The cousins come to town!

God created boys, full of spirit and fun to explore and conquer, to romp and run.
-- Author Unknown

Wishing I were here...

View from the balcony at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores...it's calling my name!

It's How you Live...

Thank you Stephanie for introducing me to this beautiful song! I heard it on your blog! I have added it to my playlist, so if anyone is reading this and you have never heard the song...scroll down to the bottom of the page, and click on the song "How you live" (#19 on the playlist)...it will play while you read the words...they are worth reading!

Wake up to the sunlight with your windows open
don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
wear your red dress, use your good dishes
make a big mess and make lots of wishes
and have what you want but want what you have
and don't spend your life looking back

Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
Let it all out
'cause you won't regret it
Looking back from where you have been
'cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
it's how you live

So go to the ball games and go to the ballet
go see your folks more than just on the holidays
kiss all your children, dance with your wife
tell your husband you love him every night
don't run from the truth, 'cause you can't get away
just face it and you'll be ok

Turn up the music
turn it up loud
take a few chances
let it all out
'cause you won't regret it
looking back from where you have been
'cause it's not who you knew
and it's not what you did
it's how you live

Wherever you are and wherever you've been
now is the time to begin

So give to the needy and pray for the grieving
even when you don't think that you can
'cause all that you do is about to come back to you
so think of your fellow man
make peace with God, make peace with yourself
'cause in the end, there's nobody else

Turn up the music
turn it up loud
take a few chances
let it all out
'cause you won't regret it
looking back from where you have been
'cause it's not who you knew
and it's not what you did
it's how you live

Kelly Boyett's Wedding Weekend...

This weekend I got to head down to Saraland, Alabama where Scott and I had lived for three years while he was coaching at the University of Mobile. I have alot a great memories from those years...where my Garrett was born...where Jay Walton started coaching with Scott...and where I made, and still have some wonderful friends! This was the beautiful wedding weekend of Kelly Boyett, my sweet friend (and former babysitter of Carter and Clint!) and daughter of my dear friend Lynn. Another dear friend, Rebecca, was kind enough to include me as a hostess for Kelly's bridal tea - an event that my boys still can't seem to comprehend the need for! Turns out Kelly married a guy named Ben Smith, whose Uncle Johnny is the golf pro here at Brentwood Country Club...a pro Scott Sanderson knows well! Small world! I even got to spend time visiting with Martha Roley Ryan...one of my bridesmaids! Everything turned out beautiful! Congratulations, Kelly and Ben!

A little taste of "girl world"!

Garrett and Grant with their sweet friend Ruby Walton! Stephanie, Ruby and Willie had me and the boys over for dinner the other night, and Ruby entertained us with several costume changes while the boys got a glimpse into the magical world of girls. Not something they see alot of! (I rarely run around in my tinker-bell costume!) Of course, Willie kept things balanced out with several games of pool with Clint. Real man stuff! Thanks Steph for a wonderful dinner and a super evening!

Camp Hy-Lake

This week was Woodson Chapel's week at Camp Hy-Lake. In a moment of weakness, I agreed to go along with Clint and Garrett so that Grant could go - as Grant wasn't quite old enough to go without a parent. I say "a moment of weakness" because it's 90 degrees outside, the camp is NOT air-conditioned, and I volunteered to help in the kitchen! There was a reward for my service after all, as the camp now has a brand new cabin with air-condition and it's own bathroom! You can appreciate what I am talking about by looking at the pictures of "my cabin" and the "boy's cabin"!

My cabin...



The boy's cabin...



Despite the cabin - which the boys happened to love! - they had a great time this week participating in Bible classes, softball games, of course there were basketball games!, swimming in the lake, arts and crafts time, movie night, and tons of other fun activities planned by the camp staff. Garrett even led singing at one of the devotionals! And what would camp be without a snake hanging from the rafters over the ping-pong tables. True story...!

Oh! P.S. I now have an official "camp story" to tell!

Tuesday evening - while I was cheerfully helping to clean up the kitchen after dinner - I was attacked by a giant killer mouse who charged at me from under the sink where I was washing dishes! A kindly - but dumb - young male counselor attempted to come to my rescue by crawling under the sink and capturing the giant mouse by the tail. When he attempted to hold up the mouse to show his bravery, the mouse bit him on the hand!...which caused him to immediately send the mouse flying through the air across the kitchen!...where it landed somewhere behind the stove!...never to be found again! None of the other women in the kitchen were any help, as they were either quickly making their retreat as I was, or they were doubled over with laughter! By the next morning, I realized I had a huge bruise on my hip from where I had attempted to leap over the counter during my escape! (Do NOT listen to the boys if they should try and tell you it was only a small gray field mouse!) Next time I am packing for camp, remind me to take along mouse-traps...LARGE mouse traps!

Slip Sliding Away!

Every year at camp the kids look forward to the day they break out the giant slip-n-slide! Covered with water and baby shampoo, the boys took turns flying down the hill. There were more than a few grown-up kids on there too!

Happy 18th Birthday, Carter!

Tuesday, July 7th
My baby is 18 years old today! Since he is in Indiana at a basketball tournament, I found this picture of Carter on his first birthday!
(Don't ask me why he had on a Christmas bib in July! It was my first baby, what can I say!)

I love the beach!

If I had my way, we would pack up the car the day school got out and head to the beach to stay until the day the boys had to be back in school! But...since I don't see that happening, I always appreciate even more the time we do get to go! A very big thanks as always goes to Nana and Granddaddy for generously letting us use their condo at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores. This year we enjoyed being able to spend the week with them, as well as Scott's brother Jim and his wife - Jill and son -Kyle. (Cousin Katie is still in Africa! For those of you who know Katie, she has just graduated from Auburn with a nursing degree this spring! Congratulations, Katie!) We also took with us Carter's good friends, Jackson and Willie Coursey. The weather was perfect, the boys got along great, we all got alot of sun and I got tons of great pictures! Here is a glimpse of Gulf Shores - Summer 09!

Some of the Sandersons...

Jackson, Carter and Willie

Garrett and Grant dig up some fun...

My boys have always loved digging in the sand. Now that the two older ones are a little "distracted" by the sights on the beach, Garrett and Grant have recruited their friend Heath Bridges to help!

Hooping it up at the Beach!

The boys can always manage to find a game no matter where they go! Fortunately for them, it was easy to find a game this week as there were several other families we know from Lipscomb who had also decided to head down to the Beach Club. There was plenty of competition each morning as they hit the court for a little basketball! (Think I may have gotten a little carried away with the picture taking here...there's a least 30 pictures! Why can't they turn out this good in the gym?!)

Gulf Shores...here we come!

Finally a one week break from basketball camps and we are headed off to the beach! Yeah! Meet you at the Beach Club!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all our Dads! We love you.
Scott and his boys...



It's too hot to do anything but hang out at the pool!

Summer with the Sanderson's means basketball camp!

While Grant has been off adding a new sport to his repertoire, the rest of the Sanderson's are still busy improving their basketball skills. This week, my nephew Mason has come from Lubbock to hang out with Clint and Garrett at Lipscomb's basketball camp. Think Mason is hoping his height of about 6'3' at the age of 13 will come in handy! Mimi has come up this week too so she can see all the boys in action.
Meanwhile, down the boulevard, Carter and the Lipscomb High School team are participating in Belmont's team camp. You all know I love nothing better than to be able to watch my boys...however...if I don't get out of the gym soon I am going to have to rename my blog. The new title?...The Bleacher Butt Blog"!

A new appreciation for Tattoos!

Wednesday night, my friend Emily took Grant and Rush to Vacation Bible School. While they were there, they got to pick out a tattoo and have it painted on their arm. Emily thought I might want to see this one before it washed off! She was right...nothing like getting a little love from your kids!

Magic Powers...

Sometimes the most short and innocent conversations with children can really hit home. I wanted to share with you just one of those kinds of conversations that Grant and I had while driving in the car today...

Grant: Hey Mom...
Mom: Yea?
Grant: If I could have magic powers, do you know which one I would pick?
Mom: Which one?
Grant: "Mcreary, time reary"...that's the one where you can turn back time...that way, every time you mess up...you can go back and fix it.

I don't know exactly what he was wishing he could go back and fix, but don't we all wish we had that power too!

Tennessee Titans come to Football camp!

This week, Grant went with one of his good buddies Rush Lansdell to football camp at Nashville Christian School. In addition to all the great instruction on the game of football, they had a special treat today when two of the Tennessee Titans football players came to hang out and sign autographs...#48 Casey Cramer from Dartmouth and #31 Cortland Finnegan from Samford. A big thank you to Rush's dad Charlie - Head Football Coach at Nashville Christian - for treating Grant to a super week of football!

#31 Cortland Finnegan...


#48 Casey Cramer...

Acting silly with Cortland...