Well it's been six weeks since my last post. And I suppose it's been a little busy. Here's what it's been like 'round here in a nutshell:
- My pumpkin carving was a success. I bought and carved it the night before Halloween and it had begun to rot two days later. Just when you're supposed to throw it away anyway.
- A mild version of the stomach bug passed through our house... twice. It wasn't until the second time around that I realized it was actually some sort of a bug. I then proceeded to bleach every non-porous surface and we've been bug free since then.
- Dean and I each had birthdays. We celebrated Dean's birthday at Shula's for the free birthday entree deal. We were planning on doing the same for mine but due to the aforementioned stomach bug, I threw up moments before we were supposed to leave for the restaurant. Good times.
- We had family pictures taken by the amazing Jennifer Powell. It was my dream come true. Dean, Tommy, and Ty would have rather been, well, anywhere else, but they did it because they love me. And when we got that CD back, we were all really thankful!
- We made the trek to Fort Lauderdale for Thanksgiving with my family. The 7 hour drive there took 11 hours because of multiple potty breaks and crazy traffic. But the boys slept the last 4 hours, so that was good. We had a great time with my family and Tommy got to go to his first UM football game. It took two pretzels and a souvenir drink or two, but he stayed for the whole game.
- The fourth annual Inserra family Christmas decorating party happened the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I made a few pots of chili and about 15 people came by to eat and put an ornament or two on our tree. Very fun tradition. The boys even got to stay up past bedtime to help and hang out.
- I agreed to play piano for four events in an eight day span. Not my wisest move, but so far my "Christmukkah" party went great and Christmas on the Moon was beyond incredible. Tomorrow I'll be the accompanist for Tommy's school Christmas program and then my recital is on Sunday. Whew!
- After attempting to spank Ty for his deliberate hitting and biting and simply being laughed at in return, I decided to give the whole time-out thing another go. It was a miserable failure with Tommy and I swore it would never work on an Inserra child. But not so for Ty. In an act of sheer desperation, I put him in the corner near his bedroom one night after a hitting and biting incident and he sat there. He just cried and looked at me and sat there until I got him up. Then when he attempted to bite Tommy later, I threatened another time out and he stopped and walked away. We have success!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Weekend Musings
- The streak lives. I cannot get through a wedding without crying during the mother/son dance. That started when we attended Todd and Judi Doss's wedding the weekend after we found out Tommy was going to be a boy. That was 5 1/2 years ago. And I don't even have to know the couple getting married! Today Dean performed a wedding and I just met the couple yesterday and yes, I cried during the mother/son dance. I know it's ridiculous.
- I love getting the paper delivered to our house on the weekends. It makes me feel like a grown-up. And I get to play a fun little game with myself where I hurry outside and pick up the paper as fast as I can and hope no other neighbors come outside at the same time so they won't see me in my jammies.
- Thanks to my wonderful in-laws letting the boys have a slumber party at their house last night, I woke up this morning and the sun was up. That's the first time this has happened in many months. And it was everything I dreamed it would be.
- Halloween is on Monday and we haven't had our annual pumpkin carving night, where I spend 2-3 hours painstakingly carving an intricate design on a pumpkin that will most likely rot in the next 48-72 hours. Heck, we didn't even buy a pumpkin! I feel awful about that! But I have to admit it's nice to not have a rotten stinky pumpkin sitting on my doorstep.
- Dean and I have been out on the town quite a bit in the last few weeks. And I still have yet to have my ID checked. I know I'm less than a month away from 30, but seriously??? Please just humor me next time and pretend you're not going to let me in unless I can produce a valid driver's license.
- I love Sundays. I look forward to them all week. I think everyone in my house does, except for Ty who hasn't yet learned to read a calendar. Either way, we all love Sundays because we love our church. And that makes me really happy!
- I love getting the paper delivered to our house on the weekends. It makes me feel like a grown-up. And I get to play a fun little game with myself where I hurry outside and pick up the paper as fast as I can and hope no other neighbors come outside at the same time so they won't see me in my jammies.
- Thanks to my wonderful in-laws letting the boys have a slumber party at their house last night, I woke up this morning and the sun was up. That's the first time this has happened in many months. And it was everything I dreamed it would be.
- Halloween is on Monday and we haven't had our annual pumpkin carving night, where I spend 2-3 hours painstakingly carving an intricate design on a pumpkin that will most likely rot in the next 48-72 hours. Heck, we didn't even buy a pumpkin! I feel awful about that! But I have to admit it's nice to not have a rotten stinky pumpkin sitting on my doorstep.
- Dean and I have been out on the town quite a bit in the last few weeks. And I still have yet to have my ID checked. I know I'm less than a month away from 30, but seriously??? Please just humor me next time and pretend you're not going to let me in unless I can produce a valid driver's license.
- I love Sundays. I look forward to them all week. I think everyone in my house does, except for Ty who hasn't yet learned to read a calendar. Either way, we all love Sundays because we love our church. And that makes me really happy!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Has Anyone Ever Done This?
Yesterday I did something completely irrational and not very me-like. I'd like to blame it on age (I'm less than six weeks from being 30!) or just getting too little sleep. But in reality, I can only blame it on one thing: a complete lack of trust in the God that I follow.
I had just finished teaching a piano lesson. Dean had the boys and they were making their weekly visit to Leon football practice. My next lesson had just cancelled so I had a 30 minute break. At 4:30 I heard my phone buzzing and answered it just a half second too late so I missed the call. I looked at it and realized I'd missed two calls in a row from this person. She is a friend of mine, but we never talk on the phone so missing two calls back to back is certainly odd. That's usually what people do when there's something wrong: keep calling until someone finally answers. I thought about what she might want and then it dawned on me that she lives next door to Leon High School, where Dean and the boys were. And my mind went to the next logical conclusion: something terrible had happened to them.
I called Dean and there was no answer. I hung up and called again. Still no answer (disclaimer: Dean is really good at answering his phone, way better than me, and so if he doesn't answer on the second or third ring, you can assume he's in a ditch somewhere... or that he's left his phone in the car).
At this point I'm feeling physically ill. I'm panicked and praying, asking God to protect my family and tell me what to do while I wait to hear from somebody. I knew the best thing to do was wait and pray. So I did. For about 45 seconds. Keep in mind it was only 4:33 at this point. Only 3 minutes had passed and already I was assuming the worst. Then I decided that it was better for me to just drive to Leon and see for myself what awful thing had happened. So I got in the car, called my next piano lesson and explained that I may be late.
When I explained that I was going to Leon because I felt like something horrible had happened, I realized that this may be a bit irrational. But I kept driving because I guess you could say the mama bear instinct had fully kicked in (and I refused to wait and be patient). And kept calling Dean and Beth (the one who had originally called me). Then I began calling anyone who might have heard from Dean or who would be somewhere around the school and could just look out a window and let me know things were alright. I was planning to tweet "In a total panic because I don't know where my husband and children are! Reply if you know anything about their situation!" at the next stoplight (because I don't text while driving and neither should you!).
Instead, when I got to the next stoplight, my phone rang. It was Dean. I figured he was calling me from the ambulance. Nope, he was calling from the football field. I could hear Tommy and Ty running around near him. He apologized for missing my call and said he kept trying to call me but my phone kept going to voice mail. Perhaps this was because I was in the process of calling everyone I knew. I turned around and headed back home, grateful I had left the house in a panic for nothing. And realizing how much easier the last 20 minutes would have been if I had any faith at all in God. But thankful that He would continue to teach me how to do so.
I had just finished teaching a piano lesson. Dean had the boys and they were making their weekly visit to Leon football practice. My next lesson had just cancelled so I had a 30 minute break. At 4:30 I heard my phone buzzing and answered it just a half second too late so I missed the call. I looked at it and realized I'd missed two calls in a row from this person. She is a friend of mine, but we never talk on the phone so missing two calls back to back is certainly odd. That's usually what people do when there's something wrong: keep calling until someone finally answers. I thought about what she might want and then it dawned on me that she lives next door to Leon High School, where Dean and the boys were. And my mind went to the next logical conclusion: something terrible had happened to them.
I called Dean and there was no answer. I hung up and called again. Still no answer (disclaimer: Dean is really good at answering his phone, way better than me, and so if he doesn't answer on the second or third ring, you can assume he's in a ditch somewhere... or that he's left his phone in the car).
At this point I'm feeling physically ill. I'm panicked and praying, asking God to protect my family and tell me what to do while I wait to hear from somebody. I knew the best thing to do was wait and pray. So I did. For about 45 seconds. Keep in mind it was only 4:33 at this point. Only 3 minutes had passed and already I was assuming the worst. Then I decided that it was better for me to just drive to Leon and see for myself what awful thing had happened. So I got in the car, called my next piano lesson and explained that I may be late.
When I explained that I was going to Leon because I felt like something horrible had happened, I realized that this may be a bit irrational. But I kept driving because I guess you could say the mama bear instinct had fully kicked in (and I refused to wait and be patient). And kept calling Dean and Beth (the one who had originally called me). Then I began calling anyone who might have heard from Dean or who would be somewhere around the school and could just look out a window and let me know things were alright. I was planning to tweet "In a total panic because I don't know where my husband and children are! Reply if you know anything about their situation!" at the next stoplight (because I don't text while driving and neither should you!).
Instead, when I got to the next stoplight, my phone rang. It was Dean. I figured he was calling me from the ambulance. Nope, he was calling from the football field. I could hear Tommy and Ty running around near him. He apologized for missing my call and said he kept trying to call me but my phone kept going to voice mail. Perhaps this was because I was in the process of calling everyone I knew. I turned around and headed back home, grateful I had left the house in a panic for nothing. And realizing how much easier the last 20 minutes would have been if I had any faith at all in God. But thankful that He would continue to teach me how to do so.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Fall Things I'm Looking Forward To
1. The smell of cinnamon everywhere I go
2. Sprinkling cinnamon in my coffee. I know I can do it year round and it's very healthy, but it's so much more fun in fall!
3. Great oatmeal concoctions. A bowl of oatmeal is incredibly boring without lots of fun things in it! Seasonal fruits, nuts, and dried yummy things make it delicious... add a splash of almond milk and it's heaven in a bowl.
4. Leaving the AC off.
5. Football. Contrary to what Dean may say, I actually do enjoy football. Even more so when it's not 95 degrees outside. I just don't feel the need to watch it for 12 hours straight. But believe it or not, I do have ESPN radio on my presets in my car. Just sayin'.
6. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I actually don't care for them that much but knowing that they're only around for a couple months makes me crave them. Call it peer pressure, I guess.
7. An hour less of daylight makes an early bedtime so much easier.
8. Getting to bust out some fall clothes. I happen to love camel and boots make me smile :).
9. Baking cookies. Need I say more?
10. Christmas is right around the corner!
2. Sprinkling cinnamon in my coffee. I know I can do it year round and it's very healthy, but it's so much more fun in fall!
3. Great oatmeal concoctions. A bowl of oatmeal is incredibly boring without lots of fun things in it! Seasonal fruits, nuts, and dried yummy things make it delicious... add a splash of almond milk and it's heaven in a bowl.
4. Leaving the AC off.
5. Football. Contrary to what Dean may say, I actually do enjoy football. Even more so when it's not 95 degrees outside. I just don't feel the need to watch it for 12 hours straight. But believe it or not, I do have ESPN radio on my presets in my car. Just sayin'.
6. Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I actually don't care for them that much but knowing that they're only around for a couple months makes me crave them. Call it peer pressure, I guess.
7. An hour less of daylight makes an early bedtime so much easier.
8. Getting to bust out some fall clothes. I happen to love camel and boots make me smile :).
9. Baking cookies. Need I say more?
10. Christmas is right around the corner!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Soccer's Here!
While Dean may or may not refer to it as a Communist Sport, Tommy has
officially begun soccer season. And yes, Dean is coaching. We had a
special treat this week as his Aunt Sarah (former soccer superstar...
still a superstar in our book) was the guest coach! Here are some of
the finer moments.
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| They all ran in a big pack wherever the ball went. Gotta love the girl in the back running the other way. |
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| No game is complete without a "Go Lions!" cheer (yes, Dean arranged for our team to be the Lions) |
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| Interestingly enough, this is Ty's expression in 98.7% of the pictures we have of him |
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Inserra Family Fun Night
Every Friday night we try to do something fun as a family. It usually involves whatever sport happens to be in season. Last night we took in our first Leon football game of the year. It was also alumni night so they brought back as many former football players and cheerleaders as possible. The boys had a blast at the Leon football field and I had a great time talking to the former hall of fame players and cheerleaders. On a fun note, there were two cheerleaders there who were from the class of 1937! Holy moly!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Raising a World Changer
I've shared with many of my friends (and maybe even on this blog) that I happen to be raising a strong-willed child. This is no easy task and as one who is more on the compliant and easy-going side, it's particularly exhausting. I just can't figure out why he won't simply listen and obey. It's so much easier!! But as Dean has said to me before, he definitely has a "world changing personality". The trick is to harness that and keep him from getting in too much trouble in the meantime.
As Tommy has gotten older, it has become more challenging to shape that spirit, but it's also gotten slightly easier because he is able to communicate so much better. We've had our good days and we've certainly had our bad days, but here are a few things I've learned along the way
1. Prayer: I cannot say enough about the importance of this. I am constantly praying for my family, and when it comes to my children, I'm praying for huge amounts of wisdom on my end and sometimes I'm just praying "Lord, please don't let me just lose it right now!" And I notice the calmness that comes over me as I pray in the midst of a scuffle.
2. Never Waste an Opportunity: Tommy is a pastor's kid, so hopefully he's at least been exposed to the Gospel. That should be said of every child growing up in a Christian home. We've read his children's Bible together. We talk about the truths of forgiveness and repentance and mercy and grace. The key is Deut. 6:7 "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." We try to turn everything into an discussion on a biblical truth (without overdoing it and making him hate the Bible because it says he can't have a cookie because his body is God's temple and God doesn't want too many chocolate chips in his temple).
The other day I had a couple conversations with Tommy that completely blew me away. We had just had a very large "battle of the wills", if you will, and Tommy had been sent to his room for "freaking out" (one of our house rules is "no freak-outs"). He came out after I told him he could and he told me through his just-dried tears "Mommy, when I was in my room just now, I prayed for God to let Jesus die on the cross for my sins."
Well that about made me cry and so we talked about the fact that Jesus only needed to die once, even for the sin that he just did, even for the sins he'd do the next day and next year and everything. I was thrilled with that conversation, thinking we'd just turned a big corner. Then he came home from school and basically spent the entire afternoon in his room (as a punishment, not because he was being reclusive). I was a little disappointed, to say the least. But the next morning he came out and asked me, "Mommy, why do I keep freaking out like this?" and I said, "Honey, I have no idea." His response was "Well, I feel like I have God on one side and Satan on the other side and it's going Satan, God, Satan God, Satan, God", as he was doing a tug-of-war motion. I explained that he was exactly right and in the Bible it talks about a spiritual battle (he loves battles) and how Satan's the bad guy and God's the good guy and God always wins in the end, but it's important to not listen to the bad guy and let him win the little battles. He seemed to get that and it's opened the door to more conversations like that.
This is an awesome part of parenting, but I admit to know I'll do this all over again with Ty is a bit of an exhausting thought. But at the same time, I can't wait. There's nothing like it.
As Tommy has gotten older, it has become more challenging to shape that spirit, but it's also gotten slightly easier because he is able to communicate so much better. We've had our good days and we've certainly had our bad days, but here are a few things I've learned along the way
1. Prayer: I cannot say enough about the importance of this. I am constantly praying for my family, and when it comes to my children, I'm praying for huge amounts of wisdom on my end and sometimes I'm just praying "Lord, please don't let me just lose it right now!" And I notice the calmness that comes over me as I pray in the midst of a scuffle.
2. Never Waste an Opportunity: Tommy is a pastor's kid, so hopefully he's at least been exposed to the Gospel. That should be said of every child growing up in a Christian home. We've read his children's Bible together. We talk about the truths of forgiveness and repentance and mercy and grace. The key is Deut. 6:7 "Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." We try to turn everything into an discussion on a biblical truth (without overdoing it and making him hate the Bible because it says he can't have a cookie because his body is God's temple and God doesn't want too many chocolate chips in his temple).
The other day I had a couple conversations with Tommy that completely blew me away. We had just had a very large "battle of the wills", if you will, and Tommy had been sent to his room for "freaking out" (one of our house rules is "no freak-outs"). He came out after I told him he could and he told me through his just-dried tears "Mommy, when I was in my room just now, I prayed for God to let Jesus die on the cross for my sins."
Well that about made me cry and so we talked about the fact that Jesus only needed to die once, even for the sin that he just did, even for the sins he'd do the next day and next year and everything. I was thrilled with that conversation, thinking we'd just turned a big corner. Then he came home from school and basically spent the entire afternoon in his room (as a punishment, not because he was being reclusive). I was a little disappointed, to say the least. But the next morning he came out and asked me, "Mommy, why do I keep freaking out like this?" and I said, "Honey, I have no idea." His response was "Well, I feel like I have God on one side and Satan on the other side and it's going Satan, God, Satan God, Satan, God", as he was doing a tug-of-war motion. I explained that he was exactly right and in the Bible it talks about a spiritual battle (he loves battles) and how Satan's the bad guy and God's the good guy and God always wins in the end, but it's important to not listen to the bad guy and let him win the little battles. He seemed to get that and it's opened the door to more conversations like that.
This is an awesome part of parenting, but I admit to know I'll do this all over again with Ty is a bit of an exhausting thought. But at the same time, I can't wait. There's nothing like it.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
A House Divided
My poor confused child. I'm trying to get him to do the chop. Tommy's trying to get him to "do the U". Which one will he pick? Watch and find out.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Early Risers
I'm not a morning person. Not at all. Well, I've been waking up every morning for the last 5 years around 7 or 7:30 so I guess I'm more of one than I was before. But either way I still despise waking up in the morning. And it seems even worse when I wake up to the sound of (from across the house) "MOM!!! I'M READY TO GET UP NOW!!!! COME WAKE ME UP NOW PLEASE!!" followed shortly by the sound of Ty crying after being abruptly woken up by his brother. For some reason that wake up call doesn't put me in the best of moods.
So I decided that in my never-ending quest to be a better mom, I should start waking up before the boys. Tommy's usually up around 6:45 or 7, so I figured I should set my alarm for 6:30. That should be plenty of time to get up, get my coffee going, maybe pray and read my Bible for a minute or two and then greet my children with a smile. Sounds like a great plan.
Except for the last few days (actually the first day that I set my alarm), I've had that same wake-up call... at 5:50 am!! I'm not ready to set an alarm for 5:30. I just don't think I can do it.
So I decided that in my never-ending quest to be a better mom, I should start waking up before the boys. Tommy's usually up around 6:45 or 7, so I figured I should set my alarm for 6:30. That should be plenty of time to get up, get my coffee going, maybe pray and read my Bible for a minute or two and then greet my children with a smile. Sounds like a great plan.
Except for the last few days (actually the first day that I set my alarm), I've had that same wake-up call... at 5:50 am!! I'm not ready to set an alarm for 5:30. I just don't think I can do it.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Ty's First Smoothie
Yesterday I was driving down the road and saw a man dressed as a giant banana and immediately pulled over. He had a sign saying smoothies at Tropical Smoothie were 99 cents. So I decided that was as good a time as any for Ty to try his first smoothie. We ordered some pineapple banana concoction and I was pleased to see that he liked it. Actually he loved it. He didn't want to share and I promise he drank more than half of that cup.
While we were sitting outside enjoying our smoothie and the salsa music (not sure exactly what it was, but it felt tropical... or at least Hispanic) a woman and her little girl walked by. We started talking to them and they joined us at our table. Ty had been playing with my keys and dropped them through the holes in his chair and was really mad about it. He was trying to reach his chubby little hand through the hole, looking at me and going "Mamamamama!", all the while refusing to give up his smoothie. Just as I started to get frustrated, the woman said "Wow, what great communication he has!" I had to laugh and agreed that he certainly lets me know when he's upset.
What she said next made me so thankful for every frustrating encounter I've had.
"My older son is autistic and I've been working really hard with him to get him to communicate at all. You need to be thankful for how great he is at showing his emotion."
And I was.
And it just wound up being a neat conversation about experiences we've had with our boys and things like early intervention programs, therapies, and the like. And I think we both left grateful for the incredible experiences we've been able to have so far with our boys.
All because of a guy in a banana suit.
While we were sitting outside enjoying our smoothie and the salsa music (not sure exactly what it was, but it felt tropical... or at least Hispanic) a woman and her little girl walked by. We started talking to them and they joined us at our table. Ty had been playing with my keys and dropped them through the holes in his chair and was really mad about it. He was trying to reach his chubby little hand through the hole, looking at me and going "Mamamamama!", all the while refusing to give up his smoothie. Just as I started to get frustrated, the woman said "Wow, what great communication he has!" I had to laugh and agreed that he certainly lets me know when he's upset.
What she said next made me so thankful for every frustrating encounter I've had.
"My older son is autistic and I've been working really hard with him to get him to communicate at all. You need to be thankful for how great he is at showing his emotion."
And I was.
And it just wound up being a neat conversation about experiences we've had with our boys and things like early intervention programs, therapies, and the like. And I think we both left grateful for the incredible experiences we've been able to have so far with our boys.
All because of a guy in a banana suit.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Happy Football Season
It's here. The first college football weekend. Tommy loved the first FSU game (so did Ty) and he even did the chop. I think we're making a Seminole fan out of him, much to Dean's dismay.
Aahhh... the Weekend
It's Saturday morning at 8;30 and I've already clocked a very busy 12 hours. As of 8:30 last night here has been my activities:
1. Come home from Downtown Getdown to see and smell the fact that I may have left a diaper or two in Ty's trash can in his room and I may or may not have closed the door. Dorsi took advantage of that fun and ate the diapers. Poopy ones are her favorite.
2. Clean diaper messes out of the dining room, living room, and Ty's room. Which resulted in having to swiff and mop all the floors in our house.
3. Hear Dorsi in our room vomiting all over the place. Apparently poopy diapers don't actually sit well with her.
4. Run as fast as I can to grab her and let her outside to finish getting sick. She doesn't make it. There's now piles on our living room rug.
5. Clean all throwup piles. Oxyclean is my best friend and works wonders.
6. Proclaim that now I'm going to bed before anyone else can cry, vomit, wet the bed, or just wake up in general.
7. Look down to see that now the refrigerator is leaking. By now this is almost comical. Clean up refrigerator. Go to bed.
8. Wake up to realize that Tommy had an accident in bed. Wash bedding.
9. Perform surgery on Big White Bear, whose head was falling off and was leaving trails of stuffing. Tommy praised my amazing sewing skills. Little does he know, his head will probably fall off again in the next few weeks because of those amazing skills (or lack thereof).
Now I want to relax a little. I'm looking forward to the first Gameday show, the general atmosphere of football season, and most of all, naptime.
1. Come home from Downtown Getdown to see and smell the fact that I may have left a diaper or two in Ty's trash can in his room and I may or may not have closed the door. Dorsi took advantage of that fun and ate the diapers. Poopy ones are her favorite.
2. Clean diaper messes out of the dining room, living room, and Ty's room. Which resulted in having to swiff and mop all the floors in our house.
3. Hear Dorsi in our room vomiting all over the place. Apparently poopy diapers don't actually sit well with her.
4. Run as fast as I can to grab her and let her outside to finish getting sick. She doesn't make it. There's now piles on our living room rug.
5. Clean all throwup piles. Oxyclean is my best friend and works wonders.
6. Proclaim that now I'm going to bed before anyone else can cry, vomit, wet the bed, or just wake up in general.
7. Look down to see that now the refrigerator is leaking. By now this is almost comical. Clean up refrigerator. Go to bed.
8. Wake up to realize that Tommy had an accident in bed. Wash bedding.
9. Perform surgery on Big White Bear, whose head was falling off and was leaving trails of stuffing. Tommy praised my amazing sewing skills. Little does he know, his head will probably fall off again in the next few weeks because of those amazing skills (or lack thereof).
Now I want to relax a little. I'm looking forward to the first Gameday show, the general atmosphere of football season, and most of all, naptime.
A New Year
No, it's not January already (although it seems about that long since I've last posted). But living in a college town, being part of a church that reaches lots of college students, and now having a little school go-er of my own, I firmly believe that New Year's Day needs to be changed to September 1. But that's another post for another time.
Since I've last written, lots has happened. Tommy turned 5.
Sarah and Todd got married, creating the union of Todd Inserra and Sarah Inserra (say it out loud and it's really fun... thanks Dane!) Sadly the only pictures I have are professional ones that are on Facebook and I can't put them on here. But just know it was beautiful and lots of fun!
And Tommy started Kindergarten. He's going to a half day program and will repeat it at our public school next year because of his incredibly late birthday. But judging by how much he loves Kindergarten now, I don't think he'll mind doing it again next year!
Since I've last written, lots has happened. Tommy turned 5.
And Tommy started Kindergarten. He's going to a half day program and will repeat it at our public school next year because of his incredibly late birthday. But judging by how much he loves Kindergarten now, I don't think he'll mind doing it again next year!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Bieber Fever
Lately in our house Tommy's been going around singing most of the chorus from "Baby" by Justin Bieber. It just kind of came out of nowhere a few months ago and after he had been doing it for about a week or so, I asked him, "Tommy where did you hear that?"
His reply (as though I just crawled out from under a rock), complete with an eye roll, was "Come on, Mom... It's Justin Beaver!"
His reply (as though I just crawled out from under a rock), complete with an eye roll, was "Come on, Mom... It's Justin Beaver!"
Monday, July 18, 2011
Aunt Sally Rockin' with Tommy
On our beach vacation, Sally and Tommy made up a dance. I don't remember what song they used, but it was absolutely adorable. TDA served her well! No wonder Tommy loves his aunt so much! (PS, sorry I can't get the pictures any bigger, but you get the idea)
Friday, July 15, 2011
A Calling
I just read this great post and it made me think. And realize how often I lose sight of what I've been called to do. I'm not saying I'm a bad mother (though I felt that way when I was eating my breakfast and looked up to see Ty climbing out of his high chair and crawling over the back of it). But I'm quick to lose my temper. Or just get annoyed.
I've been reminded to show my boys that I'm totally present with them. That's really hard in an age of cell phones, tweets, and online everything. The other day when we were at a museum downtown, I went to pull out my cell phone to see if I had missed any calls while we were in the elevator and Tommy grabbed my hand and said, "Mommy, no! Please stop being on your phone!" I hadn't used my phone the whole time we were there, but it reminded me of how often I do make phone calls in the car or other "downtimes", when those are really the perfect opportunities to engage with my almost-five-year-old (that's how old he is if you ask him. He's completely stopped saying he's four).
I try to cultivate relationships with friends who don't know Christ, and I need to continue to do so, but I also need to be constantly reminded that the two people I have the most influence on, possibly ever, live in the rooms down the hall from me. And tomorrow morning they'll wake me up before I'm ready. And I need to show them the gospel.
I'm preparing the coffee pot now.
I've been reminded to show my boys that I'm totally present with them. That's really hard in an age of cell phones, tweets, and online everything. The other day when we were at a museum downtown, I went to pull out my cell phone to see if I had missed any calls while we were in the elevator and Tommy grabbed my hand and said, "Mommy, no! Please stop being on your phone!" I hadn't used my phone the whole time we were there, but it reminded me of how often I do make phone calls in the car or other "downtimes", when those are really the perfect opportunities to engage with my almost-five-year-old (that's how old he is if you ask him. He's completely stopped saying he's four).
I try to cultivate relationships with friends who don't know Christ, and I need to continue to do so, but I also need to be constantly reminded that the two people I have the most influence on, possibly ever, live in the rooms down the hall from me. And tomorrow morning they'll wake me up before I'm ready. And I need to show them the gospel.
I'm preparing the coffee pot now.
Tommy and Mommy Time
The last four weeks have been wonderful. It's been a whirlwind first half of summer and I can't believe that it's already winding down. I'm not going to try to catch you up on what we've been up to, or even throw a bunch of pictures up. Just know that it's been great.
But today was extra special for me. I've been wanting to so something with just Tommy for quite some time, because I realized that we haven't had "Tommy and Mommy time" outside of the house without Ty since, well, since Ty was born. So earlier this week I worked it out for Ty to spend the afternoon with MeMe while Tommy and I went to see the movie "Winnie the Pooh". It was great. I may or may not have cried a little before the opening credits when they showed the Disney castle with the fireworks shooting out of it. And I also may have shed a tear or two in the preview of the movie "Chimpanzee" that will be out next year. But that's all besides the point.
Tommy and I had an awesome afternoon together watching "Winnie the Pooh". I was able to reminisce about watching it as a child and Tommy was able to experience it for the first time. And on the whole way home, Tommy talked about the movie, asked questions, and decided to use his own stuffed animals to create adventures (which he already does) and make a movie of it. That was so worth paying $5 for a small drink.
But today was extra special for me. I've been wanting to so something with just Tommy for quite some time, because I realized that we haven't had "Tommy and Mommy time" outside of the house without Ty since, well, since Ty was born. So earlier this week I worked it out for Ty to spend the afternoon with MeMe while Tommy and I went to see the movie "Winnie the Pooh". It was great. I may or may not have cried a little before the opening credits when they showed the Disney castle with the fireworks shooting out of it. And I also may have shed a tear or two in the preview of the movie "Chimpanzee" that will be out next year. But that's all besides the point.
Tommy and I had an awesome afternoon together watching "Winnie the Pooh". I was able to reminisce about watching it as a child and Tommy was able to experience it for the first time. And on the whole way home, Tommy talked about the movie, asked questions, and decided to use his own stuffed animals to create adventures (which he already does) and make a movie of it. That was so worth paying $5 for a small drink.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Hula Hoop Night
We're back from our vacation (part one, anyway) and there are lots of highlights to report on. We did have a bit of a camera fiasco so I had to use my camera on my phone to capture a lot of great moments. But then there was a phone fiasco and those great moments were lost. Sadly, this was one of them. But just try to picture, if you will.
One night on our vacation inn the Asheville area we left the boys with Alex and Melissa, who had come to visit Alex's sister. We went into downtown Asheville and had dinner at one of our favorite places, Tupelo Honey Cafe. It's right downtown, across the street from Pritchard Park. I was slightly disappointed because I knew it wasn't Friday night, which is drumming night. But I was soon thrilled to see something even better. Apparently Tuesday night is hula hoop night. Picture about 30 people, trying way to hard to be weird, stoned out of their minds, freestyle hula hooping. Yes, I just said freestyle hula hooping. There was a booth set up with a guy playing techno music that people were hula hooping to. Every so often, someone would walk up and down the sidewalk, hula hoop in motion. Techno music blaring.
The pictures were priceless. And now they're gone. I'm slightly devastated.
One night on our vacation inn the Asheville area we left the boys with Alex and Melissa, who had come to visit Alex's sister. We went into downtown Asheville and had dinner at one of our favorite places, Tupelo Honey Cafe. It's right downtown, across the street from Pritchard Park. I was slightly disappointed because I knew it wasn't Friday night, which is drumming night. But I was soon thrilled to see something even better. Apparently Tuesday night is hula hoop night. Picture about 30 people, trying way to hard to be weird, stoned out of their minds, freestyle hula hooping. Yes, I just said freestyle hula hooping. There was a booth set up with a guy playing techno music that people were hula hooping to. Every so often, someone would walk up and down the sidewalk, hula hoop in motion. Techno music blaring.
The pictures were priceless. And now they're gone. I'm slightly devastated.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
What Exactly Do You Do?
I get that question a lot. Usually I respond with the simple short answer of "I'm a stay-at-home mom. Oh yeah and I also teach piano lessons to 17 piano students." (for some reason I always forget that I teach piano).
But lately when people ask that question, they really want to know what my role is in the church. Dean is the pastor of the church we planted about 4 years ago and so surely I must have all sorts of odds and ends that I do at church. No, I don't lead the ladies' quilting club or run the children's ministry. I always enjoyed leading small groups, so that's what I initially did. For some reason that I still can't figure out, about 20 college girls would come all the way out to our house (which from FSU may as well be Guam) every Saturday morning for about a year. I think it was because I served an entire breakfast spread each week, but I'll never know for sure. They will surely remember Tommy as a baby crawling in the midst of them while we discussed Romans.
I've led a few other groups since then, but after Ty was born, I really had to cut back. I felt really bad about it at first and I still miss doing it, but my role has changed. Now whenever people ask what my role is in the church, I can confidently answer "pastoral support staff". I make sure our children and home are taken care of so Dean can do what he does. Sometimes that means picking up DVD's off the floor for the fifth time in a day (it usually does). It means having some sort of order in our house so that everyone gets to eat dinner and the kids aren't going nutty when Dean gets home every day. Sometimes they are going nutty but I try to not make that the norm. It means budgeting for extra groceries so we can have friends over for dinner, both from church and outside of church. It means being there for Dean as his wife, supporting him and loving him unconditionally.
I actually have a pretty easy job, relatively speaking. It's much easier to do all that when I have an incredible husband who supports what I do at home and makes it clear that I'm not expected to do things like lead the quilting club or children's ministry, or any other typical pastor's wife role (although, true to stereotype, I do occasionally play the keyboard at church). I would encourage any other ministry wife to look at her role in the same way, if that's possible. Don't allow outside pressures to define who you are or what you do. That may look different for you depending on what season of life you're in. And if you're a stay-at-home mom, it certainly doesn't have to look like "1958 called and they want their housewife back". If you remember why you're doing what you're doing, it will be easier "Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it as working for the Lord, not for men"
But lately when people ask that question, they really want to know what my role is in the church. Dean is the pastor of the church we planted about 4 years ago and so surely I must have all sorts of odds and ends that I do at church. No, I don't lead the ladies' quilting club or run the children's ministry. I always enjoyed leading small groups, so that's what I initially did. For some reason that I still can't figure out, about 20 college girls would come all the way out to our house (which from FSU may as well be Guam) every Saturday morning for about a year. I think it was because I served an entire breakfast spread each week, but I'll never know for sure. They will surely remember Tommy as a baby crawling in the midst of them while we discussed Romans.
I've led a few other groups since then, but after Ty was born, I really had to cut back. I felt really bad about it at first and I still miss doing it, but my role has changed. Now whenever people ask what my role is in the church, I can confidently answer "pastoral support staff". I make sure our children and home are taken care of so Dean can do what he does. Sometimes that means picking up DVD's off the floor for the fifth time in a day (it usually does). It means having some sort of order in our house so that everyone gets to eat dinner and the kids aren't going nutty when Dean gets home every day. Sometimes they are going nutty but I try to not make that the norm. It means budgeting for extra groceries so we can have friends over for dinner, both from church and outside of church. It means being there for Dean as his wife, supporting him and loving him unconditionally.
I actually have a pretty easy job, relatively speaking. It's much easier to do all that when I have an incredible husband who supports what I do at home and makes it clear that I'm not expected to do things like lead the quilting club or children's ministry, or any other typical pastor's wife role (although, true to stereotype, I do occasionally play the keyboard at church). I would encourage any other ministry wife to look at her role in the same way, if that's possible. Don't allow outside pressures to define who you are or what you do. That may look different for you depending on what season of life you're in. And if you're a stay-at-home mom, it certainly doesn't have to look like "1958 called and they want their housewife back". If you remember why you're doing what you're doing, it will be easier "Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it as working for the Lord, not for men"
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
If You're Going to San Francisco...
We're not, but in honor of our upcoming trip to the Asheville area, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite memories of the "San Francisco of the East".
Shortly after we were married, Dean and I visited Asheville for the first time. We were immediately taken aback by the beauty of the area and thought it would be a great place to retire to one day (we know we won't really do that... pastors never actually retire). We had dinner at what is now our favorite restaurant there, Tupelo Honey Cafe. After dinner, we walked around the downtown square area. We found ourselves at the park in the center of town and couldn't help but notice about 30 people in the park with various drums, bongos, djembes, and I'm sure loads of other things that I can't identify. They were all playing them together. And there were hippie ribbon dancers (they were dressed like hippies, I'm not saying all ribbon dancers are hippies - but, hey, if the shoe fits...), a few kids and old men doing tai chi, and more than a few people smoking joints. All in this little park area. There were a number of people gathered around to watch and we asked a couple standing next to us what was going on. The response was classic:
"They do this every Friday night. It's just random people who come out to express the rhythm that's in their soul and with that rhythm we all become one."
A second Asheville anecdote:
When Dean was a youth pastor, we took a few of our older high schoolers on a trip to look at colleges. Along the way, we stayed the night in Ridgecrest and went to Asheville for dinner. After dinner, we were walking through the downtown, and of course someone had to use the bathroom. It was freezing so we all went into a bookstore and took a potty break. We noticed a sign advertising for a local author that would be reading her book, and it happened to be going on right then. We walked in just as she was getting to the part that read,
"And then I floated up out of my body and began to observe all that was going on around me..."
Ah, Asheville. I'm excited to gather more stories.
Do you have any great Asheville stories? Or just weird stories like that?
Shortly after we were married, Dean and I visited Asheville for the first time. We were immediately taken aback by the beauty of the area and thought it would be a great place to retire to one day (we know we won't really do that... pastors never actually retire). We had dinner at what is now our favorite restaurant there, Tupelo Honey Cafe. After dinner, we walked around the downtown square area. We found ourselves at the park in the center of town and couldn't help but notice about 30 people in the park with various drums, bongos, djembes, and I'm sure loads of other things that I can't identify. They were all playing them together. And there were hippie ribbon dancers (they were dressed like hippies, I'm not saying all ribbon dancers are hippies - but, hey, if the shoe fits...), a few kids and old men doing tai chi, and more than a few people smoking joints. All in this little park area. There were a number of people gathered around to watch and we asked a couple standing next to us what was going on. The response was classic:
"They do this every Friday night. It's just random people who come out to express the rhythm that's in their soul and with that rhythm we all become one."
 |
| You can almost see them becoming one! Right before your very eyes! |
A second Asheville anecdote:
When Dean was a youth pastor, we took a few of our older high schoolers on a trip to look at colleges. Along the way, we stayed the night in Ridgecrest and went to Asheville for dinner. After dinner, we were walking through the downtown, and of course someone had to use the bathroom. It was freezing so we all went into a bookstore and took a potty break. We noticed a sign advertising for a local author that would be reading her book, and it happened to be going on right then. We walked in just as she was getting to the part that read,
"And then I floated up out of my body and began to observe all that was going on around me..."
Ah, Asheville. I'm excited to gather more stories.
Do you have any great Asheville stories? Or just weird stories like that?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
One
My baby isn't a baby anymore. I don't know that I would say that Ty's a toddler since he's not actually "toddling" (just crawling very fast), but he's officially a year old. Friday was his birthday and I took pictures and reminisced about a year ago. And I must say, May 27, 2011 was a lot easier than May 27, 2010! There wasn't nearly the drama that we experienced the day of Tommy's birth, but I don't think giving birth is ever a cakewalk. Anyway, here are some snippets about my little guy:
- He's incredibly happy. When he wakes up, he likes to sit and play in his crib and when I walk in, he flashes the biggest smile I've ever seen.
- He has a deep voice for a baby.
- He's not really into reading, but we're getting there. One of his favorite books is "Moo, Baa, La La La", and he actually laughs out loud while we're reading it.
- He'll eat just about anything I put in front of him. Except grilled eggplant. And plain cottage cheese.
- Although he's not walking yet, Ty is one of the fastest crawlers I've ever seen.
- Like most babies, he doesn't like to be changed and will kick and scream when you lay him down on his changing table, but if I hand him a book, he immediately calms down and usually starts laughing.
- Whenever Dean and Tommy wrestle, Ty is Hornswoggle
- He doesn't (and really never did) take a paci. He sucks on his index and middle fingers of his left hand.
- He's left handed... so far.
- His favorite toy is a whiffle ball.
- He loves to cuddle and play with my hair.
- I love him more than I ever imagined I could!!
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Graduation
My baby is now a preschool graduate! Granted, school's not actually out until next Friday, so he'll be in school tomorrow and all next week, but today was Tommy's graduation ceremony. Complete with caps and gowns, these little guys had a whole program planned. Of course as they were filing in, my camera battery died and I had to quick change the batteries. Then as they were leaving, he paused for a quick picture but my camera apparently ran out of memory at that very moment. So I have no entrance and exit shots. But here are some adorable ones anyway.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Tommy and I have been talking about planting a garden for some time now. While we were planting it, Tommy informed me that he has wanted to plant a garden since he was two. So my friend Lauren came over with some green onions from her garden for us to plant in ours. I also added basil, tomatoes, and rosemary. Yes it's tiny and probably not spaced right, but we're both pumped. And Tommy insisted on making a scarecrow, so that's what that funny looking thing is behind us.
Tonight at dinner, Tommy asked when we were going to eat our garden. Maybe he'll start eating more vegetables now!
Tonight at dinner, Tommy asked when we were going to eat our garden. Maybe he'll start eating more vegetables now!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Advice for Moms of Little Boys
1. Let them get dirty. The amount of fun they're having is directly proportional to the amount of dirt that is left on their bodies. But explain that they won't get clean again without soap.
2. Let them play good guys and bad guys. Buy them armor and swords (plastic, of course!). Explain that the good guys always win in the end. It may seem like the bad guys win but make sure they understand that good ultimately triumphs over evil.
3. Let them watch "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" after they understand good vs. evil. And let them dress up in said armor while they work to defeat the bad guys. Explain the biblical parallels. Especially substitutionary atonement. They can understand it as portrayed in the movie.
2. Let them play good guys and bad guys. Buy them armor and swords (plastic, of course!). Explain that the good guys always win in the end. It may seem like the bad guys win but make sure they understand that good ultimately triumphs over evil.
3. Let them watch "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" after they understand good vs. evil. And let them dress up in said armor while they work to defeat the bad guys. Explain the biblical parallels. Especially substitutionary atonement. They can understand it as portrayed in the movie.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Ms. Jean
We have a sweet little neighbor in our adjacent townhouse, affectionately known as Ms. Jean. She's an 80-something feisty little lady who can't see much and can hear even less. She gets her hair done every week and always wears jewelry when she sits in her open garage at the little table and chairs set that her daughter got her. Every day, she and Ms. Barbara, the lady across the street, sit at that little table for what Dean and I call "happy hour". Ms. Barbara brings her glass of rose wine and Ms. Jean drinks what I have always thought was a Tervis Tumbler of beer. But I just found out what it really is. The doctor said she can have two drinks a day so every day she pours herself two shots of Rebel Yell bourbon. For some reason, knowing that makes me chuckle.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Best Dessert Ever
Not only am I excited about their wedding. Last night after the rehearsal, Teri and I got to take some contraband home. This cake is my absolute favorite dessert, hands down. I think it's the combination of different textures of chocolate and a hint of almond. This seriously makes my day. Matthew made a few too many for his rehearsal dinner and before we left (I took a little plate with two pieces on it to save for later), Dean handed me an entire cake plate and said "Here. Take it to the car! Run! Now!" After Teri and I paused for pictures, we both ran out the door before anyone could stop us.
And I had the most delicious breakfast of chocolate cake today.
Ode to Matthew and Rachel
Before he met Rachel, I remember trying to think of a girl that I thought would be good enough for him. It was a very frustrating task, as I could never find anyone. Thankfully, it wasn't up to me. When I first met Rachel I knew right away she would be perfect. Matthew is one of the most loving people I know and I could tell that Rachel would love him just as much. And I've loved getting to know her! I can't wait to keep living our lives with such a special couple.
So here's to the new Mr. and Mrs. Robinson! As Pink says, raise your glass!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
T-Ball Wrap-up
Well folks, it was a short season, but Tommy had a great time. He talked trash to every team in the league (the non-competitive league, mind you) and made lots of great plays. Every week, he would count down the days to his next "big game". On the day of his last game, he had the largest cheering section ever. We had Donnie, Alex, Melissa, James, Kirsten, and my parents along with Jason, Todd, Sarah, and Dean's parents. And Tommy felt like a king that day. Thankfully, Alex took lots of great pictures (my camera battery died right when the morning started. Dumb Dollar Store batteries!)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Here's What's New
I'm not going to say I'm back because I think I have a pretty bad track record of actually being back once I announce that I'll be blogging regularly again. So I'll just say hi.
Anyway, here's what I've been up to in the past six weeks or so...
- We went to Fort Lauderdale for a quick visit to my parents and the boys got to go to the beach, MetroZoo, and Miami Seaquarium (all firsts for Ty)
- Field trip to the Tallahassee Museum (not quite MetroZoo, but still very fun)
- The boys got to meet the Easter Bunny. Tommy is finally not afraid and Ty didn't seem to think anything of sitting on the lap of a large rabbit.
- Easter on the Moon. An unbelievable success this year, it left us all speechless. Between two services, 3000 people heard the gospel presented loud and clear. I'm still amazed and in such gratitude to the 64 people who showed up at 6 am to clean up the Moon after Urban Night. And special fist pumps to Alex Scott, who started setting up sound and lighting there at 3 am. Unbelievable! (Unfortunately, I have no pictures of this, so you'll just have to go to facebook and look at City Church's page to see it)
Anyway, here's what I've been up to in the past six weeks or so...
- We went to Fort Lauderdale for a quick visit to my parents and the boys got to go to the beach, MetroZoo, and Miami Seaquarium (all firsts for Ty)
- Field trip to the Tallahassee Museum (not quite MetroZoo, but still very fun)
- The boys got to meet the Easter Bunny. Tommy is finally not afraid and Ty didn't seem to think anything of sitting on the lap of a large rabbit.
- Easter on the Moon. An unbelievable success this year, it left us all speechless. Between two services, 3000 people heard the gospel presented loud and clear. I'm still amazed and in such gratitude to the 64 people who showed up at 6 am to clean up the Moon after Urban Night. And special fist pumps to Alex Scott, who started setting up sound and lighting there at 3 am. Unbelievable! (Unfortunately, I have no pictures of this, so you'll just have to go to facebook and look at City Church's page to see it)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
T-Ball Season is Here!
I was reminiscing with Dean Saturday night and I reminded him of a comment he made while we were in the hospital with Tommy the day after he was born. We had just been told that he would need brain surgery, which included the possibility of a shunt. With a shunt, contact sports are completely out of the question forever. Once we wrapped our mind around what would most likely be happening to our baby, Dean sadly commented, "Well, I guess I'll never coach him in baseball."
Fast forward four and a half years. This Saturday was the start of Tommy's first ever baseball-ish season. T-Ball, to be exact. And guess who's his head coach? Yep, Dean. For reasons that I know I'll never understand, God chose to answer our prayers and not only did Tommy turn out ok, but he never even needed surgery. But we also had to come to the realization during those first few months of uncertainty that even if the outcome was the worst it could possibly be, God was still sovereign. And still good.
So here are some highlights from Saturday. While his team was in the field, they would all dive for the ball every time it was hit. Whoever says T-Ball is laid back has clearly never seen kids play it! Tommy would watch the ball hit the ground and no matter where it went, he would watch it land and then take a few steps forward, dive, and roll on the ground. Usually nowhere near the ball. But he had a blast doing it. However, when I turned on the camera to capture one of those moments, this is what happened:
Fast forward four and a half years. This Saturday was the start of Tommy's first ever baseball-ish season. T-Ball, to be exact. And guess who's his head coach? Yep, Dean. For reasons that I know I'll never understand, God chose to answer our prayers and not only did Tommy turn out ok, but he never even needed surgery. But we also had to come to the realization during those first few months of uncertainty that even if the outcome was the worst it could possibly be, God was still sovereign. And still good.
So here are some highlights from Saturday. While his team was in the field, they would all dive for the ball every time it was hit. Whoever says T-Ball is laid back has clearly never seen kids play it! Tommy would watch the ball hit the ground and no matter where it went, he would watch it land and then take a few steps forward, dive, and roll on the ground. Usually nowhere near the ball. But he had a blast doing it. However, when I turned on the camera to capture one of those moments, this is what happened:
Sunday, February 27, 2011
He's On the Move!
It's official... Ty is mobile. He started crawling last weekend and there's no stopping him. Here he is exploring Tommy's room.
And one of the things Ty likes to do in his spare time is laugh at Dorsi. Here's one of their favorite daily activities.
And one of the things Ty likes to do in his spare time is laugh at Dorsi. Here's one of their favorite daily activities.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Nursing Home Wedding
We went to Washington DC in December for the wedding of Dean's cousin Emily to Nick Kriz. It was awesome and we had a great time, but Dean and Emily's grandmother was not able to make it. So this weekend they had a little re-enactment and brought the wedding to Granny at Westminster Oaks. Emily wore Sally's dress (which was absolutely beautiful), I played the piano, Tommy was the ring bearer, and Dean performed the 90 second ceremony. I think Granny really enjoyed it. And so did the other 20 or so residents who raced to get a seat in the sunroom. I guess it's not every day that a woman walks through an assisted living facility in a wedding dress! One man apologized for showing up uninvited, but Emily and Nick were so gracious. They even made personal visits to the rooms of residents who were bed-ridden!
After the ceremony, we all headed to the Bistro down the hall for an ice cream cup reception. Tommy was in his glory.
After the ceremony, we all headed to the Bistro down the hall for an ice cream cup reception. Tommy was in his glory.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Girls Win!
With Aunt Sue, Uncle Rich, cousin Emily, and husband Nick in town, Tommy finally got to stage his much-anticipated Boys vs. The Girls event. I think the girls won. We ambushed him while he was getting ready and then everything broke loose. Here's a clip of part of it. I'm still not sure what happened or what the goal was. But Tommy had a blast and is still talking about it.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Batter Up!
Two weekends ago marked the beginning of "the most wonderful time of the year" in the Inserra household. At least in Dean's eyes. Don't get me wrong, I love going to FSU baseball games, but Dean's like a kid at Christmas time. So we packed up the family for a day of Inserra Family Fun and headed to FSU for fan day. It was advertised that the kids got to run around the bases but they actually had to stay in the outfield. Ty was content to hang out while Tommy ran around.
Then we got the locker room tour. Last year, Tommy's highlight of seeing the locker room was getting to drink blue Powerade. This year he was a little more into the whole thing. That may or may not be James Ramsey's dirty sock that Tommy is holding.
Here he is in front of the Buster Posey shrine... I mean display.
Then we got the locker room tour. Last year, Tommy's highlight of seeing the locker room was getting to drink blue Powerade. This year he was a little more into the whole thing. That may or may not be James Ramsey's dirty sock that Tommy is holding.
Here he is in front of the Buster Posey shrine... I mean display.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Boys vs. Girls
Preschool has taught Tommy a number of things. But most of all it's brought out his competitiveness. And that carries over into our family. Lately he's been all about "Boys vs. Girls" things. And a couple weeks ago, when he found out that Dean's cousin Emily and her new husband Nick would be coming for a visit along with his Uncle Rich and Aunt Sue, Tommy figured this would be the ultimate "Boys vs. Girls" event.
He started setting up two weeks ago. He's lined up his wrestlers and animals in his room over and over. When I tell him he needs to clean his room, he explains that it's set up for when everyone comes for Boys vs. Girls. I know he's excited, but personally I think that's his way of getting out of cleaning. At least that's what I would have done when I was his age.
We're not exactly sure what Boys vs. Girls means. So far we know that the boys are the bad guys and they can choose to be dragons, zombies, or knights (I guess knights are bad guys). The girls are princesses. And we have locker rooms. The boys' locker room is Tommy's room and the girls' locker room is Dean's and my room. And we've been told that we'll go in there to put on our princess jewelry.
A wrench was thrown in the plan today when I told him that Dean or I would pick up Nick and Emily from the airport tomorrow and take them to MeMe and BeBe's house. But he didn't miss a beat and just informed me that the boys' locker room would be moved to his playroom over there and the girls' locker room will be MeMe and BeBe's bedroom. And he also mentioned that he'd need to bring all his toys over there so they could be ready.
So Rich, Sue, Emily, and Nick, get ready. Tommy's expecting full participation. Just a heads up.
He started setting up two weeks ago. He's lined up his wrestlers and animals in his room over and over. When I tell him he needs to clean his room, he explains that it's set up for when everyone comes for Boys vs. Girls. I know he's excited, but personally I think that's his way of getting out of cleaning. At least that's what I would have done when I was his age.
We're not exactly sure what Boys vs. Girls means. So far we know that the boys are the bad guys and they can choose to be dragons, zombies, or knights (I guess knights are bad guys). The girls are princesses. And we have locker rooms. The boys' locker room is Tommy's room and the girls' locker room is Dean's and my room. And we've been told that we'll go in there to put on our princess jewelry.
A wrench was thrown in the plan today when I told him that Dean or I would pick up Nick and Emily from the airport tomorrow and take them to MeMe and BeBe's house. But he didn't miss a beat and just informed me that the boys' locker room would be moved to his playroom over there and the girls' locker room will be MeMe and BeBe's bedroom. And he also mentioned that he'd need to bring all his toys over there so they could be ready.
So Rich, Sue, Emily, and Nick, get ready. Tommy's expecting full participation. Just a heads up.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
December 9, 2010
Besides being my adorable nephew Mac's first birthday, this date also holds some significance for me. It's the last day that Ty slept through the night (which means asleep around 6:30 or 7 and awake around 4:30 or 5 am, back to sleep until 7-ish. So for those of you who don't have kids, sleeping through the night still means ridiculously early mornings). After that date, we went out of town (which is the kiss of death for kids learning to sleep through the night), he got a flu shot, followed by two teeth, croup, and cycle after cycle of sinus crud and then two more teeth. I was wondering if he would ever sleep again.
But two nights ago, he proved me wrong. He's been on an antibiotic that's finally working and on Valentine's Day Eve, he slept from 8:00 pm all the way until 5:00 am. Then last night he slept from 7:00 til 5:30. Folks, we may be on our way back to a somewhat normal sleep schedule!
But two nights ago, he proved me wrong. He's been on an antibiotic that's finally working and on Valentine's Day Eve, he slept from 8:00 pm all the way until 5:00 am. Then last night he slept from 7:00 til 5:30. Folks, we may be on our way back to a somewhat normal sleep schedule!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Mmmmmmmmm.....
Nothing excites me more on a cold, rainy morning than a sleeping baby and a beautiful bowl of oatmeal.
People don't give oatmeal enough credit. They think it's boring and dull. Well, if you don't do anything to it, it is! But cook some up, add a little chopped apple, a handful of Craisins, some toasted chopped pecans, and a dash of cinnamon, and you have a happy morning.
People don't give oatmeal enough credit. They think it's boring and dull. Well, if you don't do anything to it, it is! But cook some up, add a little chopped apple, a handful of Craisins, some toasted chopped pecans, and a dash of cinnamon, and you have a happy morning.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Sickie
This was Ty yesterday at Urgent Care with a 102 degree fever:
This was Ty today at home with a 102 degree fever:
Guess it just caught up to him.
This was Ty today at home with a 102 degree fever:
Guess it just caught up to him.
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