Let the MADNESS begin

March Madness, what a glorious event. Check out last year's post, about this same time, for more information on our family's philosophy on this topic.

My philosophy for bracket selections has not changed, especially since I watched even fewer regular season games this year. DU Blue Devils all the way, and as many TN as possible going as far as practical (regardless of silly things like records or rankings). With 5 (yes FIVE) teams from the wonderful state of TN including an amazing year for my Volunteers, and Duke with a number 2 seed I actually had one bracket with 3 teams from TN and Duke in the final four. How wonderful would that be? Not likely (especially since this includes Vandy), but that is what makes this tournament so much fun. Anything can happen.

For our family challenge, I was a little (only slightly) more conservative.

I have TN (over UNC), Georgetown (over Kansas), Duke (over UCLA) and Memphis (over TX). For one of the first times in as long as I can remember, this elite 8 is actually all 1 and 2 seeds. We'll see how that works for me.

What are your picks?

What's in a name?

For the few of you that have been faithful DRRF readers from its beginnings you will remember that this is actually the second home to my blog. The first and original blog was deleted (see explanation here) and with that I realize that I lost the explanation as to how my blog got its name Deep Rolling Right Field. Since it is a rainy Thursday, I'm not up for much deep thought and I'm still mourning the fact that the memory card on my camera with some super cute pictures of my boys decided to rewrite (read- unwrite) itself, I decided this might be a fun and easy post.


I played softball for years. Actually, I was on softball teams for years and was always pretty terrible. I sure tried hard, but it just was not my passion nor my skill set. Lets just say hand eye coordination was not something the Lord chose to bless me with, even to this day I struggle with clumsiness thanks to my eyes/brain not communicating with my hands. As a result, I was typically assigned to a position on the field that I have since dubbed "deep rolling right field"...way, way, way out there where you can't do a lot of harm. A great place for thinking, watching the game, and on rare occasion fielding a dribbling ball that slipped past the infielders. I have some great memories from my days in my tight knicker-like pants, pounding my glove, chanting for my team-mates and basically watching the game.


These days my life is about as far as I could get from deep rolling right field. Its busy, I'm caught in the action and my teammates (especially RRL, KJ, and C) depend on the fact that I'm actually in the game ALL THE TIME. So I created this blogspot to step back into my little quiet place of observation. Every now and then I like to pause, reflect, and share. Because these thoughts are about the game I'm currently observing, you are likely to mostly see stories about my little boys, my life as a minister's wife and occasionally some thoughts about the bigger world around me. All of the thoughts come through the lens of where I stand right now: in my role as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a part-time employee, and especially as someone anticipating the Lord's return. I find that these moments I spend writing about my family and reflecting on my life tend to bring me to a place of thanksgiving and pure delight. The Lord has richly blessed me. That by no means should indicate to you that I've got it all figured out or that my life is easy (heavens, I have two boys under 2). In fact, quite the opposite is true. My life often feels like it is spinning out of control. Here, though, I can reflect on the good and rich life that the Lord has placed me in. From this position on the field, I'd say this is a pretty sweet game I'm getting to play!


So there you have it, DEEP ROLLING RIGHT FIELD defined. As a glimpse of what you'll continue to see on this small piece of the world wide web, I'll leave you with this:


I love putting similar pictures of KJ side-by-side to see his development. He has always loved books and I love these two photos:



ABL

Back to the Basics

I will continue the "My thoughts" posts soon, but wanted to take a quick break for some KJ stories and recent pictures of the boys. I suppose this is appropriate for Valentine's day, talking about two of the people I love most (after their Daddy, of course). KJ is developing such a funny personality. It really is best when experienced first hand, but I wanted to try to give you a glimpse:

- I have learned a lot about myself as KJ learns to talk. He repeats everything that I say, so it is like having a constant mirror showing you your true colors. I think the fact that he totally recognizes Target, Chick-Fil-A and Sonic is a true testament to his mommy's lifestyle.

- Ever since KJ was a tiny baby, I have been telling him the same verse before he goes to sleep, praying that he can claim it to take away any fears he might have. He has started saying it with me now and that just totally melts me. He has slowly been adding words that he says with us. We sort of let him fill in the blanks. One part says "you alone, oh Lord." However, when we say "You alone" he says "oh, man". I wonder if his Daddy says "oh, man" a little too often?

- We love Mondays for a pretty unusual reason...it is TRASH DAY. KJ loves all kinds of trucks, especially trash trucks. This last Monday we happened to be outside when the recycle truck came by so we chased it around the neighborhood with KJ in his wagon and C in the baby bjorn. I'm sure we were a sight, running from the end of one street to the next, but hey it was a good 30 minutes of entertainment and exercise. It was a pure delight for me to watch KJ laugh and cheer each time we spotted the truck picking up another trash can. Oh the little pleasures of life!

- KJ has recently taken to wearing one blue glove around the house all day (see pictures below). I can sometimes convince him to put it in his pocket instead, but mostly he prefers to just wear it while he plays. He tells me "brrrr, told" and goes to put it on. I haven't bothered to tell him that it is 65-70 degrees outside.

- He has started testing the limits lately and it is usually over things that shouldn't really be an issue. For a special treat last week, I was letting him sit on the couch and eat goldfish crackers (food usually stays in the kitchen). Suddenly he decided he needed to dump them all out. He held his cup straight out in front of him and looked at me, waited for me to say "Do not dump those out" and promptly turned the cup upside down. I was about to get really mad at him, and I told him to get down, find the fish and pick them up. He laid down on his belly in the middle of all the fish and started scooting around saying "Pish, waru (where are you), pish" as if he couldn't '"find them". How do you not just LAUGH?

Ok, thats a few funny ones that I can remember right now. Now for some pictures. C is growing like a weed. He was 10lbs when I took him to be weighed at one month. KJ did not hit that until he was 2 months. They are so different in some ways, but they are already becoming such good buddies.

Hope you enjoyed those as much as I do! I am blessed.

ABL

Moral Dilemma

Facing the following moral dilemma, what would you do?

Say you are leaving Target, having successfully completed a pretty sizable shopping trip by yourself with both of your boys for the first time. You get out to the car, unload the purchases, buckle both boys into their carseats and go to return the cart. As you approach the cart you realize that two items were accidently left in the basket, and did not get paid for. You look back to the boys, think how close it is to nap time and how you are already pushing the limits. Then you look to the items, take into account that the total of the items is probably $4. Do you:

1) Pretend like you do not see the items, leave them in the basket and hope the next person that finds them will return them inside.

2) Decide that the $4 pales in comparison to what you already spent and what you continue to spend at this establishment and just place the items in your bag. As consolation you think maybe your husband could return them later.

3) Load both boys back into the cart, grab the items, your wallet, and a fake smile and go inside to pay for them.

Based on the fact that I am telling this story, I suppose you can guess which road I took. Let me tell you, though, it was a dilemma and I did not take the high-road joyfully. When I looked at KJ in the backseat of my car, though, I just couldn't feel good about handling it any other way. I explained it to him on the way inside (as if he could understand), telling him how we have to do the right thing even when it is not convenient. I think the only line that stuck with him was, "Ah nuts, Mommy messed up and we have to go back inside". Now he's been saying over and over "nuts, side". Ah well.

I did buy myself some gum to make the trip worthwhile!

ABL

My thoughts (post 1)

Thanks to input from Jamie, I'll start with my thoughts on some recent TV shows.

Repulsion may be a strong word, but considering we don't have cable I think it is absolutely AMAZING that I have seen some of the following previews for new TV shows lately. I won't put the titles of the shows here primarily so my blog doesn't show up in google search for these, but also because I can't remember exactly what some of them were called (I was too repulsed to pay that close of attention). If any of you have watched these shows and can tell me something redeeming about them, I would love to hear it. Also, please feel free to comment and add to the list of shows to avoid.

1) Have we really become so desensitized to premarital sex that it is entertaining to watch a show where the tag line is "Shack up or Ship out"? SERIOUSLY? Do enough people enjoy sharing their bodies with complete strangers that they can find contestants for this reality show? I AM REPULSED.

2) Is it seriously entertaining to watch people air their dirty laundry on TV while attached to a lie detector? Do people really find pleasure in knowing how much sin their neighbor/friend/spouse/sibling/parent is living in? Maybe its me, but I tend to want to be ashamed of my down-falls, not make money off of them. Why would you sign up to be a contestant with questions like "are you having an affair", "do you make yourself throw up to lose weight", "do you cheat at work" (and those are just the questions on the previews)? As Mel pointed out, you really can't win. Either you answer truthfully and have everyone know, lie and have the detector rat you out, or don't say anything and give yourself away by default. I just don't think eating disorders and broken marriages are a great way to make a buck. I AM REPULSED.

3) Having known many a God-fearing man that would admit to having struggled with looking lustfully at women, especially those that are scantally clad, I hate the fact that there is a show where women are competing to become "pussy cat dolls". The way they dress, do their make-up, and dance ON THE COMMERCIAL was enough for me to say...I AM REPULSED.

Those are just the three that I have seen in my limited TV viewing time. If I can "stumble" on these three when I mostly TIVO everything I watch and do not even have cable, I hate to think what else is out there.

ABL

Thoughts to call my own

Although the recent postings on this blog would indicate otherwise, I do occasionally think about things other than my adorable two boys. I once thought of myself as a somewhat intelligent person capable of thoughts and conversations revolving around something other than the cute thing KJ did the other day or how often C eats (very often if you were wondering). Sometimes I feel like I've become, for the most part, BORING. So, in an effort to show some of my thoughts that are truly MINE and do not exclusively revolve around my children, here are some posts you can look forward to:

- Playground evangelism
- My shocking opinion on smoking bans
- My repulsion at some of the new TV shows (on regular TV)

Stay tuned.

Random mix of things

1) We had a big night on Saturday at church. It was C's first time to go to church. I was so excited for him to meet so many people who have been praying for him. It also did my soul good to be there and worship. Also, KJ "graduated" from the nursery and had his first night in "big boy bible class" (aka the Toddler hall). I decided that I really did not care what anyone else thought and I took my camera to take his picture. I mostly got pictures of his back, though, since he ran right in to class before I had time to catch him. Its so sad that he struggles so much with separation anxiety.

2) MY MOM IS HERE!!!!!!!!!! With both boys I prayed from early days of pregnancy that my mom would be here when they were born. The Lord answered that prayer with KJ by bringing him right on his due date so that we could plan. With C he answered that prayer a little differently. My family was already in town to celebrate Christmas when C was born. However, because no one was PLANNING on his arrival my mom was only able to stay a few days after his birth. The only way I could let her leave was her promise to return. And now she is back- the sun is shining again, the birds are singing again, and I think I'm going to make it!

3) Every night RRL and I look forward to our "date". A good friend of the family made us some of her famous chocolate chip cake. This cake is absolutely amazing. Way too amazing to be shared with our toddler. So we wait until after he goes to bed and sit on the couch eating cake and relaxing (and usually holding and/or feeding C). Not sure what we will do when the cake is gone!

4) KJ really loves to sing songs and I love that he is finally able to sing along. He fills in words or sings parts he knows. A recent favorite is the days of creation song. He is like broken record, though, singing "day two, day two, day two, day two" over and over until someone helps him move on. He also really like to sing "The Lord's army". I'm not sure how to explain to him, though, that "shoot the artillery" is NOT a basketball move. To him there is only one way to "shoot" and I'm ok with that.

5) We just got a new washing machine and dryer. They are super duper amazing. RRL and I even fight over who gets to do the laundry.

6) As I look back on the days before C's birth, I wonder if any of the following activities could have induced early labor: Climbing stairs to the nosebleed section at the hockey game (4 days before); walking forever to get free parking and climbing bleachers multiple times at the football game (2 days before); climbing in the two story playscape at church with my toddler (day before...see picture below)

7) I have rediscovered a long lost friend... my FAT JEANS. I bought them after I had KJ and I was sick of wearing maternity jeans. When I finally came to the realization that I may never wear my pre-pregnancy jeans again I bought a pair in a slightly bigger size that still made me feel good about myself. I have rediscovered them post-C's birth and I may wear them every day (at least when I come out of sweats and PJs).

8) C is already stealing the hearts of many. Here is a slideshow of some of his earliest introductions.

That's about it for our little world right now. We continue on in "survival mode" but are so thankful to have two healthy boys.

ABL