Finally!! A Relaxing Weekend!

We finally had a very relaxing weekend this past weekend. May has definitely turned into one of the busier months for our family and we were overdue for a relaxing weekend. After Michael and Matthew came home from an overnighter, we washed the cars, played in the driveway, watered the garden, weeded the flowerbeds and than had some "free Play" in the yard. It was a great way to spend our first weekend of the summer!

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Matthew's K-3 Graduation Program

Another Cesaro boy has graduated from K-3! It was quite an evening! Matthew was so excited about his program. He kept telling us it was a secret. He was really cute about the whole thing. He helped me pick out his clothes for the program and was super excited to get all dressed up just like daddy. Everyone was actually ready to go on time and looking all spiffy. We took a few pre-program shots and then loaded up into the car. Nicky was in the way back by himself and Matthew and Michael were in the middle seat together. We arrived at the church in plenty of time, (thank goodness) and when I got the two older boys out and pulled the seat back I was greeted by a little boy covered in sunscreen. I mean all over his pants, shirt, carseat, shoes. I should have taken a picture of him before I cleaned him up. It was quite hilarious. So, Mike took Mattie to his classroom and dropped him off while i stayed behind and cleaned Nicholas and the car up. Luckily I'm pretty prepared and had a change of clothes in the car along with a huge pack of wipes. We made it in plenty of time and arrived in the sanctuary and sat with Poppa, Aunt Lucy and Uncle Steve. The program began with a 15 minute slide show of all the classes, there were some musical numbers and then the children received their diplomas. It was so cute! Followed by refreshments in the social hall. When I started thinking about it, Matthew really has accomplished a lot in this year. He mastered all of his letters, numbers, shapes, colors, recognizes his name and can spell it, learned our address, our phone number, learned how to wipe his own bottom (this is huge!!), and learned how to interact socially with others. Not to mention all he has learned about our God and our Savior this year. So he deserved to be recognized for all of those accomplishments. I must say Matthew was the best dressed little man up there, not that I am biased or anything. Here are a few pics from the program and a little video of their favorite song, "Going on a Bear Hunt" All in all it was a wonderful evening, full of happiness and not really any tears, if you can believe that!

AWANA Awards

I'm only about a month behind this time! Here are the boys on AWANA awards night at church. They love it and I love it because it is teaching them to be grounded in the scriptures.

Mommy I found Something!

So yesterday I went downstairs to check on the boys playing in the basement. As I came down the stairs I saw Nicky sitting on the table with his arm straight out and his finger pointing. He said "Mommy I found something" and i said "oh really" and he said "yes, my nose" We play this game where we "take the kids noses off" and throw them so I thought he was talking about that. But as I got closer i saw that he had a big boogie on the end of his finger !! I said "what is that?" and he answered "a big boogie from my nose" Oh and the look on his face was just priceless! He was so proud of himself! You would of thought he found some gold in there. Oh the joys of motherhood!!

Happy Easter!

Spring has Sprung

AHhhh..........Spring is in the air!! I always think about the song "Morning Has Broken" around this time of the year. Not sure if it is because of Easter or just because of all the new growth that I see every day. Though fall is my favorite time of year, one can't help but feel a sense of renewal and the opportunity to start afresh when spring rolls around and God displays his creativity once again with all of the beautiful flowers and colors that He puts on display. All for His and our own enjoyment. What a wonderful God we serve, one who would give us such beauty each and every day. As we draw closer to Good Friday, I hope you will take the time time to really take in the gift that God gave us in His son Jesus Christ. He humbled himself and became human, enduring all the emotions, physical pains and agonies that he had never felt before, putting himself in a postion to be totally dependant on a sinful mother for sustinance, not because he had to, but because He loved us so much that he wanted to. I can't really fully comprehend a love that great, but I am committed to spending my life searching for and getting to know our God. I hope that you will enjoy all of God's gifts this week, the beauty that surrounds us, the gift of His son, and his mercies new each day.

Okay, Okay........

So I'm lame and haven't updated my blog in oh....2 months, well make that 3 months now!! Ha ha! Life just has a way of continuing to happen, now why is that?! here are a few pics of things that have happened over the past few months including, Christmas, Nicky's 2 yr birthday, Michael receiving the "Terrific Kids" award, 2 seperate snow/ice events and some other random shots!

Merry Christmas to All!!

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A little behind

well, I have to say I am a little behind on the posting. I haven't posted anything about thanksgiving and here it is a week and half till Christmas! Here are a few pics from Thanksgiving programs and from getting our Christmas Tree

Matthew Says Psalm 23

Halloween Cuties!

Here are a few pics from our Halloween Adventures this year. Michael and Mattie were both Ninjas and Nicky was a dog. They had fun but it rained quite a bit so we didn't get to as many houses as usual whcih was fine by us! Less candy is better since for about the next few months we will be bombarded with treats!

Dates with Dad

My dad and I had the pleasure of each others company recently on 2 seperate occasions. Here are some pics from both. One was a father-daughter dance and the other was a benefit for the new breast cancer wing at Spartanburg Regional Hospital. We had a great time at both events.

Apple Pickin'

The Tri Story

So, The race was in Laurens, SC so Mike and I headed down after he got off work to my cousins house who happens to live in Laurens, to crash there for the night. I really was not nervous at all the day or evening before. She cooked a great meal (OK Whole Foods cooked a great meal!), we ate dinner, hung out for a while and she walked me through how things would go in the morning. We also sat down with our transition bags to make sure I had everything I would need for the race. Swim Goggles, check, Bike Helmet, check, socks & running shoes, check, hydration pack, sunglasses, visor, Carb Boom fruit chews, towel, check, check, and check. I placed my race number on my bike helmet and that was pretty much all the preparation for the night so I turned in around 9pm. Amazingly enough, I was actually able to fall right to sleep. I slept all night long and woke up at 4:20am, about 10 minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I was really amazed at how calm I was when I woke up. I got up, splashed some water on my face, pulled my hair back and put on my tri suit. Then i pulled out the trusty Bible for some comfort and read a few key passages about being anxious and read the competitors creed about 5 times and I felt pretty calm. I have heard that you should not do anything different on race day than you do on training days but............I decided to go against my better judgement and try this drink that my cousin has before her race in lieu of eating solid foods. Supposedly this is better on your system when racing. So she mixed me up some and it looked like a sickeningly sweet, milky, sludge, sounds good huh?! So I took 2 sips and thought I was going to vomit! I really felt seriously ill. At this point, i wasn't sure if I was naseaus because I was nervous or because I had drunk that horrendous concoction! In any event, I could not get anything else down and had to go on to the race on an empty stomach. Better than tossing my cookies all over I guess. So we headed out about 5:45 am for the race. At this point, I am really worried I am going to have to pull over so I can be sick, but I pop in a piece of mint gum and that seems to settle my stomach a bit. 7 minutes later we are there and people are already setting up their stuff and getting body marked. We walked through the transiton area and chose a prime spot for our bikes and other misc. things. I was a little nervous about how you set up your stuff because it seemd to me that it was very crowded and I was worried about knocking somebody elses stuff off. Once I got all of my stuff laid out, socks on top of shoes, helmet on the ground, visor and race belt behind that, it was time to go and get body marked.
This was fairly simple, you tell them your race number and pick up your chip which you strap to your left leg and then they proceed to write on you with this ginormous permanant marker. the smell in that place was enough to knock you out!! Your number goes on your right arm, left arm,the front of your right and left thigh and then your age goes on your right calf (no lying here!!) After all that was settled, and I had met a few new friends, i decided I needed to get in the pool and warm up. a couple of laps and a few last minute pointers later, it was time to exit the pool and get lined up. At this point I am getting really excited and the adrenaline is really starting to kick in. While waiting in line to get in the pool I talked to several people and everyone was so nice and so supportive, congratulating me already for doing a triathlon even though we hadn't started. It was very neat to be in that kind of an atmosphere. I have never in my life been in an athletic type racing event. I have competed before but never in this arena. It was sort of intoxicating really. So then it was my time to get in the pool and there is no huge sound or horn or anything telling you to go, just a person stadning there letting people go about every 30 seconds and all they do is say "ok go" in this very non-chalant way. Kind of anti-climactic at that point but it did keep me from just taking off.
Everyone had told me to really pace myself at first so I didn't run out of steam at the end, so I swam at a nice slow pace, actually really slow as it turned out! My swim time ended up being 6:20 which is about 20sec slower than my usual time, guess I could have pushed a little harder, but my goal was just to finish. Oh, I did pass one person in the pool, that felt like a little victory. So I jump out of the pool, OK climb out of the pool and try to "run" out to the transition area. I found my bike fine and my earlier worries of knocking peoples stuff off was not necessary because they were all gone!
I strapped on my helmet first,then I rinsed my feet off, tried desparately to pull socks onto wet feet, (try this sometime, not easy!), pulled on my tennis shoes, strapped on my hydration pack and ran my bike out through the transition gate and to the mounting point, jumped on and off I went.


The bike started out up hill and at this point I was breathing like I was in labor, I had to really concentrate on getting my breathing under control. It took me about 3 minutes to recover and really start pedaling and it was at this point that I realized how weak my legs felt. Biking is usually my best event, but not that day, I could hardly get above 15 mph. So several people passed me on the bike, but that was ok. The bike was great, although it seemed weird to be out there pretty much by myself without anyone else around. The route was clearly marked so no problems there. I just really couldn't believe how weak my legs felt. It took me 56 minutes to bike what should have taken about 45. But I didn't have to stop. So I come in from the bike into the transition and as I am hanging my bike up, taking off my hydration pack and bike helmet, I'm grabbing my race belt with number to throw on and my carb booms. Mike is standing outside of transition and tells me that my cousin, who originally talked me into doing this, has had a wreck and is out of the race. So I'm just standing there in shock and he yells, "Run!". Oh, right, I'm in a race, run!! So I start off on the run and I immediately start running too fast, I had to reign myself in a little and slow down because the entire first half of the run is uphill. So I'm going at a snails pace, or so it feels, although no one passed me on the run. I actually felt pretty good during the entire run. I ate my carb booms and grabbed one cup of water and was on the home stretch when I see Mike and my cousin up ahead on the road.
My cousin has come to push me hard the last quarter mile so here she is all bandaged up, running in her flip flops and I'm having a hard time keeping up with her! needless to say she is an awesome triathlete. I finish the run, which was also straight uphill, in 32 min, which was pretty good for me and then it is over. I cross the finish line and there is my mom waiting for me. It was totally awesome! I couldn't believe I actually finished without having to stop. Aside from the weak legs on the bike, everything went fairly smooth, including the transitions. I was really proud of myself for setting a goal and sticking with it. Mike and I were talking afterwards and I was just reminding him that I have NEVER done anything athletic, much less competitive in my life. This was the first time ever. So at 32 years old I managed my first ever athletic event and competition. Not too bad, and yes, I will be doing it again next year!!

Tri-ing it out! The Competitors Creed

So, here I go, off to check out the world of Triathlons. My first Tri is tomorrow morning in Laurens SC, and although it is small, I am quite nervous. However, my brother has been a great encourager as has my cousin and her husband. I feel like I am ready but with the unknown always comes a bit of anxiety. My brother races with the FCA Endurance Team and I recently checked them out. I read their competitors creed and immedietly felt more at ease. Things just seem easier when we stop relying on ourselves, and continue to rely on Christ. So, here is the reason I am racing, summed up in the FCA Endurance Creed:

The Competitor’s Creed


I am a Christian first and last.
I am created in the likeness of
God Almighty to bring Him glory.
I am a member of Team Jesus Christ.
I wear the colors of the cross

I am a Competitor now and forever.
I am made to strive, to strain,
to stretch and to succeed
in the arena of competition.
I am a Christian Competitor
and as such, I face my challenger
with the face of Christ.

I do not trust in myself.
I do not boast in my abilities
or believe in my own strength.
I rely solely on the power of God.
I compete for the pleasure of
my Heavenly Father, the honor of Christ
and the reputation of the Holy Spirit.

My attitude on and off
the field is above reproach-
my conduct beyond criticism.
Whether I am preparing,
practicing or playing;
I submit to God’s authority
and those He has put over me.
I respect my coaches, officials,
teammates and competitors
out of respect for the Lord.


My body is the temple of Jesus Christ.
I protect it from within and without.
Nothing enters my body that
does not honor the Living God.
My sweat is an offering to my Master.
My soreness is a sacrifice to my Savior.


I give my all – all of the time.
I do not give up. I do not give in.
I do not give out. I am the Lord’s warrior –
a competitor by conviction
and a disciple of determination.
I am confident beyond reason
because my confidence lies in Christ.
The results of my efforts
must result in His glory.


LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN.
LET THE GLORY BE GOD’S.

Missing My Baby

My oldest son is currently visiting with his grandparents in the beautiful mountains of Virginia. While I know he is having a grand time exploring the mountain, hiking the trails and jumping over the streams, I miss him terribly already and he just left yesterday. I thought it would be a nice break for us both and was of the mindset that it may be a little easier with only 2 boys instead of 3 but I have noticed throughout the day that I really miss my little helper and just how much he can and is willing to help me out througout the day. So I'm glad for him that he will get to do pretty much whatever he wants while he is with his grandparents but it will be a long 10 days for me! You think as your kids get older that things in general get easier but now I see that once you get past the baby phase that already at the young age of 6 does the letting go process begin. My how time flies....

Goodbye Old Friend

So, I'm saying good bye to our stove. It was not really great from the beginning so no love lost really. I must say when we moved into our first home,the one we still live in, I was a little apprehensive about having a gas stove and range, but Mike would have nothing else so I had little choice since he does a lot of the cooking around here! I had visions of me blowing the house up trying to get this thing lit, but gas stoves have come a long way since the one I remember growing up with at the lake. that one required you light it with a match each time and that was a little scary to me! But the one we had was not anything like that, it had a pilot light that was on all the time and you simply had to turn the nob until the flame popped up. And after I adjusted to cooking with it, I will certainly NEVER go back to electric!! I mean when you turn on a gas burner, it is immediately hot, when you turn it off, it is immediately cool. You can turn the burner off and leave the pot sitting there and not worry about it continuing to cook. That feature I really love, especially since we don't have a lot of extra counter space to set hot pots on. However, we have been having problems with the oven part for about a year now, something with the element firing on and off rapidly. We could never get the oven to preheat without turning on one of the stove burners and even then it took forever. We usually ended up turning on the broiler and getting the oven hot enough and then switching to regular cooking to maintain the temperature. So we finally broke down and bought a new Range. We decided to go stainless since we just replaced our counter top microwave with an over the range and it is stainless. It has a convection oven which has turned out to be awesome!! It cooks in about half the time that is required and is great for bread and cookies. So, I say good bye to our first stove, a not so faithful friend in the end!

You're a Good Daddy!

So Mike and I are sitting around the other day just talking and Mike asks me "Does Mattie ever tell you that you are a good mommy, because he says to me all the time 'You're a good daddy'?" Of course my answer was no, nobody ever says I'm a good mommy! I couldn't believe it, so Mike goes on to say that Mattie says it to him all the time, just randomly will say "you're a good daddy" for no particular reason. Oh, well, guess I just have to be self assured that I'm a good mommy!!

Mom I have Gum in My Eye!!

Are you kidding me?! This is what I am thinking as Michael is yelling down to me that he has gum in his eye. So I yell up in my best mom voice "Get Down here right now!!" Footsteps on the stairs....Michael comes around the corner and he doesn't merely have gum on his eyelid, his entire eye is matted shut with a big wad of flourescent green gum. Again "You have got to be kidding me!" Oh, this has really happened folks, So, my first thought is, am I going to have to take my child to the dr. to get this gum out or is this something I can handle myself? And then I think "ice!" I need some ice to get it hard so it will just fall off. Now picture in your mind me trying to hold this ice on a 5 year olds eye, at first it is fine, then he starts screaming about how cold it is, which I have to admit I've never had a piece of ice on my eyelid so he may have a valid point there. Luckily, daddy was just pulling into the garage at that time and I could devote my full attention to Michael. It's really hard to get gum out with a 2 year old and a 1 year old jumping all around you trying to see what their crazy brother has done to himself. I carry him upstairs to the bathroom all the while wondering what in the world I'm going to use to get the gum out of his eyelashes. So I plop him down on the toilet and look around and decide to try to use my fingernails to gently pull the gum out of his lashes, yeah, that did NOT go over too well. His eyelid stretched out about a mile which could not have felt good. So I ended up using wet wipes (thankfully we have plenty) and a q-tip with some good old fashioned Ponds Cold Cream on it to finally get it all out of the lashes and off his face. What a mess!! I made Mike get the camera so I could document this for when he is older and doesn't believe he could have done anything like that!! Just another crazy day with the boys!!