Mother’s Day Weekend

 

My Mother’s Day weekend started on Friday when Bo, Ben and I tagged along on John Brooks’ class field trip to Homosassa Springs State Park. This park has become one of my favorite places to take the boys. I was oh-so-excited when we found out that the Pre-K end of the year field trip would take place at this location AND parents were encouraged to attend.

If you are near Homosassa Springs, I definitely recommend making the drive. The park is beautiful and shaded with exhibits of animals and plants native to the state of Florida with one special adopted native…Lu the hippo. The story of Lu is that she (I think) is a famous Hollywood (Cali not FLA) hippo who was donated to Homosassa Springs to do what most senior citizens in Florida do…retire. Governor Lawton Chiles declared her an honorary citizen so that she would be allowed to live out her days in the Sunshine State. Lu is one of John Brooks’ favorite parts of the park! Another cool sighting we had on Friday were manatees swimming in the spring! Even though I’ve lived in Florida my entire life it has just been in the past year that I have ever even seen a manatee so to see 3-4 swimming in the open water was a special treat for me!

On Friday night we had our first ever “Family Movie Night”. We ordered (picked up…because no delivery in the boondocks) a large Pepperoni Pizza and Paddington on DISH and had the most fun eating pizza and watching a movie as a family. I know this probably sounds lame to most people but it’s the season of life we are in so I am rolling with it and enjoying these special, quickly-passing moments with my boys and my husband.

Saturday, we continued the weekend fun by going to a local farm and picking blueberries. The owners of the farm are some friends of ours from church and they have the cutest little boy who is 18 months. He and John Brooks played together for a while in addition to blueberry picking and John Brooks was sad to leave when it was time for us to go.

 

Saturday night, Ben gave me the ultimate Mother’s Day gift of a night off (I’m joking…kind of). I was able to meet up with some of my girl friends for supper and socializing! It was a wonderful break. I truly believe that in order to be a good wife and mother I have to take time for myself sometimes and thankfully my husband agrees with me.

On Sunday, we celebrated Mother’s Day by dedicating that we would raise Bo in a loving, Christian environment at church. It was a sweet ceremony and I am so thankful to be involved with a church that values families and children. My Dad and step-mom Robin came as well as Ben’s sister Gina and 2 of her 3 children. It was a great way to celebrate being a Mom!

After church, we met at Ben’s parent’s house and celebrated Mrs. Colson by spending time with her as a family. Both of Ben’s sisters and their families came as well. It was wonderful to be able to spend time as a family. Our nephew Garrett will be graduating from high school in a couple of weeks so we know that these family times are going to happen less and less often as the future unfolds.

I rounded out my Mother’s Day weekend with another great present…a 45 minute nap! It was glorious….and only felt like five minutes which is a sign that it was much needed.

It was a wonderful weekend and I am so grateful that God has chosen me to be the Mama to two of the sweetest most-fun boys around! My heart bursts with love for these two and I constantly see-saw between being so excited to see what the future holds and wishing time would stand still and keep them little and wanting Mama forever.

Our Weekend

 

Hi there! How was your weekend? Is it just me or does anyone else think that time is going by at record pace these days? I can remember when I was a kid (tween?) wishing for time to speed up so that I could get to the fun adult days and now, I’m here and while I don’t feel like much of an adult, the husband, two kids, mortgage and car payment tend to disagree with me (Ha).

Our weekend was a good one. Ben’s Mom called me on Friday morning and asked to pick up John Brooks from school. He loves to go over to Grandma and Grandaddy’s house because he pretty much has free rein of the television, the couch, the juice boxes and the chips. A couple of his big boy (high school age) cousins were going to be at Grandma’s on Friday too so it worked out well for him to go over, visit and “help” get Grandma’s flowers out of the greenhouse.

With our car pick up responsibilities relinquished, Bo and I were free to have a rare, lazy afternoon. It was so refreshing to be able to rest, snuggle and relax at our own pace.

Friday night, Ben and I had an impromptu date night with our new little sidekick. The Gilchrist County Education Foundation hosted their annual “Fishing for Scholarships” Fish Fry. Mrs. Colson offered to keep John Brooks at her house if we would bring them supper after we were finished. At first, I declined the offer because I am crazy and think that John Brooks should be with us so he doesn’t miss out on town fun but then I came to my senses and remembered that 1. We don’t get out much. 2. We don’t get out much with two kids 3. John Brooks doesn’t like fish 4. John Brooks, while fun and exciting, definitely keeps us on our toes…all…the…time. I thought it would be nice for Ben to be able to eat and socialize without the stress of wondering what John Brooks will be into next. So, Ben, Bo and I had a nice leisurely supper of mullet, catfish and fixins’. We enjoyed visiting with several friends and Bo even got to nap on a sweet lady’s shoulder. What is it about “Grandmas” that makes babies feel instantly safe and secure and sleepy?

We picked John Brooks up from Grandma and Grandaddy’s around 7:30 pm. We stayed and visited with Mr. and Mrs. Colson and while we were there, Ben’s sister Amy arrived so we visited with her as well before going home to the usual bath and bedtime routine.

John Brooks and Ben both woke up bright and early on Saturday morning around 6:30 am (when do they start sleeping in again?). John Brooks woke up because that is when John Brooks wakes up and Ben woke up because he got to go fishing on Saturday! Ben’s boss owns a boat and offered to take Ben fishing out in the Gulf of Mexico (best boss ever). They had a great time and caught a bunch of Spanish Mackerel which we enjoyed grilled last night in fish tacos with a makeshift Mango Salsa that I whipped up with onions, green chilis, and cilantro.

While Ben was away catching dinner, Bo, John Brooks and I entertained ourselves at home. We had a nice day of playing, reading, watching tv and eating. My aunt Diane (Di-Di if you are John Brooks) came up to visit with the boys some which broke up the monotony of the day (thank you Di-Di). Both boys were very good! Bo has started (knock on wood) getting a little better at napping in his crib though he still prefers to nap on Mama. Ben came home around 6:00 pm with takeout Chinese. We had decided to wait and cook the fish on Sunday night because we had eaten fish for supper on Friday night and we needed a buffer zone. We tried a new Chinese restaurant that recently opened in our town. It is Delicious! We sampled the Wonton Soup (great broth, big dumplings), vegetable lo-mein (loved this! Lots of veggies!) and the Sweet and Sour Chicken (quite possibly the least Chinese food dish ever but we like the sauce) along with egg rolls and fried cream cheese filled deliciousness that I just realized I probably shouldn’t have eaten and then nursed Bo (poor baby). Oops!

On Sunday, Ben stayed home from church with Bo and John Brooks and I ventured out to Sunday School and church. John Brooks went to Children’s Church where apparently he was “combative” but they didn’t come get me out of church so I am of the belief that he wasn’t that “combative”. It was so refreshing to be able to worship God without the usual (welcome wonderful) distraction of a sweet baby who likes to snuggle and have his bottles warmed before he with scarf them down.

Sunday afternoon was spent, eating Subway, resting, running, eating fish tacos and reading. Before I knew it, the weekend was over and it was time to get ready for a school night again! Speaking of running, I am starting a new fitness challenge today through these super fun, motivating gals! For the next eight weeks I will be trying to complete some fitness “challenges” as well as trying to eat “lean, clean and green” in the hopes of being able to be comfortable in a swim suit this summer. I’m excited that I’ve lost 12 pounds since the middle of February but I still have about 20 pounds to get to my pre-preggo weight. Wish me luck!

Have a great week!

Easter 2015

Happy Friday Folks!

I’m popping in to do a little Easter Weekend Recap that I’ve been meaning to do all week but our Easter festivities kinda stretched all the way to yesterday so this is the first time I’ve had a free moment to sit and think and type.

We had a wonderful weekend. It really began last Wednesday with the Easter Egg Hunt at church. On Thursday, Ben’s parents kept the boys (Thanks Colsons!) so that Ben and I could attend the Spring Supper hosted by the Gilchrist Farm Bureau Board of Directors. It was a great meal of Ham, peas, beans, and other deliciousness as well as good fellowship with people we don’t get the opportunity to see very often.

My fellowship was cut short however because I had to be at church for the final dress rehearsal l for an Easter musical (cantata) that the church produced called “He Is Risen”. It was an amazing tribute to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am so impressed by the work put in by our Music Minister Brother Emanuel Harris as well as all of the people who volunteered to make costumes, create sets, handle lighting, sound, props, act and sing. I really just showed up to sing every night but there were many, many others who really went above and beyond to make the cantata a success. There were performances on Friday and Saturday night as well as on Sunday morning for the Easter service. Ben watched the boys on Friday and Saturday night (with help from his sisters on Saturday) so that I could participate. On a side note: Bo actually went to all of the practices with me. I would wear him in the Ergo and believe it or not (I have witnesses) he would sleep then ENTIRE TIME we would practice – with all that noise and music.

My man and older boy both had the day off on Good Friday. The weather was beautiful and we (they) spent much of the day outside putting our yard back into shape after the dreary winter months. Ben planted flowers down the sidewalk and even purchased a couple of hanging plants for the porch. Some mysterious nemesis has gotten into our grass and killed it so Ben also spent time on Friday and Saturday using the Roto-tiller to till up the soil and spread new grass seed. We are hoping that with rain, sunlight and prayer the grass will grow so that we don’t have to spend money on new sod.

Saturday afternoon was spent celebrating the 80th birthday of Ben’s Aunt Margaret. Aunt Margaret’s birthday was actually in January but some of her family lives in Virginia and were not able to make it down to Florida in January so we celebrated with warm weather in April. Three of Aunt Margaret’s four children were able to attend the celebration as well as many of her grandchildren and even some great-grands. Aunt Margaret is Ben’s Mom’s sister, so her children are Ben’s first cousins but really her grand children are closer in age to Ben and I. Aunt Margaret’s family did a wonderful job with the celebration! They cooked mullet, fried chicken, gumbo, cheese grits, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, peas, swamp cabbage, hush puppies plus more that I can’t remember. It was a variable buffet of “Old Florida Fixins’”. Basically all of my favorite foods in one place. I ate more than I should but was still sad that I couldn’t eat more because I was afraid of what more food would do to my singing voice. I thought that belching on stage may have detracted from the drama of the crucifixion story. I was sad to leave early and wish I could’ve stayed longer to visit. John Brooks had a wonderful time eating and playing with his cousins and was gloriously covered in dirt from the top of his head to his toes by the time that I left.

Sunday morning broke bright and early. The Easter bunny found our house and left some fun goodies for John Brooks and a few fun things for Baby Bo as well. We continued the celebration with a Hershey’s peanut butter cup/cinnamon roll breakfast then somehow all managed to be dressed and out the door to Sunday School relatively on time. John Brooks and Ben went to their Sunday School classes and I kept Bo with me as long as I could as I got ready for the Easter performance of “He Is Risen”. We had decided earlier that Bo would go to the nursery for the first time that day but to be honest I was pretty nervous to leave him. Thankfully a friend of ours, Emily, who has three young girls and is a nurse was the nursery worker that day so I felt as comfortable as I could leaving him there. In a last minute decision, we decided to let John Brooks go into the bigger kid nursery as well due to the violence and length of the Easter program. I was thankful that they allowed John Brooks to stay in the nursery so that Ben was able to enjoy the program with out distractions.

After celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus at church we went to lunch at Pa and Aha Hardee’s house. Robin’s parents (Ellison and Mary Alice) are so sweet to our boys, especially John Brooks and really go a long way to give him cool experiences at their house with their horses. We enjoyed a delicious lunch and fellowship with my Dad and Robin and our extended family. We relaxed and enjoyed being on the back porch after lunch while John Brooks entertained us with song and dance. John Brooks has become quite the performer recently and enjoys an audience much like one of his parent’s did when she was his age. Side note: I adore watching my kids’ personalities develop! It is like a mystery that unravels a little bit at a time.

By late Sunday afternoon we were full, happy and exhausted from a wonderful Easter week(end) spent with family and friends celebrating our Risen Savior!

Easter Egg Gathering

 

 

Last evening John Brooks and I left the men and babies at home and set out to find us some eggs. The church where we are members hosted its annual Easter Egg (Resurrection Egg?) Event last night and John Brooks and I were excited for some food, fellowship and good old fashioned competition organized sweet-natured fun.

We ate hotdogs and hamburgers for supper with a brownie for dessert. I admit the brownie was a risk. Too much sugar and my sweet, spirited boy becomes the living embodiment of the “Tasmanian Devil”. I am, however, a big softie so when he had eaten all of his hotdogs and some of his chips I couldn’t be the bad guy and say no to the brownie. 

Though there were some nail-biting moments and I may have found myself silently praying that my child wouldn’t whack the Children’s Minister with his “Resurrection Basket” I am happy to report that the evening went off without any injuries or permanent damage done. The Lord does answer prayers.

The children were split into groups by age. The age group that John Brooks was in heard the crucifixion story in a way that was completely safe and not scary. They also completed a craft that reminds us of the price Jesus paid for our sins (p.s. sin is a hard thing to explain to a preschooler).

 

There was quite a bit of sitting and waiting patiently before the egg-hunt chaos could begin. I was proud of John Brooks for not completely losing his mind with all of the waiting. At one point I thought he might explode with excitement but he was able to contain it as best he could.

Finally, the egg “gathering” began. Nobody was tackled. Everyone got eggs. The children’s leaders even gave out prizes to the children in each age group. One cool thing about a kid as wild as mine is that everyone seems to know his name. So when the Children’s Minister announced that “John Brooks” won a chocolate bunny our boy walked proudly to the front with a lot of cheers from the crowd. He may have tried to steal the megaphone from the Minister to give a speech but hey what’s an award without a speech?

All sarcasm aside, I am so thankful that we have found a church home where everyone loves families, loves children and loves Jesus. It is a wonderful feeling to know that there are many people helping our family to grow in our faith and helping our boys to become Jesus followers.

Life Lately…

Well Hello there! Long time no see…

I haven’t done anything with the blog in forever, like in over a year forever, because well…life. It is just really hard to find any extra time when trying to be a good wife, mom, daughter, employee, Jesus lover, niece, granddaughter, et cetera, et cetera and so on and so forth.

I am home now doing the full-time stay-at-home mom/wife thing. I am happy to be able to have this opportunity to bond with our second baby (Robert Franklin Colson) in the same way I was able to bond with John Brooks. However, going from being around people all day every day to only one person who doesn’t talk back but is equally as demanding in his wishes is a challenge at times.

My hope/goal is to carve out a little time here and there and use the blog as a way to be creative/express myself/communicate/vent whatever. So in the spirit of communication here is a brief summary in no particular order of what has happened in my world since I last clicked publish.

2 Birthdays, 2 St Patrick’s Days, Easter, Preggo, Cinco de Mayo (no drinko)

Mother’s day, Father’s day, Memorial day, Independence Day, Labor day…all the days….Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas

 

 

 

 

Trips to Atlanta, St Pete, Athens, TN, Knoxville, Cinnamon Beach, Daytona Beach, Jax Zoo, Disney World, Tampa, Homosassa

 

 

Blood tests, ultrasounds, baby announcements, gender reveals (or lack thereof because we don’t do surprises as much as just shout it out to everyone as soon as we know), eating too much, gaining too much, gestational diabetes (eek), high blood pressure (eek), working too much, brief appearances in L&D, sinus infections, tummy bugs, moving, growing, sleeping, sweating, painful pelvises, swelling (oh the swelling).

Walking into labor, having a baby, spending time in L&D, Postpartum, NICU, ER, PICU, doctor’s offices, and follow up appointments

Learning about babies with traumatic brain injuries, what happens when you don’t metabolize phenobarbital, seizures, MRIs, EEGs, CTs, blood draws, IV lines, lab work that doesn’t come back on time, breastfeeding, pumping, gaining weight, losing weight, sensitivities to dairy, sensitivities to sound, milestones, developmental delays, healing.

Learning (the hard way) that I am NOT in control of my circumstances. Learning what it means to ache for your children. Learning to “Let go and Let God”. Being surprised (although I shouldn’t be) that God really does have a plan. Being down on my face before God begging and pleading and crying to him for help. Wondering what I would do if the answer wasn’t the one I expected. Being in awe. Being in despair. Being in hope. Learning what love looks like. Watching my family and friends and strangers in other states rally around to pray for us and give us hope and strength. Watching as my prayers (and the prayers of many many others) are answered.

Now we are in the place of learning how to live as a family of four. It is chaotic. It is an adventure. It is a challenge. It is exhausting. I go through so many different emotions during each 24 hour period of life. I hope you will enjoy reading about all of this and more in the future.