Embracing My Inner Band Geek

This weekend I was able to take part in the Auburn University Alumni Band and march in Jordan Hare again. It was like being back at home! This was homecoming weekend, so campus was packed. Jeremy, Jackson and I walked miles and miles after band practice showing Jackson the campus. We went up to Toomer's Corner and then had lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger. After that, it was time to head back to the stadium for Tiger Walk and then the band marched into the stadium. It's been so many years (15 to be exact), and I still get chill bumps entering the stadium with the band. I will always be proud of my time in the Auburn University Marching band, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to participate as an alumni of such an amazing organization. War Eagle always!

Sarah, Meredith and I (Memory Makin' Moms) were all AUMB alums. How cool is that?!? 

Jackson sat Samford Hall

 

Toomer's Corner looks so empty now without the trees.

Jackson at the AU sign outside Samford Hall.

Lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger with this crazy haired kiddo!

Jackson at Charles Barkley's spot on the AU Walk of Fame

Nova flew for pregame on Saturday and did great!

Spirit makes her appearance.

Can't wait for next year, and hopefully my parents will be able to come with us. I should be embarrassed by how excited I am about this, but I'm not. I'm a shameless band geek. I hope you enjoyed the pics!

It's My Birthday!

 It's my 34th birthday today, and look what I got for my present! My very own kayak! I'm so excited about getting out on the water with the boys, and this one will work good for Anderson riding with me. I can't wait for it to be delivered. And since it is orange, I'm going to deck it out with some blue paw print stickers and Auburn logos. It's gonna be so much fun!

34 is looking pretty sweet so far!

What's New In Wade's World

• It's my birthday week, and I'm getting a kayak! Jackson has loved his, and I can't wait to get on the water with him. The one I have picked out will have enough room for Anderson to ride with me. We are going to have a blast!
• Our parakeets, Mike and Sulley, have come to life. They had been quiet for awhile, but they have come to terms with their new home and they chirp all the time. 90% of the time I love listening to them, but they get on my nerves during naptime. They are silent at night, so I'm super thankful for that. Macy still hates them and goes bonkers if you interract with the birds. Mike (the green one) is still mean as a snake, and Sulley is still cool, calm and collected. Sulley will perch on your finger and lets us pet him. I don't want to risk losing a finger with Mike. 
• We are working on a geography project with Jackson right now on landforms and waterways. We built the model using clay, and found it this morning super cracked. I poured modgepodge on it trying to seal it together. At the very least it will be sealed with the cracks in it.
• My dad is doing super recovering from his hip replacement last week. I'm hoping he will be back to 100% very soon.
• I'm heading to Auburn this weekend to march with the Alumni band. I'm so excited to be back on the plains. War Eagle!

Have a great week!

Breaking News!!!

So I have hesitated in sharing this too soon because I didn't want to jinx anything. Sometimes I want to share stuff with you as soon as it happens, and then I end up being disappointed because I didn't work out the way I had wanted. So, I had held off sharing because I didn't want my hopes to be dashed. That being said, I think enough time has gone by that we are in the safe zone now, so I'm ready to share.

Are you ready?

Really ready?

Jeremy and I kicked the kids out of our bathroom and we have kept it kid free and clean for 3 weeks now. 

What? You thought I was pregnant? Not in the plans.

I got a wild hair 3 weeks ago when Jackson was out sick from school and completely top to bottom cleaned our bathroom. I removed roughly 843 small toys from my garden tub, sticky tear-free shampoo bottles, assorted cups, buckets and bowls for water play, water guns and too many army men to count and relocated them to the kids bathroom.

I scrubbed my tub down, polished the mirrors and counters to a shine, scoured my crystal candle holders that were a wedding gift and removed any trace of children from my bathroom.

Y'all, it is glorious.

This is most definitely a record amount of time for us to keep our bathroom clean, and I can only hope that our streak continues. It's nice having the kids and their stuff in the front bathroom, and being able to walk into mine without hopping around a landmine of misplaced legos.

We shall see how long this streak continues...wish us luck.

Never Forget

I'll never forget the events of that day, and the fear and sadness that covered this amazing country where we are so blessed to live. I pray daily that our country is safe from those that wish to destroy us and our freedom. I hope that God gives comfort to those around us that lost loved ones on this day thirteen years ago, and that they know that we haven't forgotten the innocent lives lost.

God bless America....today, tomorrow and always.

What's New In Wade's World?

Lots going on around here! It's been crazy fun lately, but mostly just crazy.

• Jackson has started gymnastics! We tried it out last night for the first time, and he is sold. He had an absolute blast! I was a little worried that he would think it was just for girls, but it helped so much that there was another 8 year old in the class. Jackson is super athletic, so he took to the parallel bars like a natural. It was so much fun watching him learn, and he can't wait to go back next week. He wouldn't let me take a picture, but I'll try to sneak one next week.
• Anderson is speaking up to 7-8 word sentences now! Whoop whoop! That may not sound like much to other moms over 3 year olds, but it has been a long time coming for Anderman. We are so proud of him, and how much he has grown with his speech.
• We are 372 days away from our Disney cruise, and I'm busy pinning away on pinterest. If planning ahead means that you will have a good vacation, then we are all set.
• I'm itching to get another small tattoo. Maybe a birthday present to myself? If so, I only have 15 days to decide what and where. I'm thinking a small cross on my left foot, but who knows if I'll actually do it. 
• I'm marching in alumni band again with the Auburn University Marching Band. It wasn't certain until yesterday, but Jeremy got the day off, and I'm so excited. Once a band geek, always a band geek!

Have a great day! 

Baptized By Rain

Have y'all seen the movie God's Not Dead? If not, stop reading this and go rent the movie right away. Then come back and finish reading my post.

You back yet?

Good.

Y'all. This movie. Incredible. Amazing. Words can't do it justice.

We rented the movie on Saturday and watched it 4 times before we returned it. We all loved it, and the message, but Jackson especially loved it. He would have watched it over and over again. The basic plot of the movie is that a Christian gets in a philosophy class with an atheist professor, and has to defend the premise of Christianity.

All weekend Jackson kept bringing the movie back up, and Sunday morning on the way to church he said that his favorite part of the movie was when Professor Radisson got hit by the car and was laying in the road. Slightly disturbed, my first response was, "How was that your favorite part?" Jackson then said in the all knowing way that only a child can, "Mom, if he wasn't hit by the car, he wouldn't have asked Jesus to come into his heart and then be baptized by the rain."


Baptized by rain.

How can an 8 year old see something like that?  I could have watched the movie a million times over and never came up with that concept. It made me see the whole end of the movie in a different light. You have an atheist professor that spent his entire career trying to disprove the idea of a loving God, who in turn makes a deathbed confession in the pouring rain, and he is literally washed clean of his sins by the pouring rain.

Amazing.

I might never look at a rainstorm the same way again. Good thing there is rain in the forecast. It might be time that we all are "rebaptized" by rain.

You Can't Put A $ on Class

I was heading to work the other day and got stopped at a red light right before I merged onto the interstate. Much like other drivers, I was patiently waiting my turn to join the mad stampede to work when I noticed a beautiful Lexus a couple of cars ahead of me in the turn lane. It was freshly washed and waxed to a sheen, and was a beautiful shade of pearl. I've always loved the look of a Lexus, and like most people consider them a luxury vehicle. It has always been the vehicle I would purchase if money were no object.

Imagine my shock and disdain when the driver side door opened up (in the turn lane) and a polished youngish lady proceeded to stick her perfectly coiffed head out of the car and hock a gigantic loogie onto the ground before quickly shutting her door and stomping the gas pedal to get on the interstate.  

Y'all, there are no words... 

Just goes to show that money may buy you mansions, vacations I can only dream of and luxurious cars, but it cannot buy good manners and class. I may drive a Chevy minivan, but my Mama taught me better than that!