a Big Day for my Little Boys

It was a big day for the Pressley boys. 

There's a couple of reasons why:

A few weeks ago, Freddie told me he would like to wear neckties "like Daddy" instead of the bowties that have been the mainstay of their Sunday wardrobes for years. As much as I love bowties, it was a hard accommodation for me to make, but I did it, so long as both boys promised that they'd wear bowties without complaining whenever I insisted (say on Easter, for instance). 

They agreed. 

They were both so proud. When we dropped them off at Sunday school, Jones's red and white tie was tucked into his Carolina blue sweater vest, but by the time we picked him up, he'd untucked it. When I asked him why (already knowing what the answer would be), he said, "so everybody can see it."Of course. From church, we went to Outback for lunch. Jeremy and Freddie played their customary game of Tic Tac Toe. For the first time ever, FREDDIE WON! Talk about proud. As we were celebrating at the table, the manager walked by. She said that anybody who wins at Tic Tac Toe gets a free Blooming Onion for the table. Freddie was BESIDE himself. He kept asking, "Mama, you can't believe I won dat?"

Then, he gave me the coloring page with his winning game on it. "Mama, you can keep this paper, so you can always remember that I did that," he told me.

As if I could EVER forget ...

Promotion Sunday!

We knew going in that today was Promotion Sunday at church. What we DIDN'T know was that Freddie was being promoted in-to Jones's class, which means he was being promoted OUT of the nursery (I thought he had another year of the pre-K Sunday School class). This is really exciting for a mama who's more "onward and upward" than "please stay a baby."

It DOES, however, mean the end of our regular interactions with Mr. John & Mrs. Betty. This  husband and wife team has spent Sunday mornings with 25 years'-worth of Arden Pres babies. This is the only sad part of the whole arrangement. John and Betty will be very deeply missed.

I was concerned about how the boys would behave, being in the same class and, probably, seated in pretty close proximity to each other. I threatened them within an inch of their lives before saying goodbye and told each of the teachers to be sure they behaved. When we got back to pick them up, we got a glowing report. Hopefully, the sweet teachers weren't just covering for our tiny guys.

During the service each week, Jones always asks if he can pass the offering plate. He takes this responsibility VERY seriously. I honestly have to watch myself, lest I inadvertently pass it without letting him hand it to (or from, depending where we're sitting) his daddy. Well, on this Sunday, he handed the plate from one person to the next. He then turned to me and flexed his muscles, like he were Rick Friggin' Flair. It's worth noting here that he is CONVINCED the Flintstones Vitamins he's been taking for about the last six week are turning him into a superhero. Whenever he does some new skill or show of strength, he will look amazed and say, "Mama! It's the Flintstones! They're working!"

Also of note from church on Sunday is a conversation that Jones had with Reagan Moore ... well, it wasn't so much a conversation as Reagan talking to Jones, who either stuck his tongue out or growled at her in response. I can't quite remember.

The Moores sat behind us in church. After the service, Reagan gave Jones some pictures she'd drawn for him on her bulletin. She told him, "I love you" and, a beat later, "Sometimes, I wish you were my husband."

I can't remember if Jones growled at her or stuck out his tongue, but whichever it was, he did it with a glint in his eye, and on the way to lunch, he sweetly and sincerely said, "We should write Reagan a Thank You note!" so no matter how he responded at church, "I think he doth protest too much."

I DID, however, have to explain to him what a "husband" is. "I'm not gonna HAVE a wife," he told me in response. Sounds like Reagan's got her work cut out for her.

Lazy Sunday

Mom and Daddy called last nite and asked if we wanted to meet them in Hendersonville for lunch today. If you've known me for any length of time at all, you know I make a habit of never, EVER turning down a lunch invitation. We'd planned to connect at Moe's BBQ on Main Street after church. Jones threw a skinny wrinkle in that plan when he woke up overnite with vomiting and diarrhea (can't take them to Sunday school if they've had either within 24 hours). That meant we weren't going to church, but since he was filling fit as a fiddle when he woke up this morning, we decided to meet Mom and Daddy, anyway.

The boys and I barely beat Mom and Daddy to Hendersonville, but we got there to find that Moe's, typically open on Sundays, was closed on this particular Sunday. We ended up instead at the Market Deli, and all of us agreed, the exchange was a great one. My tuna salad was TO DIE FOR. In fact, I'd give my left arm for a third scoop before bed. And those pickles? Good golly, Miss Molly.

After that, we walked up to Kilwin's, where the boys got ice cream - Jones had vanilla, and Freddie ordered "green" (mint chocolate chip). It was a beautiful day for a walk through Hendersonville's adorable downtown, and I think we've decided to make a routine of it - maybe monthly or something, we'll meet up for some family time with a side of Market Deli or ... if they get their you-know-what-together, maybe even some Moe's.

Looo-oooo-ooooo-vvv-eeeeee it

We saw this picture of that little boy in a
window as we walked. He looks just
like Freddie does when he's sleepy! 

Freddie did NOT want to take a picture.