Seth's Piano Recital

This past weekend was the boys' piano recital.  This is Seth playing God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.

Chase's Piano Recital

This past weekend was the boys' piano recital.  This is Chase playing Good King Wenceslas

No More Car Seats

Another thing has moved into our past and that is the existence of car seats.  Seth has been without a car seat for a couple of years now but Chase has been using a booster.  But, one night last week when we needed extra space in the back seat we removed his booster and it hasn't been returned.  It looks like we have moved on.

It saddens me because it is another reminder that they are growing up.

Big Tex

This past Friday a horrible event happened, Big Tex at the State Fair caught on fire.

This made me think back to our visits to the State Fair and running past Big Tex with 2 scared little boys.  The story of one our visits is documented Here.

At the end of the post I commented that we would be going back next year.  That was 4 years ago and I haven't been back.  I think next year we might have to try another visit and see the all new Big Tex.

Get well soon Big Tex.

Catch UP

Shelley sent me a note saying I needed to post something so since I am an obedient husband, I am posting something.

When I looked at my last post I realized I had not posted anything about our trip to Boston.

Well, Shelley as usually has it documented on her blog so I won't go into all the details but it was a wonderful trip.

The trip was full of great moments like visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame, Touring Fenway Park, having Ian Kinsler speak to Seth, watching the Rangers play the Red Soxs, touring the Freedom Trail and going Whale Watching.

 But, to me , as with all our vacations the best part is the time we were together.  Now, it isn't always cotton candy and Unicorns but isn't that part of being a family.  But seeing the boys experience all the things above is a great thrill.  I love just waking up each morning and everyone getting ready for the busy day we have planned.  I love winding down each night and reflecting on the great moments of the day.  I love my family.

Baseball season has also started.  Chase is once again on the Braves but now they have moved to coach pitch so this season may present some new challenges.  Going undefeated like they did last season is unlikely but it should be a fun season.

Seth has moved to a new team, the Astros.  We sought out this new team to try and get him in a better situation. We succeeded!  The head coach is a much better coach and his assistant has coached many little league teams. The environment is more strict, structure and demanding.  There have been moments when Seth as upset because he had been yelled at but I think this past weekend made up for all of that.  He played a double header and they won both games.  Those 2 wins matched his total wins for the past 4 previous seasons.  Winning felt good.

We have also been visiting new churches.  We went 3 weeks to Compass in Colleyville and then this last weekend we went to Gateway in Southlake.  We are going to go there 2 more times and then evaluate.

Oh, and school started.  The boys seem to both like there teachers.
Shelley is tutoring again and she is teaching 2 online classes with DBU.

singing

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Baptisms and All Star Game

This past week has been a whirlwind.  First Chase got Baptized last Saturday.

Then the following Sunday we drove to Kansas City to go to the All Star Game.  We went to the Future's Game on Sunday, the Home Run Derby on Monday night and finally the All Star Game on Tuesday night.

The boys had a great time and so did I.  I think we have memories that will last forever.

Courage

Roller coasters, water slides and horse back riding.  What do all these things have in common?  They are things that Seth has done in the last week without any fear.  This is the boy who had so much anxiety that anything new caused great fear to the point he was almost paralyzed.

He has worked hard over the years.  He has attended many counseling sessions, various types of therapy and the results are showing.

I am so happy for him.

Chase Said The Prayer

This week is Adventure Week at church and Wednesday are always Salvation night.  Last night Chase said the Salvation prayer for the first time.  I won't go into great deal because Shelley has documented it on her blog but I just wanted to make sure I made mention of it.

Happy Birthday Chase

It was 7 years ago today we got to meet Chase for the first time.  I still remember the moment I saw him the first time.  At that time I had no idea how cool this little baby would end up being.   He has made me laugh some of the biggest laughs I have ever had.  He is extremely hugable and has a laugh that is infectious.  He was the missing piece in our family puzzle.

Happy Birthday Chase!

Happy Anniversary

Thirteen years ago Shelley and I got married.  This anniversary slipped up on both of us and we have no big plans.  I didn't get her a card nor did I write her a sweet note.  I started the day bombarding her with emails giving her instructions of what I needed her to do today. We are in the middle of Adventure Week at church and we aren't getting home until 10 each night so things are crazy.  But, I never want her to feel I am taking her for granted because I love her with all my heart.

Happy Anniversary honey, I love you and I will make it up to you.

How Many Times

Last week we were watching a show on statistics and they were discussing the average amount of time the average American spends having sex.

The boys were watching with us and Seth then turned to Shelley and I and asked, "how much time do you spend?"

Shelley and I laughed (hysterically) so hard we couldn't breath.  We never did answer his question.

Sounds of the Morning

Every morning as I am getting ready for work, music is blaring out of Seth and Chase's rooms.  It warms my heart to hear because they both fall asleep listening to our local Christian pop station, KLTY.  They both know the words to almost every song they play and they often quote their commercials.

It is good to know that as they sleep they are having a positive message poured into them.

That Dowdle Kid

The past few baseball seasons have been rough on Seth.  He just hasn't been able to become a part of a good team.  And when I say good, I'm not referring to wins and losses.  I am talking more about a team and that includes the coaches.

The past 2 seasons have been better because he did have a coach that cared.  But, we weren't blessed with many kids with any athletic ability.  Most of his team mates will find success in music, school or other areas but it won't be baseball.

This past season had a lot of ups and downs and some drama as well.  The boys did get a win, got a chance to play on the little league field at Rangers' Ballpark and went to a Rough Riders game as a team.  But, we had some tough losses as well.  The last 2 games were tough losses because the boys had started playing well and had been competitive in their games but the last 2 they got beat worse than they probably should have.  The boys seemed to have quit.

Seth took this hard but during the games he was one of the few that kept trying and was playing the game tge way it should have been played.  I couldn't have been more proud of him.

While all of this is going on Chase's team is going undefeated and taking 1st place in their division.

All of this has left us contemplating what we would do with Seth and his team for next season.  We have been praying about direction and wisdom.

(I know, this is a long story but it is going somewhere)

Last night was the end of the season awards where Chase was getting his 1st place trophy.  I knew this was going to be hard on Seth and we talked about him cheering loudly for Chase because there will be a day when Chase will be cheering for Seth's success.  And he did this including taking video of the trophy presentation.

Later that evening we get a call from the mother of one of Seth's teammates and one of Seth's best friends.

She recounted a story where the coach from on of those teams that beat us badly in our last 2 games came up to congratulate her son on his season.  He was mistaken by what team he was on but when they cleared it up, he remembered our team.  The mother then reached out to the coach and said they were considering switching teams and asked if he had any openings.  He indicated he might and even asked her son if he wanted to play in an upcoming tournament with his team.

He then went on to say that there was another kid he would be interested in having on his team.  He said I would like to have that "Dowdle kid, I think he was #18."

I don't know who this meant more to, Shelley and myself or Seth.

The Talk

I had the "talk" with Seth last night and we both survived it.  I don't know how well I did and time will only tell.

I wish I could remember all of what was said but here are a couple of highlights.

I was trying to explain the biological differences.  When I told him that girls didn't have a penis, he said "so do they pee out of their butt?"

Then finally as I wrapped things up, I asked if he had any questions.  He paused, thought for a moment and then asked, "so, when did you say the college world series starts?" and that was the end of our conversation.

The Talk

It is time to have the "talk" with Seth.  We have danced around the subject and it has become more obvious that it is something Seth is curious about but yesterday he finally asked Shelley what SEX was.  There is no avoiding it now but I have no idea what to say.  I've researched it but nothing seems to fit the way I communicate with Seth.  So, I am going to pray and just use the words God will give me.

(this is 2 post in 2 days, I'm on a roll)

Update

Shelley pointed out that it has been 4 months since I blogged.  This surprised me because I didn't think anyone even read what I was writing, including Shelley.  But, it also made me feel guilty because I have wanted to provide the boys a written history of their childhood and I'm doing a poor job of it.

We have been so busy I don't even know what to write at this point.  So  here are some quick hit points.

Seth just finished the 3rd grade and finished with all As for the year.
Chase just finished the 1st grade and I'm not sure what letter grade he ended the year with on his reading but he blew away the 1st grade requirement.

We just finished up the Spring baseball season and it was full of highs and lows.  I helped on both teams and it kept us very busy.  Seth's team continue to struggle to find their way.  They did win a game this year which was one of the highlights.  They also got to play a game on the little league field at the Ballpark in Arlington.  It included the singing of the national anthem and each player being announced when they came to bat.  But, the season included a lot of drama among the players and coaches.  Losing causes a lot of stress.  We are in prayer as to whether to return to the Roughriders next season or not.

On the other hand, Chase's team came in first place.  Chase is blessed to be in a very good situation.  He is excited because next season he gets to move to coach pitch.

Shelley and I just returned from a trip to Jefferson, Texas.  It was sans children and we enjoyed our time together.  We stayed in a nice bed and breakfast, took a ghost walking tour, took a tour of the river and explored the local area.  But, the most important thing was the time we had together which did us both a lot of good.

Another big thing that has happened is that I changed roles at work.  I am now back to running the IT department.  It has added a lot of stress but I continue to be thankful to have a job and be able to provide for my family.

Can I write another post in less than 4 months, we will see. :-)

Smart Boys

I have 2 very smart boys.

Last week Chase came in first place in the first grade in a writing contest.

This week Seth took a test that is to prepare him for next year when he has to start taking the standardized tests and he got a 100 on it.

I am very proud of them...

Entrepreneurs

The boys are becoming entrepreneurs.

This weekend the first edition of the Cripple Creek News went out. Seth wrote the first edition of our street newspaper. I will leave it to Shelley to post a copy of it but it was very cute but also impressive. His delivery system was the old fashioned paperboy. Chase rolled each one up, put them in a canvas bag and hit the streets on his bike. They were all quickly distributed and I'm sure our neighbors are anxiously awaiting the next edition.

They have also gone into the recycling business. I bought them a trash can and an aluminum can crusher and they are now crushing cans with the plans of selling them for a little cash.

They are both very industrious and I'm anxious to see what they come up with next.

Happy Birthday Seth

I am a couple days late on this post but I still wanted to mark the occasion with an entry.

On Saturday Seth turned 9. He is really growing up to be a special boy.

We had his birthday party at Rangers Ballpark. I think everyone enjoyed it, especially me. We got a tour of the ballpark and got to see things like the press box, a suite and the underground hitting area. When we entered the hitting area my heart jumped a little because you could hear someone in there taking batting practice. Who is it? Josh, Michael Young, Mitch Moreland??? No, it was some high school kids whose Dad worked for the Rangers.

Despite that disappointment, it was a great tour that ended in the Rangers' dugout.

Seth had invited four friends to his party. Isaiah Brogan, Cameron Bitz, Mason Jordan and Holden Skinner. I got the duty of driving them around and having a car with five 3rd graders can be an experience. But, on the way home the boys started singing Chris Tomlin's "Our God" and then they went into Hillsong's "mighty to save." It really warmed my heart.

Having a 9 year old is making me feel old and I realize the time is going way to fast. It seems just yesterday when we were in the ICU unit feeding him with all these wires and sensors connected to him.

Seth, I love you.

Growing Up

Our boys are growing up and there is nothing I can do about it. It wasn't long ago (just a few months) that when it rained at night, the boys were getting in bed with us. I typically moved to the couch because there wasn't enough room and Shelley would often move to one of their rooms. But, they received some level of comfort by sleeping in our room even though neither of us were in there.

Well, last night we had some horrible storms with big lightening and loud thunder. They both stayed in their rooms all night. I happy they slept well but I already miss getting awaken at night.

Chase Rides His Bike

Yesterday I took Chase out to try and learn to ride his bike. It was going to be a nice day and we haven't given it a try in quite sometime so I thought it would be a good time to try. This was something Chase did not want to do. He has had a considerable amount of fear regarding this and I have had to practically force him to do it. He really was afraid of getting hurt so our past efforts were always very brief.

I knew that if he would ever give it much effort he would be able to do it because he was really close.

So, when I brought up what I wanted to do, he started to cry. He really did not want to go. I finally convinced him but he continued to negotiate. We were only going to try two times but I didn't give in to his demands.

Out we go with helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and gloves all protecting his vulnerable parts. I pushed him around a few times with him demanding that I don't let him go. Then Shelley took over and pushed him around just to give him a feel. Shelley went in so it just left the two of us out there. I pushed him and let go and he took off and went at least 20 feet on his in own. I was far more excited than he was because I'm sure he realized that I wasn't going to stop now that he had done so well. I sent him in to get Shelley and with her watching he rode his bike right to her. Again, Shelley and I were far more excited. He just wanted to get off and go inside to get the cookies Shelley promised to bake if he would just try.

But, he can now ride his bike.

A new year

We have started a new year and I suspect it will be a doozy. I am going to do my best to write more but I will always have Shelley's blog.

We will see what this year brings but I am committed to making it a great year.