Our Little Knight

Aaron is our knight. I don't even remember when he entered the knighthood, though I'm guessing it was about the time he gained a baby brother...

It started with swords. He LOVES swords. We put a $1 nerf sword in his stocking at Christmas and it was his favorite toy for months -- and eventually fully encased in duct tape until it could no longer be held in one piece.

Then, Josh crafted swords and shields for both boys from cardboard boxes. Those have lasted much longer, though they have accumulated enough duct-tape to fix a flat tire.

Aaron is always talking about (and imitating) knights that have a "sword in their belt" or on their backs, and loves when I follow suit. Sometimes a lincoln log in my pocket will suffice, but I once answered the door with a nerf sword tied to my back with my bathrobe belt (Aaron's design, see pic).

A friend's babysitter was at the door, and I asked her to take a picture - which I just found.

All of these swords are of course employed in quite a bit of fencing. This morning between breakfast and church, I heard Aaron call out, "Somebody sword-fight me!"

Noah and I found a treasure trove of PlayMobil knights at a consignment sale a couple years ago, and Aaron has adopted them as his own, with special fondness for the knight "with the golden sword" (not pictured here).

When we're printing coloring pages, Aaron always wants the same guy - a non-threatening though well-armed knight with "a bow-and-arrow in his hands, a sword in his belt, and arrows on his back." That's his description, word-for-word, every time.

Aaron woke on his 4th birthday to find a knightly suit of armor waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He's been carrying the "golden sword" all day in his "belt" (shorts), of course.

Even as I started this post, he was sitting on the couch, holding three swords, and later wearing the coveted "golden sword in the scabbard in my belt."

And lest you think Isaac is too young for all the fun, Aaron often ensures that he's well prepared should the need arise for him to defend himself.

Finally, what do I think about all this chivalry running around our house? About this obsession with historical figures known for their character, selflessness, courage, compassion, and honor? Yeah, I'd say it could be worse... ;)

Summer Fun with Mommy

Let me just say up front: we do not have fun all day long. We have chores and "rest time" and meltdowns and TV and independent play. But in between the usual routines that keep life afloat, we have splashes of fun that remind us how great it is to be family, to be a kid, to be a mom. Here's a random selection of those moments from the last couple months...

Science 101: What happens when you drop pasta, seashells, and crackers into OJ, water, or kool-aid?

Note: It's harder to construct a building of extra-thin spaghetti. Next time, go for the fettuccine. Best part: Eating the joints.

A playdate with friends in Kingston Springs. These folks know how to PLAY.

The Zoo - where we love the "Tot Lot" (padded open-air room) and occasionally see animals.

(more of the Tot Lot)

We visit the library weekly for audio books, but this time they also had touch-a-truck and face painting,
so I took home a couple pirates. This is also the day I forgot sunscreen (we ran into friends there who shared), cash (most of it was free), and lunch (we went home).

Aaron's first theater experience: Ice Age Continental Drift with a couple friends. A little scary, but he loved it and did not want to leave. The admission+concessions for $4 made my day.

During rest-time one day, they decided to lower a bag. It came back up with a snack!! That's good fishing.

Ever since we saw "fried bananas" on a menu, Noah has been asking me to make some. Google to the rescue! (recipe here) And I must say, they were gone fast.

Our church helps sponsor the Nashville International Cup - adult amateur soccer for internationals in town. We were there to support some friends on Team Mexico - and inspire our little soccer players. Downside: it was hot, hot, hot. Upside: we got to hang with some good friends we don't see enough.

We've been doing some remodeling in the boys' room... Made possible by their super-fun bunk beds. I get so many questions about them, that I'm posting the link: www.bunkbedking.com.

We finally walked to the Asian place across the street from our neighborhood - and decided we'll have to come back with Daddy. Despite the fact that I had to carry our double jogger through the entire restaurant with Isaac on my chest. Not my most graceful moment. But compensated by the chocolate-filled cookies the owner gave each boy after dinner.

Just when I thought they'd outgrown trains... I LOVE these moments when we can work on a project together.

A night out with my littles to Aaron's favorite store on the planet: Sweet Cece's (where Isaac was devastated when my ice cream was all gone). Then catching bubbles on Main St.

And lest you feel sorry for our hardworking man of the house who misses all the weekday fun, "Summer Fun with Daddy" is in the works...

TENURE

He's got it!

Josh took his job at Vanderbilt six years ago, and even back then, I distinctly remember him worrying about the number of publications, level of grants, and other hoops he'd have to jump through in order to make it to tenure. He's a driven physician researcher and a really great family man, so it never warped his priorities, but it was always in the background -- a standard he would have to meet or leave.

By God's abundant grace -- and I don't use that lightly -- he is doing the right work at the right moment in the right place for the right people. We CHERISH the opportunities and environment he has been given. It is such a joy to see him flourish, even as I'm confident he would be strong in adversity if needed.

But we're really glad that wasn't called for this spring, when his application for tenure was reviewed. It was approved in April, and we've pretty much been celebrating since...

An impromptu celebration

An excuse to visit The Cheesecake Factory and eat (non-cheese)cake

The sad and only little pictures I took of the big "He's Got Tenure" Open House, with 106 of his closest coworkers giving him a pat on the back. 

With all the partying, there is one very natural and common question that arises: What does tenure mean exactly? It's a good one, so here's the 411 from my layperson's perspective...

What is "tenure"?
Theoretically, it means you've reached sufficient achievement in your position that the institution is agreeing to keep you till you retire, freeing you up to do more exciting, interesting, or substandard work. In his case, it does allow him to focus more on mentoring and helping to build others on his team.

Is all tenure created equal?
Not by a long shot. It's different at each institution and even within the institution based on the kind of faculty job you've chosen and the department.

Does it mean he can't be fired?
Sort-of. They're not likely to fire him, but if he were to lose grant funding, they could take away his salary and office space, leaving him with a nice little title...

Does this mean he'll stay at Vanderbilt forever and ever?
I hope so! But sadly, there are no guarantees. Another (evil) institution could match it in a dastardly attempt to lure him away...

So what's the big deal?
Tenure was an important--maybe necessary--step for Josh to accomplish what he thinks God may have for him to do. Without it, he would have had to find a different path. With it, he is propelled forward on the path before him. We're just praying it's the right one!

End of the School Year

I only had two kids in preschool, but by the end of 2012-2013 school year, I was burned out. I like to blame it on the munchkin I birthed last July, but regardless, I joined the army of women who adored this post by Jen Hatmaker. Once you've read her post, you'll appreciate that I took the following pictures at all - and that I'm posting them before the next school year starts...

Noah finished out his 3 years at Mustard Seed Preschool (and hopefully his last years in private school for quite a while). It is a little wrenching to say goodbye to the cozy, insular environment where (unbeknownst to me) he learned the Lords' Prayer by heart, sang his way through the children's catechism, and mastered the encyclopedia of Star Wars Legos.

His teachers, Ms. Delyn & Ms. Amy, were awesome, of course.

With the help of a great coach (and friend), he also finished his first season of soccer, which I hope will be the first of many...

AND he got to celebrate the end of soccer/preschool with Gigi & Papa - icing on the cake.

But enough nostalgia -- Off to kindergarten in ONE MONTH!

Noah: Woohoo!
Me: (Yikes.) Woohoo! (Yikes.)

I will not think about how much I'm going to miss my sweet boy. I will not.

The Best Rainy Day

 

We haven't had a truly rain-all-day rainy day in months, so it took us all off guard when we woke to a drizzle that just kept going. Fortunately, we have some die-hard neighbors who--like us--were up for a wet day of parades, potlucks, and slip-and-slides in raincoats, hats, umbrellas, and swimsuits (but no sunscreen - hurray!). We took breaks at home with hot chocolate and hot baths, then went back out for more. Being a cold-or-wet weather gal myself, it may be one of my favorite Fourths yet.

They're Not in Kansas...

YAY! Our dear friends came to visit last weekend and we did our best to convince them to stay.

 Which of course involved lots of books and food and walks so we could eat again...

They still managed to slip back to Kansas City, but not without planning their next visit. Mission accomplished. Sort-of.

Camp Brookstone 2013

A friend drove Noah to his first day of summer camp (about 10min from our house), and came back to say, As we drove up, there were horses drinking from a stream in the nearby field. It is that picturesque.

A friend from church runs the little camp at her parents' farm, where they've been entertaining 4 to 8-year-olds outside for 25 years now. The kids go M-F from 9am-1pm and spend the whole time at various outdoor stations...

Thankfully, the camp took all of these pictures, as I failed to take one the entire week...

It made me smile to hear Noah asking if he could go back for another week. The whole thing felt so wholesome. I'd say the answer's yes, even if he does have to wait a whole year for it.

Grandma's House? Yep.

For a few short months between houses, my parents have been scraping by in a beachfront condo near Sanibel Island. So we decided, out of the goodness of our hearts, to keep them company for a long weekend of sun, sand, and free babysitting.

It was our first time flying with Isaac, and everyone did great. It's not relaxing. Sometimes I fantasize about reading a book on an airplane. But no one pitched a fit or popped an eardrum, so we're claiming success. It helps a lot that some of them aren't so little anymore. Once they can read on their own, we'll be golden.

The beach was downstairs, which we discussed at length with the boys before and when we arrived. There was some confusion about how Nana & Papa live on the beach and how we would be doing so. The elevator was a big perk in their world, but apparently it was not a complete solution to the 10-story drop; when we arrived and Aaron walked out onto their balcony, he could see the beach below, so he said we'd "need a ladder to jump down there."

Our one venture over to Sanibel island was accompanied by a storm that rolled right over us. Dad waited in the car with Isaac while we took Noah & Aaron out on the dark and windy beach to play chicken with the storm. As I drank in the super-cool atmosphere, Noah talked a mile-a-minute about the piles of shells underfoot. He surprised me by picking out a handful of really beautiful little butterfly shells.

We might get wet! At the beach! In our swimsuits! ;)

The condos are right next to a big resort hotel, so Josh and I walked next door for a date one night. It was so wonderful, we hoodwinked my parents into another one the next night...

We spent one afternoon at Thomas Edison & Henry Ford's summer estates, where I was struck by 2 things:
1. Today's Pottery Barn decor (which I love) is actually just a refresh of the 1920s styles.
2. Who would've guessed one of the early appliances that resulted from the invention of electricity would be...the waffle iron?

And of course, we spent lots of time in the pool. Though given the 90-degree heat, it was a bit surprising how much Aaron loved "the small pool" (aka hot tub).

Thank you, Nana & Papa, for a beautiful vacation! We have a new appreciation for what you are giving up to be near us!

Roughing It

It all started a couple weeks ago, when we pulled out the fire pit to make some s'mores...

The next day, Aaron came down from rest time, plopped himself on a stool, and said, "I want a marshmallow and fire, please!"

The boys started scheming for a camp-out.

While Daddy was away, we created Mommy's version of a tent (i.e. indoors) -- which turned into quite the 2-story castle...

(We've been very busy renovating.)

Then, a temperate weekend with Daddy home and minimal plans made it possible for...

The 2nd Annual Denny Backyard Camp-out! After the s'mores, Mommy and the littles went to their warm, cozy beds while Daddy and Noah braved it on a mattress in the upgraded tent (thanks to the grandparents' foresight!) and 70-degree night air -- both of which might help explain how the big boys made it through the night out in the wild.

The "wild" was also augmented by a late-night viewing of "Return of the Jedi" in the tent -- another installment in Josh and Noah's slow but celebrated trek through the three old Star Wars movies.

S'mores. Star Wars. Campout. With Daddy. Yeah, Noah was on cloud nine.

Solidarity

Noah had a booboo on his right foot that needed a foot bath...

On Top of Spaghetti...

Fortunately, there were no sneezes to ruin Isaac's first encounter with spaghetti & meatballs... #majormilestones