TN Aquarium Fieldtrip

We had a great day at the aquarium. It's the last time we'll visit this aquarium. The favorites are always the salt water life - sharks, jellyfish, and puffer fish. We love the penguins too. We even saw a few divers feeding the fresh water fish. We ate at our favorite restaurant, the Big River Grille. Then, we took a dip in the stream that runs through the sidewalks of the Aquarium grounds. It was such a beautiful, sunny day! And the cherry on top was we were able to see and visit with a few of our friends that we will be leaving when we move.

Coming of Age

Micah has come of age. Daddy was mowing the grass for the last time. We're moving to basically a zero lot. We have enough room to play catch, but not much else. A big change from our 25 acres! Micah has been taking rides on the mower since he was 8 months old. Well, today, he wanted to go solo. So after a few lessons and supervision to make sure he would be able to handle it, daddy let him go solo. I'm glad he got this chance since it will be a push mower in our new home!

"I will never forget this day" were his words!

"Can you take me to bed?"

I know Leila told me that she was impressed with how well Isaac went down for bed. He just hops up in his bed (it's a trundle) and lays down. He has a ritual. He wants his 3 certain stuffed animals (teddy bear that Gammy made, red dog that he inherited from Micah and this tiny little rabbit). He wants the sheet thrown over his head so he can pull it down and sometimes the blanket if it's cool in the room. Sarah and Isaac go to bed at the same time and sometimes the 2 older boys get to stay up a little longer, but not always. And while she goes without much complaint, she would like to stay up with the boys and feel bigger. Well, last night, it was a little past their bedtime and Sarah came to me and said "Can you take me to bed, I'm tired?" I was quite surprised. I can't recall her ever doing that. She had had a big day. It was her date day with daddy, so she skipped her nap. She had a warm bath earlier in the evening and she was just worn out.

Caleb, Caleb Quite Contrary

I love my little Caleb. He's not really little anymore (6 1/2yo), but he will always be my little Caleb. When he was a baby, I called him "my prince". My mom, Grandma, called him, her "little man". Caleb had a difficult day yesterday. He lied to daddy about washing his hair. So, back to writing sentences. "It is a sin to lie. I won't lie!" He graduated to writing this for 2 pages. But I didn't want to leave a post on a negative note.

Here is my real Caleb, the funny, happy go lucky guy! He is balancing 5 books on his body. This he did on his own while we were in the car waiting for daddy to finish up in the restaurant on our way home from Texas.

My Prince!

Hmmm, Hmmmmm!

I bet you thought this post would involve food, but not this time. My son, Isaac, LOVES, LOVES trains!! Thomas, in particular, but he's really not picky. Every time he sees a train, he says Hmmm, Hmmm. Now you have to imagine that he's saying Choo, Choo, in the musical way you would say it. You see, Isaac doesn't talk yet. He will be 2 years old on October 28th, and the only thing he's says is momma and that is only when he is so frustrated because he isn't being attended to. I'm pretty sure he CAN talk because when you ask him to say a word or sound and you look at him eye to eye and say the word or sound slowly, he just cocks his head, cuts his eyes and smiles almost to a giggle. It makes me think he's saying inside, "yes, I can talk, but I'm not gonna let you hear me yet!" Or maybe he just thinks the faces I make are so silly! So, here's to my train guy, Hmmm, Hmmm.

We love our Friends

The packing is almost done! And we've been trying to make sure we see all of friends at least one more time. Here are 2 of our friends, Jett and Dominic.

2nd Amendment - Alive and well!

Just thought I would share that the Cavender family fully supports the 2nd amendment. And we're passing it on!

Ladies First!

We had a busy house today. My friend, Jessica and family, came over to pick up a few things we are getting rid of and they could us. I love to "pay it forward". Well, between their first trip and their second trip, another friend of mine, Janine and 2 of her children, came by to help me pack and to sort some Saxon Math worksheets that she was sharing with me. I was in the middle of preparing lunch and it was actually a hot lunch, spaghetti with meat sauce! "All right" is what Caleb said when I told him what we were having. Actually he asked for it, and I was initially reluctant realizing I had 2 sets of company, but it actually sounded really good to me after not having anything to eat all day. So, lunch was in the making and it was late, at least for my kids. And, Jessica and family came back to help us move a counter to our neighbor's house. A very heavy island counter. Isaac was having a melt down in the middle of the kitchen because 1 - he was tired and over due for a nap, and 2 - the food was not ready! My sweet, little Isaac arrives in the kitchen as you are cooking believing that the food should be ready and on his plate. He has no concept of preparation time! So I began to serve Isaac first in hopes it would stop the echoeing crying. Echoeing because now that the kitchen walls are packed and the island was just removed, it sounds very echoey in the house now. So, I finish serving him when my darling daughter just realized she was not served. "Hey, why aren't you getting my food?" Okay, I realize this is not the way she should speak to me and she was corrected, but I knew why she had said it. So I asked her, "why do you think you should be served first?" To which she promptly replied, "Ladies first!" It got a chuckle from our visitors and even me. You see, we've been teaching the boys etiquette and manners around other people - opening doors, waiting for others to enter or exit first, etc. Table manners are still a challenge around here. Then my friend, Janine, said to Sarah, "Then your mommy should be able to go first." You gotta love it when you're kids are listening to what you're saying/teaching even when it's not for them. :o)

CONTINUE ON......

A woman once fretted over the usefulness of her life. She feared she was wasting her potential being a devoted wife and mother. She wondered if the time and energy she invested in her husband and children would make a difference.

At times she got discouraged because so much of what she did seemed to go unnoticed and unappreciated. "Is it worth it?" she often wondered. "Is there something better that I could be doing with my time?"

It was during these moments of questioning that she heard the still, small voice of her heavenly Father speak to her heart: "You are a wife and mother because that is what I have called you to be. Much of what you do is hidden from the public eye. But I notice. Most of what you give is done without remuneration. But I am your reward. Your husband cannot be the man I have called him to be without your support. Your influence upon him is greater than you think and more powerful than you will every know. I bless him through your service and honor him through your love. Your children are precious to Me -- even more precious than they are to you. I have entrusted them to your care to raise for Me. What you invest in them is an offering to Me.

"You may never be in the public spotlight. But your obedience shines as a bright light before Me.

Continue on.

Remember, you are My servant. Do all to please Me."

Colossians 3:23,24

Author Unknown