moving on up

School is officially out for summer and Branson had a great year in the 1st grade. We attended the Holly Hill Student Awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 26th. Branson was recognized as an "ALL A" student and he was also the only child in his class to receive the National Physical Fitness Award. This is awarded based on athletic skills performed at a certain level for their age group. His Dad and I were beaming over these accomplishments and I could see the pride seeping through his little smile too.

rain, rain go away...

We spent this past weekend at Lake Eufaula. Every year our family along with a few close family friends make the trip up to celebrate Memorial Day weekend. Since all us kids grew up together it is really exciting to see our children playing like we used to. I'd imagine it's kind of like looking back through time for our parents.

Even though it rained off and on for most of the weekend we all made the most of our time there. It certainly didn't stop any of our usual activities like eating, riding the jet skis, wake boarding, bike riding, and sleeping.

There were moments during the trip when we all thought we must be filming the next Chevy Chase Vacation movie. DAY 1- One of the camper trailers lost its sewage pipes on the way out of the driveway, then one of the jet skis started taking on water, then it rained, then there was a series of skinned knees and elbows, then one of the camper awnings ripped from the camper due to an extreme amount of rain water collecting on the top. DAY 2- There was the baby poop in the floor of the Winnebago, then it rained, then mother floated away on the giant island float, then the other jet ski lost its steering and started taking on water, then a boomerang, a flip flop and the ball were stuck in the tree, then Wilson floated away, then the fire did nothing but smoke,then it rained some more. DAY 3- The boat was launched off the shore without the keys, then there was a vicious attack with a bean bag, then the beverages ran dry, then someone relieved themselves in the campsite, then one of the campsites became waterlogged,tripped the electricity and had to change locations, then it stormed, then the sun came out so we packed everything and left. In spite of all this we couldn't have had a better time. Just goes to prove "Attitude Is Everything"!

Memorial Day 2009

spring soccer 2009

We had another fun and exciting soccer season with Branson. He has played at the YMCA every spring and fall since 2006. He was on team Green Dragons, aptly named and coached by Jeff Sims, the father of his good friend Nathan. Most of his teammates from last season returned to the team, so we were GOOD!
Mama Walker, Granmommie, Papa and Gram do their best to be at some of his games. I notice him looking to the stands after a play for their affirmation and he always plays extra hard when they are there watching. Since we live in military town where a lot of people don't have their extended families we really appreciate how our families are able to participate in these activities with us. Branson would not be the kid he is today without the support of his Grandparents.

The kids are really starting to get the hang of the rules and technique is beginning to show in several of the players. Branson is a fast runner and this helps him get around the plays in order to block. Branson has shown a natural instinct towards defense since his first season as a 4 yr. old. I was always yelling (yes, I am one of those competitive people) for him to get up to the ball but he was always coming around the back of the field to block . I finally realized this play style was instinctive for him and quite putting so much emphasis on getting up to the ball. Now, don't get the wrong impression I love to see him score but it is also quite fulfilling to see your child play with God-given insight. I can see the pride on Michael's face when we hear people in the stands commenting about his quickness and fancy footwork.

Here are a few moments from seasons past

Me and my Baby

Mother's Day

As I think back over my Mother's Day I reflect on what it means to me to be a Mom.
As you read this you may or may not know that Michael and I struggled to have a baby of our own. We went through multiple rounds of fertility treatments over an eight year period before we finally had the opportunity to see those two blue lines. Being a mother has always been a dream of mine and my God is faithful. Our son Branson was born on November 5, 2001. He is now very active, vibrant 7 year old. I thank God for him and the way he has changed my life for the better. He reminds me to enjoy the little things in life like throwing the baseball, blowing bubbles and cinnamon toast crunch. On my Mother's Day card Branson wrote that I was the 2nd most important person in his life. When I asked him "who was 1st" he said, "God". My heart just melted as I read this and my prayer for him is that he will always keep God as the head of his life. I'd say that coming in second to God is not a bad position to be in. Thanks baby for making my day.

our weekend in review

birthday trip to Kennesaw

We spent the weekend in Kennesaw, Ga. at my brother and sister-in-laws house. We rode up with Mom and Dad to save on gas and also for the extra time together. We had an easy trip because Daddy has a great GPS system from the JBW series. It felt like we spent the entire weekend eating. First at Panera, then Daniel and Melissa took us to Ted's where I had the best bison hamburger smothered in sauteed mushrooms, onion and monterrey jack cheese . Delicious! Then breakfast at their house, then party platter sandwiches, chips and cookies before the party began, then Birthday cake......then everyone started seeing double from the sugar overload.

So Charlie's 2nd birthday went over without any major problems less the wind and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It was held at this great park close to their house. It was the same park as last year but with a few neat upgrades like a fenced in dog park and a "skate spot", meaning a bit smaller than a skate park. Branson had a great time watching the skateboarders over at the skate ramp and Charlie wanted to play ball with the party in the next pavilion. I was so proud of Branson during the party for being such a big boy.

Later in the day the girls got in a little shopping . We took the guys over to Hobby Town while the girls went to Hobby Lobby. I found two great iron lanterns for the back porch and Branson ended up with a Tony Hawk skateboard and helmet. Daniel cooked burgers for supper that evening and Charlie opened gifts from the family. We all hit the cake once more before bed and then said goodnight. The morning began in a flurry as Daniel, Melissa and Charlie were off to church and we headed back to Alabama for our Mother's Day meal with Michael's Mom and Grandmother.

pit row

NASCAR....enough said

Let me start by saying that we have never been Nascar fans in this family. But can I also say that it only takes one trip to Talladega Motor Speedway to change that. We took a quick trip up to catch the Aaron 499 race on April 26th. Michael, thoughtful man that he is, made reservations at the Wynfrey in the Riverchase Galleria so that I could shop while the boys were soaking up the sights and sounds of the race. The only catch was that I had to drop them off and pick them up when the race was over. Can you say.....STRESS! It usually takes a lot to rattle me and I was definitely rattled. Traffic, no sense of direction, checking out of the hotel, the Mafia(whole different story), the parking garage, finding my boys in a crowd of 200,000 people---what were we thinking? But, by God's great mercy everything went smoothly and I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief. Needless to say Branson was pumped. There were several big wrecks, cars spinning out of control with flames underneath, jets flying overhead and lots of souvenirs. He recapped the race on the way home and most of the next week. A fan was born.

baby steps

This blog is born out of my selfish need . My memory is terrible, and I do mean terrible. So, I've been feeling the need to document our lives otherwise I won't remember it. Blogging seems like an interesting way to document but I do feel like a baby trying to take it's first steps. Anyway, I will do my best to keep an accurate and interesting account of our lives together.