Happy Halloween

Now-a-days it seems like Halloween last several days for little people. Granted trick or treating is just one night, but it seems like we celebrate it at school and elsewhere for several days!

Ours began on Thursday with a school party for Philip. GranGran graciously offered to keep my little guys so I could attend empty-handed. Philip had pizza and cupcakes with his friends.

They read Halloween stories and had a pinata. I enjoyed getting to know his friends and their mothers better.

On Friday, GranGran, William, and I met Dee at Philip's school for his Halloween presentation. It was so precious to see and hear he and his classmates sing their Halloween songs. Here's a little excerpt.

From there, it was to Trinity to be with Daniel for his Halloween celebration.

He, too, had pizza and cookies. He was sweet to share with his brother.

After that, the class changed into their costumes...

and headed down the halls to trick-or-treat with the church staff!

On Saturday, we painted our little pumpkins...

and carved our jack-a-latern.

Finally, we are ready for trick-or-treating.

We went to the neighborhood party for hot dogs...

and then hit the streets. We started at GranGran and PopPop's and then hit a few houses on the way back to the house. The boys had a ball and we were all ready for bed! They've been asking when Halloween's going to come again!

Seward Farms

This Saturday brought our annual trip to Seward Farms. We've been going since Philip was two and Daniel was a few months old. It's a great way to celebrate fall when you live in an area that really has no fall to speak of!

We did it all while we were there. The big boys drove the tractors...

They jumped on an inflatable thing that I am struggling to describe...

We all pet the animals at the petting zoo...

Of course, we did the corn maze...

They rode the cow tractors...

and finished off the day with a hayride for everyone.

We ran into some friends and enjoyed catching up with them on the hayride too!

It was a tons of fun...good to be outside and run around as a family. We spent the evening with neighbors watching the AL/TN football game. The boys had lots of fun playing and Chris and I both got to relax and visit! A great end to a good day!

A Fall Weekend

We had a busy weekend, but much fun was had by all.

We started with Philip's school's Fall Festival. The boys got to wear their costumes...


A clone trooper for Philip and Indiana Jones for Daniel. The verdict is still out on what hand-me-down will best fit William, so he did not go in costume!

There were lots of carnival style games complete with prizes. We had a hot dog dinner, and then finished the night up with a costume contest. I'm happy to report that Philip won for the five year old boys...he was the only contestant!

Early Saturday we headed up to Tuscaloosa. We had a good trip in the 'swagger wagon.' I couldn't tell if the boys were more excited to see Meme or the Crimson Tide. We enjoyed lunch and a little rough housing at Meme and Neilson's before heading out to the Quad.


Once on campus, we met up with Kevin, Laurie, and their crew for a little tailgating. We visited and then walked around a bit. The boys loved looking at the pomping displays on sorority row.


We treated everyone to lemonade and a cookie at the KD house and then headed back to the Quad. Daniel and William were getting a little fussy, so Chris drove us back to Meme's to settle in for the night.

There was a lot of walking around....good thing I brought the strolller...and Philip!


Didn't mention, but earlier this year, we told the boys that we were taking them to a football game this season. When Daniel realized that William would be staying with Meme, he opted to stay too. So we just purchased tickets for Philip and Chris!

At some point in the day, a friend of Chris' called with ticket upgrades for he and Philip. A trip to the box for them both! It's a shame the thrill was lost on Philip...it certainly wasn't on Chris!


They ate dinner and settled in for kick-off. Philip only made it up for the first and part of the second quarter, but Chris enjoyed the game with sleepy-head in his lap. It was midnight before they returned which made for a long day Sunday. We rose early at 4:00 am for the trip home. Seems Sunday school cannot be missed!

We had a great trip...albeit a short one. As always, Meme and Neilson were gracious hosts. We were not gracious guests...we brought in a lot of noise and mess...we stayed out too late and left too early...and on and on. However, we loved being with them and hope to do it next season!

How we are doing

Whew...it has been a rough couple of weeks. I am beginning to feel my age. One day I'm driving a sporty SUV...the next day a minivan. One day I'm seeing 20/20...the next day I'm thinking I need a pair of these...

We did buy a minivan...I do love it...but I do miss my Pilot. We simply needed the room and the deal was good. As for the glasses, I went back to the eye doctor today. The blurred vision is a result of the viral conjunctivitis and should clear up with some drops in a few days.

So that's how I'm doing. Next, I get asked, "How's Chris?" or "How's Dottie?" Well, the truth is I think they are doing great under the circumstances. Sure, they have their moments, but everyone is getting up, getting dressed, and carrying on with life's tasks. That's a good thing.

Finally, "How are the boys?" and "Do they understand?" Just a few thoughts I wanted to preserve. Philip is very matter of fact. If we mention Phil, Philip says, "but PawPaw died." The other day he did ask his father how Luke could see and talk to Obi-Wan after Obi-Wan had died. He was definitely curious as to whether this was a possibility.

Daniel, who I thought comprehended very little of all this, asked me out of the blue the other day if Jesus had two beds. No clue where he was going with this, I said that I wasn't sure. He explained that he was wondering if Jesus had a bed for himself and one for PawPaw. I told him of course and reminded him that Jesus said "in my house there are many rooms." He definitely gets something.

My aunt, Meme, reminded me of the importance of keeping Phil's memory alive to the boys. On that note, I told Philip a story yesterday about a trick PawPaw did on his neighbors at Halloween. The child laughed and laughed and then begged me to tell it again!

We are learning how to live into this new reality. There will still be many moments of sadness, but together I do believe we will get through it. Again, many thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

A Field Trip

Today I (and William!) accompanied Philip's class on a field trip to the pumpkin patch. Unfortunately, not a real pumpkin patch...a makeshift one on the corner of Dauphin and Catherine!

We had a great time. There were stories...

a hayride...

and a chance to pick out your very own pumpkin.

I loved getting to watch Philip interact with his new friends.

I wish I could have had more time to get to know the other mothers, but William kept me pretty busy. He went crazy over the tractor pulling the hay rides. He kept patting the seat with his hand and saying, "mama, mama" over and over again! Have I mentioned he's a mess??

I hope there will be more opportunities to venture out with them in the future!

Philip's Birthday

I do believe that a wrap-up of Philip's fifth birthday is in order. It's hard to believe that the big guy is five...five...that's huge to me! Despite the upheaval it seems we have been in, we celebrated and celebrated well.

It started on Monday...his actual birthday. We began with banana nut bread for breakfast...complete with five candles in it. I took some cookies to Philip's class for him to share with his friends. They sang "Happy Birthday" and he got to wear a crown all day long!

Monday night we had the family over for pizza and cake and ice cream. I couldn't find a Star Wars cake at the last minute, so a Crimson Tide one from Pollman's did the trick.

Philip opened presents and was thrilled to get so many Star Wars things...especially all the Legos. One set was aged for a 7-12 year old. He sat for three plus hours working diligently on it. He rarely asked for help. He finished it up and enjoyed playing with it after that.

Back to the party...it was good to be with everyone for such a happy occasion. I won't say there weren't any tears shed. The birthday video was hard for me to watch, but mostly I simply noticed Phil's absence. Birthday parties were one thing he was always present for. This will definitely take some getting used to.

On Saturday, we had his friends over for a Star Wars party complete with Jedi training. I had to postpone the party due to my illness and to be honest, I wasn't completely recovered in time to do it the way I had planned. The good news...they are five and have no idea that really there could have been more.

Chris and I spent Friday night decorating the garage. We hung streamers in the entrance, sheets in the back. Planets (aka balloons) hung from strings. They made for excellent Jedi training dummies. Bubble wrap covered the floor to give the feel of space.

The boys arrived and first made their own lightsaber. Then they were able to pick out their mask. Finally, on to Jedi training.

After hard work at training, we shared chicken fingers, grapes, chips, and Yoda soda (lime sherbert and Sprite). We finished off with cupcakes and ice cream. Philip did not eat a thing during the party, but this guy did.

I think it went well and fun was had by all. I know that Philip enjoyed himself and that's most important. Chris and I enjoyed celebrating our oldest son with family and friends!

Happy birthday to my precious son! What a fine boy you have become!

Can you feel the love...

Chris and I certainly can feel the love tonight. Wow...our family and friends have surprised us so many times over. There have been phone calls, cards, flowers and food delivered. There have been countless offers to help with the boys. There have been many miles traveled to be by our side while we say goodbye. How do we thank you??

It's been a whirlwind of a week. We went from recovering well on Friday/Saturday to planning a funeral Sunday evening. There wasn't much time to say goodbye to the old man. I did squeeze his hand and let him know that I too loved him.

It appears his family aren't the only ones that loved him. The church was full yesterday as we celebrated Phil's life. Lots were family, some were long time friends, some new friends, some had never met him but knew him through his fabulous sons. It was a wonderful service. Philip slept through the majority of it. (I laughed thinking that his grandfather had probably slept through many a service himself!) Daniel held my hand walking down the aisle at the end and then whispered to me, "Momma, that was easy."

The boys are holding up well. They are tired...longing for their routines to return. I think Philip understands. He's made comments about PawPaw being in heaven with Khaki, but he doesn't seem to be sad. I can't help but wonder if they are able to jump through the hoop of the selfish grieving we experience. Perhaps they can grasp the resurrection better than we can. Who knows?

I have been fighting fever, pink eye, and a horribly sore throat since Wednesday. Chris has been so supportive during a time when clearly I should be here for him. He's amazing in so many ways. Just like his dad.

So just in case you're able to get on the internet in heaven, Phil, I hope you know I how I felt about you. You were an incredible man, husband, and father. I didn't always agree with you, but I always reminded myself of one thing. You raised a man that has so many of your fabulous qualities. You must have been an awesome dad...how else would Chris know what to do? You will certainly be missed.