Football Fans

One of my favorite things about living in Pittsburgh are the sports. It reminds me of the awesome camaraderie I experienced in college being a Red Raider. So, of course I have totally jumped on the Steeler bandwagon. I am a HUGE fan and so is Caleb. 

He's still a huge Jordon fan, thus loyal to the Lions, but it's fam, so I can't blame him. Fathead commercials did their job and persuaded Caleb to ask over and over for a life size picture of Jordon to put on his wall. I told him that would be too expensive, so he compromised and asked for the helmet instead.

Caleb loves Polamalu and dished out hugs and smiles.

after receiving miniature fatheads of 6 key Steelers.

I've really enjoyed the fun and bonding that football has brought to the family. It is so exciting watching my little guy work hard at something all on his own. He is already running routes and catching balls at 4. Impressive. It's such a joy watching daddy and brother play together. Even sissy will occasionally get in on the action,

 

but is always faithful to show her girly side, taking a dolly break.

Christmas from Grandpa Cowboy and The Westbrooks

Attie and her new Palomino from the kids.

Publish Post

Lots to be thankful for

We went to Texas this year and had a fabulous time. I always love this time of the year, because it encourages reflection on things for which we are grateful. When I think about all these incredible things I'm humbled and awed. I come from a broken home and grow up with no knowledge of how to have a strong married, yet I could not ask for a better marriage. Not to say we do not have conflict, but we always work it out. We love each other, and are best friends. I have two amazingly beautiful, full of life, determined little ones, who love their mommy so much. I feeling very loved by my sweet little family.

I also have a tremendous extended family that have been there for my Dad, sister and me. My Dad and my sister are the strongest most courageous people I know. I am so blessed to have shared this life with them.

(caleb took this picture)

I have phenomenal in-laws. We differ in so many ways, yet they have taught me so much about unconditional love. They've helped me to become more affectionate and modeled service unparalleled.  We always have fun being silly together.

We live in a great community, with amazing schools, people, church, and Cory's awesome job is just around the corner. Our quality of life is very refreshing. We never feel rushed and are able to maintain margin. We've developed super friends, in the short time we've lived here. There are hard days, but because of my awesome Savior I am now able to put things in perspective. I never get too low, a stark contrast to my person before Jesus. Life is not perfect, but I often think please don't pinch me because if this is a dream I don't want to wake up.

Little Quarterback

Is there a quarterback in our future? Here is Caleb running a play action pass.  Be patient it takes a second to load. This boy loves football.

Bibleman the Superhero and his sidekick Biblegirl

Several months back I bought Caleb a Bibleman DVD, because it was in the $5 pile at a Christian book store. He loved it. It was action packed with sword fights, explosions and domination of villains. I honestly thought it was super cheesy. However, it was packed full of Scripture, so it seemed like a win, win. He has started memorizing Ephesians 6 and can quote ever piece of the armor of God, thanks to the full armor sequence. I loved it. Then we went to the Little Gym and it was Superhero week. When Mr. Justin asked what their favorite Superhero was the others spouted off, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman and the like. Not Caleb. He proudly waited his turn with great anticipation at revealing the greatest Superhero ever known, BIBLEMAN. Sadly, he got blank stares from his peers and a "Who?" from Mr. Justin. I watched as my Little Buddy experienced for the first time the feeling that not going along with the crowd brings. He handled it well in the moment, but for the rest of the day he didn't mention Bibleman or want to talk about his former hero. I was sad. It was a taste of the years ahead. I saw a glimpse of the answer to a question I am sure many mothers ask, "will my child be a leader or follow the pack to fill accepted." I couldn't blame him. A part of me wanted him to say Ironman, because I knew Bibleman would not be well received and I'm definitely not ready to watch his sweet heart break from perceived rejection. Thankfully so far, he matches the Caleb of the Bible he was named after and is a natural born leader. At times his desire to do what he wants can be a battle for mommy, but I love that he rarely does something, just because everyone else is doing it. After, just a couple days of straying from his Superhero he decided all on his own, to be loyal to Bibleman, no matter the cost. He proudly told everyone he came across he was going to be Bibleman for Halloween. I was so proud of how my 4 year old processed this event and I was determined to make his Bibleman costume something he would love. Being that this costume is not in high demand all that was available was the mask and cape. So, we had to make do. We crafted the belt of truth together. I ordered a silver Ironman costume and stuck on yellow duck tape to represent the breastplate of righteousness. He wore his super cool Sketches and shin guards covered in duck tape as his shoes of peace. Skateboard pads covered in yellow duck tape were perfect for the shield of faith. The mask equipped us with the helmet of salvation. Finally we purchased a light up sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Watching him put it on going through the sequence is pretty awesome. I know he has little to no idea what he is talking about, but one day he will. And one day it won't be feeling rejected over a silly little costume. I hope he clings tightly to the truths that will protect him.

About a month later it was Halloween. I had pretty much forgotten about the previously mentioned events. Caleb was so excited to finally be allowed to wear his costume. The costume I originally planned for Sissy to wear was not going to work, so I asked her what she wanted to be. She decided BibleGirl would be great.

After I got her BibleGirl costume, she saw a pink princess she wanted to be, but I made her stick with her first idea.  I don't know how I didn't think of it, but it never dawned on me that I might be sending my kids out to slaughter. Halloween is not a exactly known as a Christian holiday and yet I was sending my babies out covered in crosses going door to door. In a weak moment I thought about trying to convince him to go as Ironman. Yes, I realize I am pathetic. We decided however, to let Caleb know that some people might be offended by his costume and that was okay. We told him to not to worry if anyone said something unkind. And we encouraged him to not return evil for evil. "If someone says they don't like your costume, you tell them you like theirs, we said." The family spent the day at one of the local farms. Thankfully, everyone thought Caleb looked great. One little boy with much enthusiasm told Caleb, "you are so cool." They became buds and played together. I was very thankful the world was kind. We had a great time trick-or treating the neighborhood with our good friends. Caleb, Sissy and Landon had a blast and got tons of yummy goodies.

It has been a month and Caleb asks daily to wear his Bibleman costume. It doesn't even phase him when older boys tell him Halloween is over and he needs to stop wearing his costume. I know there is a fine line between weird and nonconformist, but I'm proud that for now my Little Buddy marches to the beat of his own drum and doesn't just follow the herd.

Vegas Vacation

Kaycee and I have been wanting to make a trip to visit our Grandparents for some time now and we finally made it happen. After, the first few days of my kids melting down from lack of sleep we adjusted to the 3 hour time change, and had a blast. Vegas is not a place one would normal take kiddos, and I am not endorsing taking a family vacation by any means.  But, I'm extremely thankful that we were able to find many kid friendly activities. The hotels alone are beyond amazing. Very telling that gaming is rigged in favor of the hotels. We got to enjoy all the amazing amenities, and beside food and hotel costs we didn't leave a penny in Vegas.

We stayed at the MGM Grand, because it had a fun pool area and the ever popular lion cubs.

The majority of our time was spent enjoying the sites at the Mirage. They not only had an amazing volcano show that happened ever hour,

But also a wildlife exhibit inhabited with all kids of exotic animals. Caleb just happens to love all meat eating BIG CATS.

The girls really enjoyed the dolphins,

and all of them were very excited 

to get fun new animals from Soho.

The Mirage offered a number of photo friendly backdrops, so with a little bribing we got the kids to take a number of pictures.

With my Grandparents living in Vegas for over 40 years I've made a few trips to "Sin City". I remember a time when they were trying to make it more family friend and created a lot of shows entertaining for a younger audience. Those days and rightly so, are over. We took the kids to TI for the pirate show and they loved it. 

However, the ladies were very scantily dressed. We decide that we would not be returning after over hearing Attie Jo quoting lines for the play, "My name is Cimmamem (Cinnamon), but you can call me Cim (Sin) for short."

We went to the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur, which was actually a little scary. Thankfully, the kids were not phased by the evil dragon.

They were too awestruck by the horses, sword fighting, fireworks and being allowed to yell while eating dinner with their fingers.

We also went to the shark aquarium at Mandalay Bay, which the kids really enjoyed. However, my favorite part of the trip was watching the children interact with their Great Grandparents. 

Caleb and Attie spent sometime with Grandma Connee when they were really young but haven't seen her for a number of years, and Makaylee had never meet her. The way they warmed up to her you would think they spent time with her on a regular basis. It made it into a treasured memory. 

It brings tears to my eyes knowing that my sweet little ones will have joyful memories of their Great Grandparents, as I do mine.

Another spectacular attraction in Vegas is the Bellagio. There is a beautiful fountain show outside,

and the inside is exquisitely decorated. Of course we tortured the kids with more pictures.