Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...

--John 1:14

The stockings are hung.....

The cards are mailed.....

This WILL Make You Cry

From Will's string quartet recital on November 16.

Tchaikovsky Quartet, Opus 11.

Click on the link below, then on the play button. Will is on cello.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11882212/Chamber%20Concert%2011%3A16/07%20String%20Quartet%20No.%201%20in%20D%20major%2C%20Op.%2011.mp3

This WILL Make You Smile #6

Will and I had a great time in Dallas last weekend. We had asked for and received a joint birthday trip and Drew hooked us up. We visited with a bunch of old friends and extended family members, shopped way too much and generally ate our way through Dallas and Collin counties.

At La Hacienda Ranch, on our last day, at our last lunch, I was debating about what to eat.

Me: Should I order the Burrito de Gonzalez or the Enchiladas Munoz?

Will: How 'bout you order up a Spanish accent instead??

First Snow + First Christmas Tree= A Big Day for Luke & Ty

Will is 15!!

All treats

Yahoo!!! He's in!

Brant visited 5 colleges with me and Drew; 6 others with his junior class.

He received 500 lbs of college mail easy and probably another thousand emails.

He prepped for the SAT and for admission interviews.

He wrote and re-wrote essays.

He weighed his options.

Then Brant decided to apply to Wake Forest for early decision.

Today we found out he's been accepted. ACCEPTED!

The thick envelope in the mailbox heralded the news. (And asked for our $500 deposit.)

Sure, sure, my Tar Heel heart is a little hurt and disappointed, but I love Brant for being able to get himself in Wake. I love him for wanting to stay close to home to build a relationship with the new guys. I love him for choosing a college where he can continue to study classical guitar.

I love him for making Drew so happy. (Even if the sorry Demon Deacons will ultimately break both their hearts.)

Way to go, B.

Way to go.

Whew.

A friend's son was married today. Brant played the prelude. The bride was beautiful. It was a perfect ceremony followed by a wonderful reception.

Normally during weddings, I concentrate on the music, the scripture.....the sacred vows and what it is to be married and to share your life with another person. I picture myself on my own wedding day....young and in love and hopeful and full of shining optimism. Drew and I squeeze hands and secretly renew our vows with each other.

Today? I earnestly thanked God that I will always be the mother-of- the-groom and will never have to plan a wedding.

WFU Homecoming

Drew chaired his Wake Forest Reunion this weekend. That's him, circa 1990, second from the right.

It was a fun weekend. We caught up with old friends Friday night at the class party, played at the Festival on the Quad Saturday morning.....tailgated with the old Theta Chis before the football game.....then watched the Deacons get beaten. Again.

Grandparents' Day

My mom came up from Charlotte for our school's Grandparents' Day celebration. I think she had a blast.

She didn't get the award for coming the farthest, or being the oldest or even having the most grandchildren at CBDS. But I would guess she got the most attention of any grandparent there. And that was just fine with her.

When I pulled up afterwards to pick her up, she was standing by the flagpole with one arm around Ty and holding Luke's hand with the other.....full of news about who she'd seen and met and how proud she was of the letters and artwork the boys had made for her. Made my heart shine.

Later, I heard her tell the boys about growing up on a farm:

"When I was a little girl, my mother, your great-grandmother, used to make biscuits every morning for breakfast. We'd all do our chores early and then....."

She didn't hesitate. She didn't skip a beat. She wasn't awkward about who was who. She didn't try to qualify anything. Her family was their family. Her stories, her memories and heritage....she wanted to share it all with Luke and Ty.

Good for Mom for getting beyond race and biology and genetics to think of Luke and Ty as her grandsons.

Shame on me for ever thinking for a second that things would be any other way.

The Birthday Baby

Amazing, but true.

Jay is 13 whole years old.

Love you, Babe.

Tar Heel Born

As part of Brant's search for the perfect college, we took a trip over to Chapel Hill for the official UNC admissions presentation. After the tour was over, we met with the guitar professor, did some people-watching on Franklin Street, shopped at Johnny T-Shirt, ate at Four Corners.......and even caught a Rush event at the Phi Mu House. (Drew and Brant decided that sorority rush is kinda stupid and girls are just plain weird.)

As much as my true-blue heart would love to see B go to Carolina, my mom radar told me that he wasn't feeling the Tar Heel love as much as I was. Coming from a small Christian school, it's probably just too big and too overwhelming.

Disappointing, but old well........

(Hahahahahahaha. Carolina humor. I crack myself up.)

For Will

Dear Will,

As you head back to high school I just want you to know that I love you and hope you'll have a great sophomore year.

How awesome is it that you have a chance to study music...that we live in a city with a phenomenal arts school.....and that you have the ability through your art to add goodness and beauty to our world that is sometimes so very ugly.

I thank God often that you are you. I thank Him for the way your brain works, for our shared love of books and words, for your blue eyes....for all those songs He puts in your head that you play for me on piano late at night. Over and over.

As you go into 10th grade, I am praying essentially the same prayer that I've always prayed for you. God, be with Will and keep him safe....protect his body and protect his heart. Help him know the difference between right and wrong. Please give Will friends and teachers that know you.....and understand him. Make your presence known to Will. Help him know that you are real. Be with him....walk with him....whisper in his ear and call him closer to you. Help Will become the man you would have him be.

Have a great year, Will. Try hard. Use your gifts. Learn all you can. Make some new friends. And always, glorify God in every thing you do.

I Love you!

-Mom

July & August Recap

Wow. I don't know where summer went........

(OK. Check that. After trolling through all the pictures I took, I know exactly where it went!)

Brant had a lot of fun playing Big League baseball with a bunch of old friends.

We had a laid back, but fun, Fourth of July. Luke and Ty were completely amazed by the Tanglewood fireworks display. Can't wait to see their eyes when we go back for the Christmas lights.

Sadly, Jay's All-Star team lost the Little League division championship to their rivals, the Winston-Salem Nationals. It was a tough loss, but the Nationals were a great team and went on to win the NC state championship, then made it all the way to the semis of the

LL World Series regional tournament. You might have seen them on ESPN.

Brant taught Ty to tie his shoes, thus, staving off my aneurism a little while longer!

Babe got braces! Drew and I got the enormous bill.

Our neighborhood swim team went undefeated and won the League Championship.

Brant feels sure it was because of his mad coaching skills.

Way to go, Stingrays!

We had a great visit with my friend, Kris, who was back in town from Iowa for a few days. She was so excited to finally meet the new guys.....read them stories, baked red velvet cake, fed them sweet cereal before I woke up. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Luke & Ty would have packed their bags and gone home with her.

Will made it back from Vermont safe and sound.....full of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, exotic thai food and fancy chai tea.....conservative values in tact.......just in time to head to the beach with the rest of us.

Big B turned 17 while we were there!!!

He was happy to receive Jack Johnson concert tix.

Will and Jay returned to Sparta, NC and beautiful Camp Cheerio again ---Will for his 8th summer and Babe for his 4th. Unfortunately, Will has aged out now, but oh, how he would love to go back as a CIT next summer. Err......except for the part about supervising hundreds of little kids for six weeks!

I thoroughly enjoyed my mother's family reunion in Pilot Mountain. It happens every August and is one of my favorite times of the entire year. Luke and Ty were definitely surprised to see the mountain pop up on the horizon as we drove north.

Ty now calls it "the hill."

I visited non-stop with my precious aunts, uncles and cousins and yep,

we all ate pretty much non-stop, too.

My flower girls are all grown up.....and all more beautiful than ever.