Raising Knights

Another celebrated Mother's Day swiftly come and gone, and a Friday evening out a few weeks ago with 2 of my 3 handsome gents to an event at Legacy entitled "A Mother's Knight" led me to ponder that very thing.

That word.

That phrase.

What does it mean to raise a Knight? Especially in the fast-paced, seemingly-chaotic, techno-driven world we live in today? The term quickly coins itself in the popular lady-spoken phrase as her "knight in shining armor". A handsome man riding atop a purely white horse rescuing that damsel in distress, with a shimmering silver sword diagonally placed across his chest that's ready to draw at a moment's notice. A rescuer. A hero. Perhaps he wears only a sword today, but tomorrow his outfit contains the full "Knightly armor".

Such a FUN night with these 2 knights of mine!

Oh Carson.... his 'knightly' personality has been evident lately!! ;) ha!

Beautiful "mothers-of-knights" 

And more beauties...with our handsome knights :) 

And a Biblical Knight wears just that. Armor.

Thee armor.

How do I raise that kind of wanna-be-man? A boy-become-man who puts on that armor with all fierceness and intent of being a warrior? Strength and dignity all wrapped into one as he firmly leads well. And yet remains humble and kind....gentle and compassionate.

Austin & his buddies

LCA Band Concert

Austin received the Allegro Band award for Outstanding Achievement :) 

It's an ever-learning process but one thing I know I've learned through raising boys up to this point is that they love attention. They crave validation.

He's not a boy who needs to be entertained to the enth degree. Truly. He doesn't.

Plopping a boy in front of a screen doesn't do anyone any favors. Providing hours on end of video games that can all-too-easily warp the mind only aids in a boy's desensitizing of what's happening in & around of him, minus the screen.

Drama awards for these thespians...so proud of you Carson & Austin!

Carson-- LCA Middle School baseball

Stealing second! Way to go #29!

Mason up to bat--here we go #7!

Track and Field day at LCA!

Mason pitching! Struck out 5 batters in two innings! 

Mason crossing the finish line :) 

Hear me out. I'm not against video games at all. There's a time and a place. Or more of a time limit. And a specific place. But hours on end (or anytime they want) is just lazy parenting. Dear mama, don't allow the games to be a babysitter for something you're missing out on with that handsome knight of yours. He needs to join in on your cooking, sit across from you in a game of Carib-ridge or next to you in a competitive game of Catan, ride alongside you as you bike the neighborhood scoping out the springtime beauty of budding flowers. Have him build a fire and then sit on a log next to it with a twig & knife and use those God-given sills to create something out of nothing. Give the boy 20 minutes to get those creative juices flowing and you'll be amazed at the results!! That's knightly.

And just as I expect him to be "ever-present" in the moment at hand, my actions better meet the same criteria. Ever-present. Cellphone-less. Put that thang down dear mama. Your boy is watching and he needs you to see him, not the device that holds your attention more than your own flesh & blood.

We wonder why this generation of "kids" has such a hard time unplugging. They're watching. They're learning. And as a whole, we're not gettin' it.

Yard work at it's....finest?!?

The "fire-manager" 

Doing some yard work for Grams!

Let him get dirty. And then show him how to wash that dirt out of those jeans.

Let him take risks. And then show him safety within those risks.

Let him make mistakes. And then fellow mama, with a firm voice & gentle love, correct him. Allowing him to reap the consequences of said mistakes will be more beneficial than you realize. Life lessons at its best.



At the end of the day, I'm humbly grateful and ever-thankful that God chose to bless me with the overwhelmingly tough but beautiful task of doing my best in mothering these 3 knights. Who, by the way, still give their mama a daily hug at lunch (in front of their friends even...)!! I never shy away. Never will.


But I know that eventually, down-that-road, there's another who will take the place of those daily hugs. And I'm already praying for her. Praying that she is one who loves the Lord first and foremost.
That "damsel in distress". She will become his beautiful princess.

And I challenge you to do the same....sweet Mother's of Knights.

May our handsome gents grow to be Knights in shining Armor.

Mother's Day 2019 

Paper plates or fine china?

I won't deny that every so often there's a giddy-girl-like thrill in getting "all dolled up" in thee single fancy dress (that hangs in the very back corridors of my closet mind you), in order to sit across from my main squeeze at the small square table that has more place settings than a single farmhouse table at Thanksgiving set for 12. I'll boldly admit I genuinely like to eat off of "all things fancy" a time or two.  A cloth napkin folded properly on one's lap, knife and spoon to the right of your plate with 3 forks to the left....perhaps one atop the plate...and you're fairly certain that the salad fork is the farthest one out on the left.  Dessert fork placed immediately next to the plate? Or maybe it's the one lying horizontally above the plate?? Oh the stress of picking up the proper fork so as not to interrupt the flow of the dinner presentation?!......
However, in the very same breath and not-so-dolled-up-comfy's that adorn my closet from one end to nearly the other end (except for said single fancy dress at the very back), I thoroughly enjoy a barbecue that desperately cries out for paper plates, plastic utensils, and cups that don't require dish-washing or hand-washing. Red Solo-cups. With a sharpie nearby in order to mark names on those appropriate Solo-cups. That's really more my style when the time suits. Which is usually the case. And I'm 100% ok with that.  

Because it's all about the company. Not the 'coringware.'

Legacy Gala 2019!! 

These ladies...some of the very best! Legacy Gala 2019

It's more about relationship than showmanship. 

It's the community not the conformity. 

Community...Friends....FAMILY. #Newsies

Spoiled by these ladies... #40

An incredible night of laughter & sharing... #40

#40..... bring it. 

#40......

...with these incredible ladies/friends

It's more about a lived-in house than a house that's hardly lived-in by it's occupants. 
It's not about the stuff but all about about the sincerity. 

It's more about the belly-aching laughter and richly deep conversations in developing/ strengthening friendships & family relationships around the table than the actual dinner table itself. 

My Gents.... my guys.... #faithfamilyoffive

It's by far, more about those heart-felt talks that are somehow promoted at bedtime & the kneeling/sincere bedside prayers rather than the single layer (or 3) of bedding that lies atop the bed my "not-so-littles" are about to sleep in. 

My "used to be littles"... LOVE being a mom of guys!

We do our best to pull out all the stops when guests are invited in and through the front door of our Anderson home, making sure it's hospitality ready--treating anyone beyond this family-of-five as both royalty and family all in one. It may include fine china ....or rather, the best of the best in the Anderson Clayworks dinnerware.... and yet, it might be the classic disposable tableware. Complete with a Red-solo cup to sharpie your name on so as not to displace with another. 

#forevermyguy #myfavoritedate  

So proud of these boys! #HelloDolly #actors #weloveLegacy

Bros-waiters--Hello Dolly!

Nan & Pap with their handsome waiters!

mama & sons... #HelloDolly #6thgradeactors

Grandma & Auntie with the stars!!

So special having Grandparents at the show!

;) Carson & Nanny...having a 'moment' '

Director Lori Brown with the Anderson boys...what a FUN show!!!

The bottom line is knowing that when in the company of others, you feel like fine-china, even though the service-ware may only replicate paper plates. 


What are you doing to provide someone to feel like fine-china? We're all in need of it. At some point. Admittedly or not. We all need to be uplifted and felt important and worthy of something. Of somebody even. 

Find that someone and make him/her feel at worth today. You never know how a single sentence may translate into a table setting of fine china someday. 

Even if they serve a full course meal on paper plates. 

Bluebird nightly sky entails a walk around the neighborhood

(btw...if you are in need of feeling important by somebody....His name is Jesus. And I'd love to tell you about Him. Just let me know. It'll be a life transformed.) 

One Journey at a Time

I know of families that tend to shy away from traveling with littles, and even twitch at the thought of traveling with those who are current inhabitants within the same four walls. The packing is more daunting than the actual traveling itself. The planning is way out of their league. The destination-mapping strenuous beyond Siri resounding her casual, nonchalant monotone voice-over of when to turn left or right. And then there's the looming stressful thought (become reality) of having to spend even "more time together," they say? "I'm not sure how we'd handle that whole scenario." 

Not this gal. Nor her other inhabitants. Bring it on Siri. ;) We're all about making memories together and experiencing life outside of our little bubble. And that bubble is really quite 'little' when you actually step outside into the "real world" and take notice of just how much 'world' there is to not only see but also step into, even for a moment's notice. It's grand. And even in our finite minds, there's so much to glean from places and experiences that we may be otherwise closed-off to. Case in point on this very trip! 

Laurel Falls--Smoky Mountains, TN

For this fam of five, bring on the sense of known & unknown adventures, those long car rides that turn crazily chaotic after a few hours of being in the tightest quarters possible. Couple that with traveling alongside a minivan in the exact same situation and we're most definitely in!! 

Louisville Slugger Museum

"The team" ;) 

Baseball fan family of 5!

Timmy & Austin

Carson

Carson

Mason, holding a Kris Bryant bat of course ;) 

Spring Break 2019 defined. 

Smoky Mountain Resort

Our view for the week.... breathtaking!!

Coffee tasted pretty good while sitting on these rockers

A boys paradise! wide open spaces! (Mason & Timmy)

An evening stroll...complete with football/baseball/running up a hill/etc!

All da boyz!

My guys :) 

My man...and my ultimate favorite guy:) 

Roommates reunited 

This man of mine.....

ready to hike! 

So blessed by this gal ;)  #collegeroommates 

Our hiker boys!

My 3 handsome gents!! LOVE THEM!

My favorite Austin 

My favorite Carson 

My favorite Mason 

Smoky Mountains with my hottie-hubby.... beyond blessed. 

A family day--exploring Gatlinburg and another small hike in the Smoky Mts. 

Ice cream...between a donut....YUM!!! 

Tennessee was far from disappointment. The company was perfectly spot-on. Life lessons were learned along the way and every step inbetween. We praised our Creator for the beauty  we continually beheld, the grace given all along the way, and the blessings that were outpouring in a variety of ways day after day. 

Carson

Austin

Mason

Mason--completing the Ninja course with an elbow at the button

Such an awesome week reconnecting with friends and creating memories as families

#blessed

Creating lasting memories that will turn into those retold stories as our handsome gents get older, causing tears of laughter as they are relived through said stories.... 

Priceless. 

Definitely a highlight of our trip!

6 boys--great friends--moments like these---- Mulvihill's & Anderson's 

Secretariat :) 

Trackside with my hottie-hubby... #horseracing

Entrance to the track

Which hat shall we choose?!?! 

We stepped into unknown territory and came away with a new appreciation and new knowledge that we wouldn't have known otherwise. What a gift! 

A father & his sons.... it's all about the motors engines and huge tires and... it's a guy thang 

Austin's ready to race

winner's trophy through the years

Carson's ready to race

Mason's ready to race

At the finish line...victory tower behind us

Finish Line!! #Bricks

Carson was lovin' this day at the race track ;) 

My handsome guys...

My favorite :) 

"kiss the bricks" (winner!!!!!)

And we'll continue taking family adventures, stepping into personally unknown territories, whether it's in vacation form or faith-stepping form beyond a vacay. No matter how big or small each may seem. 


Life being lived out as opportunities present themselves. 

#hiking

One journey at a time.