A Decade of Sporty

Today is bittersweet for me. My "momma heart" is full of joy and sadness. Joy that I am celebrating the birth of an incredible kid, but sadness in the fact that this kid is my baby boy and he is turning ten;  double digits! I can't do anything to stop time and keep him as my snuggle boy! This is my baby! I will readily admit that I do "baby" my baby. "Hello, my name is Krissy, and I treat my youngest child like he is the youngest child." Go ahead, judge me. I love all three of my children, and turning ten was hard each time, but this is my baby! This is my child that wears his heart on his sleeve. He does everything with gusto: sports, school, playing and even getting hurt. He loves to laugh and does so often. It is contagious! He is compassionate about others. He fights to keep the peace in our home and cannot stand any discord. He is an authority on World War 2. He thinks he is an authority on most everything else, as well. He loves to play soccer and football. He still loves to play with trains and army men and doesn't care what others think! He asks for "snuggle movie nights" and he still hugs me in front of his friends. He has the craziest head of hair you have ever seen and he loves that it is different!

Happy 10th Birthday Sporty!

May this year bring you as much joy as you bring to the world!

Love,

Mom

Climb Every Mountain, Ford Every Stream

Sweet Pea in Telluride

I have heard the Reverend Mother from the Sound of Music singing this song in my head as the soundtrack of my summer. Does anyone else do that? Play a constant soundtrack of your life in your head? Well, I have never claimed to be normal. This summer was supposed to be one that we would lay-low and stay close to home. Boy was that ever a wrong assumption! 

I got out of my comfort zone and had some great adventures with the mini-pearls and Mr. P. My comfort zone that consists of carefully planning vacations and mapping-out our calendar to a "t." So, accepting an invitation to leave town for a week with all three kiddos with less than twenty-four hours to prepare - way out of that zone! But, I did it and had a marvelous time with a precious friend and her boys in the mountains.

Me and the Mini-pearls overlooking Ralph Lauren's ranch

The whole gang!

Sport started a rock collection on the trip

Fisherman and his fly rod

Mr. P and I sent Sweet Pea and Sporty to two different camps for two weeks each. Two different camps, on two different schedules, with only one week of overlapping time. That is two drop-offs and two pick-ups - a logistical nightmare. However, Baby Girl wanted horses and SCUBA lessons at camp this summer. These were not available at the camp she previously attended with Sport. The things we do for our children. What about Fisherman, you ask? In spite of the fact that he is our "outdoorsman" and one would think that camp would be heaven for him, it is not. The boy has given it the old college try, more than once, at some of the best camps in Texas and well, camp just isn't for him. Therefore, a fishing trip was in order.

Sweet Pea and her camp buddy

For anyone who says that Texas isn't beautiful, this is a picture of the river valley where Sport is in camp. Sweet Pea's was just over the hills in the distance....beautiful!

Dropping Sport off at camp

Mr. P decided to take Fisherman bay fishing on the coast. I was invited to tag along on the boys' trip. Here again, I left my comfort zone to stay in a fish camp cabin with two of my boys. I ate barbecue and cheese and peanut butter crackers, got up before dawn and yes ladies, I held my own! I out-fished the boys the first day (my son was not pleased). I stayed in a place where the only food was fried and the nearest vegetable was the wilted lettuce garnish on my fish plate. I caught a shark and I held it and had the opportunity of a lifetime to make memories with my oldest son and husband.

The Boys' Fishing Trip

Mr. P and I did sneak in a quick trip away for a few days and now, here we are. It's the end of July and school starts in two short weeks! Football and homework and carpools - oh my! Sporty is still at camp this week, so I have my two oldest at home. What a summer!

Enjoy these last few says of summertime and step out of your comfort zone!

Krissy

Summer At Our House

Hello darlings! It's summertime! I am a summer girl. I love hot days and warm nights, no bedtimes, snow cones, sun-kissed faces, pool time, lake time, anywhere around the water time, having a house and a car full of excited kiddos and the general fun spirit of summer. This summer is a little different from the rest. Fisherman has Driver's Ed and football workouts, so that boy has a full schedule that requires us to stay pretty close to home for a good chunk of our summer. The boy is not happy. Seven a.m. is a time that is not on a teenage boy's clock, so getting up each day for practice is a challenge: and that's all I have to say about that.

Never fear, we are having fun though! I have been painting camp trunks for some sweet campers and I will share those with you and I have had time to do some house-tweaking - always fun! 

A trip to the new drive-in movie in town...

Swimming with precious neighbors. Sport is really good with little ones.

A wonderful get-away to Horseshoe Bay. Fisherman was in his element, not only does he get his Driver's Learning permit this summer, but he got his Boater's license as well. We are not safe on land or water!

Fishing in the dark!

Dinner at a family convention for Mr. Pearl's job.

You might be a redneck if.....

You set-up a slip-n-slide in your front yard.

We had so much fun though!

Our summer has been really "bright" so far. Hope yours is, too!

Soakin' up the sun,

Krissy

I Got This

I will keep repeating that to myself until it becomes reality. So, I know we are all busy and I know that I am no exception, but just when I think that "I got this," I reminded that I do not. This is the time to hit my knees in prayer. We have another crazy May week this week and yet, I am home today with one sick child (his mean mommy told him it was just allergies and to "suck it up", only to look closer and find that he does indeed have a fever) and another child, darling daughter, awaiting a trip to the doctor to x-ray her pinky finger. If it is broken, this makes broken finger number three for Sweet Pea. This was  NOT on the calendar for today - not even close!

I am thankful for my full life. We have had so much to celebrate and be thankful for and yet, there are set backs. Life is not happy sunshine 24/7, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it was? Even for say, a week or two during the craziest month of our year? I won't go into great detail about the rest of our challenges, we all have them and they hurt, but I think the hurt makes the happy that much better. LAst night, we celebrated Fisherman's new school at a school-wide picnic. We found out that some dear friends we haven't seen in a while will be at the school next year with Fisherman. Blessings abound!

I will wrap this up, as I have to take Sweet Pea to the doctor, but I want to fill you all in on my daughter, and give you some unsolicited parenting advice. From the time Sweet Pea was in preschool, she has been asking to play football. Let me insert here that she is indeed a bow wearing, card carrying, girly girl who is tough as nails and out to prove it. Girl power! Anyhoo, girlfriend asked and asked to play football and I answered with "Oh no sweetie, how about ballet?" or "Wouldn't you rather play volleyball"(which she does, pretty well, I might add) Fast forward six years and our school is adding six man football to the sports next fall for seventh and eighth graders. Again, she asks to play football. However, instead of waiting for me and Mr. P's answer, girlfriend goes to the coach and asks him to play and apparently was convincing. Guess who was the only girl to start spring training with the team?  The coach planned on working her hard, thinking she would get discouraged and go back to volleyball. It didn't work. She is more fired-up than ever! It also doesn't help that she is better than most of the young men on the field. Really. She throws a mean spiral, catches like a guy and thinks getting hit is fun. Should I worry? I have been praying that God would be in control of this situation. If she is ever going to play, this is the time, as high school would be far too dangerous. All of this leads to yesterday at recess. She was playing football with her girlfriends and one of them threw a "wonky" pass and she caught it wrong and now her pinky is three times normal size and blue. Not good. Answer to prayer? Or just proof that you shouldn't play football with girls? I will found out in an hour or two. My unsolicited parenting advice? ALLOW YOUR DAUGHTER TO PLAY FOOTBALL, FLAG FOOTBALL, when she is little and get it out of her system if she thinks she wants to play. It is much safer and a lot less of a headache!

Amen! Pass the Tylenol.

Have a great day!

Krissy

photos via Pinterst

Reality

We enjoyed a wonderful Spring Break ski trip to New Mexico. All was wonderful, that is, until we brought home sinus infections, upper respiratory yuck and one ear infection. Now it is back to reality - school, homework, soccer and volleyball practice and springtime craziness. Hope you all had a great break!

We were blessed to have snow up on the mountain, but the weather was warm in town and allowed Fisherman to get in a little of what he loves most...fishing. 

Happy Monday - dont' work too hard!

Krissy

State Champions and Being Busy

Hello loverlies! I have not been ignoring you, it's just that my life won't let me ignore it long enough to check in! Weekend before last, we loaded-up the family truckster and headed south for Fisherman's basketball state tournament. They brought the first ever State Junior High Championship trophy to their school! Go Eagles! We spent a fun weekend with the other players and their families and cheered while the boys played their hearts out! So fun! 

We are on to the next adventures and looking forward to Spring Break - emphasis on the later. What's new with you? Hope to check in soon with an update on my family room curtains!

Happy Wednesday!

Krissy