My Little Man

1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

Good parents teach their kids to do what's right, make good choices, obey the rules. When my child makes a good choice, it just sends my heart into cartwheels! Mom, I get it!

We don't let Cole watch PG-13 movies. It's just a choice we've made as parents and Cole understands the rule. For some reason, the movie Transformers keeps trying to make its way into Cole's life. The first time was on one of Cole's visits to his other dad's house. The others decided they wanted to watch Transformers and Cole asked what it was rated. When they discovered it was PG-13, Cole told them he couldn't watch it. Wow!

Cole is attending a public day camp this week. Some of his friends from school are there and he's really had a good time. Yesterday afternoon, they were getting ready to watch a movie. A counselor selected Transformers and the group cheered. As the leader prepared to put the movie in the DVD player, my sweet son spoke up and told him that he couldn't watch it because of its rating. Some of the boys chastised him for it, but thankfully, his friends didn't. The counselor changed the movie to something rated PG.

When Cole explained the situation to Brice later that afternoon, Brice asked the afternoon director about the movie choice. She was horrified and told Brice that the movie would be removed from the list. She and the senior director had been arguing over what they thought the rating was and apparently he won. (Why didn't they just look it up?)

Brice praised Cole for having the guts to stand up for what he knew was right. He told him that there were probably other kids there who weren't supposed to watch it but didn't say anything and Cole replied, "Yeah, *Jake* isn't supposed to watch it and he didn't say anything."

We love when our boy chooses what is right in a fallen world. We hate that he has to make certain choices when the issue shouldn't even be presented to him. But we praise God that he longs to do what is right. I pray that desire is cultivated in a heart that longs to glorify God, not a heart to please others or a fear of getting in trouble.

Schoooooool's Out for Summer!

I have two very happy boys at my house! School is out and they are free! Cole greeted me with wide eyes and big hugs when I picked him up today. They let out at 11:00 so I let him pick a lunch place. He picked Sonic - man after my own heart! So we had lunch together then spent the afternoon together at my office.

Cole finished the year with an S in each subject and behavior category. Next year will begin the A,B,C grading. Brice finished strong as well, gaining tenure and switching subjects for next year. He is moving teams, which makes him sad, but changing to math, which makes him happy. We believe the set curriculum and structure will be better for him.

Brice has also started school at Red Mountain Institute for massage therapy. He has class two nights a week and one weekend a month. It's been quite an adjustment not having him around as much, but we're learning how to make the most of our time together as a family.

No vacations planned for the summer yet. Cole is going to VBS, a few camps, and the beach for a few days. Brice and I are going to North Carolina for a wedding in early August. That's the only travel planned so far.

Happy summer, everyone!

Honors Day

This morning was the annual Honors Program at Cole's school. Students in grades K-5 filed into the gym as parents sat in folding chairs waiting to see their little precious stand up when their name was called. We were no exception. Brice and I sat on the 2nd row waiting to see our boy.

Awards were given for achievement in art, music, P.E., and overall academic improvement - one each per class. Any guesses on what award my Cole got??

Cole Jackson for Outstanding Participation in Music

Yea!! We are so proud!

Then we sat through 30 minutes of 3rd-5th graders getting recognition for A and A/B Honor Roll. We smiled knowing that our Cole will be on that list next year. Wow, 3rd grade! I can't believe how fast it's happening.

Mothers' Day

Sunday, May 11, 2008 - a day to honor your mother . . . and be honored as a mother

My day began with breakfast in bed at 6:45 am, provided by my husband and son: cinnamon rolls, banana/peanut butter toast, apple mango juice. Gifts and cards abounded as I ate. That green box there holds my very own fondue maker. Woo hoo!


The picture in the middle of the bed is the portrait my son made of me. I'd say he's got talent. Here's the close-up:

Brice headed off to class for the majority of the day and Cole and I headed to my parents' church. Who knew that would be the best gift I could ever give my mother? (Not Brice being in class all day, but going to church with them.) It was really fun to go back to my home church for a day. Saw many people I hadn't seen in a while and sang some hymns I haven't sung in a while.

We headed to lunch and surprise - Brice met us there. His instructor scheduled their lunch break so that he could meet us for our lunch. What a sweetie! (Brice and the instructor.)



Then came a grand photography session. Cole has become quite good with the camera and loves to practice. So feast your eyes on our plethora of pictures.

Anna with her Mother

Cole with his Mother

Cole with Anna's Mother

The rest of the day was spent playing games with my parents. It doesn't get much better than that. I learned that playing a card game with Mom takes twice as long as playing with my husband or son. Mom and I talk more than play because we don't see each other as often.

And Mom has always been a good listener. I remember coming in from events in high school and sitting on the edge of her bed where she was reading and waiting for me to come home. I would talk and talk about the evening and she listened to every word and never rushed me. It's really nice to be heard. She's a great gal, my mom. I sure do love her. I like her pretty well too.

And it's a good thing, cuz I'm turning into her more and more every day!!

Life in the desert

I had a conference for work in Scottsdale, AZ on Monday and Tuesday. I hardly ever travel for business so I felt very grown up and professional. Plus my sweet boss suggested that Brice go with me and we get there a couple days early to have some "us" time before the conference. Isn't he great?? So last Saturday, Brice and I flew to Phoenix.

Now, the biggest highlight of the trip was actually our layover on the way to Phoenix. You might ask, "How could a layover possibly qualify for a highlight?" Answer: we got to spend 3 hours in St. Louis! We were there long enough to go to my sister's house and spend some good time with their family. If you know me, you know why that was the highlight of our trip.

On that note, I would just like to take this opportunity to tell the world how grateful I am for my sister. She's an amazing person and such an inspiration to me. She's a great listener, giver, encourager, friend to laugh with, and the mother of three adorable, precious children. I love you, Beck!

Then it was on to Scottsdale!

We watched the movie Vantage Point while eating great food at Farrelli's Cinema Supper Club - great idea!! If we somehow win a million dollars, I'm gonna start one of those in Birmingham!

We also played mini golf, took a gondola ride around the gorgeous grounds of the Hyatt, saw a play, Barefoot in the Park, and ate some fabulous food! My boss recommended some places to eat and he definitely has great taste.

The area is completely different than the southeast. The desert has dirt, cactus, and not much green. Like this:

We did some shopping as well. We don't have a Crate & Barrel so that was fun to browse. We do have a Disney Store, but that was fun to browse too . . .

It was a nice trip and I'm so thankful to my boss for allowing us the mini-vacation!