"Real Bowling!"

Those were the words out of Caleb's mouth as we headed to Tavern and Bowl last week. Having bowled many times on the Wii, the boys were finally getting their first chance to bowl in a real bowling alley.

We got our shoes and balls and settled in to our lane. 

One thing that was so nice was that they programmed bumpers to pop up when it was the boys' turns. Without them, it would have been a pretty frustrating night, I think. The boys loved watching the scoreboard and celebrated when they were ahead of Paul and me--at least for the rounds when our scores did not show up until we had thrown enough balls to register the scores for strikes and spares. 

Our first scorecard--Paul is the winner

Caleb waiting to see what happens with his throw--usually a little dancing happened at this point

Paul with his fancy bowling form

While we were bowling, our dinner (pizza and pop) was delivered to our table. The boys enjoyed eating between turns. Every time it was Caleb's turn, he shot off his seat and ran up to get his ball. Isaac was so excited we had to remind him to stay off the lane when it wasn't his turn.

The camera died before getting the final frame, but Isaac broke 100 (& I beat Paul)!

In spite of a slow start due to many lane malfunctions at the beginning, we had a wonderful night! And the boys are ready to go back again whenever we say the word.

Family Time

We have been spoiled in the time we have gotten to spend with my family lately. Besides getting to see Jill and her family as often as we can make it work for our two families' schedules, we have also enjoyed time with Brad, my mom, and a quick visit from Beaver.

We got another very quick visit from Brad today--a 12-hour visit which makes it his shortest visit ever. He  is moving back East so he made a point of detouring (big-time since we live exactly opposite of the direction he needs to head) our way so we could meet Kara, his girlfriend, who flew in to our area to meet us and then drive across the country with Brad to meet more of our family. 

The classic timed picture on the couch

Although the visit was very short, it was so nice to see Brad one last time before he leaves our side of the country to live on the other coast. And it was a joy to meet Kara and get to talk to her in person. (Hopefully, the craziness of our wonderful family will not scare her away...or the slow cross-country trip that is ahead of them in Brad's very loaded-down pick-up!)

Swapping hats with Uncle Brad

Hopefully, we will get a chance to visit them in Massachusetts some day soon!

Monday Musings

You ever have one of those days where you feel like this:

Well, I had one of those days last week with the boys. It seemed like every time I asked them to do something, they did the exact opposite. And I felt my blood pressure rising and my temper flaring.

It was not one of my best mom days. Not my worst either. But trying enough that I was looking forward to bedtime and some time to myself away from my boys (or looking at it in a nicer way--time for me to enjoy them when their eyes are closed).

Paul had to leave for his mens' group meeting a little before 7:00 that night which meant that I only had half an hour before the magic moment called bedtime. Happily, the boys made it into their PJs and got their teeth brushed without too much fuss so we had time to read books.

This was the moment of mom redemption for me. We snuggled in and read a bunch of books. It was peaceful, and I calmed down and got to enjoy my precious gifts from God. Ahhhh, good mom moment. Great way to end the day.

We finished reading books, and they were off to bed. After all the struggling with the blankets and buddies and one more drink and the "oops, I've got to go to the bathroom again" and getting the correct CD in the player, I prayed with them, gave them hugs and kisses, turned out the light, and closed the door as I left the room silently patting myself on the back for ending the day on a good mom note.

And then I heard the yells coming from the room. I confess that the ugly monster in me welled up one more time and caused me to snarl, "WHAT now?!?" from the hallway as I paused outside their door. And then I heard their sweet voices yell in unison, "Jesus loves you, Mom!"

With a warm heart (and slightly guilty conscience), I smiled and said back, "Jesus loves you, too" before heading back to the living room to bask in the quietness of our home and the joys that come with our boys. 

School Days

For "Z" day the students were supposed to dress in black and white--as close as they can get to looking like zebras.  Here is what Isaac picked out for the day:

He even chose mismatched socks

And not to be outdone, Caleb and I spent an afternoon at Sea World after we dropped Gma B at the airport. One of the final things he wanted to do before we left was ride on the sky tram over the bay. It was our first time (and a fairly cold day to choose for this), but I think he enjoyed himself. This isn't the best picture we could have gotten but the best we could get under the circumstances (my taking the picture and trying  to reach the button which was hard to get to because of the way we were sitting), and I wanted to share a glimpse of something Caleb gets to do while Isaac is at school:

Fun with Gma B, Part III

On Mom's last day here, we rode the train to the coast and let the boys play for a while there (despite a slight earache on Isaac's part) before riding the train back home.

 Isaac wore my winter headband (not sure what it is actually called) to keep the wind out of his ear.

Watching the scenery go by

Isaac took this picture of them looking at Gma's camera

Heading to the beach

Playing at the park

Gma's favorite CA flower

Fun with Gma B, Part II

The boys got to do a bunch of fun things with Gma B (both while I was gone for symposium and then when she was here again at the end of her trip). 

Riding bikes in the street--a favorite thing for both boys!

Playing games on Gma B's computer

Dipping truffles with Mom

Day 100

To celebrate the 100th day of school, everyone was encouraged to dress up like 100 year-olds. Here is what left our house that morning:

Did not want the white hair paint

Used the white hair paint and a razor

Bic-ing the head to get the cue ball effect