What happened??

It's been a month. And we have been doing a lot of things. That don't include blogging apparently. So here is the short form...first in words, then pictures. 

Tori got new glasses, the kids and I had a week off for Thanksgiving, we put up our Christmas tree, and the Giving Tree too. Todd and Tristan went to a cowboy bonfire, we made cookies, and Todd went all the way to Colorado and back. We started our Random Acts of Kindness countdown, hit the trail, wrapped up the first of the gifts, and Tori and friends decked out for the Harbor Very Tacky Christmas. The gifts started pour in for the the Giving Tree and the rain started pouring while we visited Christmas Lane in Dover. We are planning parties (for Tori and friends) and attending others (Todd's networking group party!).

More December activities and hopefully more time to blog...coming soon!

Super kids.

Report card week - all A's for both of them!!

Tori named 7th grade student of the month, out of like 400 kids!!

Tristan's baseball team ended in second place earning runner up medals at the last game!!

Tori and her partner won an honorable mention (one of only two) at the model UN conference at a local junior college. They were two of only 8 students from her school sent to represent various countries. Their platform, resolution paper and debate topic was access to primary education for the country of Tunisia.

And now we are officially on fall break.

My kids are kind of super. At least I think so :-)

Strike 3!!

Strike 3. Last out of the Inning. Way to go Tristan!

PS - Videos of Tori to come.

I'm Glad You Came

I love when the boy sings. Even if I miss part of it. And its a bad video. 

Ups and Downs.

Life has ups and downs. This is about as obvious as the fact that the sky is blue and the grass is green. But sometimes I appreciate it more. The process of it all. This is one of those weeks.

I had a couple of nights I was just in a funk. And all I wanted was sweat pants, flavored coffee, and good show that Todd and I could cuddle up to. Granted I did not want to talk to him because I was crabby, and lets be real, not so nice when I am crabby. But I wanted him there. And I think for the first time in too long, even in my funk, I could recognize how awesome it is that he is just there. All the time. Even when I dont think I need him or want him there. Still there. He doesn't read my blog...but if he did...I would tell him how awesome that is.

And we got a new president. Wait, no we didn't. I was hoping we would but we didn't. And quite frankly, sorry my Democratic pro-Obama friends, I don't like him. And I was bummed. But I took enough time to step back and appreciate my dislike. Or rather my ability to dislike. To have been a part of the process, to live in a country as great as the one I live in, and to remember that it is neither Godly nor mature to just jump on a bashing band wagon. So I dont have to like him. Or be excited about the decision we made as a country. But I remain, proud to be a part of this great nation.

There were also some awesome ups this weekend! Tristan pitched an AMAZING game on Tuesday night. A game that took place in absolutely amazing cool temperaturs...so cool that I got to wear my favorite sweater and sip on a delicious salted caramel mocha latte while watching it (delivered to the bleachers by Todd - um I mentioned he rocks right?) And I got to take some pictures of one of my favorite families. I had coffee with my daughter before school one day. I loaded new songs on my phone and went for a beautiful run around the bayou...and I am headed out tonight on a road trip with my sis to help my cousin celebrate a quarter of a century! And I don't feel guilty because my families weekend is filled with super fun stuff too - hayrides/bonfires, birthday parties, baseball games, etc!

Happy Friday! Make your day be full of ups and downs and may you cherish the ride!

A Baseball Life by Tristan Maddex

Tristan was given an assignment in class to write about something he currently does or likes and imagine it "BIGGER". This is what he wrote:

 I started baseball when I was about three. Now I play for the Little League and I'm the star pitcher for my team. We are the Hurricanes. I am going to be pitcher for my middle school. In my high school I am going to lead out team to 14 wins and 6 losses. Then I'll play there for 2 or 3 years and be what everyone goes to the game for. My parents will be so proud of me. I'll be the best pitcher in the history of pitchers. I'll have curveballs, sinkers, change ups and probably booger balls to!! I'll make all the other teams look awful and we'll look stupendous. Then I'll be accept by the Tampa Bay Rays before I even get to the minors! I'll be a legend!!! I'll be everything the Rays need. I'll probably start as a back up pitcher but then the pitcher might brake his leg and I'll go in and get 3 strike outs in a row. I'll finally be starter pitcher and I'll lead my team to victory against the New York Yankees in the World seireis. And all be everywhere. I'll be a ZILLIONAIR!!!!! I'll be the world's best pitcher and always be remembered. 

Tristan Maddex - 4th Grade

(All punctuation, misspellings, and grammatical errors are his)

Twins, Dog Sitting & Celebrating a Decade

Little stuff first... Tori has a new friend named Kelly and she is an answer to prayer. She had previously managed to find the most religiously diverse group of friends humanly possible...literally Mormon, Jewish, Catholic, atheist...you name it. And I LOVE that. I love that she has gotten all these perspectives on belief systems that are not ours. But I also prayed that God would give her a friend at school that also believed what she believed. And then our church got a new pastor. And he had a daughter. And she lives close by, attends the same school, even rides the same bus. Her name is Kelly. And they have been inseparable...constantly sleeping over at one house or the other, going to football games together, the beach, etc. And shopping. Apparently "matching/coordinating" is still cool in 7th grade. After a visit to the new H & M at a local mall they came home with these (please excuse the disheveled Tori)!

My parents got a dog. And I like dogs so I think this is great. Her name is Macy and she is the female version of the dog we grew up with, in fact I have mistakenly called her Chipper multiple times. Oops! Anyway she came to stay with us a week...and Max, who is crazy, was so excited. I mean way too excited. My little 8 lb psychodog scared sweet Macy to death when she first got here but within hours they were friends. And Tori had a new friend too as Macy spent most of her weekend with us on Tori's bed or at her heels.

So amidst the baseball and school projects and work schedules and general juggling we hit a major milestone...my boy turned 10. I repeat, my baby is a decade old. And he is turning into the neatest little guy. He is witty and funny. He is sweet and gentle. He is generous and helpful. He is athletic and intelligent. He is creative and artistic. And he has the best laugh. Its been a good decade. I can't wait to see what the next decade brings.

On the Pinke side of our family we celebrate decades with a all boys/all girls trip...a tradition that started with my mom's 50th. So when Tori turned 10 the girls went to St.Augustine. In discussing where Tristan would go the boys opted to stay close to home but do some "guy" things. So Tristan's weekend of fun included Firehouse Subs (his favorite), shooting various guns at a range in Lakeland, Wing House, cleaning guns at my brother's house where they spent the night (after kicking Taylor out - sorry Taylor), and a day long fishing trip. The fishing trip was a bit of a bust since the fish weren't biting much but they did come home with a few grouper filets and some grunt, all frozen for a future fish fry. And yes, the picture below of Tristan, is with an assault rifle that appears bigger than him. My brother built it and Tristan was REALLY excited to use it.