8th Grade Dance

Blake went to his 8th grade dance last night. He wavered all month on going, mainly this week over having to wear a tie. And he was adamant he was not wearing a clip on. He made last minute plans to go out to eat with a few friends and then ride to the dance with them. So I didn't take him or pick him up, but we did a mini photo shoot on the front porch. He was not too enthusiastic about it but he did put up with my cameras for a few good shots.

getting the tie done

the twins

It is entirely possible to feel every emotion all at the same time. I'm happy Blake has made it successfully through his middle school years. I'm happy he is healthy, full of life, and happy. I worry about high school and all the things that come along with driving, dating, etc. I can't believe how fast he has grown up, it goes by like a flash. I'm proud, so proud of his kind and helpful heart, his ability to keep going when things get hard, and his beautiful face. I sometimes catch myself thinking that he's still my baby. Unfortunately, he's not. He can drive to the brink of insanity and make me so exasperated... but I would give my life for him in a heartbeat. He will do something awesome with his life, I know. He has always lived outside the box, and refused to conform when people tried to put him in one, myself included. As much as it's my job to raise him, I am sure God sent him to me to teach me things no one else could.

I love this boy of mine...

~Tara

Blake to the Rescue

Tuesday morning I found out my Mom had a snake in her house!!! My skin crawls at the thought. She slept all night in a house with a snake under the stove. Her neighbor came over to help catch the snake but it went into hiding. So after school Blake and I stopped in before picking up Maddie from Art Squad. I warned him about the snake and of course he went right in and started looking for it. He opened all the cabinets, the warming drawer under the stove, everywhere. Then we decided to look downstairs and in the basement. Finally as we came back upstairs and headed back to the kitchen, I saw it. We stood still a few seconds trying to decide what to do next. Blake ran down and grabbed the shovel and a dustpan. I kept my eyes on the snake. And in the end, we won!!!

It still creeps me out just looking at this picture. I am happy we were at the right place at the right time to rid Mom of this snake. Blake's her hero!!!

~Tara

Live from the News Desk

Maddie makes her official debut on the school news today. She wore a super cute outfit and was excited!! Of course it was early and, as usual, we were crunched for time so I failed to snap a picture of her before she ran out the door. Maddie decided she was going to be on the news a year or so ago. In most situations, if Maddie sets her mind to accomplish a goal, she will. I admire this about her. She wanted to be on the All A Honor Roll for the year, so she worked harder when her math grade was a B. She wanted to be on Student Council and she is. She wanted to throw a party for her school janitors and give them ice cream, so she and a friend planned it and did it. I can't wait to see what's in store for this sweet, ambitious girl of ours.

not this morning, but still the same cute news anchor

~Tara

At the Lake

We spent our Memorial Day at the lake. The kids had been wanting to go fishing ever since their trip got rained out over spring break. We packed a lunch and swim suits just in case it got too hot and we had to jump in and cool off. The lake was muddy since it rained Sunday evening.

We always wonder if we could slide off this waterfall rock into the lake. It looks to be moss covered so it probably wouldn't work very well, and the water looks so nasty in this picture. The waterfall is really pretty though.

Blake was the lucky one this trip, he caught all the fish. We had about one good hour of fishing after we ate our lunch. It started to get hot as it usually does on the lake. And usually at this point Maddie starts to whine about being hot and bored and I start to worry about her fair skin getting burned. But I had a genius idea...

and brought the umbrella.  It was a perfect fit for her area of the boat. She laid her long enoughe for the boys to fish a while longer until this monster rolled in.

After what proved to be too much time wasted debating whether or not we should leave, we had to get in a long line of others fleeing the soon to be storm. We waited to get to the boat ramp to load the boat and it began to pour, massively. Thanks to my genius idea with the umbrella, Blake and I took a little shelter under it while trying to keep the boat from being blown away by the wind. This storm came fast, we didn't get to stay as long as we hoped to, and we didn't get to swim but we still had fun. And that's all that matters anyway.

~Tara

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Yesterday we went to see to see the Braves play. Maddie was on the Honor Roll all year and she was awarded two free tickets to a Braves game. The other tickets we had to purchase were pretty cheap, so we made a day of it. We had lunch after church and headed off. The first stop was Bass Pro Shops, well because Dad was driving and we hardly ever drive past a Bass Pro without stopping.

She may be a sparkly nails, lip gloss wearing girly girl, but she's got a tough side too. She was really liking this pink and purple camo 22. Did I ever mention she's a Daddy's girl??

We had an in car picnic of Subway sandwiches before we went into the game. Lesson learned last year, never plan to eat at the ballpark, we spent more on food than tickets last year.

Pics before the game~

I love this pic, I may print it on canvas for Blake's room

The Braves won against the Rockies. This was the first game we ever attended where the Braves won!! Gattis hit two home runs in consecutive at bats. It was hotter than hot but fun too. We are already looking ahead to next year's honor roll tickets and this time I took notes on what section to choose so we can sit in shade.  

And last but not least, Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to those who have served or are serving in our military. I know Memorial Day is primarily a day to honor military service but, being a LEO family, I can't help but feel that those who serve on a daily basis behind their badge also deserve a thank you. We passed a very long line of officers in GA yesterday as they were making their way to the funeral for a fallen officer. All those blue lights flashing in a line brought a tear to my eye and a lump in my throat. The brotherhood that is present in law enforcement is awesome, I am proud we are a part of it.

We are headed to spend our Memorial Day together at the lake. Enjoy the day!

~Tara

Taking Notes...

I met with my Wives on Duty group this week. It's a group for LEO wives where we support each other and talk... with others who know what LEO life is like. No other group of women have been more like me and I really enjoy going. This week I shared a story about my son being gone on a field trip. They all listened and said they would pray for me, (I get that a lot). If you are a mother of a boy, you understand. Anyway, all of the others are Mom to young kids, I am the only Mom of teens/tweens. Therefore, I always get the comment, "You should take notes, you should write a book, I'm going to be there in a few years and I could use it.." so here we go. I will title these posts either Taking Notes on Boys or Taking Notes on Girls, depending on who I'm taking notes on. I hope it will be a collection of helpful advice for others and a chance for me to read these notes and gain perspective later on. Usually, situations are not as bad as they seem in the moment.

So for my first note... Go with your gut. This week my son went on a field trip with his 8th grade class. It was a 3 day, 2 night field trip. I hesitated briefly when deciding whether he could go. One, the trip was $340. Two, he was going to be gone 3 days. Three, I could not go along because I didn't want to!!! So, I reasoned with myself that it would be ok for him to go and it was a "reward" for successful completion of middle school, an accomplishment we often times wondered about happening. School is a struggle for some kids,  you know. I originally thought I would not allow him to take his phone because I didn't want him to get homesick and try to call me to come pick him up, 5 hours away. That wasn't happening. He said he wanted to take his phone so he could call me at night and we could talk. Now, what Mama doesn't melt at the thought that her "little" boy wants to hear her voice at night before he goes to bed. So, off he went even though I had my doubts.

Three hours into the field trip, I got a call from the principal at the school that my son was making prank calls. And that if he didn't stop he would be disciplined upon return to the school . Talk about panic!!!! I did and proceeded to call my son to get to the bottom of the situation.... and he didn't answer his phone. So much for needing to hear his mom's sweet voice. I finally did get him and he had actually called the wrong number by accident, four times,  and didn't intentionally prank anyone. He was trying to call a friend and misdialed one number. Either way, I was a nervous wreck that somehow he would find himself in more trouble while on the trip, intentional or not.

There lies the hardest part of parenting a teen, or any child for that matter. It's a mother's natural instinct to protect her baby at all costs. No matter their age, you want to protect them from harm and often that means you are inclined to protect them from consequences also. That doesn't work. I am slowly learning this. Even if he had been prank calling, that was his choice, and he deserved to bear the consequence of that. I am realizing that I have a little over 4 years to train my son to think like, act like, and be an adult. I really do not want him to act like a 14 year old forever, so if that means he has to feel some pain from a consequence, so be it. I am holding him back from growing into who he needs to be by trying to protect him. It's a huge shift in parenting and it comes so fast that Mom's often aren't prepared for it and they resist it. Sometimes I think we are so pressured into being "in the moment" with our families that we don't think ahead to what's coming. It's wonderful to enjoy the stage you are in with parenting your kids, however, a smart Mom can do that while planning for the future at the same time. Again, I'm learning here. Reactive parenting is no good, it doesn't allow you to think about the best response. It means you have to make a snap decision and usually it's not the right one.

Learn this lesson: If it's your gut feeling to not allow your son to take his phone on a field trip, don't let him take it. If he needs you, there are teachers and other adults on the trip who will have a phone he can use. If he takes his phone, then he accepts the responsibility of having it and will bear the consequence if he chooses to misuse it. And that's ok... that's how the real world works.

I'm preaching to myself here, thanks for listening......

{this moment}

only one baby tooth left

~Tara

Letters from Career Day

Last week Bryan spoke at Maddie's school about his career in law enforcement. She was thrilled to have her dad come and was so proud of him. She said he did a great job! One of the 4th grade classes sent him a stack of handmade thank you cards. 

These really made his day. There's not always a lot of thanks or praise given to a law enforcement officer, except from those who actually know what their life is like. It was nice to read all these notes of thanks and many of the kids said they wanted to be an officer after hearing him describe the job. I know this meant a lot to Bryan and I'm sure Maddie will never forget when her dad came to Career Day.

~Tara

Totally Not Bummer-Summer List-o-Fun

I mentioned to the kids that we should make a summer fun list. Summer goes really fast and it can slip by before you have a chance to do all the fun things you had to postpone while school is still in. Madalynn decided to make her own personal list....

#8 is Run through the sprinkler half naked!! She's definitely got more of her dad's wild genes.

10 days of school left until summer starts.... 

~Tara

Wrapping up LEO Week

We wrapped up LEO Appreciation Week with a softball game. Several other officers and dispatchers came out to play. Blake had a blast pitching and just being out on the field playing with his Dad. It was a fun time even if their team lost, badly.

~Tara

BYDTC Weekend

Maddie and Mom spent the weekend at Clemson University for Bring Your (Grand) Daughter to Clemson Weekend. This event is sponsored by the Women's Alumni Council and is meant to encourage young girls to think ahead and plan to attend college. This is Maddie's 4th year to go. She loves it so much and looks forward to it every year. They get to stay in a dorm and do activities and tour campus.
Here's Maddie at the Dairy Barn, which she said smelled really bad. The calves were cute so that helped.

Maddie is a Clemson girl through and through. 

This one's going to find itself framed so Maddie can see it every day. I hope she fulfills her dream of attending college at Clemson on full scholarship. This girl of ours has BIG goals!! and she can do it.

~Tara

Give Something

It's National LEO Appreciation Week. To honor this week and the officers who have died in the line of duty, there have been many events to take part in. There was a blood drive at the sheriff's office in memory of our friend Bill. I decided to be brave and donate blood. I am not a fan of needles and try to avoid them if at all possible, however, I will step up for a good cause. And I did fine, by the way.

The same evening the kids and I attended the awards ceremony for the presentation of the Bill Schuck Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is given to a student who will be pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. This presentation is very important to me. I will never forget the first year it was presented. It was the same day that Carey Ann, Bill's wife, was giving birth to their son. I get chills as I type this, just like I did that night as the first scholarship was awarded in his memory. I was surprised to see Carey Ann and Aaron at the ceremony this week. It was good to see them and Aaron made friends with Maddie right away. It was love at first sight. :)
We all had time for pictures and to talk a while before they needed to head back home. It still breaks my heart to know that sweet boy never got to meet his dad.

Every 53 hours an officer gives his life in the line of duty. Let that sink in a little. If you know an officer, if you love an officer, if you ever have an opportunity, thank an officer and his family for his service. It will be very much appreciated. If you can give blood, do it. If you can give a smile or any act of kindness, do it. Give something...

~Tara

Recap of the Surprise Party Weekend

The surprise party for my grandma went well. She was very overwhelmed by everyone being there. I believe she enjoyed herself. Here's a picture of most of the grandkids and great grandkids. Not a bad looking bunch.

Grandma and Maddie

Mom, me and the kids, and Grandma

After the party we went back to my aunt's lake house. The kids swam a little and we had an extremely late taco dinner. My uncle Mike went to the store to pick up what we needed and actually forgot to buy the hamburger meat for the tacos. I had to run back to the store at almost 8:30!! It was a nice weekend and here's a panoramic shot from the dock.

I am so ready for summer and our trip to the beach. It can't come soon enough.

~Tara

Honor Roll and other school events

Madalynn was on the All A Honor Roll for her 3rd nine weeks. This has been her goal all year, because she was on the A/B Honor Roll earlier in the year. Madalynn is a good student and she enjoys school, for the most part. School is almost out and there's a lot of events that take place at school in May. She's got a Student Council party next week, Career Day that her dad is going to, and a party for MAP achievement. Then there's Field Day, Awards Day, etc...

~Tara

Wagon Wheel

We have been living in our home for almost two years. I still am working on filling it with unique things that we love. I love having things that have a story. I posted a while back about my antique orchard ladder that I hang quilts on. My most recent find is an antique wagon wheel. My brother in law found a set of wheels and one broken one for spare parts at a local yard sale. I cleaned the most sturdy one up a little and put it on our mantle. It's extremely heavy so I really hope our rock mantle can support it for a while. Bryan assures me it's safe.

~Tara

National Police Week 2014

May 11-17 is National Police Week. This time is set aside to show appreciation to our law enforcement officers and to honor those who have died in the line of duty. This week means a lot to me as a LEO wife. I am proud of my husband every day. I see how he loves his career and how it is most certainly his calling in life. He is dedicated and honorable and he is a great leader in his department. His shift is our family, we live our lives together and we understand this life in a way other people cannot. We suffered loss in our LEO family four years ago when one of Bryan's officers died in the line of duty. I have never experienced anything more heart wrenching than riding in my husband's patrol car while leading a several mile long procession of grieving officers. scared wives, shocked people. And as we rode under the American flag suspended by fire trucks, a dispatcher tried one last time to raise his on the radio, Charlie 7...county, Charlie 7... county, Charlie 7 end of watch. It was at that very moment in the silence with tears streaming down my face that I realized exactly what my husband wearing a badge meant. It meant that on any day, at any time, I could have the same thing happen to me. I could hear him called on the radio for the last time. In my opinion, it takes a hero to pin on a badge and protect us from the evil of this world.

Say thank you to the next officer you see, it will make his or her day.

~Tara

to Grandmother's house we go... and other highlights from the week

The kids and I are heading out this afternoon to make a trip with Mom to my grandmother's. She's turning 90 this weekend and we are throwing her a surprise party. Mom's side of the family is a little spread out across the state and we rarely are able to get together all at once. I hope she enjoys seeing everyone and celebrating her birthday.

We had a few friends up last weekend. We shot skeet and I actually hit a few, we had low country boil... and it was wonderful. This time we added crawfish. They were really good, at least the parts Bryan picked out for me to eat.

We took our usual Sunday hike to the river. It was almost 90 that day and wading the river was a must. Funny story, Maddie took off her shorts and was wading in her underwear. There is usually never any chance of seeing another person at most of our favorite river spots. But on this day, we had others join us, the assistant principal of her school showed up to see the waterfall. She was mortified but managed to get her shorts back on without anyone noticing.

We washed and waxed the patrol car, AKA "Black Betty". 

By the next morning, she was completely covered in pollen again, you gotta love spring.

The weather this week has been so warm but at least there is a nice breeze. I've spent some time sitting on the front porch just breathing fresh air and watching the hummingbirds and watching the kids play. I'm ready for the school year to end and for us to have some summer fun. Next post... Madalynn's No Bummer Summer Fun List... it's good.

~Tara

{this moment}

~Tara

Blake

Since I did a post about Madalynn earlier this week, it's Blake's turn. Blake's about to finish up 8th grade, so high school will be our next adventure with him. It's just about impossible to believe that time has passed this quickly. Blake loves to be outside, so much so that if he doesn't get outside every day, it's like he wants to come out of his own skin.

Blake snagged this nice trout, he's a great fisherman

he was making one last attempt at catching another fish, as usual

The water is so clear in these pictures. The falls here are beautiful. Blake and I agreed this hiking trail was our favorite. There are two different waterfalls at this spot.

God's creation is beautiful, from the great outdoors to the son who loves it. He's a great boy and I am lucky to be his mom.

~Tara