Wordless Wednesday from Laurel Falls

“[Thanksgiving] I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—”- 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

Baseball ALL STARS, Here He Comes

Franklin's played an outstanding season this year.  One the field, he's rotated between first base, short-stop, and pitcher.  Several nice hits helped him round the bases to third several times.  His coach called him the "Field Coach," because Franklin would call out to the team where to make the plays.  "Take two!  Second, then first!"  he would hollar.  And, even when the team was down, Franklin never gave up.  He always gave his best on the field.

At the end of the season, the coaches and players voted to select the All Star team to play in the local tournaments representing our league.  Franklin was chosen!  We are so proud of him.  Way to go, son!

The practice schedule looks intensive, but Franklin is so excited!  We love to watch him play, and look forward to seeing him match his skills to other players in the area.  You've been rewarded for doing your BEST.  Yes, we really are proud of him.

Weston, Wanna Trade?

One of the funniest things that happened Christmas morning was when the boys opened the gifts from Grandaddy. Reid handed the three oldest boys three gifts that we thought were all from Grandaddy. We wanted them to open them all together b/c he was giving them a gift they really wanted - an MP3 Player!

The three begin to open their gifts...they are all sooooo excited! We built it up to let them know it would be something they would LOVE! However, when the gifts were opened, Weston was the only one who got an MP3 Player! In the excitement of opening gifts, we made an error in reading the tags!

I wish you could have seen the disappointment on Mason and Franklin's face! However, Weston could hardly contain his excitement! Mason turned to Weston holding out his gift and said, "Weston, wanna trade??"

Upon opening the next gift, Franklin and Mason literally came off their seats when they realized they were receiving an MP3 as well! Way to go, Grandaddy!!

So Much for Surprises

Last week, I was reading Tracie's blog. She had an entry about decorating her house for Christmas. As I left the comment on her BLOG, I remembered one Christmas in particular. Here is a portion of my comment:

I pre-opened my gifts one year as a child b/c the tree was in the basement where my bedroom was located. One year after my parents were in bed I gathered my gifts...cut the tape with a knife...opened carefully...looked at the gifts...rewrapped! No one ever knew until years later when my guilt forced a confession!! Yes, my love language is gifts - and I hate to wait for them!

For those of you who know me, you will find lots of humor in today's events! As I said in my earlier comment, my love language is gifts - and I hate to wait for them.

Fast forward from last week's comment...

The past two nights Reid and I have been feverishly working on a special Christmas gift for Mason. It was a puzzle that Mason bought this summer on his trip to Baltimore. We finally finished working it last night and had it ready to get framed.

Today Mason and Franklin went on a scavenger hunt...and found it! So much for the special surprise waiting under the tree on Christmas morning!

Mason felt really bad about it, but I ended up sharing my own childhood story to make him fell better.

I think Reid is the only one in this house who doesn't mind waiting for a surprise! I wonder where the other boys get their great impatience from?

I called my mom today to tell her that "what goes around comes around." She simply laughed and said, "Now you know how I felt."

Mason on the Pitcher's Mound

Mason finally got to take a turn on the pitcher's mound! It was his first time pitching in a game and he did GREAT! I smiled seeing his facial expression of concentration. I think he was mentally telling the ball where to go!

Franklin played well to, but I didn't get to snap any pictures of him. Braden busted his lip and I was tending to him.

However, I had to include these two pictures from after the game. Such an example of the "age of innocence." His blue eyes and freckles are precious to me!

It's time to PLAY BALL!

It's baseball time in Tennessee!

Mason and Franklin have started their Spring season of baseball on the Orioles team. They are able to play on the same team together and are having lots of fun! AND, they have the best-looking coach in the league - Reid! Ha! Their team is doing quite well. The boys have played three games and are now becoming comfortable with their abilities. This means they are stealing bases - ALOT!

Mason is playing Catcher most often and is moving faster and faster to cover the ball. His throwing is improving in accuracy from home to Third, First, and the Pitcher's Mound. He has become confident in this position and plays it well. When he is not in the catcher's gear, he is typically playing Third Base.
Franklin has mainly played First Base and Pitcher. Although he is the youngest player in the league, (we moved him up to be able to play with Mason) he can hold his own on the mound.

He is playing as an 8 year old in the 9 - 10 year old league.

At the last game, he "struck out" five batters in two innings. Okay, I know I sound like a proud parent. Truthfully though, my proudest moment was when Mason was Catcher and Franklin was pitching. It was thrilling to see them playing together! It was special to see them take their skills from "Catch in the Backyard with Dad" onto the field for a real game.


So, I know you are wondering...What do Braden and Weston do while their brothers are playing a game. Well...when they are not on the playground...Weston is usually holding the camera and snapping shots like this one. He takes some great shots! And, Braden is wanting something to eat...Imagine that?? One thing I have noticed about Mason and Franklin. Both of them put on their baseball belt without any prodding from me. In fact, the day I came home with it, they both had it on within 5 minutes. Why don't they do that when I ask them to wear a belt to church?? Hmmm....


There must be something about dressing out in their uniforms. The day of their last game they put on their uniforms - socks, belts, cleats and all - as soon as they arrived home from school. They were dressed for the game by 3:00 even though it didn't start until 6:15. Oh, the joy of boys!

I wanna be a sluggar-d

Last night during our devotions we read a story about a lazy boy and the consequences of his laziness. We then looked a verse from the book of Proverbs about "a sluggard."

Franklin declared, "I wanna be a SLUGGER...in baseball!"

I Need a Cheerleader

Yesterday, I watched Mason and Franklin play their baseball "season opener."

My favorite part of the game was when Franklin was pitching and Mason was catching. It was so fun to watch them throw to each other in a REAL game!!

I was cheering for both of them, "Way to go, Franklin! Great play, Mason! Great pitch, Franklin, keep it up!! Quick moving, Mason - You're doing great!!"

Well, this morning I asked Franklin if he enjoyed hearing Reid and me cheering for him. Did he like to hear me yell, "Way to go, Franklin??" or did it really embarrass him?

He said that he really liked to hear me yell even though I am really loud. (I'm not surprised by that comment.)

Trying to go a little deeper I said, "Wouldn't it be great if we could all have a cheerleader cheering for us our whole life? Someone to cheer us on and say 'Go, Robin - You can do it!"

Franklin looked directly at me and very seriously said, "Then you should have a GIRL!"

Oh, the joy of boys!

Funny Sayings

Yesterday we enjoyed some laughter as our boys continue to master the English language and figure out the correct words to say in different siutations.

Weston was hit with a stomach virus on Saturday night. "Yuck" was coming out both ends - Gross!! Anyway, Braden seemed to have a touch of it on Sunday. He came out of the bathroom and said, "Mom, I went poo-poo pee-pee and regular pee-pee."

We also laughed as Braden talked about the "red movie" at the dinner table. He kept saying "The Increbidles."

Finally, Mason and Franklin were having fun with each other and Mason was pinching Franklin in the chest. (I suppose it is a "guy thing.") Franklin was running around saying, "Mom, tell Mason to stop pinching my pupil!" We had an anatomy lesson to learn the difference between pupil and nipple!

Oh, the joy of boys!!

Life Lessons

Some life lessons are hard to learn...

And, as a parent, some life lessons are hard to teach...

This has been my experience over the past week.

Our second grade son, Franklin, has made the choice to "cheat" on an Accelerated Reader reading contest in school. He has taken tests on books that he has not read, and has even admitted to "looking onto other computers." Unwise choices...

Franklin has been in FIRST PLACE for the entire second grade at his school. Because the school is so large, it has been a big deal to receive the recognition at the Awards Ceremonies. Franklin has "beamed" each time his name was called and he received applause.

Thursday night, his teacher called to let us know of the problem. Although, she had addressed it with him, Franklin did not change his behavior. There had been no consequence.

However, on Friday, Reid and I realized the severity of the situation as we looked at a report that stated Franklin had taken 229 Accelerated Reader tests over the last six weeks. What!?! 229 tests?!? Talk about being "blown away."

Reid and I wanted Franklin to realize the seriousness of the situation. We wanted to address this as Christian parents molding a child with Christ-like character and integrity.

We had a long talk on Saturday about honesty, lying, deception, cheating, and the consequences of sin. It was a good talk and Franklin seemed remorseful and receptive to the correction.

Franklin had to write a letter to his teacher apologizing for cheating. He had to withdraw his name from any recognition or awards associated with the AR program. And, what he liked the least, he is required to read for 20 minutes here at home every day through the end of the school year.

This has made me realize how I like to treat my own sin. Do I continue to do things that I know are sinful until I must face the consequence of those actions and choices? Isn't that where we like to think we can stay?

If my remorse over my sin only strikes me once there is a consequence, then I have the wrong view of sin!! May I be mindful of my own heart. May my motives and my choices be honoring to the Lord in every area of my life.

Hard lessons...and I am also still learning!