Trash to treasure!

Luis and I spent the entire day on Saturday, cleaning out our garage. It's a great 2-car garage with a double car port and has tons of space...well, it does now, anyway! Since we moved here a little over a year ago, it served mainly as our storage shed for boxes and boxes of things that we brought from Arizona. When we left Arizona, I brought boxes that were in our house, that I NEVER opened the whole 6 years that we were there. They were still sealed with the original tape! Kind of begs you to ask the question, "Why do you keep lugging all that extra baggage around, when you never even use it, much less know what's inside!" (Sounds like a good sermon...but for another day..cause I am about ready to hit the sack!) You know how most people have "junk drawers" in their homes? Well, we had a junk shed...it was full of things we didn't need right now, but we kept it because we just might need it in the future. As we were cleaning, I would ask Luis about the more "manly" things, as to whether we should keep them. Like the training wheels that we took off of Josh's bicycle...I was ready to pitch them, but Luis started to think that maybe we might need them down the road. We both looked at each other, and laughed as I threw them in the "dump" box. After working all day, we finally sat down in our "new" space and realized how much room we really have there! It became the place to hang out for the rest of the day...Josh rode his scooter and Jonathan his bicycle...while I sat in a chair and watched Luis fix the neighbor's lawn mower. (Total Kellish basement flashbacks!) Funny how something can be right in your backyard, and you don't see it's full value. Then you put a little love and elbow grease into it, and it just sparkles!

First day of first grade!

Today was Josh's first day of school. It went pretty well, and I was so much more prepared for this year's start than last year's. Experience really is a great teacher! Along with History, science and the "3-R's", he also has Bible and Spanish classes. I didn't teach Spanish last year, being Kindergarten, and my first year homeschooling, but Luis and I both feel it's time the boys learn! And what better way then from Dad, who has kindly agreed to be the teacher! Nothing like having the real, live version of a foreign language, up close and personal!

On the tube...

Well, we have bitten the bullet, and acquired "dish network" once again. I can't say that I was extremely ecstatic at the thought of hundreds of brainless channels at our fingertips. I mean, really...is the home shopping network going to alter the meaning of my existence? I think not. We used to have sky angel, which I enjoyed. It was (almost) all Christian broadcasting, all the time! But we live in Luray...population 114...no, not 114 thousand, just 114. So when sky angel switched from satellite to high speed Internet, we were left in the dial-up-only dust (thanks for your sympathy). Being Christian, it is important to me what my kids are putting into those beautiful little eyes and ears of theirs...after all, the eyes are the windows to the soul. While seeing if Sponge Bob is going to invent a bigger and better Krabby Patty isn't going to scar them for the rest of their lives, there's only so much of "Bikini Bottom" to which I want them exposed...haha...that's the location of the show, for those of you that don't have to pleasure of watching...but if you want to take it literally, that would be accurate as well! :)

OK, that all being said, it's confession time-

Setting: My living room
Date: yesterday, around 6-7:30 pm

Both of the kids went with Luis to say hello to Uncle David and Grandma Carmen. I caught both Desperate Landscapes AND a fabulous episode of Emeril Live (BAM!). I also managed to catch a great T.D. Jakes sermon, on TBN! OK, so maybe this whole dish thing isn't going to be so bad!

Newest state in the union

The boys were laying on their bed last night, looking at a map of the United States. Joshua was reading the names of the states to his brother. Then Jonathan got in on it, and decided he likes "Mrs. Lippy" the best! :)

Josh, bottom right (blue shirt and lucky yellow "Matt-man" socks!)

Josh really loves to play soccer, and especially loves it when Dad teaches him the secret moves that he used, when he played in Mexico growing up. He also loves when Dad AND Uncle David play two on two with him and Jonathan! He just finished a week long soccer camp, here in Hampton. They met every night for two hours of grueling soccer in the Lowcountry heat! Jonathan so wanted to be a part of camp (but isn't four yet), so each night, we would go with Josh and bring our soccer ball and play up and down the empty field. The last day was yesterday, and it was the hottest of all the days. The kids were dripping with sweat after the first half hour, but kept going strong. One of the parents, who happens to be on the Fire Department, brought the fire truck and sent water spraying on about 100 parched, thankful, squealing children! Hampton County has its ups and downs, being a small county in the deep South, but I am really glad that it has such good sports programs for the kids. The fall soccer season starts in about 2-3 weeks, so I am sure that I will be posting a barrage of pictures...this will be his second season playing, and I am getting a kick out of being a soccer Mom! :) As for Jonathan, he'll have to wait another year to start. In the meantime, Dad is training him, so he will be ready to go when his day comes. Jonathan and I went shopping tonight, and found a size 11 pair of white with blue stripes, Adidas soccer cleats, and a soccer outfit to match. As soon as we got home, Jonathan put his full "uniform" on, and he and Josh held a soccer match in the living room. I am blessed to have two beautiful, healthy, active boys!! :)