Walks with Waterfowl

The past several weeks we've seen some glorious fall weather.



To take advantage of these beautiful, blustery days, we have been taking walks near the pond at our apartment complex.



Usually, we go on Thursdays after handing out cookies to the school kids. Cookie Days interrupt our usual naptime, but I know these apartment events will be ending soon, so I like to think I am finding ways to enjoy them as a family rather than rush through and just get the job done.

One day, I finally remembered to bring some bread.

Quite a gaggle of geese have occupied our little patch of water, competing with the dozen or so ducks who can usually be found here year-round.



Once the bread ran out, Jacob shared his Goldfish crackers. He can be so thoughtful.



Last Thursday, the ducks and geese avoided us, though we came bearing a boutiful harvest of old bread. The birds were probably just full from someone else feeding them earlier in the day, but I secretly wondered if they despised us for the pervious week's meager offering.

This time, will they remember how we cast the bread out even when they didn't swim our way? Gentle reader, we shall keep you informed.

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Tampa Bound

No. 7 Georgia Tech Runs Over Duke to Clinch Spot in ACC Title Game



First things first: I really need to stop watching the opening quarters of Tech football games. Saturday was a prime example: In the waning minutes of the first quarter, the Jackets were down 10-0 to the Blue Devils. Say what?!? But as usual, Coach Johnson made some adjustments, and GT was in business. After an 83-yard kickoff return, Tech scored the first of seven unanswered touchdowns for the day. Jonathan Dwyer rushed for over 100 yards (as usual), and Josh Nesbitt passed for 195 yards and 2 TD's -- on just 6 completions. Six different Yellow Jackets scored touchdowns. And our backup players went in for pretty much the entire fourth quarter.

The win earns Tech a spot in the ACC Championship Game down in Tampa on December 5, most likely in a rematch against the Clemson Tigers (but they aren't locked in just yet). But the real game of the season is in two weeks: after a much-deserved week off, the Jackets host the hated Bulldogs from Athens.

In the polls, Tech remains at No. 7, since none of the teams above us were kind enough to lose this weekend. Alas.

One last thing: curious about what Coach Paul Johnson will do on a given 4th down? Here's a handy tool.


Go Jackets!

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"I Play to Win"

... says Coach Paul Johnson, after the Jackets eked out a 30-27 overtime win against Wake Forest.

Of course, the description "eked out" hardly does justice to Johnson's bold call to forego the game-tying field goal on 4th & 1. Granted, Johnson usually goes for it on fourth anyway, but the Jackets had not had much success with it on Saturday: Tech was 0-4 on 4th down conversions going into overtime. A gusty move, but it paid off when Josh Nesbitt muscled his way forward for the first down. He ran in the winning touchdown on the next snap.

Wake Forest definitely played a heck of a game. After watching them nearly upset Miami last week, I knew they would give us a hard time. Plus, we had a few dumb penalties on crucial plays that kept the game closer than it should have been. But the Jackets prevailed.

With the win, and a few upsets in the top ten, Tech moves up to No. 7 in the polls. Next up: a visit up to Duke, where a win clinches the Coastal Division and sends the Jackets to Tampa for the ACC Championship. Duke should be an easy win, which is enough to make Tech fans everywhere start sweating: this is the point in the season where a Tech team on the rise typically has the rug pulled out. But then again, Paul Johnson plays to win.



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Better Late Than Never

So, we didn't exactly celebrate ON Halloween this year.



Jacob fell asleep before 6 p.m. on All Hallows' Eve, due to a fun visit with his Aunt Amy and Uncle Mike, so we stayed in from the trick-or-treating.

Ethan DID manage to partake of some costume fun:



And enjoyed some GT football with his dad:



The costume didn't have legs, so he was soon extricated:



And then proceeded to try to eat the pumpkin that Nana and Papa had brought us:



Failing at that, he did manage to remove the stem!



Then, the day after, since it was such a beautiful fall afternoon on All Saints' Day, we carved the pumpkin.



Only one day late, right? I wonder what the neighbors thought: had Daylight Savings Time gotten us REALLY confused?

At least Jacob didn't seem to notice the discrepancy.



We removed the yucky insides.



As Jacob would say, "I smell something."



Daddy helped carve the face that Mommy and Jacob drew.



Jacob was very proud to use his "scooper" all by himself.



At least Jacob got to wear his $1.72 Old Navy 2009 celebratory shirt. I bought it BEFORE Halloween. Really, I did!

Ethan watched safely from inside, free from pumpkin innards and sharp knives.



The closest Jacob got to wearing a costume:



Jacob pointing at the gorgeous full moon:



Apparently, full moons make Daddy go crazy...



Enjoying our belated holiday family fun!





We even roasted the pumpkin seeds using this Martha sweet 'n spicy recipe. Not too shabby, but I think next time I would use more cinnamon and less cumin.

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Tech Football Update -- Halloween Edition

Yellow Jackets Rally Past Commodores, 56-31

So the first half was definitely more trick than treat: even though the offense started strong, the Tech defense allowed Vanderbilt -- Vanderbilt!! -- to put up 28 points before halftime. Thankfully, the D pulled it together and allowed the Commodores only a field goal in the second half. Whatever Coach Johnson said in the locker room to whip them into shape for the remainder of the game worked. Which raises the question -- Coach, can't you do that before the game, instead of making Tech fans suffer for the first half? Just sayin'.

On the positive side, the Tech offense put up some big numbers on Saturday. As expected, Nesbitt personally carried in a couple of touchdowns, but the pleasant surprise was that he passed for 193 yards and another pair of scores. Jonathan Dwyer had a record 186 yards rushing, including three touchdowns of his own. The Yellow Jackets had a combined offense of 597 yards. The moral of the story -- Georgia Tech can put the points on the scoreboard! Now we just need our defense to consistently prevent our opponents from doing likewise.

Fun fact: the Commodore who caused us the most grief on Saturday was Warren Norman, who Allison taught at Chamblee High School. Norman was particularly devastating on kickoff returns (including an 80-yd return for TD), demonstrating again how much work the Jackets still need on special teams. It's always a bad thing when your kicker has to make a stop. Granted, it's always fun to see what crazy thing kicker Scott Blair will do each week. (You might remember his touchdown pass in the Clemson game on a fake field goal.) This week he forced Norman to fumble a kickoff return and recovered the ball for the Jackets.

With the win, Georgia Tech creeps up to #10 on both the BCS and AP standings. Next week: at home against Wake Forest, where a win will bring us one step closer to the ACC Championship.



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the autumn leaves and the falling love

This past blustery Saturday morning we went to help some friends with their pumpkin carving contest...



Jacob always had keys at the ready in case something needed to be "locked"...




We tossed around the pigskin while setting up...



Jacob found a "very hungry caterpillar"...



and Ethan fell asleep on his Momma's chest...



We cheered on the Yellow Jackets...

Gratuitous picture of our happy Ethan (maybe he heard we won the game?!):




All the while hosting a Fall Fest at our apartment complex, complete with free food, free DJ, and decorative leftover pumpkins graciously provided by our friends...



I heart October.

On the docket tonight...pumpkin carving!

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Weekly Jackets Update

Sure, I'm a day late, but there's so much to report! For starters,

No. 11 Yellow Jackets Win at Virginia for First Time Since 1990, 34-9

Even in their less successful seasons, the Cavaliers have been a perpetual thorn in Georgia Tech's side. This year, the stakes were much higher, as Virginia led the ACC Coastal Division going into the game. The Jackets had a few miscues in the opening quarter, in large part due to the wet weather up in Charlottesville (and apparently the field was still recovering from the U2 concert in Scott Stadium a few weeks prior). At halftime, Tech led 13-6. However, upon receiving the ball at the beginning of the third quarter, the Jackets launched a mammoth 18-play, 10:47 scoring drive that pretty much broke UVA's will. Check out the look on Al Groh's face:



Therein lies the insidiousness of Paul Johnson's offense: when you can have possession of the ball for over 42 minutes in a game, it's pretty dang hard for your opponent to regain the lead.

But wait, there's more. With Miami's loss on Saturday (thanks Clemson -- maybe we'll see you again in Tampa), Tech rises to the top of the Coastal Division. If we win our remaining conference games against Wake Forest and perennial ACC whipping boy Duke, we're going to the championship game.

Tech edges up a notch to #11 in the BCS this week, holding steady in the same slot on the AP poll.

Next week: a Halloween night visit out-of-conference to Vanderbilt, where the perfect option will make the Commodores horrifying season even scarier.

Go Jackets!

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Movin' On Up

No. 19 Jackets topple No. 4 Virginia Tech 28-23

In the end, Beamerball was no match for the perfect option. GT's defense finally stepped things up, as evidenced by the fact that the Hokies had only scored 3 points at halftime. Granted, the Jackets had only 7 on the board after two quarters, but the offense erupted in the second half. It was awesome. Josh Nesbitt is out of control, in a very good way.

With the win, the Jackets move up to #11 in the AP poll. Additionally, GT appears at #12 in the first week of BCS rankings.

Next week: Virginia, currently in the lead of the ACC's Coastal Division. These guys are a perpetual thorn in our side, so a win at Charlottesville would be huge.

Oh, and no major home victory would be complete without a frenzy of goalpost destruction, as seen below. If only we could have been there in person for the mayhem...




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The B-I-B-L-E, that's the book for me!

Wednesdays are my new favorite day of the week.

Last month, at the prompting of a friend from church, I joined a Community Bible Study, where I get to participate in a year-long study with a group of local women. This year's topic is Genesis.

Now, I've read Genesis multiple times and even sat through a year-long sermon series in college, but I've never quite studied it like this. Perhaps it's because I haven't been part of a real inductive Bible study in many years, but I am loving this format. Even if I don't answer the questions on the day assigned, I enjoy going through the text and really thinking about the answers without using a commentary (we save that for after each week's lesson). And it has been fun to talk about what I'm studying with Gaines, since he provides some interesting seminary-inspired thought-provoking topics. Especially since he's taking Hebrew this semester!

Jacob, meanwhile, gets to go to a small class with other "older 2's" (3 of whom are named Jack!). He seems to delight in learning all about the Bible and prayer. Ethan apparently enjoys crawling on the nursery floor with other babies and taking long naps.

The first month was a bit hectic, as we all adjusted to actually being somewhere on time with all our gear in tow. Ethan took a few weeks to get used to being without me for 2 hours, but the last few weeks have been wonderful. Today, even, they let us drive up under the covered part and drop our kids off with a volunteer for a few minutes while we parked our car. That was a huge blessing on this rainy day. It saved me from walking all the way from our car to the front door while holding Ethan, Jacob's hand, two bags, and an umbrella.

The best part of my day? Talking to Jacob in the car afterward and hearing all about what he learned and did in his class. Usually he mentions the animal crackers and the pink slide, singing "Jesus Loves Me," holding a rope with the other kids to go out to the playground, something he made that day with "gloop," and his teachers. This afternoon, much to my pleasant surprise, he started singing a song I'd never heard before, and I found it on the internet just now:

Fuzzy caterpillar climbing up a tree.
He wiggled short, He wiggled long
He wiggled straight at me

I put him in a box and covered with a lid
But when I opened up the box
A butterfly instead!

Now I could never make one
Not even if I tried
Only God in Heaven
Can make a butterfly!

It's amazing, but he knows almost the entire song by heart and was "teaching" it to me on our drive home. Apparently, there are also finger motions that go along with this song, but when I tried to imitate him and took one hand off the wheel at a stoplight he said, "Drive, Mommy! I'll do it first and then you can learn it." He's safety conscious, that one.

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These boots are made for walkin'

We have gotten quite a bit of rain here in Atlanta over the last month. Yes, there have been unprecendented floods and yes, I do get tired of being stuck indoors. However, there is just something about a rainy morning that I adore, especially in the fall. The best part about rain is enjoying it while fully equipped:



While my parents were travelling from Maine to Cape Cod they managed to make time for a trip to the L.L.Bean store. A few days later, a package arrived in the mail for Jacob, just in time for another wet Monday. He was so ecstatic, though, he couldn't wait until it rained to try on his new yellow rain boots, so here he is looking quite pensive on our porch on a Sunny Saturday:



I'll try to get an appropriate rain-shot today, since we are again under a deluge.

Rain boots, where have you been all my life? I think I need a pair of my own. Doesn't everyone?

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Notes from The Tilt-A-Whirl

Besides shamelessly plagiarizing the title of a book I sincerely want to read someday soon and would probably enjoy, this blog post title completely describes my life right now. Things are crazy!

I know everyone says that the first six (or seven, or eight) months with a second baby are hard. But honestly, since February, Ethan has been the easiest part of my life! He's happy, healthy (only been sick once, briefly), and content. He's had teething issues, sure, and sometimes you might hear him crying in the background, but overall, he's so happy.

See?



It's everything else in my life that's keeping me up. I'm currently balancing: being a full-time mom to two wonderful boys who demand my attention 24/7, running a CARES program with absolutely NO budget (prayers appreciated) which means soliciting businesses for free stuff daily, researching rental houses for when we plan to move at the end of the year, tutoring online at least 5 hours a week (or more if I can swing it), and occasioanlly reading, resting, and taking care of all that household stuff, like healthy meal planning and purging unnecessary junk. I really need to exercise more but that only happens when it doesn't rain.

Oh, but I did manage to squeeze in a haircut this weekend:



(Please ignore the no-makeup, end-of-the day, sleepy-eyes shot. Just look at the hair, ok?)

Right now, in a rare occurence, both boys are happily napping AT THE SAME TIME. I honestly don't remember the last time that happened, especially since Jacob reached a new milestone two weeks ago: he learned how to climb out of his crib -- successfully!

Before Ethan was born Jacob climbed/fell out of his crib once during naptime and it scared him so badly he hasn't tried it since. However, one day during naptime he climbed out because he didn't want to go to sleep. I put him back in, and we repeated the process a few times before I gave up. The past week or so has been difficult, with him learning to adjust to sleeping on a "big boy" mattress on the floor and us attempting to keep him in bed or at least in his room until he falls asleep. Bedtimes have been later (sadly, sometimes MUCH later) and naps have been almost nonexistant. Still, we've seen some slight improvement.

It's a good thing his mattress is on the floor, too, because he often rolls right off in the middle of the night (or falls asleep halfway on and halfway off) and just goes on sleeping! We need to start taking pictures of these moments where his head is on the floor and his legs are sprawled on his mattress. Once, this past weekend, he fell asleep curled up in our reading chair.

Fun new trick: Jacob will hang off the edge of the sofa holding some of Ethan's teething rings. Ethan, crawling around on the floor, will try to grab them, but Jacob will pull them up out of his reach. On the surface it looks quite mean, but Ethan only laughs and Jacob giggles and eventually gives in, I think. It's certainly amusing for me. Babyfights? Who needs 'em. I've got sibling torture. (Don't worry, I always come to the rescue if one of 'em baby starts crying.)

However, I can't let either one of them out of my sight for a second. Ethan also now makes a beeline for the doorstop in Jacob's room anytime we put him on the floor. He immediately tries to take off the white protective plastic cap and eat it. The first time I saw him do this it happened so fast I had to dig the white plastic cap out of his mouth and I was only a few feet away. I am so glad babies have a gag reflex.

We've got one fast crawler, too. Ethan can often be heard grunting as he follows me or Jacob around the apartment, stuggling to keep up with us walkers. He will sit up by himself for brief periods, but almost always ends up rolling onto his belly to get something out of reach. I've even seen him THROW a toy away from himself just so he will have to go get it. Why? So he can chew on it, of course.

My boys:



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When Crappy Defenses Collide

Yellow Jackets Overcome Seminoles In Shootout, 49-44

To say that neither team's defense had a good night would be quite the understatement. In the first half, FSU scored a touchdown on each of their five possessions. It felt like the longest.game.ever -- and not just because there was over an hour of weather delays that interrupted the first quarter. Thankfully, Tech's defense pulled it together in the second half to put the brakes on the Seminole score-fest.

As the score reflects, the Tech offense fared much, much better, with Josh Nesbitt having another fantastic week. This week, he had 140 yards rushing, personally running in 3 of Tech's scores (and passing for another). But possibly his coolest moment of the game was when he stripped the ball right from the clutches of the FSU defender who had just recovered a Tech fumble. Hardcore.

This win marks the first GT victory in Tallahassee. Ever. Tech moves up to No. 19 this week. Next Saturday is the big match up -- GT vs Virginia Tech. Let's hope Coach Johnson can shake things up on defense before then.


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Andy and The Andys in Atlanta

Andrew Peterson. Andrew Osenga. Andy Gullahorn.

Three most formidable singer-songwriters together here in the A-T-L! If you are familiar with our blog or just our taste in music, you will know these are three of our favorites. The only other place I think I've seen these three together is at one of AP's Behold the Lamb shows, but this is going to be SO MUCH BETTER. I'm sure hilarity and much good music will ensue.

Details come from Andy G, courtesy Ron Davis, also known as the Tim's brother-in-law, or, as I like to call him (due to his copious concert-attending): "The New Tex." (Thanks, Ron, for the heads up!)

Andys World Tour at Impact:

Andy Osenga (from Caedmon's Call), Andy Gullahorn, and Andrew Peterson will be coming to Impact at The Church of the Apostles on Sunday, October 18th, for a night of music. Mark it on your calendar; you’ll want to be there. The concert will be in the chapel at 7:30pm.

Actually, it may start at 7pm according to the website. So be there early. We will. Come on, be square!

A Brief Bullet-Point Update

My mom came to visit a few weeks ago and we had a blast at Play. The jumping and running and sliding *almost* wore Jacob out, and inspired me to try taking the boys by myself sometime this fall/winter. At least this way my furniture won't get such a beating. He spent most of this soggy morning indoors, jumping on a pile of pillows.

I think this is a great picture of DD and Jacob:

While tutoring this evening I had the pleasure of reading a college essay that connected the main character in the novel Big Fish to the hero of The Odyssey. Brilliant! It was the best session I've had all year, I think.

This morning, we passed out donuts to our residents as part of a Breakfast on the Go event. We tried something new this time and asked for donations to the Atlanta Food Bank. It is amazing to me that on the whole, the people in the fanciest cars and nicest duds often didn't give us anything, but that regular Joe's handed over a five-dollar bill or dug around in their ash trays for change to donate.

I made something called Taco Pasta for lunch/dinner. It was better than the name implies, super easy to make, and might even come into regular rotation.

We received two fun things in the mail this week: books about penguins and dolphins from my parents' Northeastern excursion and a Paperbackswap book titled Your Two-Year Old: Terrible or Tender?. I'll get back to you on that last one.

Ethan has been sitting up unsupported for about a month now.

Jacob has graduated to a "big boy bed" since he learned how to climb out of his crib a few weeks ago (we couldn't keep him in!). This has made enforcing naps difficult and so he is becoming somewhat sleep deprived. Tonight he fell asleep on the couch at 6 p.m. and is still sleeping, but now on his mattress on the floor. Hopefully he won't wake up until tomorrow morning. One can hope.

We are anticipating a visit with Aunt Amy who is in town for the Catalyst Conference.

Fall is always better when you can enjoy a baked apple (preferably with ice cream).

Next time, I need to share highlights from the Zoo, dinner with the Davis duo and their dogs, and share photos of Jacob's new rain boots. They arrived just in time for another rainy week!

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Tech Beats MSU

Nesbitt Shines In Georgia Tech Win Over Mississippi St. 42-31

After the Jackets' great showing against North Carolina last week, I was expecting a win over the Bulldogs of Mississippi St. What I wasn't expecting was for Josh Nesbitt to pass for 266 yards. And he really didn't throw it that much -- only 11 completions in 14 attempts. If Josh can integrate a solid passing game into what we're already doing on the ground, that makes for quite a potent offense. The only negative from yesterday's game is the fact that the defense allowed 31 points. Troublesome, but not insurmountable.

With the win, Tech climbs up to #22 in the AP rankings.

In other sports news, apparently, yesterday was a bad day to be a Bulldog.

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Wake Me Up When September Ends

Oh, wait. It already did. Darn it, I was looking forward to a nap.

So, it's October. How did that happen?

In the back of my head, I've had this goal to post once a day in October, to get myself psyched up to blog again. I actually have at least a dozen posts saved as drafts that I might or might not ever get around to putting up here. So, I'm going to be real with you -- I haven't even started this little project of mine and I'm already late. C'est la vie. At least if I post every day you will get little snippets of our lives and not the crazy-long ramblings I attempted in September. You don't ever want to see those, trust me.

In recent news, Jacob has a new interest in photography. He won't let me take a picture of him without giving him a turn. Here's a photo he took of me last week. Pretty good for a 2 year old, eh?



(And yes, that is what our apt looks like on most days, sadly. See that big sheet of paper in the background? A sign for our complex advertising one of our events. I make one at least every other week.)

I will spare you presently from all Jacob's random shots of his room, his brother's arm, my feet, and his toys, though I might start uploading some of them to an album on our new Team Redd Shutterfly Photo Site. (Pass it on! I will update it soon, I promise!)

Here's something I've been wanting to share for a while:

A new season = a new haircut for Jacob! (Well, technically, I cut his hair at the beginning of September so at this point he's almost ready for another one. We did have some marginal success of trimming his hair in the bathtub, but I think I'd prefer to do it outside if I had that option. Less messy.

Before, in August:



After, the first week of September:



Now:



Yes, our firstborn is growing up.

Look forward to more hilarity and updates coming soon. Although I will treat this the same way I do my Bible reading -- if I miss a day, I'm not going to feel all guilt and backtrack and try to catch up. God's mercies are new every morning and that includes laundry, Bible reading plans and updating my blog. I'll just keep plugging along and you hang on for the ride, okay?

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Back in the Saddle

Tech Smacks North Carolina, 24-7

Coach Johnson must have lit quite a fire under his squad after last week's miserable showing against Miami -- the Jackets were a different team on Saturday. Jonathan Dwyer was back to his usual awesomeness, and our defense pretty much shut the Tar Heels down all afternoon. There were a few glitches (Scott Blair? Two missed FG's AND two out-of-bounds kickoffs? Not good!), but overall, Tech looked really good. And as a bonus, we're back in the Top 25 after dropping out last week.

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On A Lighter Note

(And, no, I didn't create this.)

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Glorious

I've never been so grateful to see blue skies.



Perhaps this is why Jacob is refusing to nap -- he knows it is finally sunny after six days of non-stop rain. His brother, however, is oblivious and happily napping, which is why we aren't going outside just yet. But soon!

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the days of ceaseless rain which have helped replenish Lake Lanier, without which we'd all go thirsty, but I'm also hurting for all those devestated by these floods. It wasn't like a hurricane where you can prepare somewhat. Just rain and rain and more rain until the creeks loosed their banks and it seemed the very ground was springing up with water a la Genesis.

I hope today's clear skies are signs of drier days ahead. Enjoy this day, wherever you are and whatever the weather!

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Gather Them Two by Two

(Courtesy AJC.com)

This is Atlanta's downtown connector, I-75/85, earlier this afternoon. If the picture had panned a little more to the right, my office building would be visible. (Thankfully I was at an off-site meeting all afternoon.) Needless to say, the ATL has gotten a ridiculous amount of rain over the last few days. Team Redd's neighborhood is safely above water for the foreseeable future, but other parts of the city haven't fared as well. The flood photos coming in to the local news outlets are simply unreal. And there's more rain yet to come...

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Book Review -- North! Or Be Eaten

“Wild escapes. A desperate journey. And the ghastly Fangs of Dang!”



When I was little, I reveled in tales of far-off places, thrilling dangers and the fulfillment of legend. Even now, as an adult, I long to be lost in language, to immerse myself in a world that is both foreign and familiar, and to ultimately be captivated by a story that gives us a glimpse of the larger Story in which we find ourselves.

Andrew Peterson’s latest addition to his children’s book series, North! Or Be Eaten!, does just that, and yet it never takes itself too seriously. This is a good thing.

You may remember Peterson from his debut novel, On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, which we reviewed here in 2008. This latest installment picks up where the last ended and continues at a galloping pace, careening through the landscape of Skree with twists and turns that might break your neck if you’re not careful.

There are swordfights and sea dragons as well as poetry and song. Each chapter's exploits lead quickly into the next, and I found it hard to put the book down and return to real life. Even more humorous proper nouns and quick quips kept me rolling, while the robust plot in this faster-paced installment had me hooked until the end. This book is also a bit darker, but only in the sense that bad things still happen to good people and the author doesn't shy away from the reality of death. Thankfully, the story overflows with more hope than the waters of Fingap Falls.

“Whether crushed or sheltered by the Maker’s hand, ’tis beneath it we go, from breath to death.”
— Triliban Plubius the Bruised, The Bridge, (Skree City Press)

In the midst of frenetic chases, family quibbles, measured despair, and weighty choices, short bursts of beautiful prose appear, sentences that make your breath catch and your heart yearn for More. Somehow Peterson manages to mingle the earthly and ethereal and yet still appeal to adventuresome eight-year olds. As always, the threads of redemption are subtly woven throughout this tale of trolls, toothy cows and troublemakers. I don't know how he does it, but I'd pay to be able to mix the silly and the sacred like that and make it work.

I would recommend this to anyone with an imagination and a heart. (That means you!)

If you're curious for a bit more, I'd suggest you check out the Wingfeather Saga online.

Andrew Peterson is the author of On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Book One in the Wingfeather Saga, and The Ballad of Matthew’s Begats. He’s also the critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter and recording artist of ten albums, including Resurrection Letters II. He and his wife, Jamie, live with their two sons and one daughter in a little house they call The Warren near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit his websites: www.andrew-peterson.com and www.rabbitroom.com

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Phew

No. 15 Yellow Jackets hold off Clemson 30-27

It was like watching two different games. In the first one, Tech was up 24-0 in the second quarter. Anthony Allen had an 82-yard touchdown run. Jerrard Tarrant -- for the second game in a row -- ran a punt back for a score. Even Scott Blair -- our kicker! -- got in on the action, completing a touchdown pass on a fake field goal play. After that, he put up a field goal for good measure. By mid-second quarter, it looked like an easy win.

Then the second game started. Our offense fell apart, and Clemson put up 27 unanswered points. It finally ended after a VERY tense fourth quarter kicking duel, with the Jackets putting up the winning field goal with under a minute of play left.

A win, but an ugly one. I don't envy the butt-chewing the team is going to get from Coach Johnson this week. We've got to get our act together for Miami next week (another Thursday night!).

College football, I still love you. But you are probably not good for my health.



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Happiest Little Yellow Jacket Fan

Yay! The Jackets pulled through for the win over Clemson!

This is how Ethan responded when we told him the good news:



My favorite quote (I love the vivid imagery):

"When a team scores 27 unanswered points, that shows we let down a little bit," [Anthony] Allen said. "That's something we've got to work on. When we get the lead, we've got to keep on punching them in the mouth."

Here's to more games like last night's first (and fourth) quarters! (We'll just ignore that middle part for the rest of the season, okay?)

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So It Begins

No. 15 Yellow Jackets down Jacksonville State 37-17

Sure, it might not seem like much to beat up on Jacksonville State, but it's always good to win the season opener. (Isn't that right, 'Dawgs? Oh wait ...)

Despite the easy win, Coach Johnson has some work to do to whip the team into shape before the ACC opener against Clemson next week. Nobody wants to look bad on the big ESPN Thursday night game!

College football, welcome back. We have missed you.

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Mobility

Over the last week or so, Ethan discovered a new way of getting around. I call it the "commando turn-n-roll."

He wasn't quite crawling yet, but he's been an expert roller for a few months. If we put him on the floor and he wanted to go somewhere else, he would roll on his tummy, turn himself so that he would be parallel to where he wanted to go (perhaps a book, toy box, or anything shiny or brightly-colored) and then roll in that direction. Once he reached the object, he proceeded to turn himself again so that he would be in the adequate rach and grab position.

On Sunday, he moved on to actually commando crawling! I'm posting the video on Facebook as soon as I can.


See that look? Watch out, he's coming for you!

Near the beginning of the short video, he looks at me as if to say, "Yeah, you just watch. I can do it again for your camera AND pull up on the toy box. You have no idea what I'm capable of, do you?" I had to stop recording in order to prevent him from pulling the toy box on top of himself!

One of the cutest things today he did was to crawl toward the dinner table, grunting, like a little monster-child. That's what I really need to catch on the camera!

Here's another still pictures to tide you over. Babies + paper = hours of entertainment.






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