Day to Serve

September 29, 2012 has been declared by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, and West Viirginia, and by the mayor of Washington D.C.

A DAY TO SERVE

and

A DAY TO END HUNGER

Please go to daytoserve.org to find opportunities to serve in your community.  You can participate in any number of service projects in your area, give to a local food bank, or get a group together and plan your own project.

If you happen to be in the Fredericksburg areea, stop by the LDS chapel on Bragg Rd between 10 and 2.  There you will find over a dozen service projects ready for your willing hands and an expo of 30+ service organizations sharing what they need from you!  Also available that day will be a Red Cross blood drive and food trucks from Fredericksburg Area Food Bank and SERVE (Stafford Food Pantry), both ready to accept your non-perishable food donations.

I know we're busy.  And I know times are tough and money is tight.  Trust me, I know.  But the Lord has asked us to be His hands here on earth.  We can share what we have been blessed with - be it our time, our goods, or our love - with those less fortunate.

Together, we can make a difference in our community.  So please join me and let's get out there and help each other!

DAY TO SERVE

Dedication

 

You know your boy loves the sport when he's willing to play the first game of the season in a torrential downpour.

You know you love your boy when you're willing to watch the first game of the season in a torrential downpour.

And you know your other kids don't get much say in things when they spend their Saturday afternoon watching a soccer game in a torrential downpour.

That's the way it goes around here.  And don't worry.  Cam's got some football sidelines with his name all over them.

And Nico?  Well, he's just along for the ride.

Blogging, Not Weeding

Look what my darling boys found in the garden.  It's body alone is over an inch wide.  I promise I'm not exaggerating.  I do that sometimes - exaggerate, especially about bugs - but I'm not doing it now.  This bad boy is big.  And creepy. And he makes me shiver.

Needless to say, I'm not weeding today.  Or maybe ever again.  One simply cannot weed while one is shivering so violently.  Still shivering over here.

Let's move on, shall we?  No need to dwell on tonight's nightmare before noon.  Here's to a little distraction...

Yesterday, Nico and I went out and bought cabinet locks.

I guess today I should actually put them in.

Last week my boy became a man.  Or at least a Bobcat.  You know, some cultures send their young men out into the wilderness to survive on their own for months.  Others do other things.  I like this one, personally.  

You know when you promise your kid a birthday party and then three months go by and you're starting to think,"Hey, maybe he forgot!" and he comes to you in the middle of the night to ask when he will get to have that party?  Oh, is that just me?

We finally celebrated Cam's birthday with friends.  Good, wonderful friends, whose parents didn't even say mean things about me (at least not that I could hear) because I called them up the day before about this very late, very last minute party.  It was thrown together fast, which meant we played with water balloons and stuffed them full of candy.  The perfect party, I'm thinking!

Oh, and let's get a better look at that cake.  'Cause I'm feeling a little bit pleased with myself.  I may not be doing any wedding cakes any time soon - or ever - but my kiddos think I'm pretty awesome.

And on that note, let me leave you with a sweet little moment.  I love catching them unawares.  And I love that my boys' buddies are so comfortable in our home.  Please, please, please can we keep it that way for always?

Have a happy day!  And let's try not to have those nightmares, 'kay?

The Obligatory First-Day Pictures Post

My big boys went back to school yesterday.

After seven months home with me.

And no, I wasn't ready to send them away.

Not yesterday, at least.

Maybe if school had started last Thursday...

But that's a totally different story. 

Yesterday, I wasn't ready to send them away.

But, away they went.

And I was excited for them.

Because I know we made the right decision.

And they go to the best school in the world.

Good thing, too, 'cause these are just about the greatest boys you could ever hope to meet.

Those fourth and third grade teachers are pretty lucky.

If I do say so myself.