selfie – Nancy Tart: Writing for Life

“I Broke My Leg” – and other shenanigains

September 30, 2022 (timewarp from August 30, 2022)

To say that our home is never dull is a severe understatement; something funny, outrageous, interesting, or unbelievable is happening all day every day and if it appears to be calm, someone will make something happen!

At our gym over the last week, one of the coaches injured her leg. Theadora saw her with her leg all wrapped and she was hobbling. Thea wasn’t wanting to help clean up the next day and threw herself dramatically on the couch with paper wrapped around her leg fastened with a hairtie and wailed, “I broke my leg like Coach Courtney!” (Coach Coutney’s leg wasn’t broken. Looking at Thea’s tongue, you’d think she’s playing dead.)

Then there’s the day we were racing around trying to get ready and Lucas was super happy about a hand-me-down shirt from the girls’ most recent purge. “Look, mom!” He proudly puffs out his chest, “I have a gymnastics meet shirt with a boy on it!” Jillian couldn’t donate that one! Lucas wore it to his Thursday night classes.

Then there are crazy hair days seconds before we leave for church (fortunately, Dad talked him out of wearing this creation to kid’s church). He made “hair” in kid’s church the week before and had saved it. (The beads are threaded on pipe cleaners – I believe they were studying Samson, maybe?)

Then there are those who randomly leave selfies on my phone for everyone’s future entertainment… (yes, they were warned – if it’s on my phone, I can use it!)

Honestly, the one of Thea and Kimberly I love! – It’s from March when they wandered around and Kimberly took lots of pictures.

In our house, we never do dull. There is always something – or someone – a bit crazy, wild, and fun where our hearts live.

Hope this post made you smile!

Type at you later!

~Nancy Tart

Thea’s First Roller Coaster

September 21, 2019

Thea’s First Roller Coaster

There’s this wonderful place a few dozen miles over the Georgia line that pops up out of the long fields of cotton and orchards of pecan trees with vibrant colors, exotic animals, and fun!

Wild Adventures.

This place has a great history for me. I heard my first concert there as a teenager (which introduced the “new” band DC Talk with NewSong & later was the same two bands we saw together at a winterjam concert!), I went back as a young mom with Christina (her first amusement park), then back again in 2013 with everyone for two days, and a few weeks ago, we went back on a coupon.

Actually, Wild Adventures has been the first Theme Park experience for all the girls (when babies don’t ride, they haven’t experienced it) – Lucas’ first was Six Flags.

And Thea – yes, the baby! – rode her first roller coaster! Lucas and I were walking around the kiddie section, he was riding spinning bees and such, when he wanted to ride the roller coaster and needed a fellow rider. I told him, “when Daddy comes over here, you can ride it, I have to stay with Thea.” The operator smiled, “can she sit up by herself?” Yes. “Oh, then all three of you can ride.” (WHAT??)

I’m not good at selfies…
but Thea’s face!!

So Thea, Lucas, and I rode Thea’s first roller coaster. Thea was five and a half months old! Did this baby enjoy it? She giggled with Lucas and chewed on her teether the whole time. The operator called out, “you get two rounds, does she like it?” Lucas answered by making Thea giggle and clap.

Of course, everyone enjoyed multiple rides and between Christina and Becky we have plenty of pictures, but I managed to take a couple.

All the girls except Thea!
Kimberly
Kimberly & Me
Jillian & Me
Flying!

My baby… and her first amusement park ride was a roller coaster!

Type at you later,

~Nancy Tart

Big Sister Selfies

Teenager + my phone + cute baby = lots of poses and cute or funny pictures!

May 8, 2019

Big Sister Selfies

The fun of having a teenager with Instagram and a baby is I am always seeing cute little selfies. Christina chose to use my phone for a series of what I’m calling “sister selfies” (although I knew several are not selfies, as they were taken by Becky). They all know, anything on my phone is fare game to be blog fodder! 😀

^ Serious Face ^

^ “In the Midst of Talking” ^

^ “Big Smiles!” ^

“Checking on Becky (aka photographer) out the corner of my eye.”

^ Smiles ^

^ And I totally love Thea’s smirky face! ^

Their beautiful pictures make me smile… and sometimes laugh. Just wanted to share the smiles with you!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

“Lucas Got My Phone!”

“Mom, Lucas got my phone!” and took selfies all over it… just like they used to do to mine!

January 26, 2019

Mom, Lucas Got My Phone!

“Mom!” Becky cracks up laughing and flashes the “girls’ phone” screen in my direction from half a room away. “Lucas got my phone!”

I gave her a puzzled look because my tiny peek of the screen instantly was interpreted by my brain as a chess board.

“Selfies, mom, he took tons of selfies on our work phone.” (Since the girls started babysitting and most homes don’t have a land line anymore, we have a “family work phone” that whomever is out working gets to take with them.) Becky laughed again and sends a screenshot of her gallery to me. Now I’m laughing because instead of taking four or five steps, she’s texting me from across a room! (Love technology, because now I have something to put on the blog!)

I also think about how the girls were always putting selfies on my phone… until I started blogging and they’d be like, “Mom! Not that picture!” (My reply was always, “it’s on my phone, fair game!”)

As I’m saving Becky’s screenshots to my phone, Lucas wanders over and notices the computer open on my template page and pictures on my phone. “Mom, are you writing a blog?”

(How does my 3-year-old know what blog is?) “Yes.”

“Am I in it?” Lucas snuggles on my lap.

“Yes, you will be.”

“Can I type your blog?”

“No, you may not type it, but you may watch,” I smile.

Lucas holds my belly in between his hands and says, “I love you, Baby, Mommy writes about us. You need to come out and read when you are bigger.” (Lucas thinks he can read, he recites some stuff.) Lucas sighs, the Baby kicks or punches (Baby reacts to Lucas the most). “But then I can’t wrestle you when you come out. I love you, Baby!”

Sweetness. Pure Love. Yes, Lucas is right when he calls this baby “my Baby!”

I love the big brother he already is.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you later…

~Nancy Tart

Pearson Christmas Party 2018

Picture overload! My family’s Christmas party 2018.

December 22, 2018

Pearson Christmas Party

Imagine twelve adults and thirteen children racing around a beautifully decorated house and every single one of them is acting like they are somewhere in that magic child age around 5 to 8. That was our Christmas party this year. It was the best!

My amazing sister and brother hosted.

Katy is always ready for a picture!

Livy painting faces! Anastasia is concentrating on being very still. She was rewarded with a beautiful butterfly!

Jaquline got snowflakes to match her dress!

Mrs. Claus and helpers! Tina, Christina (Christy the elf), and Mandy (Elsa-elf!)

Liam was here, but jumped out of the way! Brother-cousin time L-to-R JJ, Lucas, Isaac

This video shows our baby sister’s personality – it matches the hat!

Group Selfie! Tina, Ray, Becca, Charles, Allison

The teenage grandchildren (Becky, 13, and Christina, 15)

Bouncy Hat plus Sherlock Pipe (both with accents…)

The pro (Aunt Becca) teaching JJ how to take a selfie… (He knows he’s adorable!)

Mom and the boys (silly faces): L-to-R Nathan, Ray, Tina, Charles, Louis, and Andy

Mom and the girls: L-to-R Mary, Kayla, Katy, Allison, Tina, Becca, and me.

We did not get a group picture, or a full cousin picture, because everyone was just having too much fun! The girls (my pictures come from Christina, Becky, and Kimberly) managed to get many active shots.

This was our first year without my Daddy. Katy and Andy had set up the layout so that he would have a comfy chair, a central view, close to food, close to everything in what Kimberly called “Santa Boompa’s throne.” (The chair with the footstool, Mom’s seat was supposed to be the matching one next to his.) From this view you could see Livy’s facepainting station (she is so talented), the Selfie station (which was hilarious), the “dance floor” (right in front – so much fun!), the food and beverage buffet area was to the left (easy access to refills and the silly shenanigans going on in there), and the covered porch area was just behind it (where not just the boys were showing off their strength… or trying to).

Even though he wasn’t there, I didn’t feel like Daddy was missing. I heard him in my brothers, Mom, and several of the children. I heard his laugh when the boys were showing off. I could hear him cheering each one on. I felt his smile as Anastasia passed out gifts for each of the sister- and brother-cousins. The little ones ran around giving drawings, toys, and hugs to each other and I felt him smile because he loved to give. I felt his heart as Kimberly reminded me she needed my phone to “take pictures and movies for Grandma,” because “Granddaddy always likes to get pictures for Grandma!”

My Daddy’s legacy lives as the humor and fun he always had rubbed off on us kids and our children. We love to see each other smile and laugh. We encourage each other. We share with each other. We love.

This makes me so happy I cried on the way home.

Daddy isn’t really gone. I miss him so bad; I miss being able to talk with him. No one listens to me chatter away about the story ideas I have like he did. Daddy didn’t seem to mind if it was the fifth – or fiftieth – time I told a cute something the kids did or a neat thing I learned; he never said “I’ve already heard that.” I miss that, yes.

But he’s here. I keep hearing the sing-song voice from the Disney cartoon: “he lives in you.”

Daddy lives in all 25 of us that were there (and the 4 who weren’t) in some way. His legacy is us.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Oceans of Praise

One night of de-stressing by taking the kids to experience the beauty of the moonlit beach!

September 26, 2018

Oceans of Praise

It was a long, tired, stressful day. It was the kind of day when as I’m driving home, the “Mandisa Fun” Pandora station (Christian Rock with catchy tunes and uplifting lyrics) was blaring out the speakers, windows down, and I’m trying to drum the day out of my head.

It was also nearing the full moon. There were very few clouds, a refreshing warm-cool wind (I knew this would be “blustery” at the beach), and it was 86 degrees at almost 7:30pm.

I decided we’d go to the beach.

I got home to find Eddie and Louis watching football – only into the first quarter. They do so little father-and-son stuff because Louis is always busy that I announced, “I’m headed to the beach,” knowing that would be cool for them to have father-and-son time.

“You’re taking the kids to go shark fishing?” Louis laughed. “It’ll be dark by the time you get there.”

“No, we’re going to walk along the shore and play in the shallows,” I smiled, “don’t worry, they’ll all be back in one piece. There’s a beautiful moon out and it looks amazing.”

Lucas almost stayed to watch football, but then realized all of the girls, including Anastasia, were going with Mommy, and this meant Mommy would be gone a long time.

We showed up to see this:

And this:

And that:

God had an amazing light show for us! It was so bright they could see to build a tribal village with walls, huts, and fields.

Rebeccah took most of the pictures and her selfie:

She tried to get pictures of us, but really we look like black blobs amid the darkness.

This one was a little better:

We raced up and down the shoreline. The water and wind was warm, so Anastasia lay down in the surf to get covered in water. Jillian, Jaquline, Kimberly, and Lucas followed her. Each was completely soaked in the first fifteen minutes. I think it took Rebeccah a half-hour before she let her hair get wet. Our long walk ended up being over two and a half miles! (1.3 miles one way, 1.3 miles back.) We sang praise songs because the majesty of the night looked like it was praising God.

We had to leave when Becca texted saying she was almost done with work. Anastasia was giddy at the prospect of “beating Mommy home” so we trouped back to the van, cleaned up at Aunt Becca’s, and spent a few minutes after Becca got home chatting before my crew made our way home. (Sister time for us Mommies!)

Thank you, Jesus, for a wonderful, exhilarating night.

And yes, my devious plan worked… all of them got back on their good sleep schedule.

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Field Trip

What to do when your big sister’s college class has an amazing field trip? Double it as a homeschool nature exploration day!

September 12, 2018

Field Trip

Rebeccah’s first official school field trip happened recently. She got to go to the Guana River Dam with her Marine Biology class. She often jokes that she was inspired by Finding Nemo to be an orthodontic surgeon with a hobby in Marine Biology. For her Biology Major degree, she will need many sciences with labs, so this semester it was Marine Biology plus Lab. She loves animals and has a special love for aquatic creatures so Marine Biology is a double love.

We drove her up to the state park and since we were there, just walked around and explored the estuary. (The younger children got a field trip at the same time!) Kimberly took pictures because I had to keep both eyes and one hand on Lucas at all times.

We saw armies of crabs.

We found a tiny oyster.

We took a walk around the preserve. One of the brush-covered walkways hid dozens of golden orb spiders. Jaquline quoted, “if you look up, they’ll drop on you.” To which Jillian instantly laughed, “I’m looking down, Pooh!”

A lovely bird allowed Kimberly to get pretty close.

The view was gorgeous and we watched many fish!

Another lovely view.

Although we tried to stay out of the “way” of the class, we got cornered watching the armies of crabs. Kimberly snapped this picture to “prove” Rebeccah was at the estuary too. She hadn’t taken her shoes off yet, but when she loaded up in the van after the trip, she was covered mid-torso with water!

The Marine Biology class left some tiny minnows floundering and the girls made it their mission to find all of them and flick them back into the water so they could live. Most darted away. This one kept darting back to the edge as if saying “thank you!”

Jaquline showing off some shells.

Kimberly’s selfie.

Kimberly also got some video of our excursion. (Above, a crab & conch; below, the crab army)

It was a lovely day for a field trip. Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to be able to enjoy such natural wonders with my children!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Tag: selfie

“I Broke My Leg” – and other shenanigains

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Thea’s First Roller Coaster

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Big Sister Selfies

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“Lucas Got My Phone!”

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Pearson Christmas Party 2018

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Oceans of Praise

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Field Trip

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