Sentimental mom here.

So we took pictures of MK for her last homecoming tonight. I went back and found pictures of her homecomings throughout high school, so here they are.

Homecoming 2012

We moved here in 1997. New to town, we heard about a homecoming parade. The Big Man was working, so I decided to take MK. We stood by ourselves and watched this small town parade that brought out the entire town. I was so impressed with the community spirit shown in that parade.

Since we had moved around a lot, I could not have envisioned that 15 years later, MK would be graduating from the school and participating in her 4th and final parade.

It was another great parade and a fun night at the football stadium (although we got creamed!) The dance is tonight, and the only word I can use is bittersweet.

Of course I want her to finish school and do well and go on to the next phase other life. It's just these landmark moments that make me wish I could turn back time for a little while and hold that 2 year old with the curls for just a few more minutes.

Another fun part of yesterday happened at school. We had a pep rally at school. The cheerleaders started something new this year: a faculty/staff homecoming court, and they selected me for it. I didn't win queen, but it was a lot of fun and really nice to be recognized.

Spirit week also included dressing up all week. MK showed school spirit all week, and I got into it a bit too.

So here are some pictures. I am the Junior class sponsor, so I've included some pictures of our float. We worked hours and hours on it

Weekend wrap up

The Big Man was off this weekend, so we watched A LOT of football together! Friday night was an away game for MK. T. Willy was sick on Friday, so the Big Man stayed with him during the day, and I stayed home with him Friday night while the Big Man went to the football game to support MK. It was hard to miss it, but T. Willy and I enjoyed ourselves, and he was pretty much all better by the evening. The Bulldogs enjoyed a convincing win, and that was great!

We watched college football all day Saturday. Since the Big Man works most Saturdays, we enjoyed a chance to watch the games live.

We were able to attend church as a family this morning. MK and I work in the "Creeper" room in the early service every week now, and then we met the Big Man and T. Willy for the second service. It was really a great day in the Lord's house.

After that, the NFL and homemade burgers and fries. We played some football outside with the kids - now we're watching the Steelers and getting ready for the week!

I don't have too many new pictures, so I'll just post some random things.

Happy birthday, Big Man!!!

The Big Man turned 44 today. We met right before he turned 19. Wow!!! So here is a picture of him opening a card with T. Willy watching.

Can you hear me now?

I've been trying for a week to post here, but it hasn't been working. I've been posting from my phone for years, so I don't know why, but I send posts, and they don't show up. So, this is just a test. If it works, I'll try to post what I tried before.

It has begun.

Tonight is "Meet the Band" when the band showcases what they've worked on this summer and give us a taste of what to expect for the year. It marks MK's fourth and LAST time being in it. What mixed emotions I feel. I am so happy for her, and I'm excited to see what her future holds. But, selfishly, I will miss being a band mom. A lot.

I have loved watching her in the band for all these years. We sit in the exact same place for home games, and we have tried to go to most of the away games. And, it is all coming to an end. I'm so happy that she had been in the band and had such a great experience. I am also looking forward to watching her this year...her last, and hopefully best!!!

Today's picture was taken Wednesday when we went shopping with her friend..they met where? In band!!!

Skillz

The Big Man worked on a project for me today. I will reveal it when it's finished, because it has been a process. T. Willy helped him and was jumping up and down because he was having so much fun. I remembered that I had gotten him a little kit quite awhile ago, so they worked on it today. It's a little golf hole, and T. has had fun with it - both making it and playing with it.

A first and, I hope, the last.

MK has started "two-a-days" for band. So, the Big Man, T. Willy and I went to our local water park without her today.

We had a really fun time. T. Willy is so brave, and that makes it a lot of fun. He and I decided to try one ride, and the Big Man chose to stay behind in the lazy river. T. did great, and we were having a ball, but sometimes we would get separated because one of us would get caught in a current while the other moved along. This happened a couple of times, and we always caught up with each other.

Then...

I had gotten to the bottom of the ride first and ended up on my way to the lazy river. No worries. I let other people pass me while I waited for him. Then a loud clap of thunder and the signal to get out of the water. (We've been 3 times this summer, and it's happened every time.) This wouldn't have been a problem, but I wasn't in view of T. I told the lifeguard (who was insisting that I get out of the water) that I just wanted to wait till my son caught up with me. But he was insistent. So I had to walk where the wall was low enough for me to climb out, but the whole time telling this lifeguard that I needed to find my son. Then I saw T. Willy walking down a path, so I was relieved that he was out of the water, but his path and mine were quite far, and he couldn't hear or see me. I prayed, "Lord, help me find him," and went to look.

I hurried to try to meet his path, but he was gone. I couldn't see him anywhere. Everyone was out of the water, so it was very crowded. A central area is the food court, and the Big Man found me there. I had to say words I've never said before, "I can't find T." The lifeguards started signaling their lost child call, and it was pretty chaotic because it was raining and people were everywhere - except for my sweet boy.

The lifeguards called for their supervisor, but I thought to head to the lockers, because it was an area he knew. And there was my sweet boy. He was as calm as he could be. I hadn't gotten to the point that I thought I wasn't going to see him again, but he is a very dear and sensitive little guy. I was just worried that he'd be upset, but to my great relief, he was just fine. His first words after I hugged him tight were, "Well, at least you know I can survive." And that prayer works!

Enough excitement for one day. It stormed and stormed, so we went to lunch and then came home.

Here's a picture of T. on Saturday when we were shopping. He was a good sport.

This girl has skills!

Although MK doesn't have a new car, it's the newest car in our family, so it has some features that the rest of our vehicles don't have. It has a sensor that alerted her that she had low tire pressure. We couldn't see anything, but tonight we definitely saw that she had a flat tire. The Big Man was going to change it, but she said she wanted to learn - and learn she did. He instructed her, but she changed the tire pretty much alone. So here are some pictures.

Projects

The Big Man was on vacation this week, and instead of traveling, we had a "staycation." We went to the beach and did a lot of projects around the house. The Big Man hung shelves in my closet, and it's already made a big difference. We bought new living room furniture and a rug and really enjoyed arranging it. We did not enjoy bringing it in the house whatsoever. (I almost ended up with the French doors I've always wanted.) We managed to get it in and hope it doesn't have to go out for a long time.

I started a new project based on something that I saw on Pinterest. We had a stark white wall, and I wanted to dress it up. It isn't finished, but I'll post what I have so far. It's a "family tree." The tree is up, and now I will be badgering, er, asking family to send me some pictures to complete the project. I'll post the picture first of my inspiration, and then I'll post the two stages I've done. Next, I'll get some frames and hang the pictures. The major differences from the inspiration are that I will be asking for group shots, not individual pictures, and my tree is tall not wide.

Beach Day 2.

We had another great day. The Big Man and I went to the beach and had a really nice time. The kids stayed home, and they occupied themselves. The beach was just as pretty today as yesterday. It started to rain, but we were ready to go, so it was good timing.

We are going back to Destin tomorrow, but this time we are going to try the water park. It should be a lot of fun, and we're looking forward to it. I hope to ride everything and then relax in the lazy river!

It's a beautiful day.

We spent the day at the beach today. Oh my goodness. It was more beautiful than I can remember. We were out to our chests and could see our toes perfectly. No seaweed - perfect temp - fun waves.

After the beach, we tried a new place for lunch and had a great time there too. The Big Man and I are planning to go back to the beach tomorrow. I hope it's as nice as it was today.

On a sad note, our sister in law's father passed away today after a battle with cancer. We have a real belief that he is with the Lord, but they're hurting now, so we will continue to pray for the family. We will probably head over to New Orleans for the funeral as soon as we know the details.

Ty can see clearly now....

T. Willy mentioned to the Big Man recently that he had a good eye and a bad eye. So we made an eye appointment for him. He went this morning, and it turns out that he is farsighted and needs glasses. He is very excited. I'm not sure that will last, but I'm glad he isn't dreading it. They may take about two weeks, so I'll post pictures when he gets his real pair.

So here are some pictures of our visit. The last pair of glasses is the pair he is getting, and they gave him a coupon for a free donut, so we stopped to get that for him. He is squinting in the donut picture because his eyes were dilated.

Here comes the (faux) bride.

MK and I went to a bridal shower on Saturday. Her boyfriend's sister is getting married next month, and we were happy to be invited.

They played "use toilet paper to create a wedding dress," and MK was chosen to be the model. She had a lot of fun with it - especially after our team won!!!

Happy 3rd!

T. Willy and I are missing MK, but she is having a great time. Yesterday they went to Atlanta and went to the aquarium and to the Coke museum. She loved both! Today she went hiking to Ruby Anna Falls, and they were going to go tubing, but the weather turned. So they stayed around the cabin.

T. Willy and I have been together, because the Big Man has been working some crazy hours. Fortunately, he had a really short day today, and he may have a short day tomorrow, so it's food that he has had some time off. His parents are in town, so T. Willy spent time with them today. I know he was glad to see someone else.

So here are pictures that MK has sent to me.

Welcome, July!

What a fun day! There was a "Family Day" at church, so T. Willy and I went over to check it out. They had barbecue and games and a bounce house and an inflatable water slide. T. Willy didn't know any of the kids, but he joined right in and had a ball. He was hesitant to climb the slide, and after a couple of stops and starts, I employed a strategy that I am going to use again. A friend posted it on her blog: one honest bite. So I encouraged him to try it once. If he didn't like it, I wouldn't bring it up again, but he needed to try once.

Well, he did it, and once was all it took! He loved it, and did it so many more times that I lost count. It was great that it had water, because I don't have to tell anyone that it is HOT out there! A water slide was just the trick.

If you know me, you'll know that I am a klutz. I completely mean that. I fall way more than most adults that I know. Today was no exception. I just tripped over my own two feet on the pavement. My knee was completely freed of its skin, and it's bruised and swollen. What I am most thankful for, it isn't the knee I hurt when I fell in November. I am just now able to put pressure on it, so it is a blessing that it wasn't the same knee.

MK has been keeping me updated. She is having a lot of fun with her friends. They went to a family reunion yesterday, and today they drive to Helen, Georgia. It's a Bavarian town in northeast Georgia. I looked it up, and I know I'll need to go there one day. They're staying in a cabin and drove into town tonight to try some authentic German food. MK shared "wiener schnitzel" with a friend, and she liked it, though she didn't love it. They're going to the aquarium in Atlanta tomorrow and maybe tubing and zip lining later in the week.

My sister in law came into town to spend the night. My niece is going to be a counselor in training at a nearby camp, so they are going to head over early in the morning. We had a nice dinner together catching up.

So, I'll include a few pictures of T. Willy playing today and some pictures that MK has sent. Have a great July!!!

What we've been doing

The theatre kids at school and I were invited to participate in "Ham it Up" at our local library. MK and T. Willy both helped, and we had a lot of fun. We led the kids in some acting games, and I was so proud of my personal kids as well as the theatre kids who helped. We heard some nice feedback, and the best part was when we were browsing the library when it was over, and a kid went out of his way to get our attention and wave. That really was the best compliment.

T. Willy has been swimming and having fun, and MK had color guard camp this week. She was named a leader this year (flag sergeant specifically) and is having a great time helping and being a part of some of the decision making. She is leaving on Friday to go on a trip with a friend of hers to Georgia. We will miss her but know she is in good hands.