Food Fight!!!

Tonight was the middle school youth group annual food fight at our church. They use it as an opportunity to have kids in the church invite friends that don't normally attend church. They also have each middle schooler bring two cans of food that they donate to the local food bank.

Destiny attended this year for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed herself. Bud, on the other hand, didn't enjoy the ride home with her. He said despite the chilly 65 degree (that's cold for us here in Georgia!) he rode home with all of the windows open because the stench was so bad.

We made her wade into the pool to at least clean her legs off before we let her into the house . She said that one boy dumped an entire bucket of flour over her head which made all of the chocolate syrup, pancake syrup, ketchup and mustard congeal into a nice thick paste. She shampooed her hair at least eight times and she even showered a second time to get the stink off of her. I shudder just thinking about it.

Introducing Miley Cyrus

Just in case you are living underneath a rock, Miley Cyrus is the hottest thing for tween girls at the moment. The girls first fell in love with her in her role as Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel. Now she is breaking out of that role and "growing up" and she is Miley. I am glad to see the Hannah Montana phase fading away, not being a huge fan of metallic purple, silver and black which seems to adorn everything her face is on. You have to admit though that the music is kind of catchy!!!

Flood of 2009

It rained last week and then it rained all day Saturday and then all day Sunday. By today I was thinking that we needed to build an ark as I sloshed my way up hill into work soaking wet from head to toe. The day brought more rain and news stories of rising creeks and streams, roads being closed, people being rescued in swift water boats and then the saddest of all six deaths in the Atlanta area all attributed to the rain.

Thank goodness the girls made it home safe and sound with Bud despite traveling over some standing water and I made it home after a two hour commute this evening. We are now tucked in for the night, listening to the rain on the roof, and being thankful for being safe and all together. I thought it might be over but the weather channel says that there is more to come so keep Atlanta in your prayers. The girls school is already closed for tomorrow so I will be home with them and Bud will be making the commute over to Bremen.

Overview shot of the downtown area

At the top of that hill is the entrance to our subdivision

Waters that Bud and the girls drove through to get home

The aftermath

Quick Flowing Water

One of the connecting roads around the corner from our house

Highway 41. Major thoroughfare. Used to be the main road into downtown Atlanta

Football fields where Abby cheered on Saturday night

Another view of football fields

Fall Soccer

The fall soccer season began for us yesterday. Both Maddie and Destiny are playing this fall and they were so excited to get back on the field. Destiny's team played early and won their game

5-o. Destiny had two assists on goal and was quite pleased with herself. She did say that she needs to do some more running to get back in shape though. No pictures below because Bud didn't have the camera.

Maddie's game was supposed to start 45 minutes after Destiny's but on arrival we found out that her team had a bye the first game. The girls gathered to do some extra drills and then the drizzle began. Pretty soon the girls started to resemble little drowned mice as they so patiently waited. Five minutes before they were to start playing, the YMCA decided to call all the games for the day and I thought that there would be a massive revolt of wet children and parents. Thankfully two other teams volunteered to stay and play so the girls would have some competition. Maddie's team didn't win but the girls played well and Maddie scored two goals!!

Maddie and her best soccer buddy, Emma

Wet little girls waiting to take their shot on goal

Hannah, looking none too dry or happy

Pure joy on the soccer field

Wet coach, wet kids

Maddie and Emma covering the goal. #9 was huge

The girls

Run, Emma, Run

Never give up!!

Braves vs. Phillies

I think in the South that people regard you oddly if you don't claim some allegiance to a sport and a team. Bud and the little girls are huge Georgia Tech fans, Destiny is a huge UGA fan and me, well I think the colors are prettier at UGA but I really would like the girls to go to Tech. But I digress.... Atlanta has the Braves and Bud has memories of Braves games with his family and believe it or not, we just haven't made it to a game until last night. Last night our churches children's ministry has a "Braves" night and so we went. It just so happened that we played the Philadelphia Phillies so I was very excited.

If you know me, you know that I grew up about an hour outside of Philadelphia and the Phillies have been a part of my consciousness ever since I can remember so you can see why I would be excited to see them play. Somewhere in my mom's house I still have the 1983 pennant from when the Phillies won the World Series and the Philly Phanatic came to town and signed it for me. Bud wasn't as excited for me He told me I couldn't wear my Phillies shirt (actually I couldn't find it) and he called me a bandwagon fan. Translation-A fan who only becomes a fan when a team is on a winning streak, which isn't technically true because I am more of a fan of teams that I have some superficial connection to. Point in case is when we lived in New Mexico we went to a Lobo's game but I rooted for the Air Force Academy because we were in the Air Force (A.F. lost that game).

However, in order to avoid upsetting my husband and the thousands of other Braves fans around me, I kept my enthusiasm to myself and maybe, just maybe I participated in the tomahawk chop (when in Rome!). I truly enjoyed the game. being with my family, texting with my friend Becky who lives in Pennsylvania and was watching the game on T.V. to see if she saw us and not to rub it in but watching the Phillies win was kind of cool too.

Atlanta, Home of Coca-Cola, best drink on earth

Chipper Jones

Chipper Jones again

POW/MIA Day Recognition. We were happy to see that our military members who gave the ultimate sacrifice got a standing ovation. Let us never forget why we are free!!

First Braves Picture

Doing the Tomahawk Chop

Post game fireworks over the stadium

End to a great night!!!

Conquering Fear

For all of her bold brashness, Abby is my fearful child. She has been like that since she was 2 or so. We limit what she watches on television or in the movie theatre, we send her sisters with her if she has to go down to the basement or to the garage, and we don't force her to ride scary rides, Oh wait! I don't force her to ride scary rides. Her dad gently persuades her. Such was the case last week in Orlando at Disney's Hollywood Studio where she told us in a panicky voice that she was not going to ride the "Rockin Roller Coaster."

I was content with that. Day 1 she sat outside the roller coaster with her Opa and her cousin Ben (who was too short to ride) and even her little sister telling her that it was "Awesome" couldn't convince her to ride so she sat outside with her Aunt Sara. The second day we went back to the park, it was just the five of us. Bud and I both wanted to ride and this is when Bud's gentle persuasion came in. He was convinced that she would have a great time if she just did it. She let herself be led into line (thank goodness we just walked on to the ride) and I told him that she was riding with him because I wouldn't be responsible if she hated it. Guess what? He was right. She loved it. Maybe not the 0-60 mile per hour start but the loop, the corkscrew, the quick turns, she got out of the car smiling and said " I want to do it again and so we did!!

Maddie and Abby outside the Rockin Roller Coaster

Why I Love My Girls

I know that Bud would love to have a boy around the house once in awhile to balance all of the estrogen (I don’t think Max counts!) but I love having my girls. Each one of them is so different and each one of them brings joy to us in different ways

Abigail was our first. Who imagined that a tiny baby could invoke such feelings of love and devotion? She has always been so grown up though. At 4 months, the daycare center workers would laugh because she was already trying to sit up. At a year old, her sitter remarked that Abby wasn’t anyone’s baby. She was fierce and determined. One of her very first sentences was “I dood it” (I do it). She didn’t need or want our help. After she turned 16 months old I remember thinking that she wasn’t a baby anymore and she wasn't. She is passionate. She embraces life and feels everything to its fullest, if she is happy you know it, if she is sad you know it, if she is angry you know it. She loves wholeheartedly and she understands what family means and would do anything for her sisters. She isn’t always the easiest of the girls to handle and many times I worry that even those closest to her are missing out on what an incredible child she is because her personality is so strong. She is the one who I know will transition into her teen years and adulthood with a strong sense of self and who she is. She isn’t limited by how others see her and most of the time she doesn’t care and I love that about her. She is a leader, not a follower. She is happiest when she is busiest. Reading club, math club, Girl Scouts, cheerleading, gifted classes. She balances it all well. How proud I am of this girl of mine.

Madeline was our second. She is a Mama’s girl.While she loves others, her Mama comes first and who wouldn’t love that? She is also the baby of the family and unlike Abby she has been quite content to stay in that role. Her motto is more, "Why do it if you can get someone older to do it for you." She was such a laid-back baby. Always smiling and just as content to be on your lap being cuddled than on the floor playing. We saw the first hint of her temper at about 10 months old. She was unhappy about something and Abby and I sat on the couch in our family room and watched her crawl around and around screaming for 45 minutes until she was completely spent, unhappy about something that neither I nor Abby could comprehend. She loves candy more than anything and one of her first sentences was actually a question “Candy, Mama?” which she would say without fail each morning when I went in to lift her out of her crib. Our girl is athletic. She could dribble a ball across the room with both her feet when she was a year old. She has wanted to play soccer since she knew what soccer was and from the first time she stepped onto a field it was like pure magic for her. She counts the days between seasons and watching her brings true joy to Bud and I. She loves being "the baby" but hates being the "little sister". I think that is why she is known for being such a helper and little mother with her babysitter and in her school classes. Shy and reserved until you get to know her she has a wicked sense of humor and frequently makes us laugh.


Finally, there is Destiny. Five years ago this tiny, skinny eight year old walked into our lives and forever changed us. She has overcome more difficulties in her short life than most people will face in a lifetime and yet her smile is still there. I doubt that few know what it is like to come into a family and try to find your place among people that don't look like you or share the same background and history. That she has been able to do so is nothing short of miraculous and sometimes I think it is easy for us to forget that. She is truly beautiful with her brown bouncing curls and her big brown eyes. As the years pass, more and more of her personality comes out and I get to see more of the "real" her, funny, sweet, and with a tendency to think one thing but have it come out totally different when she says it. She loves art and color and design and is happiest when she is working on a project that involves all of those things. I think she enjoyed her time as one of the little girls but now she is blossoming as a middle schooler. You can see the excitement on her face each day as she decribes the new experinces and friends she is making. She has a kind heart and is empathetic (unless it involves Abby or Maddie :). I know that I will never leave the house or say goodnight without a hug and a kiss and an "I love you" from her. Huge Georgia fan in a household of Tech lovers, she stands firm in her love of the red and the black. Sometimes you have to look back to see just how far you have come. I can't wait to see what the next few years bring.

I love these girls so much!!!

Smiling through the Tears

We are currently on a vacation. A family vacation, an extended family vacation. I am not ready to write about the whole vacation but this evening highlighted to me how one event can be so joyous and also bittersweet at the same time.

Today we went to the Magic Kingdom. As I sat on the ferry ride over, I couldn't help but think of all the times I had been to Disney with my family and sat on that same ferry. My eyes fell on my husband who had my youngest daughter's hand in his and I could almost feel the sensation of my hand in my dad's, that timeless connection between father and daughter repeated over again in my husband and daughter.

As I stood with my excited children (and husband) in line to drive the cars on the Motor Speedway, I remembered a hot August night when I was 12 and my stepbrother was 11. My dad and stepmom gave us 10.00 and told us to meet them back at the main gates of the park at midnight. I shudder now as a mother but times were different then. Eric and I had the best time that night riding our favorite rides over and over again with no parent telling us that we had to move on now. We laugh about it now, a shared memory.

Finally, I stood in the crowds of people tonight waiting for the fireworks to begin and I remembered my very first visit to Disney with my mom. I was only about five years old and I stood on Main Street staring at the beautiful castle and watching the fireworks explode overhead and thought that this truly was a magical place. Tonight I got to see that same expression in the girl's eyes as Cinderella's Castle changed colors and the fireworks burst into color in the background.

And then I heard the tears and I turned even though I knew who was crying and why she was crying. Abby managed to choke out, "I miss my Gen-Gen." Always in these truly beautiful breathtaking moments that she is truly enjoying, it is as if she knows how much her Gen-Gen would have enjoyed being there and watching how much the girls were enjoying themselves. I heard her Daddy say, "I miss her too" with a choked voice and he wrapped his arms around her.

The tears fell from my eyes then as the enormity of the loss of my dad hit me again. How I wish he could have been standing next to me tonight. Seeing that what he poured into me as a father has shaped me as a mother. That the dad that he was to me is the dad that I will always encourage Bud to be in his girls lives.

I scooped up Maddie and she laid her cheek next to mine and then pulled back and wiped her hand over my tears and said, "You miss your Daddy, don't you?" How intuitive she always is. She kissed my cheek and said, "Don't cry Mama. Aren't the fireworks beautiful?" And she was right. It would have been so easy to miss the beauty and the joy of the moment for the pain.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" Dr. Seuss