Anthony's Birthday Party

For the kids' birthday's, since they were very young, my mom would have them a special birthday chair for Sunday lunch. It would have streamers and signs. The first sign would greet them at the door as they were coming in. As they got older, she had thought she could quit with the special seat, signs, and decorations but that doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. They seem to like them more as they get older. They come in and stop at all of the signs to read them and they dare someone to get their birthday seat.

Along with their decorations, they also have a birthday cake that is decorated especially for them. It stays hidden until it is time to blow out the candles but they are always anxious to see what she has done for them each year. This year, it was somewhat of an "insider" job. Only he and the immediate family knows what the significance of this cake is but you can tell he thinks it quite funny.

The anticipation of him seeing his present is written all over the face of everyone around the table. He was very unsuspecting.

This birthday for Anthony brought as much joy, or more, to everyone else as it did him.

We Have a New Driver on the Roads - Beware!

On Wednesday, March 10, was Anthony's 15th birthday. There was nothing doing (southern term) but that he take his test on his birth day. His grandparents had gotten him a driver education book for Christmas, he had looked at it some, taken a few online tests, and felt like he was ready to take the test. I tried to prepare him that not everyone passes it the first time and if you don't it's not that big a deal and we can try again later.... I was thinking, what if we go on his birthday and he fails it and that is the memory he will have of his 15th birthday. Forever. He didn't seem to be too nervous but I was one prayin' momma when he went back there to take the test. Apparently, every time you answer a question, it tells you whether you got it right or not. Since you're only able to miss 6 out of the 30 questions, after you miss those 6, you are kicked out of the test to come back later. I think he was sweatin' it. He says he missed five of the first 10 questions, so 20 to go... When he came around the corner, he was grinning. I couldn't really read the grin. Was it an, "I can't believe I failed that test?" or "I can't believe I passed that test?" I asked him if he passed and he said, "I don't know! It said I completed the test but not whether I passed it." He apparently passed it, 'cause the next thing we know she was asking for money. She also told him that if at any time I think he is not driving responsibly I can have his license taken away. I was thinking, "You're darn right I can. I don't need the DMV to tell me I can take his license away..."

The next step was for them to get his signature. He kept asking me the whole time we were there, "Do I have to write my name in cursive?" Oh, dear. "Yes, Anthony, that is what a SIGNATURE is."

Finally, it was time for the picture. She told Anthony to come up there and sit down all the while she was talking the next person in line. She snapped his picture while he wasn't looking and she was still talking. To the other man. I don't think she was even looking. He said, "I wasn't ready!" I guess he's never heard about those driver's license photos. It was a funny picture. He tried to remake that face when we got in the car but he couldn't. He said he'll have to have his thumb over the picture when he shows it to anyone.

Now, for the biggest embarrassment of the morning. Mom had to take a picture! I'm pretty sure I'm not the only mom who took advantage of this big green sign just at the right level for a good picture. I do have some leverage now, "you can't drive if you don't let me take your picture."

We got close to the school and I pulled over to let him drive the rest of the way and he said, "No! I can't drive!" "Anthony, that is what that license is for!" He did it and loved it. Now he wants to drive us everywhere.

By the way, if you want to go to the Blount County Driver Testing Center it doesn't open til 8 on the 2nd Wednesday of the month due to staff meeting. We got there at 6:50 A.M.! Ant ended up being late to school and I was late to work. Had we gone on Thursday morning, I bet the sign on the door would have said they were closed the second Thursday of each month for staff meeting. That's just the way our luck runs!

Happy Birthday, Anthony!

We took Anthony to Wasabi for his birthday. It had been a long time since we had taken them to a Japanese Steak House. Since it was a special trip, we let him order a sushi appetizer. Yuck! He ordered the Alaskan roll and loved it. He and Tony ate it so fast, I didn't even get a picture of it before they had eaten some of it. The only positive thing I have to say about sushi is that it is usually very pretty. Oh, and I don't have to eat it.

We had a great chef who was funny and interactive. He threw balls of rice at each of us to try and catch in our mouths. Anthony's ended up around his arm pit the first time and I think he caught it on the second try.

Alex's ended up in her eye.

The chef also made a volcano out of an onion. He stacked up the rings, put some liquids in it - not sure which liquids, and lit it. At first it just burned, then smoke came out of the top of it, then the sauces bubbled up inside like lava. It was waaaayyyy cool.

Since it was his birthday, he presented Anthony's rice to him with a candle in it.

Boy, did we eat too much. We brought enough home with us that Ant ate it for breakfast and Tony and I ate it for lunch.

Happy Anniversary! (I'm a little late - it was 02/28).

After 46 years there is still lots of this....

And this...

And loads of lessons my brother and I have been taught about making it last this long.

Here's to another 46 years!

Blogging Hiatus

Last summer, on a very dark, dreary, and cursed day, I dropped one of my favorite possessions. My new camera that I had had less than a year. I had it connected, through the cord, to my computer downloading pictures. When the phone rang, and I reached to answer it, my chair roller got caught in that pesky cord and pulled my camera off my desk. My camera survived the fall but my lens, my favorite, most special, and beloved lens did not fare as well. It was very broken, something about aperture, blah, blah, blah, we don't make this lens anymore, blah, blah, blah, did you buy the insurance blah, blah, blah... Anyhoo, in December I sent my lens to be repaired, at no small fee, which took about 5 weeks. In the meantime, I borrowed a lens from a friend, which I appreciate immensely but was still very anxious to get mine back. While I was using her lens I noticed a black spot on all of my light background photos. I would take a great picture only to find a black spot on the side of their nose, or on their lip...Apparently there was some dust on something, blah, blah, blah, inside my camera, blah, blah, blah, did you buy the insurance, blah, blah, blah. So, after my lens was returned and completely repaired, I decided to send my camera to be cleaned to see if I could get rid of that black spot on my pictures. It takes four to six weeks to clean a camera. Who woulda thought? So, long story short, I have been cameraless for several weeks. They called today and it's ready to pick up, which I will do Saturday on a break from Alex's volleyball tournament, and I will be back in business! In the meantime, we have had a very special little girl turn 13, we have spent a weekend with our extended family in a cabin in Wear's Valley, and several other noteworthy events have taken place but have not been adequately documented. I have used Alex's point and shoot camera and my mom's point and shoot camera but they, unfortunately, are not very user friendly in trying to get them into my blog format. So, why am I telling you all of this? The moral of the story? What have I learned from this experience?

That camera insurance probably isn't a bad idea. In fact, it's probably a good idea.

And...if you have a possession that you really love, almost covet, God has a way of getting your attention - just to get your priorities back in order. Just sayin.

Softball Conditioning

Beginning in January, Alex's softball team started getting ready for this year's softball season. They are taking a strengh, agility, and quickness class two nights a week. Caleb is kicking their REARS! For one whole hour they are tortured...-I mean conditioned. I have seen them do more lunges than should be possible to do in one hours' time. On this particular night they had five stations set up. Caleb had a timer and they had to do each station for his magically allotted amount of time and then switch to the next. After completing all five stations, they did sprints, then started all over again. I get sore just watching.

They have the blocks that they jump up on one side and off the other, then back up, then back down, then back up - you get the idea.

They did chin ups. Many, many chin ups. Two of the stations involved heavy medicine balls that they were shooting basketball style at the wall.

And then there were these heavy ropes. Try slinging these up and down for Caleb's magically alloted amount of time.

They did an initial evaluation before the class started and they will do a final evaluation when it is over to see if they have improved their speed, agility, and quickness. I can already see a difference.

We Got the Shaft!

We were supposed to get lots of snow this past weekend. It changed from 1 to 3 inches, 2 to 4 inches, 4 to 6 inches, and just kept growing. The kids even got out of school in anticipation of the great blizzard heading our way. It was supposed to start snowing at 3 p.m. and snow until 4 p.m. on Saturday. It did start snowing right on time. But it was a piddly little snow that wouldn't ever lay or amount to anything. I assured the kids when they went to bed that it would be there in the morning when they woke up. (I think I look as forward to a good snow as they do.) I woke up several times through the night and the amount of snow didn't really increase and certainly didn't impress me! Stupid weather people. We were actually angry with the weathermen, like it was their fault. The disappointment over our lack of snow was palpable.

On Saturday night, though, we got a little more snow. When it was mixed with the little bit we got on Friday night we ended up with enough to do some mud/snow sledding.

First, you have to see the farm that we were sledding at. It's my cousins' farm. My grandmother and their grandfather were brother and sister. They are still farming it and we are still enjoying it!

That's Alex, that pink speck at the bottom of the hill.

Unfortunately, I didn't write down all the stories my grandmother told me about growing up on this farm but I do remember her telling me that they walked these fence rows to get to school. And they took biscuits for lunch. Funny the stuff that we remember...

I don't know what it is with boys, but when they play in the snow, they lay in it, waller in it, roll in it, and are completely wet only a few minutes into it.

Alex and Micah on the tube. In most of the pictures I have of Alex she has her mouth WIDE OPEN!

Back to the difference in boys and girls. We had sleds, tubes, snow boards, and then we had the ramp. One thing always leads to another...

I think he could have stuck his landing if he didn't like falling so much. Which goes back to the boys who like to dive, roll, and waller in the snow!

The girls on the other hand, sled for a little while, then perched themselves on this hill for a little chat. Girls like to do that. Chat.

When this EVIL, hater of snow days drove by ON A SUNDAY!!! Alex threw a snowball at it. They must get that a lot, cause they tooted their horn at her. Just like the kids who plotted against the snow plow driver on the movie Snow Day.

The longer we played, the muddier it got so we changed hills. This hill had new snow that no one had trampled yet. The reason they hadn't been on this hill yet was that it was REALLY steep, and... there was a fence at the bottom of it. We told them they HAVE to bail before they get to the fence.

They went really fast on this hill. (Alex's mouth is open again.)

And, the boys are really good at falling so the fence was not a problem!

Like all good Snow Days, it ended in a snowball fight. This snow was so wet it balled up like a ball of ice. It stung a little.

RUN ANTHONY!!

Micah and Alex took snow balls to the ear - and that HURT!

My brother, the perpetual playmate, also participated in the snowball fight. Without gloves!

No day is complete without a little therapy for Alex. She has personal space issues and everyone thinks it is their duty to decondition her. She gets lots of hugs, many of them unwanted. Brad is holding her while her Uncle John kisses her on the cheek. If you only knew how many pictures I have like this.

And it still ain't workin.