To Market We Go

After Jonathan and I enjoyed our bike ride on Saturday, we headed over to Frisco Square. We visited Frisco's small Farmer's Market. We purchased some grapes, sweet potatoes and cornbread, and we must not forget the yummy frozen lemonade that Jonathan got.

After we had made our purchases, we walked over and looked at the new artwork in front of our city hall/library. The train below was Jonathan's favorite piece of art.

We dropped our items off at home and then went on for a Mommy/son date. Jonathan loves hamburgers, so we have been trying locally owned hamburger restaurants. This week, Jonathan and I checked out JC's burger house. After we had spent the morning supporting our local business owners and farmers, we went to Walmart. I am sure that Sam Walton's great-grandchildren need our support too.

Jonathan and I had a wonderful day together. It was nice spending the day with my boy.

Morning Sunshine

It is 8:57 a.m. Like most teenagers, Jessie is still in bed sleeping. She continues to sleep despite the fact that I let the dogs in her room and gave them the "Wake up Jessie" command. I have to give them credit. They tried really hard, though.

Fred is out fishing this morning. His alarm went off at 5:15 a.m. He managed to make enough noise to wake both Jonathan and myself up at 6:00. I begged Jonathan to give me another 30 minutes of peace.

I finally gave up and decided to make the most of a bad situation. I whipped us up a cup of morning sunshine. Pure bliss. Orange Banana Cream Smoothie. Jonathan and I sat at the table enjoying our toast and smoothie. He declared that it was the best smoothie he had ever had. Then he added, "besides a chocolate smoothie, of course." I would tend to agree with that assessment. Except that a chocolate smoothie would really be classified as a chocolate shake.

I enjoyed an entire HOUR of the Today Show. I think Jonathan was a little annoyed that I was watching the news, but he humored me and watched along. We kept hearing about the beautiful weather today, so we decided to take advantage.

At 8:00 a.m., we headed out on a bike ride. My bike had a low tire, so I quickly switched to Jessie's bike. Bad idea. She is 5' tall and I am 5'5". Not only that, but her bike probably hasn't been adjusted since last fall when she was much shorter. As a result, we started riding and I realized that my knees must have been up around my ears. The gears were not at a comfortable setting for me, but I didn't want to mess with them. I think that would be pretty rude to borrow someone's bike and then change everything for my comfort. Anyway, I found some muscles in my thighs that I didn't know existed. It was a beautiful morning though. Perfect for a bike ride. Jonathan and I had a great ride.

We made a stop at the park for some water. Jonathan thought it was pretty funny that the water fountain was spraying the water up towards his mouth. He didn't even have to bend over for the water.

Handsome man!


I think this day is off to a great start! Happy Saturday.

A Little Dose of Inspiration

Trip down memory lane - 1st Day of School - 2007

This quote is a reminder to myself. However, I hope it can apply to your life, too.

"There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. If we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord..."

-Robert D. Hales

Happy Birthday Gracie-Girl

Our four-legged companion, Gracie, turns 12 today! We brought her home when Jessie was just 14 months old. What were we thinking? A toddler and a puppy will definitely keep you on your toes. Jessie and Gracie were best friends from the first moment they met. Gracie followed Jessie around everywhere waiting for food to drop out of her chubby little fingers. Jessie’s first full sentence was “No, no Gay-cee dats mine!” I don’t remember what Gracie took to illicit such a response, but I remember that first sentence like it was yesterday.
 Gracie was used and abused by many of the neighborhood children. She was dressed in feather boas, tiaras and all manner of dress-up accessories. She endured it like the faithful friend that she was. Now that her babies are grown up, she feels that kids (and some adults) are not a necessary part of her life. I tell any little one coming into our house to ignore her and she will ignore them.

Last summer, we brought home a brand new little puppy. We were worried about Gracie’s response. At first, she ignored her… well, as much as you can ignore a puppy. Now they are buddies and our sweet Mollie has helped Gracie become a younger dog. They take turns sounding the alarm to the other when it is dinner time, treat time or if there is a visitor at the door. Before we replaced our carpet, Gracie would mope around the house. Now that we have our new floors, she loves to run around so that she can slip and slide on the floors. When she is excited you will hear her nails on the floor and then a loud thump. That is her back legs falling out from underneath her and slamming on the floor. Something about that seems fun to her. I guess at her age, we are just glad that she has found something she enjoys. Although, it looks awfully painful to me!
 
 Gracie is a mama’s girl all the way, but she still loves her Jessie. When she hears Jessie’s voice in the morning, you can see her perk up. When we got Mollie, I made Fred introduce the two dogs. I stayed outside so that Gracie wouldn’t associate me with this great apostasy. Gracie was visibly upset by this little intruder, but she wasn’t mad at Fred, Jonathan or myself. Jessie was visiting my parents when we got Mollie. I forgot to tell Jessie to love on Gracie first before she went to get Mollie out of her crate. Of course, Jessie went running to the crate and pulled out Mollie and started loving on her. This upset Gracie greatly. When Jessie tried to pet Gracie, she turned her head and walked away. I guess she expected this type of behavior from the rest of us, but expected Jessie to remain loyal. It only took a few minutes for them to make-up, but Jessie was heartbroken that she had hurt Gracie’s feelings.


We couldn’t imagine the last 12 years without our Gracie!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Here are our annual 1st day of school pictures.

Jonathan is 9 years old and starting 4th grade this year.
Jessie just turned 13 years old and is in the 8th grade.
Jonathan has decided that he is going to sleep on the couch every night for the rest of his life. He was supposed to be reading. I think he read for about 5 minutes before he fell asleep. This is how I found him shortly after he started reading. I guess the first day of school can be hard work.

Back-to-School Checklist

I have spent the last several weeks with my head in the sand. I had decided that if I just ignored it that the first day of school would go away. As a result, we have spent the weekend scrambling.

Saturday was spent doing a little organizing, errands and enjoying one last day of summer. Jonathan couldn't resist some time in the pool. Jess rode her bike to a friend's house. Later, we took Jonathan, Jessie and her friend to see Shorts.

After church today, it became clear to me that I still wasn't ready for school to start. Fred realized that I could use some help. He took over the duties of Head Chef, while I worked as Master Organizer and Cleaner.

My check list went something like this:
Help kids pick out school clothes and make sure that they are ironed and ready - check
Locate book bag and backpack; make sure they are filled with supplies and paperwork - check


Dig through cabinets to find lunch sacks, water bottles and thermoses - check

Other duties included:

• Help the kids get their rooms picked up and organized - check
• Finish up tons of laundry - check
• Special Family Night to discuss goals for the new year - check
• Read Where the Red Fern Grows with the boy - check

Fred saved me tonight. He knew that I could use some help and he jumped in without even being asked. He cooked a huge pot of vegetable soup for me to take for lunch all this week (and there was enough to freeze for next week). He made the special dinner that the kids requested - spaghetti, garlic bread and ice cream for dessert. He cooked the chicken for tomorrow night's dish - chicken enchiladas. And, he fixed a batch of tortellini for Jonathan's lunch this week. Ahhh, my hero!

Hopefully, this was a lesson in procrastination for my kids. This was not how I should have been spending the Sabbath day. Maybe next year I will not wait until the last minute to prepare for school!

Meet the Teacher Night

Jonathan and I had Meet the Teacher Night on Friday. I used to hate Meet the Teacher Night when I had two at the same campus. It is always crowded and I would lose Jessie every last time. She had 1400 friends and teachers that she would need to say hi to. Not, Jonathan. He gets in, meets his teacher, gets his school supplies sorted and gets out. We were in and out in less than 30 minutes. Way to go, Jon Jon.

Jonathan has Mrs. Blackwell this year for 4th grade. It is crazy to me that my baby is going into FOURTH grade. He is just a couple of years away from middle school. He is far too old to pose for a picture with his new teacher. However, he did humor me a little and let me take his picture at his desk. He was trying to be very serious, but couldn't help cracking up when I took the picture. There is never a dull moment when Jonathan is around.

Cousin Camp

Last Thursday, we were lucky enough to have Aunt Dawn and cousins Cody and Matthew visiting us from Arkansas. The boys had a blast and kept us very busy. They were able to stay from Thursday until Monday morning. We managed to pack lots and lots of swimming into those days.

Cody and Matthew love baseball, so we went to see a Rangers game. I was sure that Uncle Fred was going to leave them in Arlington when they rooted for the Red Sox instead of the Rangers. (I can't believe it, but I forgot to bring my camera to the game.) Fred and I took the boys plus Jessie and her friend to the dollar movies. Fred, Cody, Jonathan and went to see Night of the Museum 2. But, little Matthew is a ladies man. The girls were going to see a different movie, so he happily tagged along with them.

Cody, Jonathan and Matthew - at our community pool
Cody and Jonathan
Jonathan and Matthew
Fred, Matthew, Cody and Jonathan at the Frisco Athletic Center

Cody, Jonathan and Matthew

Bethany and Jessie - on the way to the movies

Jonathan, Cody and Matthew

Thank you, Dawn, Cody and Matthew for coming to visit. We enjoyed your stay with us. Please come back very soon! Jonathan was in HEAVEN getting to spend so much time hanging with boys his own age.

Uncle John's Namesake

I have always thought that names were very important. I felt very strongly about Jessie's name. I was adamant that her name should be Jessica Taylor. Jessica was for my paternal grandmother and Taylor was for my maternal grandmother. Fred consented. However, I made a deal. I picked the girl name and he picked the boy name. He just randomly chose the name Jonathan Andrew because he liked the way it sounded.

Over dinner, Jonathan's buddy asked how we came up with the kids' names. I explained the meaning behind Jessie's name. Then I delicately said that Jonathan wasn't named after anyone in particular. I then added that my grandfather's name was John Henry, so he is kind of named after him. (My grandfather went by Henry, so it feels odd to claim that Jonathan got his name from him.)

Then Jonathan let us know the REAL meaning behind his name. He said that he was named after his Uncle John. He then went on to explain that Uncle John isn't really his uncle. He told his buddy that Uncle John is actually a friend of his parents, but that is where he got is name from. I decided not to mention the fact that our sweet friend, Debi, didn't meet and marry Uncle John until after Jonathan was born. That is the story that Jonathan likes, so that is the story that I'm sticking with.

Jessie's Birthday Bash: Family and Friends

Saturday, August 8th, we celebrated Jessie's birthday. She decided on a birthday dinner in the backyard. Fred made hamburgers and brats on the grill. We enjoyed a yummy Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. The entertainment included, water balloon fights, silly string war and swimming.

We were very fortunate to have MaMaw and Grady, The Simmons, The Garstka's, The Millers, Stacey and Abie. Thank you to all those that joined us. You made Jessie's 13th birthday very special.

We love these special kids. Some of them are cousins and the rest are honorary cousins.

The Simmons' family

Stacey and Debi

MaMaw and Grady

The Men's Canopy - I guess they didn't want to hang with the women.

Angela

Below are several posts chronicling Jessie's birthday bash. I broke it down into 6 different posts. If you have any time left, please find the post from August 12th, Caution: Now Entering the Teen Years. That is my birthday tribute to Jessica.

Jessie's Birthday Bash: The Water Balloon Fighs

We started the evening by having a few water balloon fights.

Jessie and Katy

Kaitlin and Kylie trying to fill up their balloons. It seems that the 9 year olds had been in charge of the water balloons. As you can see, they made a huge mud puddle. I'm happy to say that my backyard did survive.

Jonathan is protesting. I think he felt that someone wasn't playing fair.

Jessie's Birthday Bash: The Silly String War

The most popular event of the evening was The Silly String War. There were a few extra cans, so some of the adults even got in on the fun.

The Silly String is flying!

Angela, Stacey and Dave

War

Ally... she looks cute and innocent. You have to watch out for that one. She is sneaky and competitive.

See what I mean. She totally sprayed me in the face!

There is no fun like silly string fun!

Jessie's Birthday Bash: The Cake

Jessie decided on an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. Since we were celebrating at home this year, we were able to enjoy this wonderful treat. Normally, we have her party at a hot pool where everything is bound to melt.

Jessie's Birthday Bash: The Presents

Everyone brought Jessie such sweet presents. She loved all of her prizes. She is slowly getting her thank you cards done. Hopefully, you will each be receiving your cards very soon.

Jessie with Kaitlin and Lauren (along with Madison, Laura and Ally)

Katy, Madison, Laura and Ally

Katy, Jessie and Laura

Fred and I bought her a camera. I was getting tired of her borrowing mine all the time.

Ally, Jessie and Madison

Jessie's Birthday Bash: The Pool

After the birthday festivities, we took the kids swimming in our community pool. This was our attempt at a group picture. I think they were too far away and it was too dark. It was a nice relaxing way to end the party.

Madison

Jonathan