Panther Fans

Evan is having so much fun attending the middle school football games that Matthew is coaching at. This last Thursday it had FINALLY cooled down a little, too, so it really felt like football weather. This the first year for a football team for our school and it is a combination team with players from our school (a county school) and the middle school from the city. The community is really supporting the team and the games are crowded and so fun. It is fun to see lots of my students from last year. They are all begging me to bring Chloe, but she stays with her grandmother and granddaddy instead. Every week we have gone, we've had to get Evan some new Panthers merchandise so he now looks like quite a fan. Last week he had his "beatin sticks" and we bought him a shaker (or pom pom as he calls it), but he kept looking around at all of the other people. As we were walking to the concession stand holding hands, he looked up at me and asked in the sweetest voice, "Mom, can I have a Panthers shirt?". Well, of course we had to get him one. It's a little big, but his dad is having one his size made for him. Here a few pictures of all of us from Thursday's game. They played wonderfully and beat the other team 40 to zero! They are doing really well this season. They've had a couple of losses, but overall they are doing great for such a new team. I'm always nervous on game night, not because I really care if they win or lose (of course I hope they'll win, but I'm not that competitive by nature), but because if they lose Matthew does not sleep for like a week afterwards. He obsesses over the loss. He worries and replays the game in his head over and over. That is something I don't understand. I will be one of those mothers who is always telling our children it's ok, you tried your best and Matthew will have Evan out in the yard practicing! LOL.

Evan and I have some interesting conversations on our way to the games as well. Here is one of our latest ones:

Evan: Mom, what does "butt-kicking injuns (ninjas)" mean?
Me: Evan, I'd rather you not say that word.
Evan: But Michael Angelo says it. (Curse those darn TMNT)
Me: I know, but I don't like it when you say "butt", it sounds ugly and other people don't like it either, so let's not say it ok?
Evan: But what does it mean?
Me: Well, I think it means that they fight really hard, but I'd really rather you not say it, ok?
Evan:Well..... ok, but when nobody's looking at me, I'm going to say "butt-kicking injuns!"
Me: Ok, I guess I can live with that.

Of course, he has since explained to the people we were sitting beside at the game, his grandmother and granddaddy, and his Poppy and Moppy that "butt-kicking injuns" are ninjas that fight really hard.

3 Months Old

Belated Birthdays

Saturday, September 13th was my neice, Taylor's, birthday. She was born on Friday the 13th twelve years ago. I was there for it and I've tried to be there for her ever since. I've watched her grow into this beautiful young woman and I'm proud of her. I love you, Taylor! We celebrated at my mom's house with cake and ice cream Saturday.

And Sunday, September 14th, Chloe turned 3 months old. I can't believe she is already 3 months old. I did a black and white photo shoot with her here at home just like I did with Evan. I love how most of them turned out. She'll have professional pictures made tomorrow. Here are a few of my happy girl.

The Gas Finger 3000

Evan was riding one of his battery powered trucks around the yard the other day and the power was running low. He told his dad that it was out of gas. Matthew said, "What should we do about it?" Evan said, "I know! We can use my newest invention: The Gas Finger 3000 (holding his pointer finger up). It can put gas in anything!"

With the price of gas right now and the threat of running out, wouldn't you love to have a Gas Finger 3000? We're thinking of selling them on e-bay.

Where Were You...

When the World Stopped Turning?
Today being September 11, it has reminded me of that horrible day in our country. Just like most Americans I will never forget where I was that day. It was my first year teaching. I was teaching kindergarten at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, TN. I didn't even realize what was happening until we came into the hallway for a bathroom break around 10:15. As I walked my class down the hallway I saw several teachers huddled in the hallway crying. I asked someone what was wrong, they said, "A plane has just hit the World Trade Center." I am so naive that I thought it was some sort of plane crash. An accident. Maybe someone flying a small plane who had lost control. It was unfathomable to me that this would be an intentional attack on our country. But, unfortunately I found out all too soon that it was. The school allowed parents to take their kids home if they wanted to. Of course we were not in any danger, but I think everyone just wanted to be with their loved ones and hold them tight. We took the kids we had left outside after lunch. I remember clearly looking up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, much clearer than today. The sky was a brilliant blue. Possibly one of the bluest skies I have ever seen, with fluffy white clouds in stark contrast to the blue. It was calm with just a slight breeze, a little cool, perfect weather. It was the type of day you just feel happy to be alive. I looked up at that sky and then looked back at the innoncent five year olds running around the playground. Playing, laughing, as if they didn't have a care in the world and I began to cry.
A few days later Alan Jackson released this song and it seems I heard it every day on the way to work. I arrived at work with a tear stained face for months. "Teaching a class full of innoncent children"... that's where I was. My own children were just a glimmer of a dream in my heart. Evan would not be born for almost four more years. But now, as I think back to that day and think of the children who lost their parents and of the parents who knew they would never see their children again, my heart breaks all over again. I cannot imagine such agony. I hope that we as Americans never forget that day, the souls that were lost, and what it meant for our country.

The Man Purse

I think it might have been an episode of Seinfeld or maybe even Friends when one of the male characters carries a bag that looks like a purse and dubs it the "man purse" and of course catches a lot of grief for it from all of his buddies. Well this is Evan's version of the man purse:

It is a blue sparkly purse that used to belong to my neice, Taylor. Whenever we go somewhere Evan packs it all up (with boy toys) and takes it with us. This is him getting ready to leave for Matthew's ballgame last week. I did convince him to leave it in the car when got to the football game.

When we were out at dinner with all of our friends this weekend, Evan looked over at his friend Alysse who had her purse with her and sadly said, "I wish I had remembered to bring my purse."

His daddy had never been prouder, ha!

Labor Day Fun!

We went on a mini-vacation this weekend with some friends. Five couples and 8 children, yes that's 18 people, met at Dollywood Sat. morning. We had a great time with all of our friends. It's always so much fun to see everyone and to get the kids together. We did have one kind of trying moment when the wheel on our giant double stroller broke around 4:00 pm. Everyone was already tired and very very hot. We had to unload the two diaper bags and cooler and the two tired kids in order to get the stroller back out of Dollywood. That was not the best moment of the day. Have you seen the show Yes, Dear? We looked like the scene in the opening song where they are trying to get to the beach.

After Dollywood three families went on to a nearby resort for more fun. We ordered pizza that night and spent the next day at the pool. We went out to dinner that night and then to the Nascar Speedway for some rides and fun. We ended the night with a stop at Marble Slab Creamery for some ice cream. The kids (age 5, 3, 2 3/4, 2, and 10 weeks) all did really well together. It was a great weekend. We had some camera trouble but I did get a few pictures, not as many as I would have liked though.

Here is a little clip of Evan driving the Go-Karts... it took him a little while to figure it out, but he was passing Alysse before it was over!

And unfortunately by the time we made it home our van looked like this. Yes, that's right we had a minor car accident while sitting in the bumper to bumper traffic heading out of Pigeon Forge. Don't worry, everyone was fine. In fact, Chloe slept right through it. But it was kind of a rotten end to a nice weekend.