Abandoned

I wanted to let everyone know that I have officially abandoned my blog. It was fun while it lasted, but I am now Facebooking. Maybe I will pick blogging back up in the future. Until then, I will see you on Facebook!!

It's Football Time in Tennessee!!!

It's football time in Tennessee!! We are so excited this year for Tennessee football! We are on the Lane Train!!

Jacob went to his first official game today with his daddy! Keith was so proud to take him to the game with him. He said it was one of the best Father/Son days ever. They had a great time!

Benji and I went to my mom's house for a little football party with her. We grilled hamburgers and took a nap at her house. Now that's what I call a party! LOL!

We can't wait until next Saturday when UCLA rolls up in to K-town! Bring it on! I SAID IT'S GREAT....TO BE......A TENNESSEE VOL! I SAID IT'S GREAT.......TO BE.....A TENNESSEE VOL!!!

V.................O.....................L.......................S.................. GO VOLS GO!!!!!

Update

Long time no blog! Sorry I haven't blogged in a long time but we have been really busy as I am sure most of you have been as well. I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't dropped off the face of the Earth. We were so ready for summer to get here that we have been enjoying every day of it. I haven't been paying much attention to this computer. Thus, no blogging or blog stalking. I have been doing a little Facebook though.

We spend alot of time outdoors and we are having a really fun time. I am a teacher at Jacob and Benjamin's preschool this summer and I really like it. It's not something I would want to do full time though. I am actually teaching in Jacob's class but Benjamin also gets to see me quite a bit throughout the day. They love it and so do I.

Jacob just completed swimming lessons and loved every minute of it! He is doing really good. He also went to Kindergarten Kamp and loved it too. They sent home some homework to do over the summer and he is really impressing me with how well he can do it.

We also got the boys a trampoline and they just jump their little legs off everyday. It looks so huge in our yard, but they love it and I am glad we got it.

Benjamin is now officially fully potty trained! Yippppeeee! We are having some behavior issues with him at school and we are patiently working with him on that. Also, Benjamin loves to pick out what he wears each day and dress himself. His favorite items of clothing right now are his two John Deere T-shirts. Needless to say, we have to keep them washed up and ready to go. LOL! He also loves to ride the John Deere lawn mower with his Papaw Snow. They live next door to us and if he hears that thing crank up, he starts begging to go see Papaw.

We have bought some fireworks for the boys and they have really enjoyed that. They ask if we are going to shoot fireworks as soon as they wake up in the mornings! We also plan to go watch the big fireworks in Kingston on the 4th! We wish all of you a safe and happy 4th!

Until next time....................................................have a fun summer everyone!

Oh Happy Day, When Jesus Washed My Sins Away

Jacob was baptized today! The Lord saved Jacob at the beginning of the year on January 5th and we have just now been able to coordinate a date for baptism. Better late than never! Needless to say, Keith and I are very proud of Jacob. He loves to serve in the church by helping take up offering and playing the drums every once in a while. He is following in his daddy's footsteps by learning how to play the drums. I must say, he is pretty impressive on the drums for a 5 year old. He's always running around the house singing a church song and never lets us forget to say the prayer before we eat a meal. He also imitates his daddy at home by teaching Sunday School lessons. I am his student of course. The Lord is very evident in his life. Please pray for Jacob that he will continue to grow in the Lord and become the young man God wants him to be. Also pray for Keith and I that we would be the parents God wants us to be for both of our boys.

Granny Eskridge

Keith's Mom, aka Granny Eskridge, came and spent the day with us a couple of weeks ago and we had alot of fun with her. The boys love it when Granny comes to visit. One thing is for sure, she loves to have fun, and especially with her grandchildren. Her grandchildren mean the world to her. As you can see in the pictures, the boys were no match for Granny and the waterhose! They loved getting squirted by her and she loved drenching them too! These are times we will never forget. We love you Granny Eskridge!

Dollywood

Keith and I took the boys to Dollywood yesterday and had a blast! This was our first trip of many to come this summer. We have season passes and we plan on wearing them out!

I was so afraid that Benjamin would not like it again this year (he has hated it the past two years) but to my surprise he loved it! He rode the baby rides all by himself! He rode the Pigs, the Ducks and the Bees. He also rode the Lemon Twist tea cups with me and Jacob. That's all the rides he rode. He spent the rest of his day playing in the water and on the playground at Beaver Creek. I guess 3 years old is the magic age in our household to start liking Dollywood because that is when Jacob started loving it......and if my memory serves me correctly.......he was 3 years old when we took him for the very first time. The second child gets rushed into things like this because of the older one. Another symptom of "Second Child Syndrome." Sorry Benji. :)

Jacob of course loved Dollywood again and he got very brave and rode two of the big roller coasters since he is now 48" tall. He rode the wooden roller coaster named Thunder Head first and said he really liked it but he didn't want to ride it again. Second, he rode Mystery Mine and said that it was really fun but it was also really scary and didn't want to ride it again either. He didn't experiment with any other big coasters after that. He still loves Blazin' Fury and Daredevil Falls and wants to ride them over and over and over again. He also got to ride River Battle all by himself. His Daddy stood in line with him and made sure he got on the boat and then we watched him ride it and went and got him at the exit. He was so proud of himself for getting to ride something all by himself. Wow, he is growing up too fast. Next thing I know, he will be big enough and old enough to want to split up from Mom and Dad and go do his own thing. Oh how time flies.
Sorry for so many pictures (I wanted to post more) but I recently got a new camera and went a little crazy taking pictures. It was so fun. I haven't learned any of the fancy stuff it will do yet, but I love just the basics! Can't wait to learn more. It's a Nikon D40. I don't know much more than that because Keith is the one who researched it and purchased it for me. He takes care of all that technical stuff so I don't have to. Thanks honey!

The boys start summer preschool on Monday and I am going to be a teacher at their school for the summer. I am teaching Jacob's class and I am excited about that.....Jacob is too. We hope everyone has a safe and fun summer. Looking forward to all of your summer fun posts!

Oh and by the way, sorry if you don't like the music playing but I couldn't resist playing some Dolly. I just thought it was appropriate. Hee hee.

Until next post..............................

At The Park With Aunt Lissy

We met Aunt Lissy yesterday at a park for lunch. The kids loved seeing Aunt Lissy and had the best fun. Aunt Lissy loves her boys. This is hopefully the first of many summer lunch outings with Aunt Lissy.

Preschool Graduation

Another milestone has been reached for our little Jacob. He has completed 4 years of Kingston United Methodist Early Start Preschool. He loved every day. All of his teachers throughout the years only had good things to say about Jacob. Jacob never got in trouble or in time-out. I never got any bad behavior reports on him or anything like that. He always had good report cards at the end of each day. His report cards always read as follows:

Today I felt: Great

I Played: With my friends

My Behavior was: Great

I Ate: Really well

My Attention Span: Listened Great

Rest Time: I did not take a nap today

These reports always made me smile. We are so proud of Jacob and all of his accomplishments thus far. He is such a well mannered, well behaved, cool, calm and collected, roll with the flow kind of kid. We know he will do so well in Kindergarten. I know one thing is for sure, I will miss him tremendously when he goes to Kindergarten every day. I am struggling with it right now.

The preschool staff put together a little book about Jacob and the things he did this year with a few cute poems and stories. One of the stories in the booklet really pulled at my motherly heartstrings and I would like to share it with you. It relates to a child going to Kindergarten for the first time and how he and his mother deal with it. Get your tissue ready!

Thoughts At The Bottom Of A Beanstalk

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand new book bag. Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother. Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it looked. Mom swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year.................

Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word. He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother. She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere in sight. "Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk." She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes act silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing.

"I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that, after all, this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications. "It's not so much that I am worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him."

Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. "Today's the day he starts practicing for them......and today's the day I start practicing something too: Cheering him on and waving good-bye."

Was that a tear-jerker or what? I am crying my eyes out right now. I can barely see to type. I need to call my mom.....................

Okay, I just talked to my mom and I feel better. Mommy can always make it better. She told me that by me being upset takes her back to my first days of Kindergarten. She said what was worse for her is that I did not look forward to Kindergarten and I cried everyday and begged her not to leave me there. I won't have that problem with Jacob because he is already looking forward to it and he does well when I leave him places such as the kid classes when we visit different churches and stuff like that. He will do great...it's just my own separation anxiety that I am dealing with. It will all be okay and I am leaning and depending on God to make it alright......and He will.

ABC's and 123's

Jacob and his ABC's.

Benji had to get in the picture too.

Finished work.

I opened a pack of magnetic ABC's and 123's this morning for the boys to play with. I had no idea they would be so enthusiastic about it. They were so excited and started playing with them immediately. Of course it ended up in a big fight......... but what doesn't end up in a big fight with siblings? After the big fight, Benjamin found something else to do while Jacob and I did ABC's. I mixed up all the letters and made him tell me what came next and made him find that letter out of all the mixed up letters and place it on the board in the order that it went. The only ones he missed were H, N and Q. I think that is wonderful! He did his numbers up to 14 and got tired and wanted to quit. So we quit. I don't want to push him in to hating it. LOL! I hope he can hang with them in Kindergarten for 7 hours a day. I know he will get used to it, but you know how we Mommies are......we worry about everything when it comes to our babies. Jacob is actually excited about Kindergarten which makes me very happy. I know he will do wonderful. When I registered him a few weeks ago, one of the teachers said that they have changed the way they do things and starting this year, Kindergarteners will know how to "read" at the end of the school year. Wow! Major changes. Jacob should have no problem learning. He is such a smart kid. I am so sad to give him up during the day though. I have had him at home with me everyday and that is not something I want to give up. I will miss him so much. I know I will be sad at first, but I'm sure that I will adapt eventually. I have to look at it on the bright side and look forward to bonding with Benjamin one on one. I really haven't had much one on one with Benji and that will be nice. I won't have to deal with any brotherly love.....I mean fighting during the day. Anyway, I think I am just feeling things that most Mommies feel when their babies go to Kindergarten.

Jacob is also going to go to a Kindergarten Kamp at the elementary school for 10 days in June. It will be from 12:30 to 3:30 on scheduled days. I think this will be a great experience for Jacob. He will get to see where he will be attending school and get to meet some of the teachers. This way, he won't be dropped off on his first day of Kindegarten to an unfamiliar environment. I feel good about it and Jacob is looking foward to Kamp too.

I am also looking forward to having a fun fun time with the boys this summer and I hope all of you have a great summer as well. Until next post........................................

Cousins

Jacob and Benjamin's cousins were here visiting with us this past weekend. They had so much fun! Can't wait until your next visit Jaden and Josh!!!

Happy Mother's Day!

I want to say a special "Happy Mother's Day" to my mom who is the best in the whole world. I could write a book about how wonderful she is. I love you mom from the depths of my being. You are the greatest mom ever and I wish you a happy wonderful day. I love you!!!!!

I also want to wish my mother-in-law a Happy Mother's Day as well. She is such a sweetheart and I love her to death.

My 10 year Anniversary Gift

Our 10 year wedding anniversary was on May 1st and my darling husband surprised me with this wicker furniture for the front porch. I love it! I have sit outside on the front porch every single day since I got it. It is so relaxing to sit out there and listen to the birds and watch the cars go by and watch the boys play in the front yard. It's perfect! Thank you honey for 10 wonderful years (we have actually been together for 18 years!) and I pray we have many many more together. I love you!

Gardening with Daddy

We finally put our garden out. The boys love gardening time every year. I have to admit....I do too! It's so exciting. I love having a garden. The boys like to help their daddy plant the seeds and plants. They get really dirty but it's all worth it. They had to take all their clothes off before they were allowed to enter the house that evening....lol! I let them play with the waterhose after gardening and it got most of the dirt off of them though.

The boys helping their daddy reminded me of the song I have playing on my blog right now. I couldn't resist putting it on here. I have loved it since the first day I heard it. Keith is such a good role model for our boys. They want to be just like daddy and that is just fine by me.

By the way: If you are wondering.....Benjamin is wearing a motorcycle helmet while helping daddy in the garden. He refused to take it off while I took his picture.....so I just let him be. He is so silly.

My UT Men!!

This is Keith and Jacob before heading off to the UT Orange & White game this past Saturday. Keith said they had tons of fun and Jacob enjoyed it alot! It was Jacob's first game at Neyland! Keith said he was going to take him back when the season starts for his first real game. Keith is more excited about that than Jacob is. When Jacob was born, Keith said.........I can't wait until he's old enough to go to the UT games with me..................and now....................the time has arrived for father and son to hang out on a UT Saturday and be buds. It won't be long and Benjamin will be hanging out with them too! It's so great.

GO VOLS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!!

Today is Benjamin's 3rd Birthday!!! We had his party this past Saturday. He wanted Kung Fu Panda on his cake and it was really cute. He had such a good time at his party. We just had family over for the party. I get away with "no kid" parties as long as I can. I got away with it with Jacob for 4 years. This past party for him was his 5th and we had to invite kids. Once they figure it out, there is no turning back. LOL! Maybe I have one more year with Benji....or maybe not. He is going to catch on quicker because of big brother.
Happy Birthday baby boy. Mommy and Daddy and Brother love you very much!!!!

Easter Sunday Morning and Snow Family Dinner and Egg Hunt

We had such a wonderful Easter this year. The kids had a great time the whole weekend. They spent time with their cousins on both sides of the family and loved every minute of it. We were so excited that our cousins Jenny, Sophie and Emma were able to be with us this year from New Jersey! We are so blessed to be surrounded by so much family. I thank God for all of my family every day. We are also so blessed to have our grandparents with us still and to be able to enjoy them enjoying the great-grandkids. They think the world of their great-grandkids. Granny always said that she didn't believe that she would live long enough to even see one great-grandchild and now they have 9! Praise the Lord!

The boys had two Easter Egg hunts this year and really enjoyed them. Poor Jacob is at the age where the "Prize Egg" matters to him and he was very disappointed that he didn't find it at the Snow Family Egg Hunt. It was a life lesson for him. Benjamin could have cared less about the prize egg. He was too busy sitting on the front porch eating the candy out of the few eggs he found. Their cousin Jackson is the one who found the prize egg this year!! I was so happy because he found it (thanks to his uncle Jonathan!) :) It was so precious. When he found that big ole' egg, he literally tossed it in his basket and kept going to find more eggs. I am glad he found it because he was the youngest great-grandkid that was hunting eggs. Drew is the youngest great-grandkid, but not quite ready for egg hunting. I hope everyone had just as much fun as we did.

I can't close this post without expressing what Easter means to me. Above all the dinners, new outfits, family gatherings and egg hunts, I am so thankful that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and that I can be free and live with Him in Eternity forever. Thank you Jesus!

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Easter Egg Hunt

Jacob and Benji had such a good time at the church easter egg hunt today. Jacob found 14 eggs and Benji found 10 eggs. They were so proud of themselves. They got treat bags too. They loved it.