Trey is 16!

Our #1 son is 16!

Trey (Dwight David Sexton III) is now 16. This is seems very significant to me because this was the age and time of year (Holiday Dance 1985) that I met my future husband. Wow. And within a year of dating him I knew I was in love. Huh? Trey couldn't possibly know what love is at this age, even though I did. Anyway....

- Trey is a great big brother. I think Tanner, Connor and Sydney would be OK if he took care of them from now on.

- Trey is a great friend. I've always admired this about him. He does not care about popularity, or being cool. He just is who he is. He will be the first to include someone being left out, and never talks bad about anyone.

- Trey is a great son. He is always obedient, trustworthy, respectful, helpful and always does what we ask. I cannot remember a time when I have asked him to do something and he has complained in any way. Never a "why do I have to, I didn't make that mess". I mean I can NEVER remember a time this has happened. I have mentioned this before because as a mom of 5 kids I know that this is amazing and incredibly unique to him.

- Trey is a great example to old and young. I am constantly being told be teachers, parents of friends, and acquaintances how remarkable he is and how glad they are to be associated with him.

I say all this because Trey is just special. And he hit a milestone birthday. And because I see in him everyday ways that I can be better.

Happy 16th Trey!

Fantasy of Trees

We enjoyed taking Tanner, Connor and Sydney to the Fantasy of Trees, an annual benefit for Children's Hospital, again this year. They love to do the crafts, eat the cookies, and look at all the trees. Here is a great little tree they found. If only they had a Davy Crockett themed tree.

Davy Crockett

Davy Crockett came into our lives with passion. It all started with a Disney video that David bought for the boys. David loved Davy as a kid and has many fond memories of the many battles fought by he and his brother at the Alamo. Little did we know that our boys would take to it the same. Not many things have staying power with Tanner and Connor. But when that something special comes along it's hard to redirect them. They are loyal that way. It began with Thomas the tank engine (started by the videos that Trey watched when he was little), followed by the beloved star wars obsessions (started by watching Trey play Battlefront and then the introduction to...Star wars legos...their best friend for MANY months), and then there was a shorter fascination with Indiana Jones (again, fueled by the legos video game). Davy Crockett and his side kick George are going to be around a while. Tanner even dressed up as Davy for Halloween. Everyday after school they go outside in their coon skin caps and the play begins. This play has expanded to playing "army" as well. They play in the fort, fighting the "mexicans". They make canons and guns. Anyone that comes over gets to join in even if they don't know who Davy Crockett is. Connor brought home the biography of Davy Crockett and learned that he died on my birthday, March 6th. They were also sadened that he died on the sabbath.

Long live Davy!!

The Virginia Creeper

Over fall break we biked the Virginia Creeper. This wonderfully scenic 17 mile bike trail is great for the whole family. The entire trail is actually 34 miles long and was once used as a railway and before that was traveled by Daniel Boone. We were excited to go as a family but didn't know exactly how Tanner, Connor and Sydney would do on a 17 mile bike ride. We decided to have 2 "tag-a-longs" on the back of mine and David's bikes and let the three of them rotate between riding their own bike and riding behind us so we could smother any whining of being tired before it even began. Our thought was Sydney would start out on her own bike with the boys riding behind our bikes. When we got to the bike rental place and took a test drive, Tanner did NOT like the wobbly bike hooked onto the back of David's bike that he had no control over. Sydney, after testing out her bike decided that it was not at all like her bike at home and didn't feel comfortable riding it. Smooth start. We all got on the shuttle and 30 minutes later, and thankfully as we began our journey, everyone was happy. Tanner took off on his own bike with me and Connor behind him and then David and Sydney. Tanner did great but was very cautious. He was so slow that our hands started to hurt from grasping the hand brakes so often. Connor and I decided to go at our own pace and then stop every once and a while to let them catch up with us. This worked great because it gave us a chance to stop and enjoy the gorgeous scenery and check out the many cool bridges. Connor and I bonded. We sang, and he talked about how we must be out in front because no one else was around. (actually everyone else in our group except David, Sydney and Tanner were way in front of us.) About 11 miles down the trail there is a great cafe that we all met up at and ate lunch. The teenagers bragged about how long they had been waiting there. (oh yeah, well if I was on a bike by myself I could keep up!) The last 6 miles something kicked in with Tanner and he stayed with group without any trouble. It was a lot more smooth and level, rather than bumpy and downhill. He even got the hang of passing people, saying "passing on your left" as he'd whiz by. When we finally finished the trail Connor got off and said "wow, my bottom hurts!" You got that right, Connor! It was a great family experience, one we will definetely do again.

Cousins

When the Utah cousins come for a visit all the Tennessee cousins put everything else on hold!! My kids could not get enough Jonah and Koen time while they were here. Tanner and Connor indoctrinated the boys into their latest craze of playing Davy Crockett and fighting "the mexicans" at the Alamo. Jonah got Sydney hooked on making "recipes" and experiments. We love cousins! We can't wait for Andrew to come at Thanksgiving?

Maine in the fall

Portland Lighthouse


Belted cows
About to sail in the Rockland Harbour

One of the B&B's we stayed in


David and I love the fall. Humidity is gone, cool evenings, and David would add that it's football season (whatever). We have always wanted to visit Maine in the fall. We kicked around the idea a few months ago and then the idea died. Then about a month ago David says "let's go to Maine". So, after a whirlwind of securing babysitting (thanks grammy and grandpa) and buying tickets, we take off for the southern coast of Maine. We flew into Boston and stopped in the first town in Maine: Kittery. Over the next few day we made our way through the picturesque towns of York, Ogunquit, Kennybunkport, Rockland, Camden, and Bucksport. Maine is beautiful. The port towns are quaint, the people are nice and the scenery puts a smile on your face. We loved this trip and definetely want to go back and visit a little more northern Maine too.

Baptism Day

I can't believe my babies are 8. I can't believe they are now baptized. I've never seen children more excited to be baptized then Tanner, Connor and Sydney. Here are a few pictures and comments the kids made that day.

Tanner: "My heart was beating so fast from happiness. It was the best time of my life."

Connor: (speaking to Tanner as he climbs out of the font) "I can't believe my sins are washed away!!" Then later: "I'm so glad that it's a commandment. I loved being baptized."

Sydney: "I wish I could be baptized again! It just felt so good."

I hope they remember this day for the rest of their lives.

Race for a Cure

Trey, Sydney and I ran in the Race for a Cure today! This is an annual fund raiser Knoxville puts on for breast cancer. It is held down town and they always have a huge turnout, bands playing, cheerleaders cheering along the way. This is the 3rd year I have done it, 2nd year for Trey and 1st for Sydney. David was signed up to race until the Wednesday before he "tweaked" his knee playing basketball. (sure Dave) We rode down with our good friends, the Kah's and Kacey Jackson, and met up with the Langfords at the race. Trey beat his last year's time by over 2 minutes. Sydney was excited to race this year. After a mile, however, she got a cramp so we had to walk a time or two for a minute but she was always ready to start back up. This girl has some determination! Looking back it's amazing that she ran it considering the fact that she's not involved in any sports right now like soccer or cross country. She basically just ran 3 miles without any preparation. Wow! Way to go Sydney! She had a number of strangers along the way tell her what a great job she was doing. At one point I thought she was ready to give up so I of course I did what any good parent would do and promised her a treat at the end of the race. On the way home we stopped off for some hot glazed! Now that's worth racing for Sydney. When I asked her what her favorite thing about the race was, she answered "finishing it". David, watching at the finish line, said it was very uplifting, seeing so many cancer survivors finish the race and receive a flower. He said that the cancer survivor that came in 1st was completely surprised to be the first one in and shared a great moment with her husband at the finish line.

Suprise breakfast dessert

Saturday night I had reminded the kids that when they woke up they could just quietly get some cereal so we could sleep in. I told them that when we got up at 9:00 I would make chocolate chip pancakes. After getting up at 9:00, I thought "wow, they were quiet this morning, I didn't hear them at all." As I get to the kitchen I can hear whispering on the stairs and a quick scamper to the top. When I looked on the bar this is what I found waiting for me. Tanner, Connor and Sydney then come racing down the stairs, saying "do you like it?, Surprise!, we made a breakfast dessert just for you!". Then- "come on mom, eat it." Oh boy. Upon further explanation, while they were quietly waiting for me to wake up and make their chocolate chip pancakes they decided they would make me this wonderful dessert made from pudding, cereal, and nilla wafers. Sydney had made a nice note instructing me that this delish dish was indeed for me. They then told me that they thought since it was pretty "junky" (a phrase meaning junk food in our house) they would add a pear to their offering. They are always doing sweet, thoughtful things like this for me. Thankfully when Tanner asked me again when I was going to eat it, David walked in a took a big bite, which seemed to satisfy them.