Kids say (and do) the funniest things

Heather wrote this up on some funny things our kids have done lately.

Caris' adventure in dance and tumbling
Okay, so Caris thinks she can dance. Really. She went to watch her friend Macy's little recital for dance and gymnastics. I had to hold her tightly in my lap because she kept crying how she wanted to dance.....THEN, we moved to the gym part. The cute little girls in their tutu's had practiced their grand entrance for months. They were going to run into the gym, do a front head roll on a large mat, right in front of all the parents and then do a grand "ta da."

Silly me. I thought the moment had passed with Caris' desire to join in. But, in the middle of the grand entrance--music blaring--Caris jumps up, runs across the room, and dives headfirst onto the little mat, rolling down it. All this while a little girl in her tutu came running to a screeching halt--her front roll entrance was ruined by Caris' interruption.

Macy's mom got the whole thing on tape. Needless to say, we are planning to sign Caris up next fall for the ballet/tap/and gymnastics class. She can do the whole fall semester--one class a week--she is so excited!

Kindergarten sayings
Cooper's teacher had their class put together memory books. She had them each draw pictures of what they want to be when they grow up (Coop did an artist, of course). And, she had the class finish popular sayings. Here's a sampling, from their kindergarten class:

It's always darkest before.....morning. (pretty close!)

Where there's smoke....there's spicy toothpaste.

Better to be safe than...cold.

Strike while the....rain is coming.

Never underestimate the power of....lightening.

You can lead a horse to water but...it will sink.

You can't teach an old dog to...fish.

The pen is mightier than the...pencil.

If you lie down with dogs, you'll...get fleas. (they got that one right!)

If at first you don't succeed...climb an apple tree.

90 Years Old!!

Happy 90^th birthday Mamaw!

We had a great time at her party! We hosted it in one of the community living areas close to her room in her retirement home. Mamaw looked beautiful and was in feeling good and strong. There were over 100 people who came to honor her! We scanned in a bunch of her pictures from all stages of her life, printed them off on cardstock, and folded them up to display everywhere. It was great because it was fun to see all of the pictures and the guests could take the pictures with them when they left if they were interested.

My mom had a large banner made that was a huge topic of conversation which showed how many days she has lived – around 62,000. There were people there from her retirement home obviously, family from all over including Missouri, and friends from our church home in southeast Dallas.

Raising a daughter

I came to a realization "the other day" (my favorite phrase that could mean this morning or a month ago) that I've put a lot of time and effort into raising my boys but virtually no planning for how I want to intentionally raise my daughter!

So, check back later on the plans that I put together to that end.

Backwards party!

Our boy is very creative! He turned 6 this month and asked for a party at home. When my wife brainstormed party ideas with him, they ended up with a theme of a backwards party.

So, we sent out an invitation that you had to read in a mirror, we all turned our clothes around and played fun games like pin the donkey on the tail, silent chairs, a reverse obstacle course, etc. I tried to talk him into giving all of his friends presents instead of them giving him presents but he didn't buy into that one! We had about 15-20 kids running around our house today and it was a blast but boy are we tired!

Financial freedom!

We're debt free!! Except for our house payment, as of this afternoon we have no other debts -- no credit card balance, no car loans, no student loans, no home equity loans!! Zip, zilch, nada!! Can you tell I'm a little excited.

We've been working hard at this for over a year and finally made it happen -- thank the Lord!

Skiing and Dogsledding

Well it's Spring Break and we are loading up the minivan and heading to Colorado! When my wife and I were young with no kids in tow, we used to drive straight through but now we generally stop in Amarillo or Dumas. The kids love the hotel and we get a break and split up the travel time. I respect my parents even more knowing that we did road trips without a portable DVD player.

My mom lives in Denver and we spent some time hanging out with her. We got to see my sister play volleyball since she was here for a tournament and it was great to be able to support her. We went to the best brunch ever at the Brown Palace in downtown Denver.

After spending some good time in the city we went up to the mountains. Mom bought into a great time share house near Breckenridge. The timeshare is with an individual that she knows not a huge corporation. The house is totally great -- 4 big bedrooms, large couches, and several foutons (sp?) so it sleeps lots of people. It's literally on the mountain but not ski-in and ski-out. Breckenridge is a great town to with lots of shops, restaurants, and fun. The skiing was really good with a huge mountain with all types of terrain. My oldest boy did well skiing once he got his confidence up but my youngest boy wasn't that into it but he went up a few times.

It my youngest boy's birthday so the last full day we were in the mountains my mom planned a special event for him -- dog sledding! Who knew that dog sledding would be his thing and not skiing! It was so fun! My little girl could not go since she is too young so Coop picked me to go along with him and Mommy to stay back with sister. The place we went furnished a body suit for all of us and helmets for the kids. We went out and met the dogs which were so sweet. Most were huskies but one was a normal dog (a mutt that looked kind of like a hound and spaniel mix). The other neat thing about the dogs was that they belonged to a lady that was in the military and was deployed to Iraq. During her deployment, she loaned the dogs to the place we went and asked them to keep the dogs running and happy.

We walked through the basics of driving -- say "hike" to go and hit the brake to stop since they don't really want to stop. The "brake" is basically a flat piece of metal that you step on and it digs into the snow and the dogs feel the resistance. You have to stay on the brake when you switch drivers or the dogs will take off they are so eager to get moving. The sled was like you would expect but they had padding in the "cargo" area and one rider sat there during each driver's turn. The guide was on a snowmobile that was pulling a sleigh with bench seats for the other members of the group. There were four from our family (my mom, two boys, and me) and one other lady along with us. We went through really cool trails through the trees and thick snow and a few more open areas (that's when the boys would drive most). The kids did great and loved it. Coop was really in his element. He was hilarious sitting in the passenger area of the sled eating snow (not the yellow kind) with his legs crossed and his cool sunglasses on. Everytime we would stop he would get snow for the dogs to eat and they loved it.

The most intense moment was the time when I was driving with both boys in the sled and I flew off the back and went head first into a snow drift. Yep, visualize a cartoon where one side of the sled hits a rock hidden in the snow and it throws me (think "arms flapping and feet barely touching the snow") into the snow bank on the other side of the trail. My legs were sticking out up in the air and it took me a few seconds to dig out and run after the sled. Literally a few seconds because I was worried about the boys -- they were on the sled by themselves and the dogs were running fast! I was really afraid that the sled had tipped over and the dogs kept running pulling the sled over the top of them. Blessedly, what actually happened was the rock threw me off, but the weight of the boys kept it steady and it fell back in place. In our training, the guide said that if the driver fell off for the passenger to stick your feet out the sides and dig your heels into the snow and act like a break for the dogs to slow down. My oldest boy did exactly that and performed great in a scary moment under pressure. After we realized that everyone was okay and I thanked God that there wasn't a tree where I landed, off we went again and got some good hot chocolate for everyone!

Indoor soccer

After the World Cup last summer some of us guys in the church decided that we wanted to play soccer together. Some of us just thought about going to a park to play once a month or so but we threw around the idea of starting a team to play in a not-to-competitive league.

Well, a few of the guys took it seriously and did some research. We are now playing indoor soccer in an Over 30 division. It's exhausting but very fun! We are horrible right now but I'm sure that we'll get better after the learning curve.

Our team name is LED Feet. The LED stands for Laymen, Elders, and Deacons and the fact that we get tired easy after running around!

Truett Cathy

My family and I love Chick-Fil-A or as the kids say it Chick-a-lay. Today I ran by there to pick up breakfast (the Chick-n-Mini's are awesome!) and I noticed a book on display written by Truett Cathy entitled It's Better to Build Boys Than Mend Men. I think that's a great thought and one that I'm working hard on with my two boys.

When I went to find out more information on the book, I found a few things on his Web site that were really insightful. Here are his "7 Reminders For Building Children*:"

by S. Truett Cathy,
Founder and Chairman of Chick-fil-A

1. Every child I know who overcame long odds and grew into a responsible adult can point to an adult who stepped into his or her life as a friend, mentor, and guide.
   
2. Don’t be too concerned that your children don’t listen to you. But be very concerned that they see everything you do.
   
3. Be so consistent in your discipline that you’re boring.
   
4. Stop arguing in front of your children.
   
5. You may think children have outgrown the desire to be rocked to sleep at night. They haven’t.
6. Children will never believe in the covenant of marriage unless they see you living it with their own eyes.
   
7. How do you know if a child needs encouragement? If he or she is breathing.

In addition, since he a great businessman, on his site he has a list of 5 steps for business success:

Truett Cathy’s Five–Step recipe for Business Success
Chick-fil-A, the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the country, gives all employees Sunday off to spend with family, to relax and to express their faith if they choose to do so. Yet, Chick-fil-A generates more sales in six days than most national chains produce in seven. Closing on Sunday is just one of the “principles before profits” ingredients in founder Truett Cathy's inspiring recipe-for-success. Following – in his own words* – are five basic principles upon which Cathy successfully built the Chick-fil-A chain.

1. CLIMB WITH CARE AND CONFIDENCE
“Every day, a framed poster of a mountain climber given to me by my daughter Trudy reminds me to ‘climb with care and confidence.’ I wholeheartedly believe in this philosophy, which is why in all my years in the restaurant business, I have never tried to overextend. I’m satisfied stepping from one plateau to the next, making sure we’re doing everything right before moving on. That way of thinking has allowed us to grow steadily into a 1.5 billion-dollar business with more than 1,200 restaurants, while responding to the needs of people around us. I know the best way to grow our business is to climb with care and confidence.” With 1,240-plus Chick-fil-A restaurants in 38 states and Washington, D.C., Chick-fil-A is the second-largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the nation, based on annual sales.

2. CREATE A “LOYALTY EFFECT”
“Our people are the cornerstone of all that we do at Chick-fil-A. As a chain, we believe that attracting great people helps create an unforgettable experience for our customers. It requires a lot of time and effort to make sure you have the right people working the right jobs, but we believe this is time well spent. The bottom line is that our people, from our restaurant Operators to the team members they hire, enjoy their work. Fewer than five percent of our franchise Operators leave the chain in any given year. The more we can foster the feeling that we are a group of people working together, depending on each other, the more likely we are to be loyal to each other.

* “Customer satisfaction is the payoff for spending the time to search for the best employees. Our restaurant team members have proven time and time again that going out of your way to make sure our customer has a pleasurable dining experience will build customer loyalty.”
* “This loyalty effect, the full range of economic and human benefits that accrue to leaders who treat their customers, Operators, and employees in a manner worthy of their loyalty, is at the core of most of the truly successful growth companies in the world today. And there is no clearer case study of the loyalty effect than Chick-fil-A.”
– Fred Reichheld, Harvard Business Review and author of The Loyalty Effect.

3. NEVER LOSE A CUSTOMER
“Ever since I was a teenager delivering newspapers (for seven straight years), I have tried not to lose a single customer. I treated each one like the most important person in the world and delivered each paper as if I were delivering it to the front door of the Governor’s mansion. The key to succeeding with a paper route and the restaurant business, I would later learn, is to take care of the customer. Whether on the paper route or in my restaurants, I have found that the most effective way of promoting my business didn’t cost me anything but a little kindness to my customers.”
* In 1935, at age 14, Truett delivered the Atlanta Journal newspaper to residents of America’s first public housing project, Atlanta’s Techwood Homes and developed his “people first” business philosophy.
* Chick-fil-A’s commitment to this principle is reflected in its mission statement to “Be America’s Best Quick-Service Restaurant at Winning and Keeping Customers.”

4. PUT PRINCIPLES AND PEOPLE AHEAD OF PROFITS
“I’d like to be remembered as one who kept my priorities in the right order. We live in a changing world, but we need to be reminded that the important things have not changed. I have always encouraged my restaurant Operators and team members to give back to the local community. We should be about more than just selling chicken, we should be a part of our customer’s lives and the communities in which we serve.”
* Through the WinShape Centre Foundation, Truett operates foster homes for more than 150 children and sponsors a summer camp for more than 1,600 children each year; in addition, he provides college scholarships for Chick-fil-A restaurant employees (more than$20 million awarded since 1973).
* Chick-fil-A partners with nearly 1,200 elementary schools nationwide by providing the Core Essentials Character Education Program, which teaches students one value trait each month. Additionally, Chick-fil-A restaurants are involved in the local community with activities such as blood drives, school fundraisers, family nights and children’s sports sponsorships.

5. CLOSED ON SUNDAY
“I was not so committed to financial success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday. Our decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our attention to things that mattered more than our business.”

Chick-fil-A is the only major fast-food restaurant chain to be closed on Sundays, one of the busiest days of the week in the restaurant business. Despite being closed on Sundays, Truett Cathy has led Chick-fil-A on an unparalleled record of 38 consecutive years of sales increases, with its core free-standing restaurants achieving higher sales per unit in six days (with shorter operating hours) than most major chains in the industry.

* Exerpts adapted from Truett Cathy’s Second Book: Eat Mor Chikin: Inspire More People (2002 Chick-fil-A, Inc.)

Boise State -- what a story!

I watched the best part of the Rose Bowl between Oklahoma and Boise State last night -- what a game! Some people thought that a smaller school from a smaller conference couldn't hand with a big school from a big conference. I read this post this morning and this very much sums up my feelings about the NCAA Football Playoff meaning of this game. The following is from Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated in his recent blog post.

On paper, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl was nothing more than a minor upset -- the No. 9 team beat the No. 7 team. In reality, it was so much more than that. Boise State beating Oklahoma in a New Year’s Day bowl game is college football’s equivalent to George Mason reaching the Final Four, with one extremely significant difference: George Mason had its chance to compete for the national title; Boise State does not. Like it or not, Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 just became the single biggest argument to date for a college football playoff.

You’re going to hear it a lot in the coming weeks. If Boise State can beat Oklahoma, why shouldn’t it get a shot at Ohio State? And while the BCS commissioners can offer any number of general arguments against a playoff, the fact is there is no reasonable answer to that specific question.

I was rooting for Oklahoma since they're in the Big 12, but man what a story and what gutsy calls. I'm glad that I stayed up late to watch this game!

2006 Year in Review

Events that I enjoyed:
* Texas football team won national championship. I went to Baylor, but glad for a Texas school to win.
* I love the Olympics and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy was great. Shaun White was my favorite person who did well.
* I really got into the World Cup this year and enjoyed it very much.

Finance Committee -- great service and learning opportunity for me and my church.

Conference speaking -- was asked to lead a conference break-out session. It was fun to research, develop, and adjust a presentation then get to spend an hour with various folks putting all of my time and effort in front of them to help in their ministries.

Camping solidified as a family activity -- we went several times this year and really cemented camping as a "family thing."

Two specific deaths had an impact on our family. First, we had to put down Dodger, our long-time dog, this year. It was very difficult for the boys (Caris didn't get it) and they still talk about missing him. Second, our kids love Animal Planet and the death of Steve Irwin really made an impression on the kids.

Goals for 2007:
* Spend more one-on-one time with each of my kids.
* Hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matt 5:6).
* Lose weight -- I want to get to at least 210 and then hopefully lower to a final goal weight of about 202-205 (according to my doctor).
* Be a more thoughtful husband and take the initiative to plan special things for my sweet wife.