Spring Concert

Peter is finished with 3rd grade! I just brought him home from his last day of school, and he has officially declared himself a 4th grader. Last night was the school's spring concert, and of course we were so proud of him!

He appeared as Cassius in a skit with his class:
Click here to view the Death of Caesar

Peter also played a couple piano solos and a trio:
Click here for Peter's piano solos
Click here for piano trio

2014 spring pictures:

Class picture

Looking through the yearbook on the last day with his friend Anderson:

Trampoline Raising

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit last weekend! They got to see Peter's choir concerts and we also celebrated Thomas's birthday a bit early. In advance of their visit, they ordered a trampoline for the kiddos! It was delivered to our house a day or two before they arrived. I covered the boxes with a towel and told the kids they were just boxes that Daddy and I had to take out to the trash. It worked -- they left them alone! So when Grandma and Grandpa arrived, we asked the boys to take a closer look at those boxes.

What could be in them?!

Pete reading the box

The look of realization comes over Tom's face

Carefully following the instructions

Selecting the perfect spot

We'll just play while they build

It works!

I think he likes it

A photo right before one of Pete's concerts (I was honored to be able to play cello for a few of their pieces!):

And finally, a selection of photos of our early birthday celebration for Thomas:

Watching Thomas open presents

He loves his t-rex and baby t-rex

Those dimples :)

Fordyce

After my Gran passed away, I found myself reminiscing over the phone with my brother Tim about all the wonderful memories we had of visiting our grandparents in Fordyce, Arkansas. We realized that her funeral could possibly be our last trip to Fordyce. So we brought along a camera and determined that we had to go see various landmarks, including Gran and Burke's house (which now belongs to someone else) and the birthplace of Fordyce's claim to fame, Paul "Bear" Bryant.

My dad did not grow up in this house, but this is the house that holds all my childhood memories with Gran and Burke:

They had a four-wheeler and golf cart that made many, many circles around this house and drove all over their property. I believe the golf cart, over a number of years and at the hands of various young drivers, also drove into the well, numerous trees, Burke's truck, the rosebushes, and the covered patio.

As you may recall, I was ill on this trip. Right after Tim took the pictures of the house, I started to feel just awful. But I was determined to get to the birthplace of the Bear. So off we went! In the photo below, I am praying that I don't throw up on Bear Bryant's lawn:

The Bear's humble beginnings

My dad and Tim also visited the high school football field where my dad played as a 140-pound lineman (that's right) for the Fordyce Redbugs. Bear Bryant was also a Redbug and, for some reason, they decided to name the field after him and not my dad.

#64 ready to take the field