Keepin' Up With the Tidwells

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

He's a Rockin' 8 Year Old!

He's 8!  He's really 8!  My firstborn turned 8 today.  This precious boy made me a mom!  We so love this kid.  Bennett is our sensitive boy with a kindness beyond his years.  His heart aches for those in need.  He's the child that rolls down his window without hesitation and gives whatever he has on-hand to the less fortunate.....including a few school books that we actually still needed.  He just wants to help however he can and I'm so relieved he is sensitive to the needs of others.  I think it's so easy to become cold when you see homeless on every other corner.
 

Bennett is our perfectionist.  We giggle at how tightly he seems to be wound when it comes to some things.  I would like to pawn that quality off on Fletcher, but it's like looking in the mirror at some of his antics.  He likes to make his bed as orderly as he can and just sleep on top of the covers to save time in the morning.  I totally did that!  Combing his hair takes FOREVER!  No hair can be standing up which throws him every morning because he has Fletcher's hair.  Have you seen Fletcher's hair?  It all stands up!  Completely stresses this kid out trying to get all those hairs to lie down. :)  Stresses me too when we're running late getting out the door.
 

Bennett is our overachiever.  I'm not talking necessarily about his ability in sports although he is a great little athlete.  I'm talking more about his commitment.  He can't just play something.....he wants to be the best!  Fortunately, he's willing to put in the hardwork, but sometimes it might be nice to just play or attend.....says the type A mom.  We don't always have to be the all-star.  But then again, it seems we do.  I vividly remember my mom saying to me as a child, "you can just take gymnastics....you don't have to be the best."  Funny enough, my response was, "I think I need to be the best."  Makes for an ultra-competitive child.  I see that in Bennett.  He does find joy in competition and my prayer is that the joy continues to drive him and not the praise of me or others.  I'll do my best to reign it in.:)


Bennett is a leader.  This is a work in progress, but it's my goal each and every day.  If what I see on the TV and the news is mainstream, then Bennett and Beau have to be different.  To be different, they have to be leaders.  Bennett is a great leader in his classroom at school and in his outside activities.  I'm so thankful he has that quality. 


And lastly, Bennett is our little old man in an 8 year old's body.  He dresses like he's 70.  It's pretty common for him to wear a sweater vest to school when his classmates are in t-shirts or sports clothes.  He's funny like that, but it he seems unphased by it.  He wore ties to school until a teacher told him he looked like the president.  He thought the teacher meant our President Obama.  He told the teacher he's not a fan of Obama and has since chosen other less-Obama-ish outfits.....back to the sweater vests.


Today we celebrate this quirky, little boy.   I'm so blessed to get to be his mom.  This brown-eyed snuggler brightens each day with his million-dollar smile and his infectious laugh.  Our prayer for Bennett is that he continue to grow stronger in his faith, always seeking God's purpose for his life, and that he blesses others with his gifts.

Happy Birthday, precious Bennett!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Wait! What? SIX!!!

My reaction to my baby boy turning six is...What???  Wait!!!!  How????  How in the world, in the blink of an eye, can this precious boy be 6 years old?!  I've been asking myself this all week long and I've got no answer except the old saying, "the days are long, but the years are short."  That they are, my friend. 

This child brings laughter and joy to our house, in so many ways I can't begin to list.  I could actually, but I've got dinner going and would hate to burn the boy's birthday dinner.  First of all, let me introduce you to the boy we call Beau-handsome.  It's obvious why we call him that....can you say BIG, BROWN EYES...., but I have to give credit where credit is due.  My dear friend, Britt, gave our Beau that name when he was just a chubby (and already handsome) baby.  He wears it well.  He looks like my daddy in so many ways and he acts like him too. :)  I love that I see Vandygriff in him.  And taking after his Papa, Beau loves music.  He really loves it.  It's in his little bones.  He sings all the time and strums his guitar to the beat.  He feels it even when sometimes his audience of one (his big brother) does not.  In the car to school, from school, to the grocery store, anywhere and everywhere we get serenaded.
 



Beau is like a little old man.  He'd take Bonanza, the boxset of Gunsmoke, and Walker, Texas Ranger over anything Disney.  He wants Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash instead of the radio.  We may not know a foreign language, but we know all the words to Buddy Holly's Greatest Hits in order.  That counts for something, I would think.  My goodness, we love this kid!  We giggle daily at his little observations, and we're humbled by his honesty.....sometimes in public.  He's as tough as nails and always ready to come to his big brother's defense whether he needs it or not.




Our Beau is as smart as a whip.  He told me last week as we walked through the mall passing the Santa set-up, "That guy isn't the real Santa.....he's just a mall worker.....just works for this old mall.  Santa is way too busy to be doing this stuff!"  When his older cousin passed gas this weekend, I heard Beau tell him it was "impressive."  I can't take responsibility for anything that comes out of his mouth, good or bad.  BUT I can laugh!  Beau is my constant reminder that laughter is the best medicine and I'm so thankful he is a momma's boy.  

    

Happiest of birthdays to our precious 6 year old!  My prayer for our Beau is the same today as it was yesterday.  I pray that he know God's purpose for his life.  I pray that he grow up loving the Lord and always seeking His Will and His favor, not the favor of his peers.  I pray the he be a leader and stand for what is right even if he has to stand alone.  I pray for protection over him and I pray that he always know how much he is loved and pray over.  Biggest hugs to our Beau-handsome!!! 
  

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

He's a "Spirited" Kid!

    Gosh, where is this summer going?  I looked at my calendar and we're already halfway through July.  Oh the days of summer, please slow the heck down.  We spent much of our month of June at the ballfield.  Bennett loved every second of playing on the all-star team and Fletcher and I loved almost every second of coaching/team mom.  The latter part may not be entirely true as I've come to realize that I'm completely content having my path not cross that of certain characters that often frequent the baseball field.  Not to name names, but we had our dose of a crazy ball mom if you get my drift.  For every loon, there are 3x that in wonderful friends and families we've grown to know and love.  We ended the all-star season at the Wahoos game where the boys got to run out on the field with the professional players.  Pretty awesome experience for our boys and a great way to finish out the season.  Bennett has since gone from baseball to baking.  He's my little helper in the kitchen!



 

 
    Turning the page on baseball lead us right into the 4th of July!  We have the best of friends that we try and get together with whenever possible and it turns out the 4th of July was when it was possible.  Amen to that!  We loaded up the kids and headed for Lake Tuscaloosa.  The Blairs, The Rosses, and The Tidwells know how to have fun and the kids seem to have inherited that as well!  The kids go until the can't go anymore.  They tube, they ski, the swim, play baseball, dodgeball, paddle boat, and then they do it all over again.  The adults laugh, and eat, listen to great music, and laugh some more.  It's pretty wonderful to have people in your life that love and support you and you can return the favor!  We always leave our weekends with these special friends grateful for the time, but eager to see each other again sooner than later.









     One thing that seems to be a constant everywhere we go is our Beau.  It's pretty standard that he makes an entrance and an exit always.  We've come to define him as a "spirited" kid!  I find I spend a lot of my time trying to navigate the waters of Beau which is comedic, fulfilling, and challenging all in the same breath.  This week Beau has had an infection in his ear that came from first having swimmer's ear.  The doctor said that due to his high threshold for pain, when most kids would have stopped swimming because of severe pain, he continued on causing more infection.  She recommended 7 days of antibiotics and no swimming for a week.  We made it 5 days of antibiotics and 1.5 days out of water.  Great parenting, I know!  He's since recovered. :)  On day 2 of no swimming we made it out to Pensacola Beach to watch the Blue Angels dress rehearsal.  It was amazing to see and following doctor's orders (or not), we watched it from the beach/water. :/  For the record, I tried to keep him in the sand.....unsuccessfully.


 


     Beau also has his own fashion sense and it's very loud.  He loves  his giant flat-billed hat and his colored skinny jeans and alternates between the red and grey.  Trust me, I'm looking for additional colors to help with our options.  Monday I noticed specs of red material as I walked through the house.  When I got to the playroom, there was Beau with my kitchen sheers cutting holes in the knees of his favorite jeans.  He wanted them to "wook" better.  God bless this kid and our clothes budget!  Nevermind that it's 90+ plus outside and he's in holey jeans, a mock-turtleneck, and a gun-holster. 



   I've learned so much from my "spirited" child.  I've learned (and continue to learn) to appreciate how God made him.  I love that he really doesn't care if it's odd to wear a bandana around his neck and mouth into Target or whether people might think it's strange that he wants me to buy him a duster to wear to church.  He knows who he is and is completely fine watching old John Wayne movies while the other kids his age watch Disney Junior.  Sometimes I wish I were as comfortable with myself as my 5 year old is with himself.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

We've Jumped Right In!

We limped across the finish line of K4 and 1st grade, but we've jumped right into summer.  I'm exaggerating a bit when I say "limp" considering I think both boys finished strong in their studies.  Where we lacked motivation was in keeping our early to bed/early to rise routines.  We were all yearning for mornings with no alarm and we've embraced it for sure.  As of today, we've been out of school a full week and the boys have the tan lines to prove it. 

Memorial Day is the real summer kick-off for us, but the actual day is always such a heavy one.  It truly is a day that we remember fallen friends.  Fletcher's list is much longer than mine and I can always see it on his face.  For me, it's the day I think those wives I know raising little ones alone.  There's one in particular for which my heart always hurts.  I follow her on Facebook and keep tabs on how her kids are growing.  Truthfully, this wife has handled her reality with more grace than I can even imagine.  She lost her husband when she had an 18 month old and was only weeks away from having their second child.  I'm always so impressed with her commitment to pressing on and her determination to choose joy.  Such an inspiring story, but there's sadness and loss there too. 

Our Memorial Day weekend was spent on the go.  Fletcher is always on the go, so it's only fitting that so are we. :)  Bennett made the all-stars team which was a huge feat for that little one.  The team had yet to find a volunteer wanting to coach the 7U team.....that is until they called my sweet husband.... the one witness to all the hard work his kid had put in this season in an effort to make the team.  He couldn't let the kids not get to play because they lacked a coach.  SO there you have it!  He's coaching the team along with two of our favorite people.  I'm not sure how many games these kids will win, but they'll definitely have to best coaches.  That scramble started our weekend off to a scurry....rosters, coaches, uniforms, schedules, GEEZ!  We did squeeze in some boat time which makes everything right in the world.

Monday, Fletcher took the boys to the local Memorial Day service.  It's so important that we pass along the true meaning of this special day.  We were blessed with gorgeous weather all weekend, so being inside would have been a crime.  We had dinner at our sweet neighbor's where in true fashion Beau knocked out Bennett's tooth.  It was a baby tooth, but why not get it knocked out at a dinner party?  Our neighbors have an 18 month old, so the sheer shock on their faces may have sealed the deal that baby Lincoln could be the last child they birth.  Yes, there's danger in producing more than one. :)  But you know it's been a successful weekend when everyone high fives and goes to their own beds out of pure exhaustion.  






Monday, April 7, 2014

Easter Treasure Hunt

CeCe & Pops came for a visit this weekend.  Between school and baseball, we had high hopes of getting in some time on the beach.  The weather forecast had something else in mind because it rained and rained and rained some more.  In spite of the rain, CeCe managed to plan a treasure hunt for the boys complete with scripture-filled clues leading them to treats along the way.  The final clue took them to a treasure chest filled with goodies.  They loved running from one spot to the next to find the clue and surprise.  I know coordinating the clues with a scripture and lesson was a time-consuming task, so we are super grateful for CeCe's work in pulling it all together.  As you can see, it was a hit!  The mid-hunt cupcake break helped to refuel. :)






Friday, March 21, 2014

Soap Poisoning?

Well, as you can see from the picture, we are, obviously, the meanest parents on the planet.  Let's start with stating that neither boy suffered from soap poisoning as a result of a little disciplinary action.  And here's how it all went down.  About a week ago on a Monday morning, as we were pulling into the school parking lot for drop off, Bennett decided to drop a bomb.  He said in the most casual voice, "Chandler said *%! is a bad word, but how could *%! be bad?  I mean, what does *%! even mean?"....I'm not going to say the word that he said (3 times in a matter of 0.5 seconds), but let me just state that my body literally flinched when it came out. 

Please note, we drive 25 minutes to school.  We had approximately 23 minutes to properly discuss had Bennett chosen to bring this up earlier, but since we were then pulling into the parking lot, I was a little pressed for time.  I quickly explained how that was an ugly, ugly word.  We don't use that word in our home.  It's not honoring to God, and the list of reasons went on and on at a rapid pace.  However, in my heart of hearts, I knew right then the damage was done......Beau, the exhibitionist little brother, had heard the word.  It was only a matter of time before the next bomb would be dropped.  I could only pray that it wouldn't be 1)  in the classroom of his precious, little Christian school, 2)  shouted out in front of our pastor, and/or 3)  at the baseball field as he crossed home plate.  I say this only because I know this child well.  Putting on a show is his gig and he loves a good reaction.  I know he saw the shock in my eyes when that word first rolled off his big bro's tongue, so it's not likely he was going to waste that one on just any crowd.  Goodness!

SO yesterday Bennett runs in and shouts at the top of his lungs "MMMMOOOOOMMMMM, Beau just said *%! again!".  Can my people PLEASE stop saying that word?  It's burning my ears!  Fletcher sat them both in chairs, put a fresh bar of dial soap in each of their mouths, and taught them a new word:  con·nois·seur    His projection is that we are going to have two soap connoisseurs in our house if they keep repeating what lofty, little Chandler is telling them.  I mention Chandler for a few reasons.  First, I don't know this child and couldn't pick him out of a crowd.  His mom, whom I do not know, and I are not facebook friends or instagram mates or anything else, therefore, this isn't a passive-aggressive approach to get someone to reign in their child.  And second, I was fully prepared to throw Chandler under the bus if I got a phone call from the school regarding this word coming out of a Tidwell boy's mouth.  I'm not fronting....I've got no loyalty to Chandler. :)  I will forgive, unless he follows up with the definition of the word at which point I really will tackle him. 

Thursday, March 6, 2014

My Little Characters!

I'm not sure where to begin.  I've been meaning to sit down at the computer and jot down a few things that have been going on around here.....but those "few things" have literally kept me running to and fro so much that I just haven't had a second.  First off, we're in baseball season!  When I say "in" I mean in it up to our throats and loving every second.  I have already lost my mind and all that goes with that cheering on my two favorite boys.  Somebody please create a pill for all of us overly competitive, super intense, slightly out-of-control, helicopter moms.  Step one is recognizing the problem, right?  Now get me some meds for it!:)  All that aside, the boys are loving every minute of it and making great friends along the way.  When we haven't been at the ball field (which is not much), the boys are totally emerged in their alter-egos.  Some days that would be the Lone Ranger and his lofty sidekick, Tonto.  Some days it is Matt Dillon and Chester from Gunsmoke.  And since our recent visit to Nashville where the boys' favorite pastime is watching Three Amigos with their Pops, they now hop into the rolls of Lucky Day and Dusty Bottoms.  It's a never-ending cycle and I'm just along for the ride sneaking pics for proof of all I endured.  Regardless of the starring role, a gun, a horse, and lots of shouting is involved.  I find myself dodging cowboys left and right just walking from my bedroom to the kitchen.  I thought last night when the boys finally crashed and the house was quiet, I much prefer little cowboys shooting guns in the air and steering their horses wildly around than quiet any day of the week.  These are the days!  I'm posting some pics to show our ongoing theme here.  There's a picture of Beau on the pitcher's mound taken right before he shouted to me in the stands that he's "WEALLY, WEALLY HUNGRY!" and pointed to the concession stand.  Nice timing!  And a picture of the boys crashed out in the car after a day of running around in Nashville.  This is how it happens.  We go and go and then.....out!  I call that kind of napping MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  Love, love, love my two jokers!





    

Monday, January 13, 2014

A Sports Jacket & the "F" Word

It's been exciting weekend here!  First, and not, foremost, Bennett's basketball team won their first game of the season.  Let me be clear, not the first game they've played, but the first one they've won this season.  It was a victory for us all if you know my competitive nature.  Not to take anything away from the coaches.....that would be my husband and my friend's husband.....BUT I'd like to chalk this victory up to momma's blocking out demonstration during breakfast.  I feel totally confident that's what made the difference.  Thank you, Coach Cameron, for those drills.  It was not wasted on me. :) 


Saturday afternoon we attended a neighbor's birthday party.  Can I preface this with the fact that the skies opened up that morning and literally dumped rain for hours.  The yards were a muddy mess.  But never fear, the weather did the polar opposite of what it would have done had I been hosting this party, and it cleared up.  Saturday afternoon was a beautiful day in Pace, Florida.  Having said that, the mud was still there.  Fletcher told the boys to wear their keens or old shoes to the party.  Good advice had it been taken.  I'm sitting at the party visiting with other moms when the man behind me laughs out loud and points to the two kids playing football in the mud with their socks on and no shoes.  Now what kind of parent would let that happen?!  Aunt Golda loves to point out things my boys do that are "signs of intelligence" and I'm hear to tell you, Saturday they were showing very few of these signs.  Can I get an AMEN for Clorox!  Bleach was made for mothers of boys.


Sunday Bennett was baptized which is obviously the more exciting portion of our weekend.  It was a wonderful day for our family and we could not be prouder of our little man.  And a little man he is!  I notice it every day as he dresses himself and comes out of his room with the same outfit his dad would wear:  khakis and boat shoes with his hair parted on the side.  As we were walking into school this morning I had Beau on one side and Bennett on the other.  We're chatting away getting in our last bits before the kids walk into their classrooms.  Bennett reminded me that he really wants a sports jacket.  Again, a little man.  And Beau agrees that sports jackets would be nice and adds in that he's going to refuse to sit next to Carissa in class because she "farts" all day long and he's sick of it.  Wait, what?  How did we transition from sports jackets to that in about 2 seconds and can we please not say the "F" word?  I whispered that plea as we made our way to class.  When I picked him up early for his dentist appointment today, he handed me his jacket and announced in front of the receptionist that he'll stop using the "F" word.  Goodness Gracious!  I wanted to tell her it's not that "F" word....it's really more of a lowercase "f" in this case.  Walking to the car I had to laugh and I just kept hearing what my father in-law always says, God sure does have a sense of humor! 


I've decided I need a shirt that reads:  HUMBLED by Beau