3 generations of ring bearers...

Almost 16 years ago, David, the groom, was the ring bearer in mine and Cayce's wedding. Many years before that, Cayce had been the ring bearer in David's parents' wedding. Today, Brock was the ring bearer for David and his bride, Laura...

Despite the weather, the ceremony was perfect. Last minute changes had to be made when the deluge of rain, lightning and thunder postponed what was planned to be an outdoor ceremony in the Rose Garden. Chairs were moved to the porch, the Bridal Party learned their new positions, the musicians re-set themselves, and we were ready to go. The preacher's words were perfect, Laura was stunning and her sweet groom as cute as ever.

Brock spent the better part of the day and night here - in a tux the entire time. It was hot and extremely humid yet this child didn't complain once - he just sat around with the groomsmen and hung out till we were able to get the ceremony going. He took his job very seriously and was always making sure that he was where he was supposed to be and that he wasn't missing anything. By the time the reception rolled around, though, he had loosened up and hit the dance floor busting his break-dancing moves and wowing the crowds. We were among the first to arrive and the last to leave - and oh, what a wonderfully, perfect day it was!

a place for a wedding...

We arrived this morning at this beautiful historic mansion... the venue that will host David and Laura's wedding tomorrow. From the amazing architecture details of the house to the lush, colorful gardens that surround it... all I can say is "absolutely perfect".

summer blooms...

Yellow has bloomed all over our front beds and will last all through the summer now!

four muskateers...

Brock had a sleepover today to celebrate the beginning of summer. He did the same thing last year with same 3 friends. The nickname they have given themselves is "The Four Muskateers". I love watching these boys play... they are all the youngest in their families and have all been babied to a certain extent. But they are "all boy". They LOVE playing... and they just go and go and go. No video games, no tv - just playtime. From "cops and robbers', to "spies", to air soft guns to the slip-n-slide - they are on the go from dawn to dusk. What a fun group of friends.

blue/white scrimmage...

Colton's first scrimmage as an 8th grader. He and his Dad decided Colton should play this evening despite the doctor's strict orders not to (not mention, Mom's strict orders also). Thankfully, his injuries seem no worse than they were before the game, even though he took a hard tackle from his blindside. I'll never understand this kind of dedication (because i don't have it myself) but I certainly do respect it.

summer fun begins...

Emma and Justin Ballard came home with us after church today... the last time for a LONG time since their family is moving to Colorado this week. Sad for us; wonderful for them! Emma and Justin helped our kids welcome in summer with some slip-n-slide fun... ALL afternoon! All should sleep well tonight.

spring ball comes to an end...

Our last day of spring ball brought sweltering temperatures and SIX ballgames. The kids were troopers and played hard despite the heat, humidity, and length of time we spent on the fields. Brock's team went undefeated this season, Cecily and Colton's teams lost only 2 games, and Reece's team finished without any wins but many close calls.

Brock was fun to watch this year. It was just his 2nd season to play the sport, but he only had his flag pulled twice all season and managed to make a touchdown almost every time he got his hands on the ball. He swooped in and pulled flags from out of nowhere, caught passes, made interceptions (which he would almost always run back for the touchdown)... truly he was amazing to watch on the field.

(Note about the above picture: Brock made the catch on the pass he was watching and ran it in for the touchdown.)

last day of school...

Today we said goodbye to 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grades. It was a great year and we are a little sad to leave these teachers (okay, so maybe Colton isn't... but nonetheless, he DID have very good teachers)... but we are also excited about the summer that lays ahead of us. Lazy days by the pool, get-togethers with friends, sleepovers, staying up late and sleeping late... no schedule... oh, how we all love summer!

the day before summer vacation starts...

We attended Reece's "5th Grade Recognition" Ceremony and Picnic (which was cut short due to heavy rain and lightning). What a special time we got to spend with our Reece, though!

I took Colton to the doctor (for the 3rd time this week). MRI results were good - no surgery needed. They "set" his thumb and put it in a plaster cast. Next week, he will get a fiberglass one (after the swelling goes down).

We attended Cecily's "Author Party," where she, along with each of her classmates, read selections from the non-fiction books they have been writing all semester. Very impressive!

swollen...

Colton shows the difference between his two thumbs.

can you say "accident prone"?

Two separate incidents - two broken bones. We found out today that Colton has a broken big toe and a broken thumb. Toe happened while playing with friends (with tennis shoes on!) Sunday; thumb happened today while messing around with friends at school. MRI tomorrow to see if surgery is needed on thumb. Cast on Thursday (or after surgery). Seriously, are ALL boys this accident prone?! If so, we are in for a long haul...

a belated mothers day...

oh yes, I DO LOVE to kiss on that boy!

and we DO LOVE to read books together...

oh and how we both LOVE soup... so glad I have at least one child who loves soup as much as me...

the boy loves to play games and I LOVE to play with him... this is one of his current favorites...

Brock remembered today that he had made me a Mother's Day card at school and forgot to give it to me... oh, how I LOVE this card!

too pooped to party...

Cecily had a friend sleepover tonight... After they had played, played and played some more, they settled into the guest room to watch "Strawberry Shortcake" until bedtime... This is how I found them at bedtime. Waking them was not easy... slowly but surely, though, we got all three of them back upstairs, into their rooms and tucked into bed. Love how they play till they drop!

field day!

With the end of every school year comes FIELD DAY! When I was younger, I remember being so excited about Field Day because I could wear "normal clothes" to school (we wore uniforms usually). I also remember spraining my ankle in a 3-legged race when I was in 2nd grade. Since I was never really an athlete, I never had much a chance at winning any categories but I DID win something ONE time... the bubble gum blowing contest. Yes, I blew the BIGGEST bubble out of all the 4th grade... the fact that it popped and got all over my hair didn't even take away from the excitement I felt at that moment... I had actually won something!

Today, it's all about non-competition, which drives my kids crazy. They LOVE to compete, particularly the boys. Cecily is just happy to play with her friends... which is what I remind her brothers is the point of the field days of today. And I would say that after walking around with them in 80 degree, HUMID, sticky weather for about 3 hours today, that goal was accomplished. No competitions but plenty of hot, sweaty fun.

serving cottonwood...

Almost two weeks later, and flood relief continues. The lives of my family have, for the most part, returned to normal as we try to "stay on top" of all the end-of-school goings on. For many, many others in the area, however, life is a long, long way from being back to normal.

Just a few miles down the road, is one of several subdivisions close to our home that has been devastated by the flood. The Homeowners Association in this particular neighborhood is incredibly organized and has a large, semi-permanent set up in the middle of the destruction for meals. Tables, chairs, serving tables, water, soft drinks, etc. All donated. Each night, some group from somewhere volunteers to provide dinner for 200-300 residents, who are still homeless and are still spending their days trying to dry out their homes. Tonight, our family was blessed to be a part of one of "those groups". Organized by a good friend of ours, we provided dinner and our children all served it to our neighbors.

It was actually a fun evening and the homeowners were so very gracious, kind and upbeat. One of Brock's preschool teachers was a homeowner there... he didn't remember her but she sure remembered him. How special it was for me to watch him now serving her...

gentry's farm day...

Today was my very last field trip to the Gentry's Farm. All of my children have travelled there via school bus in the fall of their kindergarten year for Pumpkin Patch activities, and then again in the spring of their 1st grade year to experience "farm life". Since Brock is my youngest and this was his 1st grade trip, we are now finished with what has been a bit of a tradition. A little sad, yes, but watching the kids learn and run and play was so much fun, it was difficult to be anything but happy today. We love the Gentry's and are so thankful that they share their wonderful home with our community year after year!

projects...

With the end of school comes many, many things to make me crazy - and just one of thsoe things is PROJECTS. Lots of them. Supposedly done by the students but we all know that without parent assistance and "encouragement", they just wouldn't get done. Reece has been working on a "secret project" for a while now. I'll admit, he has done almost all of it at school on his own but he came to me this week with a 2-page list of different types of pictures that he needed for this project. I have spent HOURS this week going through digital files searching for these pictures and printing them. Some, I just couldn't find so we had to pose them - like the one above. Brock happily volunteered to participate in it as well. This picture is one Reece is using for the subject "video games". I liked this one, in particular, because Reece posed both of them with exact instructions on facial expressions and everything. He has worked so diligently on this project and is taking such great pride in it... I am very anxious to see the results of his hard work.

catching up...

Ever since the flood, we have been on water restrictions. What that means is no outside irrigation systems, brief and limited bathing/showering, no car washing, wash dishes sparingly and only with a dishwasher... and perhaps the one that has affected me the most - limited laundry. So, for the past week, I have happily put aside the chore of laundry to be a "good citizen"... but after 8 days, dirty clothes are beginning to overtake our home... and yes, it's starting to stink a bit in these parts as well. So today, I tackled the monster. 11 loads later, I am finally finished. This picture shows just the kids clothes - mine and Cayce's were folded in a different room. Now to put them away... so glad we have 4 energetic children who love nothing more than to put away clean laundry!

mother's day...

13 years ago, I became a mother. Colton was about 5 weeks old on my very first Mother's Day... I remember how excited I was to finally hold this precious baby in my arms and how scared I was at the same time. It was just a little daunting to realize this responsibility God had entrusted to me and Cayce! But the Lord had given this same responsibility to my own mother 27 years before... and I had her to learn from.

I have learned alot from my mother... How to take care of a home: like how to cook and bake, clean house (I didn't really like that lesson), iron, wash laundry, plant a garden, etc. As a child, I wanted nothing more than to be a mommy so these are lessons I soaked up with vigor. The lessons I didn't realize I was learning, however, are the ones that have made me into the person I am today... to be persistent because things don't always come easy; to love with all your heart because really, that's the only way TO love; to give selflessly because you love; and to use your God-given talents to help and encourage others and to bring glory and honor to Him.

Today, as we celebrate Mother's Day, I am so thankful for the blessing of my four beautiful, amazing children but I am also thankful for my mother - for showing me how to be a mother.

one week ago...

One week ago today, the rains started. One week ago today, none of us realized just how much rain was going to fall and how much damage was going to literally devastate Middle Tennessee. Since then, I have watched a community come together and take care of it's neighbors. Strangers... but neighbors. We didn't know our neighbors on the other side of town, or even just down the street, a week ago - now we do... or at least, we know where they live and we know how much they've lost. Although, really, we will not ever completely understand what all they've lost. My family was spared. Thankfully. I don't know why but we were and my prayers of thanksgiving will never cease. Because we were spared, it's our turn and our responsibility to take care of those who weren't - because isn't that what we do? We take care of those in need... A simple thing that was modeled for us by Jesus himself... every single day that He walked on this earth, He was taking care of all of us.

This week, I have seen my husband model Jesus as he selflessly took care of others... working tirelessly in the homes of friends and strangers. For him, work was no longer important... PEOPLE were important. Taking care of them was his first priority. I was also blessed to watch all of our children join in... But Colton, in particular, gave so much. In addition to providing childcare at church on Monday for the children of volunteer workers, he joined our family Wednesday evening as we helped move water-logged furniture, wood and trash out to the huge piles of roadside trash. Then Friday, he left school early and joined Cayce back in Bellevue again, to spend all afternoon and evening helping grown men and women as they did "demolition" in homes. By Saturday, he was so tired, but after he played in his flag football game, he joined his middle school football team, and worked in a local neighborhood for about 4.5 hours doing anything and everything asked of them... mainly hauling discarded items to trash piles. After all these hours of manual labor-type work, he never complained once. To say I am proud of this child would be an understatement.

We have witnessed history-in-the-making. My children will one day be telling their own children and grandchildren about the events of this past week. What I hope they remember most, though, is not the sadness and devastation they saw, but rather the HOPE and COMPASSION they witnessed as they, along with their neighbors, reached out and took care of each other. I hope they remember that they saw Jesus in others.

well rounded?

I would like to say that Cecily is a well rounded child - one who excels at sports, academics and the arts. Truth be told, she really is only a one-sided girl. Oh yes, she is VERY smart and studious and takes school very seriously. But her real talent and passion is in the arts - she embodies creativity and artistry. She is a writer, a singer, a dancer, a pianist... a performer. Our day today started with her on the ball field and ended with her on stage, singing Rosemary Clooney's "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" among other hits from the 40's. She worked hard at both but where did she shine? On stage without a doubt.

roses...

My roses are in full bloom and I am so happy! I love these flowers... they will continue to bloom all summer and even into the fall. Truly, they are a magnificent site... and they brighten my each and every day.

brothers and balls...

The weather this week has been nothing short of glorious. Absolutely perfect for "flood clean-up"... warm, sunny, dry and breezy.

Today, Colton and Reece took advantage of the weather and spent a little time "shooting hoops" after school. This is something new for Reece... For years, Colton has begged Reece to come outside and play ball with him. Reece would rather play "Tag", "Hide-n-Seek", or action figures - which, of course, Colton has no interest in. Lately, however, Reece has been the one asking Colton to play ball - and Colton couldn't be happier! I love watching my boys play together...

after the waters recede...

"Before"

"After"

This home belongs to the mother of one of our friends. She is widowed and yesterday, for the first time since she evacuated, she was able to go home. What she found was a home destroyed. It had been submerged under 6 FEET of water. Today and tonight, our family helped "gut" and clean. It was heart-breaking for me to look around and see the devastation of the area we worked in... everything covered in mud (I can still smell the mud); furniture swollen and bulging so much so that they had to be ripped apart in order to get into the drawers; photos and files drenched in muddy water... almost everything thrown away.

Despite the devastation, the silver lining of sorts has been to watch a community come together. The amount of volunteers who are willing to do ANYthing and EVERYthing is mind boggling. Every flooded home is covered with a huge work crew of family, friends and strangers... others walk the streets offering sandwiches, water and fruit. Childcare provided. Clothing provided. Shelter provided. Meals provided. To witness this aspect is simply heartwarming.

my son "vito"...

Meet my son, "Vito" an immigrant from Italy. He is fresh off the boat from Italy and spent this afternoon going through all the stations at Ellis Island as he tried to get admittance to America. His favorite part? The broth and bread he was was given to eat... hasn't stopped talking about it yet. Broth and bread... seriously?!

Just call me "super mom"... Reece told me at bedtime last night that he was supposed to dress the part of an Italian immigrant for school today. Since school had been closed due to flooding, we decided that they probably weren't going to do this "exercise" today. Wrong. He called me from school this morning and asked if I could bring him a change of clothes. This is what I came up in just 20 minutes (well, my friend, Lynne, served as my immigrant fashion consultant)... not bad, Vito!

By the way, Vito was granted admittance as a citizen of America!

sunshine...

The sun is out but the water is still around. This used to be a softball park... hopefully, it will be again one day soon!

How can I describe today as anything but beautiful?! Blue skies and ABUNDANT sunshine... and our family begins to get back to normal. Unfortunately for many others, "normal" is a long way off.

Many were still dealing with flooding - the rivers all crested this afternoon which brought even higher flood waters than yesterday. Downtown Nashville, for instance, is now under water... the Cumberland River crested tonight at 52 feet in Nashville, 7 feet above the "major flood stage". Opryland Hotel, Opry Mills, the Titan's Stadium, the Grand Ole' Opry, the Schermerhorn, Country Music Hall of Fame - just a few iconic venues that are all under water. Unbelievably, rescues are STILL underway all over Middle Tennessee. No school - anywhere. Restricted water usage (so safe water can be preserved). Roads still closed. MANY without power and/or water still today.

Thankfully the sun was out today. Abundant sunshine. The healing can begin... unfortunately the healing process may take years...

the calm after the storm...

The rain continued to pour and pour most of today.

The bridge over the Harpeth on HWY 96 W... it was closed on and off yesterday and today due to high water. We decided not to cross for fear that it would be closed when we tried to come back home.

This was once Old Charlotte Pike... it is now the Harpeth River.

After almost 48 hours of constant downpours, the rain finally ceased around 4 p.m. today. Our rain gauge recorded a total of 20.6 inches. Wow. For the past two days, we have sat in our house and watched the rain come down. We've watched television ALOT - our eyes glued to it yesterday, last night and this morning as we watched one tornadic system after another roll in without a break in between it seemed. The kids slept in the basement last night and Cayce and I joined them at two different times, as the tv showed rotation headed straight for us. Thankfully, we are all safe and our home is fine.

Most of the severe weather was past by mid-morning today, but the rains kept coming and we stayed glued to the television as we watched the reports of unbelievable flooding happening all around us. Record rainfall. Record flooding. Surreal. That's really the best way to describe it. This is the kind of event that happens elsewhere - not HERE, where we LIVE, affecting US and all of the COMMUNITY that we call HOME.

By this evening, we were ready to get out, stretch our legs and see some of the damage for ourselves. Our walk was so calm and peaceful, it was hard to believe what had just happened. We saw fallen branches and trees, flood waters and debris, mud everywhere... we talked with the kids about power of water and how they were witnessing "history in the making". They marveled at all of this but then were quick to notice a puddle to splash in or some muddy clay to cover themselves in. The kids played in the water - splashing all the while as we walked down the road. This is what they call "the calm after the storm", I suppose.

welcome May!

NOT normally a river. This is usually on open field next to the Harpeth River.

Harpeth River on Old Hillsboro Road.

As of 7:30 p.m. we have recorded 10.5 inches of rain in our rain gauge - just TODAY. The rains are still coming... and are forecasted all day tomorrow as well. The Harpeth River is covering most of Franklin... roads are closed everywhere. I believe this is a record rainfall for Franklin.

Truly, I have never seen anything like this... Our garden washed away earlier today. The new gravel road we had laid (just last week) on our wooded land is washed away also. Two leaks in the house so far but thankfully, our basement is still dry (thank you sump pump!). Tornadoes in the area this afternoon... Cecily and I were at her school at the time and ended up spending about 30 minutes in a bathroom sitting on the floor. Once it was safe to get out again, we drove home in torrential rain, with water pouring over Old Hillsboro Road the whole way home. Thankful today that our family is all together and safe.