptist Church in Cape sponsors. Jacob had Bible verses he had to learn and he learned alot about good sportsmanship & showing Christ-like behavior while playing the sport. He LOVED it...he's ready for next year already! At the end of the season there was a closing at the church that involved a LOT of fun and the kids were all given Upward backpacks. Here's a few photos!

Happy Easter!

Wishing all of you a very blessed Easter...Jesus is the reason we celebrate today! My Mom & Dad joined us for church today at Cape Bible Chapel, and then we headed out to Rob's parents' house for the afternoon. It was an awesome day...baseball, fishing, riding in the mule...and more fishing! Here are a few pics: