A Thoughtful Gift From Seth

Today Seth took is own money, almost $40, and bought Chase a DS game that Chase wanted. It was a very thoughtful gift.

Riding a Bike

I have been working with Seth to learn to ride his bike without the training wheels. Yesterday he made great progress and was able to ride about 30 feet without any assistance from me.

Progress!

Quote from Seth

As we were walking along, Seth said:

"I don't think many of my friends know the true meaning of Christmas."

I am impressed with my little man and his concern for others.

A Quote from Chase

This weekend the boys went to the grocery store with me. As we were going down the frozen foods section aisle, Chase saw some TV dinners for kids.

Chase - We had these at Mama's and it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. (A strong emphasis on good).

Always looking for anything they would eat, I made a step toward the freezer to pick out a couple when Chase continued.

Chase - But the only thing I ate was the pudding.

A Special Gift

Last night when I came home I was immediately greeted by an excited Seth carry a small gift bag. He was so excited Shelley had to tell me that he had bought me a gift. My expectation was that it would be either something from his room that he had just "gifted" me or something that was actually for him like a small lego set. But to my surprise it was a mug like the one pictured. He had purchased it from a store that has been set up at school to help the kids buy presents and he had picked it out especially for me. I was also shocked to find out he had spent $10 of his own money on it. This is a lot of money in a 7 year old's economy. It equals either 5 teeth or 2 months of allowance.

Seth has a very special heart and the mug will always be special to me.

Is Santa Real?

Shelley and I made a decision early on that we wouldn't lie to our kids and that included topics such as Santa Claus. We explained that Santa was just a character like the Easter Bunny. This caused us to take some grief from other adults but the boys seemed fine. Christmas still seemed to contain all the joy and excitement.

But, as Seth has gotten older, he has struggled with being one of the few in his class that doesn't believe in Santa. He doesn't like being different.

Yesterday, he told me he wanted to put cookies out for Santa this year to determine if Santa was real or not. If the cookies get eaten, then Santa is real, was his reasoning.

I asked him, "You don't trust Mommy and Daddy?"

He replied, "I just want to prove it myself."

Well, there you go.

3 Days, 3 Women, 3 Needs

We spent the Thanksgiving weekend in College Station, Texas and Houston, Texas. I will document that trip at some other time but we did have something happen that I wanted to document. I don't know if we will ever know the significance but I believe God was working in some manner.

On our drive to College Station, Chase had another run in with car sickness. This time he gave us enough warning that Shelley was able to give him a bag to get sick in. As the smell became a little intense, we sought out a random gas station to pull in and throw away the bag. As Shelley got out of the car, a woman with a small child asked if she could have some money for gas. I pulled out a wad of cash and gave it to Shelley.

On day two in Houston, we were staying in downtown and had gone walking to find something to eat. On our way back to the hotel, it had gotten dark and I was anxious to get back as quickly as possible. I had told the boys to walk with a "purpose". I noticed a woman with a stroller behind us and it seemed the faster we walked, the faster she walked. She finally caught us and asked for some money so she could get her kids some food. I reached in my pocket and gave her another wad of cash.

On day three, we were on our way home from church and were experiencing car trouble. I was pretty stressed and was trying to get my family back to the hotel before our car quit running. We were stopped at a stop light and were approached by another lady in a wheel chair asking for money. Again, I handed over a wad of cash.

I think God put these women in our path because they had a need and we could fill it. But, also, I had a need and that was a reminder of how blessed we are.

World Series

Well last night, the Rangers lost their first trip to the World Series. It was a great season and a great run in the playoffs. While I am sad the Rangers lost 4 to 1 to the Giants, I am greatful for the experience.

It was thrilling to watch my "little" Rangers make it to the World Series but it was even more fun to watch what it did to our household. Our household caught Ranger fever and I loved it.

Shelley and the boys all took an interest in what was happening and even got their own Ranger shirts. They also even watched some of the games with me.

But the biggest thrill for me is the interest the boys, in particular Seth, took in the Rangers. They both started learning the players and Colby Lewis became Seth's favorite Ranger (along with Michael Young since he got a Michael Young shirt). We would go out in the backyard and play the Rangers. Last night Seth was Colby Lewis, Chase was C.J. Wilson and I was Josh Hamilton. Then once it got dark, the boys would play in the living room. They were even including the Rangers in their prayers at night.

I will remember this World Series forever not because of the outcome but because of what we shared as a family. I hope the boys will have fond memories and maybe this will be the beginning of a new generation of Ranger fans.

Baseball

I have been a fan of baseball all of my life. I played it my entire childhood, either just pick up games in the park or organized baseball. My Grandma Dowdle loved baseball and it was one thing we connected on. She loved the Cincinnati Reds so I became a Reds fan. She talked to the players like they were her sons. She would call them Petey (Pete Rose), little Joe (Joe Morgan), and Johnny (Johnny Bench).

This has been a good baseball year for me. My TCU Horned Frogs went to the college World Series and now my Texas Rangers are going to the World Series. I have suffered a long time with my Rangers and I am enjoying every minute.

But, also the boys have been playing baseball and we have spent a lot of time playing catch and taking baseball practice in the backyard. I love this time we have together and I love watching them improve. I just hope they have fond memories of these times.

The Sports Weekend

This past weekend was setup to be a great sports weekend but turned out to be a bust. First, the Rangers had an opportunity to win the ALDS either Saturday or Sunday and lost both games. Then the Cowboys played at home on Sunday against Tennessee and also lost. My only win was TCU which beat Wyoming.

But, the two best games was Chase's braves versus the Blue Jays and Seth's Longhorns versus the Tigers. Watching their games are my favorite and they both are doing so well.

Chase has a lot of natural ability and Seth has so much heart. They both are out there doing their very best. I look forward to their games every week.

Quote from Chase

Chase and I were talking about the girls in his class and I was kidding him about getting married.

He replied "I don't know who I'm going to marry because I haven't met that many girls yet."

Retiring

We went to Oklahoma this weekend, and I took the opportunity to explore some of Marilyn's property. She has 100 acres, and our dream is that we could build a vacation/retirement home there one day. Here are a few pictures of where we might build.

Sound of Silence

Silence is not a sound we have in our house. There is a constant buzz of light sabre fights, brothers fighting, TV, video games, and many other noises. But, the other sounds I actually love are the sounds of little boys laughing and talking. I'm not sure how we got two boys that talk so much but we did.

Yesterday we went to the Ranger game and we had a long walk from the car to the stadium and I'm not sure if Seth ever took a breath. His mouth was going non-stop. Then during the game, we were getting question after question, commentary after commentary. While quiet is nice, I would much rather hear the voices of my little boys.

44

Today is my birthday and I'm not sure how I feel about being 44. I don't feel 44 but also I don't feel I have accomplished nearly what I hoped to by this time.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Seth and Chase. Seth is going into 2nd Grade and Chase is Kindergarten. It is always a hectic day because we aren't in a routine yet for getting up and getting ready, everyone is walking their kid in so the parking lot is a madhouse, and the halls are full.

So, we took our customary pictures and video but I didn't get to savor it. It was partly because it was crazy there, and second because I was preoccupied with going to work. I know I will regret it.

I don't want these days to go by too fast. Shelley and I are doing everything we can to take these days in. We have a ton of pictures and videos so we will have plenty of memories. Plus between the blogs and facebook, we will have captured a lot of the memories.

I am not ready for my babies to grow up yet, though.

Why Me?

God, why me? Why:

do I have a wonderful wife?
do I have 2 healthy boys who are not suffering from a disease?
was I born in the US and not some third world country?
do I have a job when others don't?
do I have a roof over my head when others don't?
do I not have to worry about my next meal?
do I have reliable transportation?
do I have a great family?
am I blessed with a wonderful mother in law?


These are just some of the things I wonder about Why Me?

God is not Boring

Yesterday as we were walking into school for Meet The Teacher I guess Chase had school on his mind.

He said, "When I went to Rainbow School all we learned about was colors and God. Colors were boring but God wasn't."

Living Alone

I spent my first night last night alone and it has made me really appreciate my family and all the craziness that brings.

I got up one time and walked bare foot from the living room to the bathroom and didn't step on a single lego and I was really sad about that.

4 days, 11 hours until I pick up Chase. 5 days, 3 hours until I pick Shelley and Seth up.

Money, Money, Money

I have been stressed out a lot about money lately. And I also have been experiencing some of that green monster, envy. It seems like all my peers at work are driving new cars. I then heard this song and it really leveled my head.

Home Alone

I am home alone for then next 6 days and I already think I am going to go crazy.

Chase has been in Oklahoma for the past few days and I really miss him. Our family isn't complete without him and this hasn't gone unnoticed by Seth. Once during dinner, Seth said "dinner isn't the same without Chase." Then last night when we walked in to church, Seth said "something is missing? It's not the same without Chase."

This morning I dropped Shelley, Seth and Tate off at Alasso Ranch for a week of church camp. When I walked in the house, I realized being alone was going to be hard. I don't want to ever take for granted the blessing that my family is.