The truth hurts.

Joseph is the funniest 3 1/2 year old I know.  This is what he asked me tonight on the way home...

Mommy, why do you ALWAYS say no to me?

Mommy, why do you ALWAYS smile at me?

Mommy, why do you ALWAYS buy stuff when you go to Target?

Go Twins!

Well, my promised new post "tomorrow" is about a week late.  Internet at the parent's house is down, maybe a sign from up above that I need to unwind from even my computer time on this vacation.  Tonight I am at Caribou, the upper midwestern Starbucks.  It is lovely to be here in the quiet with my computer. When I sit here, with my headphones in front of my computer, I wonder if everyone can tell how small my life is, that I spend nearly all my time nurturing 5 little boys.  Does it show on my face, or worse yet, am I dressed like a mom?  Or do they think I am doing something really important on my computer, like sending business emails to Japan, or studying for my PhD in something or the other.  Instead, I am secretly blogging about our night at the Twins game, but for all they know, I am a brain surgeon.  I love the mystery.
On to the pictures...

I have to start with this one, because I get lost in his little smile.

It really could not have been more beautiful of an evening.

These two stood right here almost the whole game.  That just goes to show you the quality of our seats :)

This one in particular was in baseball heaven.

Because he got to see this guy play.

My very sophisticated husband.  The even funnier thing is on his next bite, mustard dripped on his pants.

Go Twins! (but no, they did not win)

This is where my older kids have been all week.  Don't my parents look tired?  But the kids are sunburned and having the time of their lives.  And Nathan and I have had fun hopping around Minneapolis, seeing friends and doing some shopping for clearance summer items.  Thank Mom & Dad, for loving your grandkids enough to want to cram 2 adults and 6 kids in a trailer that sleeps 6.  That is real love.

Photo Friday X

We made it to the great state of Minnesota.  We have bonded as a family for many, many, many hours in our minivan.  We left Saturday morning and ended up in Kansas City at our friends, the Rothwells, to stay Saturday night.  Their house is better than a 5-star hotel in my book.  Where else can you stop and get a delicious dinner upon arrival, a house full of toys and little boys for your kids to play with, blueberry pancakes in the morning, and good conversation with friends after the kids are all tucked away.  Thanks Mike & Sarah, for a fun night!

Their boys are GORGEOUS!

Jopie at Hotel Rothwell.  He looks pretty content, huh?

Playing after lunch somewhere in Iowa.  It was a true midwest moment.

After arriving at Grandma & Grandpa's, it was all smiles from our boys.  Finally, we were there!

Love being in the land of green, soft grass.

It's rare I catch this guy in a "real" smile, not a camera smile.  Therefore, I love this photo.

So happy playing catch with Grandma.

So he wasn't all full of smiles, but he rarely is.  I think he was happy on the inside, though.

There are many more photos, but I don't want to overload you with too many in one post.  Tomorrow, Twins game... new stadium.  Little boy and big boy heaven.

Photo Friday IX

This Photo Friday thing is really going to test my Roman numeral skills.

It was not an eventful week around here.  We have been trying to be disciplined in school because we are about to take a month off.  Early in the morning, while you are cozy in your beds, we are heading to Minnesota.  We hope to make it all the way, the whole 16 hours, but that all depends on Baby Cry Cry.  He is the unknown factor.  If you see a silver minivan on Interstate 35 with muffled screams coming out of it, it just might be us.  Keep your eye out.

Anyway, here are some pictures from our week.

The Weaver clan came in town for a tennis tournament.  It was so fun to watch Mindy (Chris' cousin) play, and to have an excuse to see them.

All my boys LOVE Uncle Mark.

Asher's clay creation.

We got to do an impromptu birthday party for baby William with the Thom family.  Their power was out and we loved having them for the day.  With their 3 boys, they fit right in to our family.

Movie night so the adults could eat dinner and talk.

What else do you do when it's 99 degrees outside, but swim...

Eat peaches...

Trade baseball cards...

And sleep off the fun events of the day.

Catch you all next week from Minnesota!

They say it better... Hymns

I love hymns.  One of the things I miss most about Moody is singing hymns in Chapel -- organ and all.  So, as part of the boys' schooling this summer, they've memorized a few of them.  So far, we've done:  Holy, Holy, Holy; Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee; and part of May The Mind of Christ My Savior.  They love it, and I love that they are storing up these theologically-rich stanzas in their little minds.  They'll hopefully be useful one day, as they have been for me.  For worship.  For encouragement.  For perseverance.

Here is an article by Matthew Smith who puts some of these hymns to new melodies that we can all appreciate.  Let me know what you think.

My future hymn players.

Photo Friday VIII

We had a great Fourth of July weekend.  Papa and Tandy made it special by coming for a visit, and even more special by taking the four older boys back to Lubbock with them to go to golf camp.  I don't know who had more fun, me having some peace and quiet in the house, or the Graham, Asher, Samuel and Joseph having a getaway to Lubbock, being spoiled by all our family there.

Thanks for loving our kids, Papa and Tandy.

He so wants to be Joe Mauer.

Graham's signature smile.

As they were leaving for Lubbock.  They seem pretty torn up about leaving Mom and Dad.  I think they are homesick already.

We hopped in the car and headed down to Austin to see our dear friends, while we only had Baby Cry Cry to consider.  What did we do with one child anyway?  I really don't remember.

We met these sweet friends when I was pregnant with Graham.  9 years and 8 kids later, between the two of us, where did those carefree days go?

These girls might very well create a "Legends of the Fall" type dynamic in our family.  But for this day, it was so fun to be around some little girls for a change.

Such a treat, Cry Cry, to have it be just you and me for a few days.  Love you.

Happy Friday everyone!  Hi Mom!  Hi Dad!  And whoever else happens to be here, thank you for stopping by.

Take me out to the (very long) ballgame.

Well, in theory, it was the ideal 7 year-old birthday party.  What could be better than a bunch of little boys, their dads, and a baseball game?  Let me just mention what we did for Asher's birthday last year... sprinkler park, dinner, and cupcakes.  It was, I think, 58 degrees and windy.  We froze, even though we didn't even get wet.  I should have learned my lesson.  It is never that cold in Minnesota, and it almost never rains in Texas in July.  But it did this day, like a monsoon.  But we didn't have a plan B.  So we were all in, no matter what.

Look at all these cute little Ranger fans.  We met at church, and by the time we arrived at the game, it was a downpour.  Luckily, when you are cheap, and sit way up top, you are under the overhang.

Sweet Asher waiting for the game to start.  Waiting for the rain to stop.

Still waiting.  I think it was at about this point we found out the game would start at 9:30.  Great.  25 little boys who have to wait 2 hours in their seats before the game starts.

But these boys were so good and patient.

They ate some snacks.

And waited... thanks Papa & Tandy for coming all the way from Lubbock.

Finally, there was hope as they started to pull away the tarp (sorry, I am sure there is a technical sports fan name for that thing).

Asher when he saw that the game might actually happen.  Very excited.

Daddy & bad boy Jopie

The game started, and these boys were thrilled.  Young and old.  Especially when Asher saw his name of the big screen.

As the night got later, the kids got sillier.  There were fireworks after the game, and we were determined to see them.

This little one lasted until the very end, which was about 1:00 in the morning.

The Sanders' boys made it.  And they look pretty awake.

Not so much these little ones.

Or this one.

But overall, as our boys fell into their bed at 2 in the morning, I would say that this will be a night they will always remember.