Heading Home

It's been a great week. An exhausting week, but a great one, nonetheless. Tommy is completely vacationed out and is really ready to head back to good ol' Tallahassee. He's said so lots of times. But he's had a ton of fun, so there's really not room to complain. Dean and I will need to take a vacation when we get back from this one!

We started our trek back south today and got as far as Columbia, South Carolina. Dean has a cousin who lives here in town and so we had dinner with her. Before that, we just went sight-seeing in Columbia and of course, we visited the stadium of Univ. of South Carolina (I feel really weird calling it USC. it's not.). For those of you who may not know, one of Dean's very favorite things is to visit college campuses, but especially to see stadiums. And as far as trespassing goes, he just figures that if they accidentally left one of the 35 doors unlocked, how is that our fault? So there happened to be an open gate leading out to the field. Once we got to the stands, the fence was locked up pretty good, but Dean remedied that by lifting Tommy over the fence and dropping him on the field, where Tommy began playing air football.







We had a great dinner with Becca (Dean's cousin) and her boyfriend Brad at a great South Carolina barbecue place called Shealy's. It's one of those places that's about 30 minutes away from civilization, so you know it's good. It's a buffet and has cafeteria style seating and amazing food. I'm still stuffed.



So all in all, the trip's been great. But I'm so glad to be heading home!

An Update on Our Week of Fun

Well, we're on our third full day of vacation and we're having a blast. Besides Tommy's frequent mood swings (he's worse than a teenage girl) and the rain that we've been getting, things are great. We're staying in Hendersonville at a family friend's house (they're in Alaska so they left a key... they're absolutely amazing). We've seen a quasi train museum, a children's museum, waterfalls, Sliding Rock (I even went down!) and we've eaten lots of good food. Last night we caught an Asheville Tourists baseball game and Dean was in his glory. Apparently the final scene of "Bull Durham", his favorite movie, was shot there. It was a great park and Tommy had lots of fun. And the Tourists won. We also ate in the McDonald's in Biltmore Village. So what, you say? Well, this McDonald's happened to be featured on Travel Channel's nicest McDonald's in the country. This was number one. There were chandeliers, a grand player piano, and even nice employees.

Okay, enough of my gabbing. Here are some pictures to prove we're having a good time.






And I also want to point out a few things:
1) Dean went on a picnic. Outside. And loved it.
2) We ventured out toward the waterfall and Tommy was the one who wanted to keep going but I had to stop because my feet were numb. But Dean went farther than we did.
3) I think Dean's secretly an outdoorsman. The Sperrys are all an act.

"Bacation" Day 1

Okay, it's actually a vacation, but I think the way Tommy says it is cuter. Anyway, we set off today for North Carolina for a bit of R & R. Besides having a really smelly car... so smelly we had to change it in for a different one 8 hours into the trip, everything's been going great. We caught the first inning and a half of a minor league baseball game (go Intimidators!) and are now ready to turn in at our fabulous Hampton.

This is What It's All About

I worked in the Well Kids tonight and had a great time, but I missed the service. However, I did get to see our baptism service afterward and I got a little misty to see two of my small group girls get baptized. Go Jaclyn and Lawson! We are certainly seeing lives being changed. I love all my girls!!



After the baptism, when they let the water out of the inflatable pool, Tommy decided that it would be an awesome idea to jump in the roughly 3 inches of water on the ground. But he had a blast. And I simply washed his shoes so we're all good now.

Reunion Day 2

Well last night was the big first night of Dean's reunion. Lots of people packed out Cafe Cabernet and reminisced on old times. I knew a surprising number of people, but it was still slightly overwhelming to me. Did I mention that Dean was the student body president and also the homecoming king? He knows EVERYONE! And he's very social anyway, so by the time midnight rolled around I was beyond exhausted. But he had a great time and I really enjoyed meeting so many people that I've heard so much about for the last 7 years.

Today was a picnic lunch at Leon, and it was a very family friendly event. Tommy was so "decided" (excited) to see Daddy's school and pet the lion in the front entrance. He never did. But he at least looked at it (don't worry, it's a statue). Now we're resting for a while and then we'll get ready for the dinner/party thing tonight. So far it's been a great weekend.

Reunion Etiquette

Dean's getting old. His 10-year reunion is this weekend (granted, when my 10-year reunion rolls around next summer, it won't mean that I'm old). Dean went to Leon High School, which is the oldest school in Florida. Most people who went to Leon have this cult-like love for it that I'll never understand. Dean's already planning on moving into the Leon school zone to be sure that Tommy can go there. He's not even 3 yet. But I guess it's good to plan ahead.

So now I get to go to this uncharted reunion territory. Thankfully, I'm friends with a number of the people he graduated with, so it won't be awkward. He's so excited about it and has been for the last, well, ten years. I'm excited about it too. We were talking about it last night, though, and he made a great point about reunions in general. When we were all in high school, we had friends that we knew everything about. We did everything together and swore we'd be best friends for life. Of course we lost touch about 3 weeks after graduation and haven't spoken since. Fast forward 10 years and now there are real jobs (hopefully), and maybe spouses and children. When you see them, will it be weird? You knew them when they were 18, not 28. And do you hug the people you were only somewhat friends with? Do you promise to keep in touch with everyone, knowing that you probably won't talk to a lot of them until the 20 year reunion? This is all so confusing! I guess we better get it figured out before tonight!

Chick Fil-A

I'm going through some withdrawals because the Chick Fil-A closest to our house is undergoing remodeling for a few weeks so they're closed. So to tide me over (and those of you who are as devastated about the closure... it will reopen soon, I promise), here's a great video. If you've already seen it, humor me and watch it again.

Our Weekend Update

Tommy and I were in Fort Lauderdale this weekend and we had a really great time. It's always good to see my family and I wind up leaving exhausted because we pack so much into so little time. But it's always fun. As you may know, the highlight of the weekend was seeing Thomas Live On Stage: A Circus Comes to Town... and it did not disappoint. Tommy clapped, cheered, and chug-a-chug-chugged with the rest of the kids. And I'm proud to say he has good rhythm.



We also got to see our good friends, the Espinosas, who just moved back to Miami from Tallahassee. We miss them terribly, and Dominic is Tommy's oldest friend. They're only 7 weeks apart and have been friends since birth. So he misses him lots.


Tommy had his fishing debut as well. My dad is an avid fisherman and is itching for a fishing buddy. So he put a cute little hook on his rod and we went to the park near my parents' house (the duck park). Tommy caught a fish and even pet it. Dad was really proud. And there was this lovely visitor to watch the whole thing.




We also had time to swim, although he did not go under the water... maybe that will come someday.

Holy Freakin' Cow

Our floors are done! Mel, Andrew, and Jason worked really hard again this weekend while Dean, Tommy and I were all out of town and they did an unbelievable job. Here's some shots of the finished product. I don't have "before" shots, but just think of gross, ugly carpet. This is way better.




And you might notice the large box type thing on our dining room table. It's some sort of an open cabinet/shelf that Dean got at a garage sale. When I got home tonight some of his mini helmets were proudly displayed. I think he wants me to say it looks amazing and let him put it up on the wall in the living room. It was worth a try, I guess.

Goin' To The Circus

Tommy and I are flying out in about 3 hours to see my parents in Fort Lauderdale. It will be great to see them, but we're going especially to see his first stage production. He's going to see Thomas & Friends Live on Stage: A Circus Comes to Town. I'm pretty sure he'll love it, although it might be a little long. So we'll see how this goes. But he's really excited and I'm pretty sure that when he wakes up in the next half hour or so, he'll expect to immediately get on an airplane. Thomas, here we come!

Dinner with My (Little) Guy

Tonight while Dean was at the Bobby Bowden Roast eating steak and banquet food, I decided to live it up with Tommy. I did pasta and sauce (I'm currently into Muir Glen tomato and basil sauce). But while I could have just settled for spaghetti noodles, I decided to step it up a notch and do bowties. That's right, there's nothing boring about bowties! Anyway, I had to laugh when Tommy was talking to his food before he ate it. He named each noodle after the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters: Goofy, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Clarabel (the cow), and Pete (the cat, who's kinda the bad guy, but it's Mickey so there's not really a bad guy). And as he ate them, he made sure to name each character that he was eating. It just made me chuckle.

My Weekend

This weekend has been like one big Christmas morning for me. I was super excited to wake up at 6:30 on Saturday morning because my biggest dream for our house was coming true. We're getting new floors! Dean just grunted and rolled over, but I quickly got up, washed my face, brewed some coffee, took the dog for a walk, and waited for Mel Cayson to come. This wonderful man offered to install my floors throughout the house for me. Unbelievable! And besides me, he had two able-bodied helpers in Andrew and my brother, Jason. They worked hard all day Saturday and until lunch Sunday and rumor has it they're returning this weekend to finish the kitchen, laundry room, hallway and closets. It already looks amazing, Dean is completely stunned. And as if that's not enough, I also received an incredibly generous gift of A PIANO from some good friends of ours. Mine had gotten to the point where I could no longer teach on it and, as if directed from God, she called me and said "We'd like to give you our piano. Can we do that?" It's absolutely beautiful and once I get it tuned it will play like a dream. Doesn't get much better than that, folks! Cue the music... "Just hear those sleighbells jingling, ring ting tingling too..."

Here's some pics from the project. I'll post the finished product next week.

Why Glue is Better Than Stitches (and other things I learned tonight)

1. When your child falls off the couch and breaks his fall by his face hitting the coffee table, immediately grab paper towels.

2. Never, never, never tell them you're going to the hospital. Or the doctor. Maybe tell them you're going to a playground or Disney World.

3. Distract, distract, and distract some more.

4. Let them touch everything in the hospital, explaining that it won't hurt a bit (even if it will).

5. Promise them a popsicle for good behavior. But give it to them whether they're good or not.

6. Pray for Derma Bond (i.e. super glue) instead of stitches. But don't let them peel the glue off their face.

7. Enjoy a great meal at Chick Fil A afterward!

My Daredevil

Yesterday we went to Tommy's friend Caleb's house for a play date. Caleb's mom suggested that Caleb go take Tommy for a ride on his Hot Wheels Jeep (Caleb just turned three and this is one of those things that you actually drive... no Fred Flintstone feet. It shifts gears and goes into reverse. It's the real deal). Tommy was pumped and followed Caleb out to the garage. Meanwhile, Amy put her little girl into her wagon so we could all go watch the boys on the Jeep. Tommy jumped right in and I snapped a really great picture (which I forgot to save) and Caleb took off. In high gear. Tommy immediately began screaming and crying, clutching the door for dear life. We yelled for Caleb to stop the Jeep and Tommy very quickly crawled out. Amy offered for him to ride in the wagon with Savannah and he hopped in. She started pulling them in the grass (so... maybe 1.75 miles per hour) and Tommy smiled and said "Mommy! I'm having so much fun in the wagon!" Meanwhile, Caleb was doing doughnuts in the yard on the jeep.

That's my boy.

Tonight while we were in the car he randomly said "Mommy, I don't like Jeeps. And I don't like monsters." Guess they're on the same level.

In the Spirit of Independence...

I love the Fourth of July. I love that people take full advantage of their grills (we don't have one, so we take full advantage of other people's grills). I love seeing how many red, white, and blue desserts it's possible to make. I even like hearing Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA". But only today.

When I was little, the Fourth of July was a big deal. I always started the day by watching a cartoon on the Disney channel about a group of fireworks and bottle rockets... I haven't seen it in years and have no idea what it's called. But it was tradition for me. Then we would get ready and either go to a friend's house or have our friends come over to our house. It was always fun because we had a group of 4 or 5 families that lived in our neighborhood that we celebrated with. We all had pools, the kids all got along great, and the parents were good friends too. So we'd eat, swim, play some volleyball in the pool (it got a little competitive, I think some of them are still mad about some dirty plays), and go watch some fireworks somewhere. Occasionally we'd make our own. Our mailbox was blown up at least once.

Now it feels a little more low-key. There are fewer people around. And we're not going to watch fireworks this year. Boo. But rumor has it there may be sparklers and poppers. We'll see how Tommy does with that. I'm very excited though. I still love the Fourth of July. And it will be great to be with family and friends today.

A Night In

Lately we've had a really busy schedule and we've been out every night of the week, meaning that Tommy eats random fast food and goes to bed late. That's fun for a night or two, but it begins to take its toll on him (and us). So tonight, instead of going to Matthew's house for college small group (let's face it: I go for the great dinner because I wind up taking Tommy to the park as soon as it starts), I stayed home with him tonight and actually made dinner. The spaghetti got a little messy, I'll admit. But he thoroughly enjoyed it.


After dinner, I decided to try my hand at a craft or two. I'd always been good about having Tommy do projects on a regular basis, but I feel like lately I've been in a Mommy Rut. I could never seem to come up with anything interesting to do. Until tonight. I realized I have a ton of dried beans in my pantry that, if I'm honest with myself, I'm never going to use. So I put some in a jar for him. I got out a piece of paper, wrote a big capital "M" and lower case "m" and traced the letters with glue. Then I let Tommy glue the beans down on the letters.

I helped with (did) the capital one and he did the lower case. I know, looks pretty rough. But when he did the same thing with "O" it got a little better.




Hopefully this means I'm coming out of my rut and will be back to doing fun, educational, creative projects with him. Because that is one of my favorite things about being a mom!