Play ball.????

So now that spring is in full swing and the weather is warming up and the days are longer, it also means that ball season is in full swing. I'm really having a hard time with it this year because Brennan is at that age where all the other children his age are on some sort of ball team and are very busy with ball games and practice and parents are out there socializing and cheering for their kids.

We tried to get Brennan interested in playing sports by signing him up for soccer 2 years in a row. And we bought him a t-ball set last year for his birthday. He showed no interest. For one reason, he's not aggressive. He doesn't even like fighting with his brother. He refused to take the ball from the other team or from someone else. Another reason, is he would rather play in the grass than take the game seriously. We asked him this year if he wanted to play on a ball team or if he would rather take art lessons--we couldn't afford both-- and he preferred art. And he LOVES art. He gets excited about going to art each week. But, now that his art sessions have ended for this semester, we don't have any other extracurricular activities going on. And all of my friends with children, and all of Brennan's friends at school, seem to ALL be on a ball team.

Now days it seems like so much emphasis is put on playing sports at such a young age. And these kids have games 3 or 4 nights out of the week. It's always something constant. I have to admit, I'm a little relieved Brennan doesn't care for sports, because I like spending time at home and sitting down with my family and having dinner TOGETHER. Very, very rarely do we ever NOT have dinner together. It has become on of Chad's unspoken rules.

I do feel that Brennan will find his niche later on in life. As a matter of fact, I feel like he already has--he loves art and he loves to "build houses" with blocks. He's got a very active imagination that he uses every day when he comes home from school. He hardly ever sits in front of the television and watches it all all afternoon. I just know how much emphasis this society puts on ballplayers and being on a sports team. Sometimes it seems that it's what can really make somebody BE somebody in life. However, I know that is not true, and I certainly plan on encouraging my children to find what they are good at and can excel at, no matter what it may be. I don't want my children to be one of these that "reach their peak" in high school. You know the ones I am referring to..... the people who refer back to their old high school days as "the good ol' days" and bring up that "one game our senior year". The one's who graduate high school as the most popular of the class, yet go on to do nothing in life but talk about those good ol' days. (Now, don't get me wrong! I do miss high school in a few aspects, such as living rent-free with my parents and having very little responsibility other than a part-time job or worrying about what I'm going to wear to the prom, but I certainly DID NOT reach my peak in high school. Ask anyone that knew me then and knows me now.)

So, I guess my point is, I know my boys will both find what they are good at. I do not want to force them to do anything they don't want to do as far as extracurricular activities. But, I DO want them involved in something. I feel like Brennan will turn out to be a "band nerd" like his daddy. I am okay with that. I will be there to support them. I just don't want Brennan to realize how much emphasis society puts on boys to play ball. And I am still convincing myself that it will out turn out just fine. I don't want Brennan to ever feel like he missed out on an opportunity whether it is early in life or later in life. And I need to realize that just because I have a house full of boys doesn't mean I have to have a house full of ballplayers.

Allowance....

This is a conversation between Chad and Brennan at dinner tonight. (Note: we have agreed to give Brennan an allowance each time he cleans up the playroom, bedroom, and any other area of the house he messes up. But he can only get the money if he does so without complaining, or without having to be fussed at. He gets 25 cents each time, and you can call me cheap if you want to, but a highly motivated 5 year old with $$$ signs in his eyes---well, it can add up FAST!)

Brennan: Daddy, you owe me $2 tonight.

Chad: Why do I owe you $2?

Brennan: Because I was a big boy and cleaned up the playroom twice. Once yesterday and once when you and Mama were coming home from work tonight.

Chad: Brennan, you are NOT getting $1 every time you clean up. That's one or more dollars a day and we don't have that kind of money. BUT, I will give you a whole dollar from yesterday because you picked up really good after the company left our house yesterday. We appreciate that.

Brennan: Okay, Daddy. Well, I would like that dollar with the number TEN on it, please.

Oh, what a smart, smart boy.......

Easter pictures.....

Making Resurrection cookies. (And NO, they did not turn out and I was SO sad!!!)

Brennan using the mixer. (I think this may have had something to do with why the cookies didn't turn out.... don't know.)

The Easter Bunny came.

Everyone needs a chocolate bunny!

His new apron to wear to art class.

Ethan could not have cared less about the Easter Bunny's treats.

As we were getting ready for church, I went to check on Brennan (since he had disappeared and become really quiet) and this is what I found him doing. (Reading his Bible.)

MiMi and Brennan.

It's impossible to get a decent picture with 2 rowdy boys.

Having fun!!!

Ethan and cousin, Bayleigh.

Brennan and cousin, Brooklyn, playing in the sand.

Matching shirts.

Ethan and Bayleigh.

Chad's sweet Memaw and Chad's youngest sister, Lindsey.

Chad and Mandy.

ALL boy!!!!

Memaw is trying to clean all the dirt and sand off his feet.

He loves that umbrella.

Hunting eggs.

Still looking.....

Checking out the car so we can get it sold and make some $$$.

Check out the hair! I can't bring myself to cut it, though.....

Happy baby!!!!

Dying Easter eggs....

Let the fun begin!!!

Ethan giving his Mama a dirty look after he tried to eat the egg with the shell still on it.

Hard at work.

Vinegar + blue dye + eggshell = Mama was right.

Still working hard.

Dad's Easter egg dyed blue, his favorite color.

One is soft and the other is hard. I'm SO confused.

So I think I will just smash them both.

I'm over it. Let's find something else to do.

Our Resurrection Rolls....

This is the finished product of the Resurrection Rolls. Hollow on the inside.

Ethan trying to share his cinnamon-coated marshmallow.

Before going in the oven. (Note: they weren't quite sealed as tight as they should have been, so therefore some of the insides oozed out as they were baking.)

Brennan making his rolls. Thanks, Rana, for sharing the recipe!!!

Um, so I was just sitting here today being reflective and this thought just popped into my head. I don't know if I made this up in my reflectiveness or if I stole it from someone or somewhere and it crept from the back of my mind..... but, here is the thought I had:

Before I was ever a mess-up, God knew that I would mess up, so He sent His Son to clean my mess up.

Happy Easter everyone! On agenda for tonight is to watch "The Passion" and lots of fun things planned for tomorrow!

It's Good Friday....

Last night our church had a version of "The Lord's Living Supper". There were no professional actors, no dramatic special effects, and nothing else over-the-top. It was just a simple reenactment of what the Bible records as Jesus' final night with his disciples and the final night in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane. I was really excited about Brennan being able to see it and to be able to try to explain that it was the story of Jesus the night before he was to be sentenced to die.

Brennan is at the age he is becoming very curious. He loves to listen to Bible stories and he loves to have his nighttime devotion with his Daddy every night. He gets excited about it. Brennan knows and accepts the fact that Jesus was nailed to a cross for everyone and all of their sins. I just don't think he understands the rest of the story. He knows Jesus rose on the 3rd day and went to Heaven, but of course, Brennan doesn't fully understand the concept of asking Jesus in his heart to come live with him forever yet. I don't want to rush it, because I want him to FULLY understand what happens when Jesus comes to live with you forever. A personal relationship must exist. Not just a prayer and a baptism.

As we celebrate Easter this year, I am truly at peace like I have never been before. It's taken a long time, but God has finally really gotten hold of me and gotten my attention like never before. I've done some serious sinning in my life and in turn, have had some serious consequences. And it would be dishonest of me to say that I don't struggle with certain emotions and thoughts from time to time. I'm still human. I struggle more than I would like to admit. But, some really profound things have happened in the past few years for me, and God has really changed my heart.

I have always accepted there was a God in Heaven. A being bigger than me. I have always accepted that there was a man named Jesus who walked this earth and was punished for things far greater than he deserved. However, my life did not support what I had grown up knowing in my heart. But, the short of it is that I now have a true peace in my life and a true understanding in my life about what it really means to "have Jesus in my heart". You can believe something all you want, but until you put those beliefs into action, you might as well be living a lie. I know I was for a very long time. It's only by God's grace that things played out the way they did when they did--before it was too late for me. I know that God has had a plan for me all along. But, he also gave me free will.

I look at my children and know there is no love like the kind of love you have for your own children. And I know that my children will disappoint me, hurt me, and break my heart at some point. But regardless of what my children are ever capable of doing, I know without a doubt that my love for them will never change or ever be compromised. Knowing that, I can compare that to the way God feels for us. Although, I know God's love for us is even stronger than the love of a parent to their children. Regardless of ANYTHING any of us could ever do, God still sits unchanging on His throne of grace and mercy and waits. And when He waits, He does so with arms wide open and merciful. God's plan has been in place since the beginning of time. He sent a man of Himself that loved us so much, He asked for our forgiveness as He was nailed to a tree, spit at, mocked, beaten, and crushed. I love my children. I would die for my children. But nothing can ever compare to what kind of love was sent down from Heaven to wipe my slate clean. Even BEFORE I messed up, my debt was already paid. The only thing that is ever asked of us, is if we can accept the plan and the Man that paid the ultimate price.