Birthday Boy

Cayden turned 8 this year.  It's incredible how time flies.   We are so proud of our boy. He's been making all "E's" in school.  He's handsome, smart, and athletic!  As we were getting ready to start another season of soccer, we realized that he's already been playing for 5 years.  He's really very good, and we love to watch him play.   It's amazing how quickly my son is growing, and I try to cherish each day.  I love watching him play and hearing him say, "I love you" so many times each day, and knowing that he means it. 

We had a birthday party on March 27th.  A Mad Scientist party.  It was Cayden's first real shindig in Cookeville, and we had around 20 kids.  They built marshmallow towers, made slime, set off film canister rockets, and witnessed the power of a pack of mentos and a diet drink!   It was such a great time, and I was so excited to give Cayden his own special day. 

Winter 2010

We've had a beautiful winter this year! My boys finally got to enjoy the snow! We had snow sledding, snow angels, snowball fights, and even snow cream! The boys had never been sledding before, and the neighbors were kind enough to invite them over to share sleds. Then, another sweet lady who lives across the street actually gave them 2 that she had in her basement. They sure had fun playing together!



That snow cream is good stuff! I made the cream mixture (with real cream!) and then let the boys gather the snow. It was quick and easy fun, and the boys loved eating it! We were all pleasantly surprised at just how tasty it was.



All in all, it's been a fun winter season with lots of snowy treats sprinkled throughout! We're looking forward to the coming of Spring and all the fun it'll bring.

Not For the Faint of Heart...

I'm so sorry. This is a tacky, no-good, downright dirty story. I have to put it here, lest I forget. You see, someday, I'm gonna use this as ammo. It's going to be funny then.

Cayden: MOoooooM, Adrian is talking dirty.

Adrian: No I'n (never I'm, always I'N) not.

Cayden: Mom, Adrian said, "I got big balls. They JIGGLE when I go up the stairs."

Oh dear. He's only SIX.

You were warned.


Chris and I, however, laughed until we cried. Then, after we laughed, we disciplined. Yes, in that order. Now you know what's wrong with our kids.

I say it's all part of raising 4 boys....

American Pie

Anyone who knows me knows I love to cook (and eat, too!). I make homemade soups and stews, and consider a good loaf of artisan bread to be a fairly easy task. Yet, my kitchen held a secret.

I had this sorta...fear. It was quite silly, I admit. Yet, it was real! So, I had to cut corners. I cheated. It went the *store bought* way.

You see, I was horribly afraid of making a pie crust.

I could just see my HOURS of laboring in the kitchen over this pastry crust, only to end up with a big, tough, burnt clump of....not-so-flaky-pie crust. HOURS, people!

But then, one day I told my husband that I wanted to make a homemade apple pie. "Get to it then," he said.

...and so I told him my secret. He found it quite foolish, and together we went into the kitchen.We prepped the apples and made the sticky syrup for the filling, and then the moment of truth came.

I did it, people. I made a PIE CRUST! My Christopher cheered me on every step of the way. It was actually quite fun!

We ate the most wonderful pie that night! It was absolutely delicious, and quite pretty too. I only wish I hadn't sprinkled the cinnamon on top of the crust... it made it appear a bit darker than it really was. Here it is...so that I might come back and read, and remember, and smile!

Cassian Drake

Our 4th son, born 12/29/09 at 7 lbs. 11 oz. A beautiful baby boy with nary a blemish! We can't even find a birthmark...

His brothers are in awe. Adrian was so overcome with emotion when we came home, he could only squeal about his new little brother's "cuteness." At one point, the two were snuggled together on the couch, and Adrian let us all know that even if Cassian threw up all over him...he'd still be very happy! What a great big brother he will be!

2009...Where Did it Go?

Christopher and I were recently talking about how fast last year passed. I spent most of it pregnant with Cassian, but really time flew. It's hard to believe that my pregnancy is already over even as I hold my sweet boy in my arms. We spent a beautiful nine months together, he and I, and it was the most amazing pregnancy I had experienced.

As for 2009...

I didn't blog a single time. Every time I came to do so, I was overwhelmed with all the things I hadn't blogged, and the pictures I needed to upload from the camera. I was shamed over missed photo opportunities and undocumented memories. It seemed easier to just close the blog window and move on to more fun things, like Facebook!

One of my 2010 New Year's resolutions was to keep my blog current. I think it's amazing to be able to look back on our daily lives and relive the fun times and even the not so fun moments that present themselves every so often. Having this collective record also helps me to appreciate time even as it passes so quickly. I have also committed myself to taking more pictures, though I may not always post them. One. Step. at a time.

Just a few things about 2009...

We spent the first 5 months homeschooling the last semester of the 2008-2009 school year. Cayden was the first to come home and Jordan followed behind soon after. It was an AMAZING experience, and we had a GREAT time together. I was also working at the Y, and it was often hard to manage my time, but we endured and I think it was worth every minute. I miss it greatly, but we were blessed with some really incredible teachers this year at the boys' public schools.

The first days of May left us feeling overjoyed at the fact that we were expecting our 4th child! The boys were thrilled, and Adrian was especially excited as he had been asking for a baby for some time!

Morning Sickness followed for the next few months, but I was so excited about being pregnant that I didn't care. Chris took great care of me. Jordan played flag football at the Y over the summer and also went to his first overnight camp- Camp Woodmen. He loved it, and is counting days to go this year. Cayden is hoping he'll get to go, too, but the decision has yet to be made.

Adrian started Kindergarten this year. Cayden went to 2nd, and Jordan headed off to middle school in 5th grade. All are thriving. Cayden has all "E's" (A's) and ADORES his teacher. Jordan is one of the top readers in his school. He spent the last few months working his way through the Harry Potter series. I was so proud as his love for reading flourished. Both Jordan and Cayden have been getting some great drawing lessons from their very artistic dad. It's amazing to watch them improve under his instruction.

Christopher has been enrolled in school for the entire year of 2009, with a perfect GPA. He won a prestigious award at Oreck this year, and has been presented with some great opportunities for professional growth. All of this and somehow he still remains a loving, devoted, and simply AMAZING husband and father. We are so blessed.

I continue to work at the YMCA, though right now I am taking a break for baby. The past year was a year of great change at the Y, but we pressed on. I look forward to going back to work in a few weeks, and I think the boys miss being there, too.

Chris and I took a mini vacation together this year. We went to DragonCon back in September. Dad was kind enough to fly out and take care of the boys. It was great fun for everyone, and we enjoyed the opportunity to embrace our geeky side. :D 2009 was also the year that I finally ventured to play a few video games with him, and found myself having way too much fun! The boys love watching us play, too, so it makes for some amusing family times!

The boys played soccer in the spring and fall. Cayden and Adrian show amazing talent at the game. Jordan opted to sit out in the fall but will play again this spring. They all love playing sports at the Y. Jordan played basketball at the beginning of the year, and I think that is probably his favorite sports experience so far. I hope he'll get to play again in the future. We are sitting out this time since we just had the baby.

Other things to note:
MeMaw, Morgan, Dad, and Aunt Lou came in the Spring. So. Much. Fun.
Jordan won 1st place in 4-H speech contest.
Adrian and Dad built birdhouse together.
Went to Frist Art museum- so much fun!
Took a trip to MS over the summer.
Crawfish boil in TN with the C's. 100 lbs for 100 people! Doh.
DragonCon!
4th of July with the Kail family.
Halloween with the Kails.
Dad was with us for Christmas AND New Years!


....and I reserve the right to add to this list as needed.


So, there you go! Next post will have pictures... stay tuned.

Snow Day!

Breakfast with Jenni @8:15. Or not. It turned out to be a snow day, and so Jenni and I canceled our breakfast, and I planned to stay home and bake cookies. I had to go to WalMart for a couple cookie things, though.

So, off to Wal-Mart the boys and I went, braving the "snow." It was like... 5 flakes at the time. Anyway, Jordan lamented that he missed his friend Robert, and Cayden was agreeing and wishing he could hang out with Laura. What a delightful surprise to see Jenni and the crew at Wal-Mart! Plans of baking were pushed aside, and we all joined up at her place. The boys got to hang with their much missed pals, while my friend and I found comfort in her kitchen making soup. Good soup. I'd never had it it, but Jenni was kind to send some home for my family's dinner, and we loved it!

Cheeseburger Soup. Much better than a real cheeseburger! Real comfort food.

Now, if I were a really good blogger, I would upload a picture of my kids and their friends. with their heads together in a real Rockwell moment and all that.

Alas, here's a stolen-off-the-internet picture of cheeseburger soup. Hope you don't mind the compromise.

So, tomorrow. There will be cookies. And maybe pictures of said cookies... or even kids who bake cookies! Tomorrow... or soon. Because tomorrow does not always mean tomorrow...