Category: Roman

On the Lake…

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We went out on the boat today…it was just what we all needed…the freedom and restoration of being on the water. We loved riding on the boat, jumping off rock faces into the water, and swimming. All three of the boys tried wake boarding, which is just amazing to me. They are so brave!!! Xander was the closest to getting up on the wake board…so incredibly exciting to watch. They definitely inspire me to be more brave. We’re looking forward to spending more time out on the lake together this summer.

Nolensville 5K…

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I ran the Nolensville 5K today and placed 3rd in my age group for women!!! Can you believe that?!? I could not and still can not. I had no plans to place and no idea I had until after I crossed the finish line. I was just trying to beat my personal best time. What a fun gift!!!

Roman ran the 1K Kids Fun Run. He was nervous at first, but then when he realized just how short the distance was…he was all about it. I’m so proud of him for wanting to do the run in the first place, for pushing through his nerves before the race, and for running his little heart out. Go, Roman!!!

Strawberry Picking…

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This is our 8th year to go strawberry picking at Valley Home Farm!!!

Despite Xander having a monumental meltdown over sunglasses he couldn’t find before we left and then finding them in the car only to forget to bring his shoes and Jonas hopping around on one foot (he hurt his toe yesterday playing football), we enjoyed it. By the end of our time strawberry picking, Jonas was wearing one flip flop, Xander was wearing my flip flops, and Roman had taken off his shirt and his hat and his flip flops…haha!

The best part was having a reverse lunch (eating dessert first)…Roman and I had homemade strawberry honey pops and Jonas and Xander had homemade strawberry ice cream…so delicious. We ate a picnic lunch on a blanket in the grass afterwards, got almost to the interstate and realized we forgot our basket of handpicked strawberries and drove all the way back to get them, and then I took the wrong exit and headed down the interstate the wrong direction for a while before I realized it. Ack!!! Oh well…because it was a long drive, the boys were watching a movie, and I was jamming out to some tunes anyway…so it all worked out. That’s one of my favorite things about summer break…we’re not in a hurry. Yay for a slower pace and yay for strawberry picking with my boys!!!

Stuffed Animal Hunt…

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My boys get so much enjoyment out of playing with their stuffed animals. This morning, Jonas and Roman loaded up the wagon with stuffed animal friends and went for a little walk around the neighborhood. When they got back, Jonas realized that one of his stuffed animals had fallen out of the wagon. So, of course, we had to pile up in the van and retrace their steps to look for it…no such luck…sooooooo…we decided to all set out on foot (complete with Petra and her sniffing-out abilities and Roman and his TaeKwonDo skills/rubber band gun). HaHa! Luckily, we found it (or him…his name is Connor). Yay for summer’s little adventures.

My Little Running Buddy…

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Roman loves running, which is exciting to me because I love it too!!! He’s joined me on a few runs over the past several weeks and has been a great little running buddy. Roman likes to alternate between walking and “turbo boosting” (sprinting). He asked me how I run the whole time, and I told him that I started out walking and running just like him. So, we decided to start a Couch to 5k plan together. We have so much fun with it…he loves to wear my running watch and water bottle and I carry my phone and listen out for the beeps on the app, prompting us to walk and run. I’m so grateful to be able to get outside and run with my precious little guy.

Last Half Day of School…

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A fun mom in our neighborhood coordinates the best thing to celebrate the end of the school year…the Bruster’s ice cream truck parking in one of our cul-de-sacs! The timing of it ends up to where the boys have dessert before lunch…but oh well. Afterwards, we loaded up and went to a friend’s house for what ended up being the biggest pool party we’ve ever been to…the boys and I all agreed that altogether it was the best kick off to summer that we’ve ever had.

Field Day…

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I loved being able to hang out with my boys on Field Day. In the morning, I volunteered at the first aid station. Roman came by every now and then to say hi and get a hug which was super sweet. In the afternoon, I was signed up to volunteer at the bounce house but they ended up not needing me, so I just hung out with Jonas and Xander. Jonas was having a blast with his friends. Xander was having a rough day with a new allergy medicine we were trying him out on which ended up making him super sad…to the point where he was not having fun and starting to cry on a day he would usually be ALL about. So, I snuggled with him on the field where we watched all of the goings on for a little bit…and then, I just took him home to have some special time with mommy. Sweet boy.

Pastries with Parents…

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The boys and I had an “adventurous” time at Pastries with Parents this morning. You’d never know by the picture. Jonas basically skipped the line…he ran up to say hello to one of his friends and then proceeded to help himself…much to mine and his brothers’ annoyance (they were shouting, “No fair!!!”). I didn’t want to get out of line and lose our spot because Roman is quite possibly the most impatient person I’ve ever met (bless his heart). Plus, I was trying to keep Roman from going into full fledged meltdown mode…I don’t know if it was anxiety about all of the people, the excitement of getting pastries for breakfast, the boredom of waiting in line, or him looking up and not seeing me for one second while I stepped out of line super quickly to save us a table. Either way…geesh. I ended up picking him up and holding him and swaying with him until he calmed down. After we got settled at our table, Roman accidentally spilled his orange juice and then Xander’s water. So, we had to go home for a change of clothes for two kids. Ack!!! I’m trying to remember this…
“When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not to join their chaos.” – L.R. Knost

Easter…

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We spent Easter with Pops, Maw, Hilda, Jennifer, and Kerry this year. We had a delicious potluck lunch, watched the boys hunt for Easter eggs, and sat on the front porch…enjoying the spring weather and each other’s company.

Nolensville Community Kids Marathon…

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Roman ran a triumphant mile with Tom in the Nolensville Community Kids Marathon today!!! Kids from NES, SES, and MCES run 25.2 miles spread out over a month or more on their own or with the run club at their schools and then come together to run the last mile. It’s such a great event…so exciting for the kids and for our little, quickly growing town. Go, Roman!!!

Tennessee Aquarium…

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We took the boys to the Tennessee Aquarium over Spring Break. We loved swimming in the pool at the hotel, playing on the climbing wall at the playground, sliding down a huge hill on cardboard boxes over and over again, eating dinner at the Mellow Mushroom, walking with our delicious ice cream cones down to the river at sunset, spending the day checking out all of the interesting creatures at the aquarium, and watching one of the best IMAX/3D marine animal films.

Click on the “Tennessee Aquarium 2019” page to the right for more pictures.

Mall Adventure…

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I took the boys on an adventure to the Opry Mills mall this week during Spring Break. It was the first time I’d braved the mall with them since they were little. Surprisingly, they did great! We checked out the Lego store, took our picture together in one of those photo booths, met Maw for lunch in the food court, walked around, and stopped in to the Disney and the Build a Bear stores. They all spent some of their allowance money on a little something for themselves…Jonas picked out a little Pooh bear to add to his collection and Xander and Roman chose to build bears (named Fluff and Cuddles). They did so well that I think I might bring them back to the mall again this summer to check out Dave and Buster’s.

Mommy/Me Trip…

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Our Mommy/Me trip tradition started with me taking a 5 month old Roman up to Vermont to visit with my dear friend, Charity, from college. When Tom and Jonas dropped us off at the airport, Jonas said, “Mommy, I want to come too.” That’s when I knew that I would be taking each of my boys in turn on a special trip each year. It has been one of the biggest blessings of my life…and I hope theirs.

This year, Roman and I went to the Wilderness at the Smokies indoor water park!!! We enjoyed meals at the Cracker Barrel and at all of the hotel restaurants, played video games in the arcade, hung out in the indoor water park (tube slides, wave pool, hot tub, and surf rider), rode the shuttle, painted pottery, went bowling, played laser tag, climbed the climbing wall, played black light put put golf, walked through the laser maze, went on the ropes course, visited with Audrey at UT, and went to the most amazing sweet shop so perfect for Roman called the Chocolate Monkey.

Click on the “Mommy/Me Trip with Roman 2019” page to the right for more pictures.

Happy Birthday, Roman…

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Happy Birthday to Roman!!! I cannot believe that my youngest son is 7 years old today. Roman, you are such a little sunshine…so funny, energetic, entertaining, full of emotional ups and downs, lively, musical, anxious, athletic, and smart. You are one of the best little guys around at pretend play. You like to stay busy with friends and activities and pose for pictures…a true extrovert. You love your stuffed animals and monkeys. You’re all about playing Minecraft and excel at TaeKwonDo. You are one of the snuggliest kids, and our lives would not be the same without you. We love you, Roman!!!

Literacy Night…

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It was Literacy Night tonight at the boys’ school. Jonas presented a board game that he designed to go along with a book he read (one of his and my favorites), Magyk by Angie Sage. Roman dressed up as one of the little monkeys from Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and shared a quick book review. Xander is his own man and just did his own thing which I love about him. Literacy Night is always really fun for the kids with scavenger hunts, Kahoots, crafts, face painting, etc. I love NES!!!

The Things They Say…

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Thinking about what to say to his friends when they ask him why he’s always leaving school early…
Jonas: “I got problems, people. It’s my get out of jail free card.”

Wondering how the fish in our tank have lived for so long…
Xander: “Maybe they are actually waterproof security cameras that are controlled by people with video game controllers…”

Musings in the car…
Roman: “Can I tell you something, Mom? People are dummies at some things. People are geniuses at some things.”