Tommy decided this year he wanted an Olympics birthday cake. It was a great choice! (And really, all too easy, seeing that the Olympics have been on our TV every moment we are home…..and we are not usually TV watchers.)

I can do a little decorating, but I knew who to call to get this major project done….

I made the cake and icing. Heather did all of the decorating. She used fondant to make ice skates, skis with poles, snowboard, gold medal and the Olympic Rings.

 

 

 

 

She had lots of help and lots of suggestions. If you know Tommy, I am sure you can imagine….

I had lots of help with the clean up (ie: licking the spatula and bowls).

 

Heather did an amazing job with the details.

  The beginning of the snowboard.

 

What an great job! Tommy was one happy (almost) 9 year old. He got to take the cake to Sean’s and show it off(along with Sean’s chocolate cake…Sean likes chocolate cake, Tommy likes white cake). Thanks Heather! Couldn’t of done it without you. We make a pretty good team!

Caroline “Cha Cha Cha”-ing while singing happy birthday to the boys. Gotta love her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will, William and Caroline enjoying their cake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then for fun…here is William eating his dinner (or should I say eating his ketchup) while we worked on cakes.

He is so sweet! And full of himself…I bet you couldn’t tell.

Not only do we celebrate Tommy’s birthday today, but we also celebrate Sean’s. A lot of you know Sean, even if your unsure of how Sean came to be part of our family. Sean is as much my brother as Will is….but it doesn’t end there. Heath thinks of him as a brother also. And so do Tommy, Caroline and Elise.

We met Sean in the spring of 2003 when he was Will’s roommate at Memphis. (Actually, I don’t think he was his roommate, just a good friend. They later became roommates.) From that point on, Sean was family. On college breaks or semesters that he wasn’t in school, he stayed with us. (Just for fun I should try to name all of the colleges he has attended…but not sure I have the brain power this morning to do that. The list is extensive.)

The boys eating ribs. Judging by Tommy’s age, this had to be one of Sean’s first (of MANY) rib cookings. Maybe even when he earned his Master BBQ Chef Certificate.

 

 

 

There were many times, especially when Heath had his heart attack, that I don’t know what I would have done if Sean had not been living with us. He was a world of help, seeing that Tommy was 3 and Caroline 1. More importantly than that, he was the friend that Heath so badly needed at that point.

Now, that being said, there are also some priceless stories to go along with it. From the ER nurses questioning Sean and Heath coming to the ER together, to Brutus eating the ribs (sorry Sean, couldn’t do without that one), to “If I wanted something sweet, I’d have gotten a popsicle, not a rib”, to the ever disappearing kitchen utensils. Or there was the Spring Break he threw Tommy at least 500 pitches a day. Or the CSI marathons. I could go on and on. If you know Sean, you know nothing happens without a great story coming from it. We have some stories to tell.

 

(Left)Sean and Tommy last year at their party. (Right)Sean Kelly and his namesake, Elise Kelly.

(Left)Sean, Tommy and Sean’s buddies from Chicago(Nate, Jack, Ryan and Scott). They flew in to celebrate Sean’s birthday last year. Jack and Ryan made it their 1st Annual Event and were back this past weekend to celebrate. These are a few of Sean’s many friends that have come to town to visit through the years.(Above)Their birthday cake. Tommy had me make Ohio State because it is his and Sean’s favorite (with the emphasis put on Sean there. I asked him if it was his way of making up for Sean’s Caillou birthday cake. See Tommy’s birthday blog to understand.)

Birthdays, last year (Left) and this past weekend (Right)

Gulf Shores, Al July 2008

I love Caroline’s face. She seems really happy. That is so unlike her!!

 

 

 

 

 

Sean dancing with the girls. They were having such a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sean and Caroline, building a snowman (2007) and on the boat (2004).

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBQ, BBQ and more BBQ. Sean, being from Chicago, once thought of BBQ as being a delicacy. He has now cooked it more times that we can count. He has become quite good at it and has fed many. Now, the mess he leaves behind (from the door knobs to the cabinets all being wide open), that’s another story. Sorry, Sean, I couldn’t resist that one. You’ve taught me well to take the opportunity when it presents itself.

Hope you have a happy 29th birthday. Officially late 20’s. And the last year you can claim 20-something. Sorry, but it happens to us all. We love you and are all proud to call you our brother.

Tommy, Tbone, Porter, T, Salami, Little Man, Thomas Chad…a child of many names. He happily answers to each one of them. Today he is 9. My, how hard that is to believe. It doesn’t seem that it could be.

February 22, 2001 11:00 pm we named him Thomas Chad. 
(Well, actually he was named in November of 2000. When Grandma was in the nursing home after her stroke, she and I sat and I was talking to her about the baby. She could speak very little. I gave her a couple of name ideas and she curled her nose. When I said, “Thomas Chad” , she smiled and repeated me. I knew then that would be his name. When she passed away the next day, I told Heath the ultrasound better be correct because this babies name is Thomas Chad. Would be a really strange girls name!)

Thomas was Grandpa Ford’s dad’s name. He was Thomas Elijah. We knew if we named him Thomas, we would call him Tommy. Chad is one of my best friends. We have been friends since my freshman (his sophomore) year in high school. He was my “Man of Honor” in our wedding. (Left) Chad holding Tommy in the hospital.

When Tommy was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, his face was blue and his eyes wide. He was silent. Dr. Blevins immediately cut the cord and within seconds (which seemed like hours) he started crying. With a sigh of relief, I held my baby and realized just how much I could love someone. That first moment with him in my arms was one I cherish. I had waited months to get my hands on him…and he hadn’t been very cooperative. He tried to join us 2 months early and I was on bed rest until the week before he was born. (That’s a whole story in itself…bed rest was horrible! I don’t recommend it!!!)

Sleeping with Tommy finally in my arms the night he was born.(Below left)Papaw, Papa, Will and Tommy the day we came home from the hospital.(Below right)Papa and Tommy

Even as a baby, Tommy was demanding. He was not colicky and didn’t cry constantly, but he knew what he wanted and just how he wanted it done. If it varied at all, he let us know it…LOUDLY! At 18 months, the full-on-head-banging-on-the-floor tantrums started. At 4 we could reason with him and if it was presented well, we could talk him into something. At 8, and I have little doubt that 9 will be different, he continues on that same path. His world is very black and white and trying to show him the gray in life is difficult some days!

With that being said, Tommy doesn’t do anything half way. What he does, he gives all he has. This goes with compassion, too. He is the most compassionate child I have ever been around. He cares so deeply that it bothers him if others are upset. At about age 2 he tried to give a high school senior his “sucky” (pacifier) because she was crying on Senior Night. He knew that was his comfort, so he figured it would help her, too. He is just that passionate about his sisters. He watches over them closely…although that sometimes means to the point of annoyance for them!

(Left)Tommy and Grant King, summer 2002 (Right)Tommy and Buffy napping Spring 2001

When Tommy needs to “get away”, he walks outside. He enjoys the outdoors. It is his therapy. He will walk around the pond, get on the john boat and ride around the pond, catch critters, or sit and hold a chicken (Left). It is little things like that where he finds comfort. He is a very hard worker and if he finds something he can “fix” he is very creative and handy. He takes pride in doing those things. For example, Heath had not gotten the shingles on the chicken coop (which is a very small A-Frame), so Tommy took it upon himself to figure it out and hammer away. He did come in and ask a few questions (which I answered the best I could!), but he got it done. Can you imagine Heath’s surprise when he got home?

 

Going to watch Will play football at Memphis was something Tommy loved to do. He has very good memories of those falls spent traveling in the RV to watch Memphis play.

(Left)Heath, Tommy and Sean napping in the RV before a Memphis game.(Right)Buffy and Tommy (with me and baby Caroline in the background) tailgating at a Memphis game.

When all else failed, I put Tommy in the tub. It would always calm him. That being said, he spent A LOT of time taking a bath in the sink at my parents house. If he would fit now, he would still sit in the sink and play while I cook.

 

 

 

 

When Tommy was 2 we met Sean…that’s a story for another time…but, Sean quickly became Tommy’s best friend (with a 20 year, to the day, age difference). Sean has lived with us, on and off between college(s, with an “s” because it is plural). Since then, Sean has become the brother Tommy doesn’t (and won’t!) have. Sean is actually a brother to all of us.

(Left)Tommy, aka Spider Man shooting webs, showing off the ribs they cooked on Papa’s grill. (Right) Tommy and Sean sharing their birthday. Tommy wanted construction hats and he said Sean wanted balloons. (For their next birthday, Tommy couldn’t decide between a Spider Man and Caillou cake. He then told me he wanted Spider Man and Sean wanted Caillou. Sean is good enough to him that he goes along with it.)

 

Tommy’s first fish (left), first day of Kindergarten (middle), first Tball team (right)

Tommy’s loves….

If I were to describe Tommy’s passions, it would be baseball, building things (and inventing them) and tractors.

(Left) Tommy riding in a combine cutting the corn (I can’t tell you how much this excited him!) (Middle)Playing with his tractors at the beach (Right) Tommy’s invention (ingenious, I know) of using a flashlight with no hands. He was appalled when he found out they already made some that strapped to your head.

Tommy is very athletic and most of it comes naturally to him. He is very at home on a sports field. He enjoys soccer and tolerates basketball. He has tried wrestling and enjoyed it, although he felt overwhelmed because the rules and moves were foreign to him. He is a very good gymnast and has been taking gymnastics since he was 2. Gymnastics has helped him tremendously in everything. When he played first base during one little league season, he did the splits to catch the ball and tag the runner out. He was ecstatic! He very clearly gave all the credit to gymnastics. He can do a round-off and 2 back handsprings. He is working on his back tuck.

Above all, his passion is baseball. It is what he loves most. When he was 1 1/2 or so his favorite toy was a set of plastic golf clubs. He carried them everywhere. But instead of using them as golf clubs, he used them as baseball bats and hit balls off of his miniature tee (in the living room, no less). When he stood at the tee, he always stood to bat left handed. Heath would move him to the other side of the tee and he would swing and miss. He would walk back to the left side and whack the ball. He is moving up to minor league (kid pitch) this year. He is very excited about moving up because they have a catcher…and that’s the position he wants.

Tommy is not afraid to “ham it up”. The first graders did a Christmas play and the last song was “Blitzen Boogie”. Can you guess who was Blitzen? He ended the performance by running out and sliding across the stage on his knees. He was thrilled!

 

A vampire on Halloween. He took great pride in his sisters not wanting to look at him because he was too scary. Boys!

 

 

(Right) One of my good friends from high school, Tim Reed, is a fireman in Franklin. One weekend when we were in Franklin he brought a fire truck by my parents house for Tommy to see. Can you imagine the delight of a 3 year old who has a fire truck come see him? To this day, when we are in Franklin and pass a fire house, he talks about the time Tim Reed brought a fire truck to see him.

He still gives me this face when I say something he doesn’t approve of.

 

 

 

 

A good one to end on (because choosing which pictures NOT to add is very hard….so I am going to make it easy and stop choosing!)

Last spring my dad got the box blade, which was attached to the tractor, stuck in the muck pile that was in the middle of the field. He sent Tommy (who was riding the go cart) to the barn to get a crow bar. As they continued working while Tommy was gone, they saw a huge white cloud puff come from outside of the barn. They discussed it for a second, then they saw Tommy get on the go cart and head towards them. As Tommy neared, they could see through his helmet and facemask that his face was white. Turns out, Tommy had the crowbar and was heading back to the go cart when, while swinging the crowbar at his side, he struck a can of white spray paint. (He says it was an accident….I have my doubts. When he is 40 he might tell me the real truth.) The picture above is the result. Yes, I know we are fortunate he was ok. He reacted quickly enough that it did not get into his eyes….but his eyelashes and eyebrows, and the tips of his hair, and the hair on his arms and legs were covered! Not to mention his clothes, shoes and socks. Even after multiple washings/scrubbings we couldn’t get it all off. It did eventually, weeks later, all wear off his hair. His clothes on the other hand are permanently white.

He keeps us laughing and smiling. He also is very good at filling us with pride. These are the things I remember when he fights me over homework, leaves his clothes scattered all over the house, argues with me over EVERYTHING…..ok, I’ll stop. The good very much outweighs the negative. He is my only little man. And I love him dearly.

Happy Birthday Salami. Hope it’s a great one. Bushel and a Peck