4th of July Weekend

We love the weekends around our house. Breakfast in PJs, playtime outside and just the four of us being together is such a blessing. Of course, we don't get to sleep in since both our boys are early risers and there is an occasional "Cranky Sunday" as we like to call them when one or both boys decide to have an attitude and/or not nap. At that point, we're ready for Mondays to roll around again :)

The Fourth of July was very low-key for us this year. We were both off work and had a great three-day weekend together. Eric picked up a watermelon on his way home from work Friday, I made brownies and decorated them with red, white and blue icing and we got caught up on some Netflix movies.

On Saturday, Eric, Noah and I made a flag cake. I took Noah to the store earlier in the day to get the ingredients. Flag cakes are super easy to make and very kid-friendly. Noah like spreading (tasting) the whipped cream and putting all the fruit on top. He really does enjoy helping me in the kitchen these days, mainly because he gets to "help" (i.e. lick the bowl and spoon). Right now, his favorite thing to make with me are blueberry muffins. He asks to make them all the time and would eat four at a time if we'd let him.

On Monday, we went to the 24th Annual Town of Farragut 4th of July parade. It lasted a few hours, but we only made it for one. It was pretty crowded and really hot. Brenton liked to wave at everyone and Noah's favorite souvenir was a small bouncy ball.

Of course we got the kiddie pool and water table out which has been nice to have on these hot days. The boys love to play in the water together.

Buzz Lightyear vs. Zurg

Tyra was able to capture just a snippet of a laser battle that she and Noah had the other day. It's Buzz Lightyear (Noah) vs his arch-nemesis, Zurg (Tyra).

The parts at the 20 second and the 40 second mark (when Noah announces his name!) crack me up! And of course, don't all true super heroes wear only their undies to combat?!

Noah's first trip to the movie theatre

On Saturday, June 25, Eric and I took Noah to see his very first movie at the movie theatre -- Cars 2. We asked one of the boys teachers from school to keep Brenton so that we could enjoy time with our little man.

We'd been building up going to see Lightning McQueen on the "big screen" for weeks. We explained ahead of time that movie theatres don't have remotes and that we can't rewind or fast forward certain parts (can you tell he's been spoiled by DVR?) Of course, one of the best parts of the experience was getting to see the Toy Story short which Noah loved and immediately asked to watch it "again" after it was over.

We got to the theatre about 30 minutes before the film started, bought Noah some popcorn and let him pick out candy (he chose M&Ms). We got Noah a small cup and put the popcorn and candy in the cup for him so Eric and I could share the big bag. Now when Noah eats popcorn, he asks if there are M&Ms to go with it :)

The pace of the sequel was much faster and a bit more complicated than the first. Noah got a bit anxious about two-thirds of the way through, but perked up in time to pay attention to the ending.

We took his picture in front of the movie poster. Noah loved getting an afternoon with just mommy and daddy. We loved it even more I think.

Noah with Mater and McQueen right after the movie :)

Firetruck Fun

On June 11, our favorite toy store -- Smart Toys and Books -- hosted firefighters from the Knoxville Fire Department. Eric dropped Noah and me off while he and Brenton went to Home Depot.

Even though there was a big, red fire truck parked in front of the store, Noah couldn't wait to go inside to play with the trains and train table first. After he had his fill of trains, we went outside where we were greeted with a firehat, coloring book and stickers. Noah got to play on the firetruck and sit in the Captain's chair. He could've played in the front seat of that fire truck all day trying to figure out what each button does. Interestingly, the truck doesn't actually start with a key, but a special lever and button. Somehow Noah figured that out, but the firefighter was able to stop him from starting the firetruck before he accidentally turned it on!

We didn't leave empty handed though. Noah picked out a book called "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to take home. He first read it while we were on vacation in May and fell in love with the story.  The house we were staying at had several children's books and that was the one he liked most. He basically has it memorized by now, complete with hand motions for certain pages. It's so fascinating to see his imagination grow and memory mature now that he's nearly 3 and a half years old.

Also this weekend, Brenton experienced his first spaghetti dinner...or shall I say the spaghetti dinner experienced Brenton?

He's really trying to feed himself these days and always has to have a spoon or fork in his hand if someone is feeding him. He's still pretty picky, but his favorites are oatmeal, yogurt, fruits and juice. He's a few days away from being 13 months -- still no teeth!!! We haven't kicked the bottle yet, but hope to do so very soon. He actually loves his sippy cups and will drink anything you put in them (apple juice, grape juice, water), but refuses to drink milk from a sippy. 

Meeting James Taylor!

The one, the only James Taylor!

Well, Eric and I had a lifelong dream come true on Monday, May 23, 2011 when we went to our first James Taylor concert. Little did we know when we bought the tickets in February that we'd not only get to see him in concert, but acually get to MEET him after the show!

Here's the story...

Eric and have always been big James Taylor fans. On the rare occasion he'd make it to Nashville or near Knoxville, we were never able to go. We were thrilled when it was announced in February that he'd be playing Knoxville in May. The tickets were expensive, but we thought it could be a Valentine's Day/early anniversary gift rolled into one since our anniversary is May 15.

We started the evening with a delicious dinner at Nama Sushi in downtown Knoxville. We had the JG roll and crunchy shrimp roll, along with miso soup and the house salad. For dessert we had truffles with kiwi/strawberry compote and raspberry sauce and topped off our meal with beer (for Eric) and Riesling (for me). 

We got to our seats right as the show started because James Taylor actually took the stage when the ticket said he would -- 8 p.m. sharp with no opening act. I appreciated the fact that latecomers were not allowed to take their seats until between songs.

During the intermission, we went to the lobby, looked at the tour shirts and headed back to our seats. All of a sudden Eric noticed that James (yes, we're on a first-name basis now) was sitting at the front of the stage signing autographs! We rushed to the front, but got cut off because he needed to start the show again. We were at least excited to be able to see him up close even though we thought we'd missed our chance at getting an autograph.

After the show, we left in awe after several goosebump moments during his set because he was SO great! I noticed the buses were parked next to the side entrance to the auditorium so I told Eric that we should hang out for a few minutes to maybe catch another glimpse of him.

A few others had the same idea and before we knew it, there was a small crowd waiting to see if James would come over. Well...he did! The guards had put blockades around the bus entrance, but James came right up to where we were standing. Some people got a little pushy trying to get to the front, but his bodyguard kept saying, "Be patient and he'll get to you." This was definitely a good sign, so Eric and I got our ticket stubs and the set list the sound tech gave to us and waited for our turn to say hi to James.

I talked to him first and told him that the show was our first James Taylor concert. He said, "Oh, really?" and then proceeded to sign my ticket. We touched arms :) I then asked if he'd take a picture with me which he did. Then, Eric got his chance to talk to him and get the set list signed while I snapped a photo of the two of them.

James Taylor was so gracious, patient and reciprocated every kind word said and told everyone in the crowd, "Thanks for coming." What a refreshing and wonderful experience to meet someone who's been in the business so long, yet takes the time to be grateful to those who so dearly love and appreciate his music.

It's was an experience we'll never forget. Now we just need to figure out where to frame our pictures and signed memorbilia!

My favorite songs from the eventing were "Something in the Way" and "Copperline" although we both had chills during much of the performance. His tone was impeccable and his voice sounded as if he's not aged at all. He introduced many of the songs and told a little background on them. His 11-piece band was phenomenal, including the four back-up singers. He sax player, Blue Lou, was a founding member of the Saturday Night Live Band and the original Blues Brothers! Very cool. James Taylor is definitely a national treasure!

A Busy and Fun Month of May

It's been way too long since we updated the blog! With two on-the-go boys, it's tougher to keep this updated, but we will try to start blogging more often. There is so much to catch up on, but we'll start with this month, which has been incredibly busy and loads of fun! We celebrated Mother's Day, Brenton turned 1, Andrew and Thomas graduated from UT, Tyra starred in a play called "The 39 Steps" at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, we celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary, and took a week-long vacation to the beach!

Brenton turned 1 on May 13, and it was so much fun to celebrate his special day. I can't believe he's already a year old...it's really unbelievable. He and Noah are ideal brothers...they love each other so much and enjoy being together all the time. Brenton's 1st year was much different than Noah's first year, and he certainly had to sacrifice some of the attention at times, since Noah loves to be the star of the show and the ring-leader of most things...but I don't think Brenton would have it any other way. He adores Noah and looks up to him so much. I pray that they will always be as close as they are right now!

Here is a great photo from Mother's Day -

Here are the boys at Andrew and Tom's graduation. They were really good sitting through most of the ceremony. Thomas is headed back to Texas, and we're glad Andrew will be staying in Knoxville to get his MBA at UT!

Noah, meticulously reading the program

With the graduate

Brenton and Andrew

We celebrated B's big day with family and friends at Sweet CeCe's in Knoxville. It was a perfect location and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was great that so many family members were already in town seeing Andrew (Eric's brother) and Thomas (Eric's cousin) graduate from UT, so they were able to come to B's party and see Tyra perform in her show the same weekend.

He loved making a mess with his cupcake.

The birthday boy

He loved getting kisses from Uncle Charles

Brenton inhaled the Cake Batter frozen yogurt

A cupcake? For me?

Noah kept wanting to sneak bites

Making a fun mess

Last year, we celebrated our anniversary at Mercy West Hospital, as Brenton was just 2 days old. This year, we spent a lot of it in the car driving to the beach! As usual, we were so excited to head back to Seabrook Island, and we are grateful for our dear friends who make it possible for us to stay at their beautiful beach home.

Since we didn't go to the beach last year, this trip was even more special. Noah had an absolute blast doing everything and Brenton loved the ocean and swimming pool. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few snapshots of our trip to Seabrook...

Both boys were awesome on the 6 1/2 hour car trip

First time in the sand

Brenton LOVED the ocean

The bikes and Burley trailer were so much fun. Noah fell asleep on many of our bike rides.

There was a full moon over the ocean on each of the first 3-4 nights.

View from the pool

Gone Fishin'

Perfect kite-flying conditions

7 years of married bliss

Click Here to view some more photos:

The 39 Steps

This spring, I was cast in "The 39 Steps" at the historic Oak Ridge Playhouse. It was fun to be back on stage after a nearly two-year hiatus. We had five weeks of rehearsals to prepare for what became my favorite show I've ever done. There were only four actors in the show, but three of us played multiple characters. I played a Brittish gal, German spy and Scottish farm wife.


I couldn't have done it without such great support from Eric though. There were MANY nights when Eric had to fly solo with the boys while I was at rehearsal or "play practice" as we explained to Noah. Rehearsals started at 6:30 and ran until 10 p.m. or later some nights. I missed my three boys like crazy. At first, Noah would ask me not to leave, but then he started pretending that he was going to play practice with his "friends" (Grover, Buzz, Woody, Thomas the Train, etc.) during his own playtime. One morning, Noah came into our bedroom, put his hands on his hips and emphatically proclaimed in a serious tone, "I'm going to play practice!" and turned around and walked out of the room.

The show opened Friday, April 29 and I learned first-hand the meaning of "The show must go on." A few hours before opening night, I came down with a stomach bug at 3:30 p.m. I was supposed to leave for Oak Ridge at 6 p.m. for our 8 p.m. show. I called Eric to see if there was any way he could come home a little early to watch the boys. I called my doctor to see if there was anything I could take, but the only anti-nausea med they called in would have made me loopy and unable to drive. I then called our stage manager, Lindsay, who called our director to let him know of the situation. Since postponing the show was not an option, and because I had no understudy, we devised a plan to get me through the night. After Eric got home, I rested for about 30 minutes, gathered my things, grabbed two empty plastic cups for the 30 minute drive to Oak Ridge (in case I needed to throw up while driving) and made it to the green room by 7:15 p.m. Lindsay was there to greet me with gatorade, crackers and pepto bismol tablets. She'd also put a bucket, bottled water, towel and mints on both sides of the stage in case I needed to run off in the middle of a scene to throw up.

With lots of prayer, support from our sweet cast and crew and a little luck I made it through the performance without "losing it." Our director gave me a pep talk right before curtain and said how often things like this happen to actors, but somehow your adrenaline kicks in and you find a way to get through the show. I'd never been so nervous before a show in my life, and never more disappointed that I wasn't able to give my best after so many weeks of rehearsal. There was a reviewer in the audience that night from the local paper too. You can read her review HERE -- thankfully she didn't pick up on my ailment and no one else in the show caught my stomach bug!

Here are a few photos from backstage and some that we did for a publicity photo shoot. I created an album on my Facebook profile with lots more photos to if you want to check them out. Trying to find time to memorize lines was laughable, but I'm thankful for being part of such a wonderful experience and getting to know some fantastic and super-talented people. Maya Angelou always says how important it is to do something sacred that's just for you. For me, it's always been theatre.

Our huge cast -- Josiah Rowe, me, Tony Cedeno and Rollin Prince

Here we are all sweaty after our very last performance

Scene from the Crofter's house in Scotland

The train scene was the most complicated to rehearse, but seemed to be everyone's favorite.

Playing Annabella (a German spy) although my accent was more of a Russian/Spanish/Italian combo :)

To say April and May were jam-packed months is an understatement. Not only is April Eric's busiest time at work, but in the first two weeks of May we celebrated Mother's Day, Brenton's first birthday, Andrew and Thomas' graduation from UT, our 7-year anniversary, my play and headed to the beach! We're thankful to be so blessedly busy :)