The infamous Thomas

My "baby" brother Thomas is turning 16 on March 25. On Thursday our awesome neighbors, Jordan and Kelly, called and offered Reed 2 tickets to the ACC tournament on Saturday. Seeing that both North Carolina and Duke would probably be playing I called my mom on a whim and offered the ticket to Thomas. Next thing I know my little brother is flying in to watch the games and before you know it he was gone

(had to get back to his busy life :).

The boys were beyond thrilled and I don't think they left him alone for more than 2 minutes at a time. It was a great weekend filled with basketball, wrestling, stupid movies and did I mention basketball?

Is it Thomas, is it Tyler, I can't tell!

(except for the attire :)

Ready to cheer for the blue devils

Ready...Swish



"Mom, you had 4 boys this weekend, wasn't it AWESOME?"

Yes, yes it was

We love you Tommy boy, thanks for your 48 hour visit.

Proof

Reed wanted to make sure I posted evidence of Grayson's skills.

Note the hands:

Left hand guide, Right hand follow thru
Swish

And the bruiser

Answers to prayers

LEGOS

An answer to every frazzled mother and bored 5 year old boy.

A bucket of legos = unlimited possibilities SNOW

Much needed moisture and endless entertainment and excitement for our two little southern boys what could be better? Well, when nursery gets rough (we're talking table climbing, children wailing, block whacking rough) there's nothing like a good snow storm to end church early.

BROTHERS

There's hope our boys may not actually kill eachother before the age of 12. I walked downstairs to see this:(
But I heard this: Gigi, I'm your big brother and I'll always take care of you (I guess it was a "nice" headlock :)

POTTY-TRAINING: Somewhere in the craziness of the past month this litte man potty-trained himself.

Seriously, what did I possibly do to deserve this?

BASKETBALL

Although we always knew Matts would probably play downlow Reed is thrilled to discover that not only does Gray LOVE basketball, he also has "skills".

Valentines Day

We had a quiet Valentine's Day at our house. Reed was out of town, so I got to share it with my two boys. Saturday afternoon, the boys and I headed up to my Grandparents' in Tennessee where we were spoiled beyond our wildest dreams. It was the perfect combination of new legos, favorite foods, cable and babysitting. Thank you, Thank you G & G it was almost perfect.

Now,The last thing I need for things to be perfectly perfect are for this guy to come home

(I pick him up at the airport in an hour :)

Happy (late) Valentines, I love you.

Good times, good times...

Here's a much needed Christmas update. We had a wonderful vacation filled with great food, friends, family, snow and nerf wars. What can I say, these little guys fill our home with so much joy and life that it makes everything easier.

The 4 F's of Coping

1. Family

I'm blessed to be at the point in my life where I have three families. The family I grew up in who know me inside and out and can nurture me accordingly, laugh at my jokes and assure me I'm not crazy. The family I married into who make me feel like a queen and adore my boys and finally the family we've created. Somewhere along the last 10 years Reed has become my rock; my partner, my helpmeet and my love. Add to that an angel in heaven to keep us on track and two boys to fill our house with life and laughter and everything is easier.

2. Friends

Amendment: I've been blessed with 4 families, some just aren't related by blood. With family so far away, friends are absolutely essential. While in Atlanta we've developed friendships that will last a lifetime and have been an absolute lifeline.

3. Food, glorious food

Anyone with foreseeable hardtimes should join the LDS church if only to enjoy the massive, fabulous amounts of food that will ensue. Few things are better than a delicous, nutrious meal at the end of a hard day, especially if it just magically appears.

4. Flowers

It may be shallow, but I love them and they make me feel better. I especially enjoy seeing what arrangements people choose to send as they always reflect a part of who they are. Thank you to one and all who know that I like pretty things and they make me happy.

Life's Tough Lessons

1. Life is unpredictable. Unfortunately, little baby Peterson will not be joining our family. At our 16 week appointment they weren't able to find a heartbeat. We're obviously a little blindsided and a lot heartbroken. It's interesting how attached you can get to a little peanut in just 4 months.

2. To steal a cheesy country song there are "angels among us". Through these last 4 rough months I had to humble myself and ask for help. In return I was humbled by the generous and loving natures of our friends, coworkers and neighbors.

3. God hears and answers prayers. Although this is the last lesson you'd expect to learn from hardships it always seems to be the most resounding and longest lasting. As I piece together the "tender mercies" that we have already experienced I can't help but be grateful.

4. #2 and #3 notwithstanding . . . this sucks.