The Table

When asked about how we manage dealing with 4 kids and grandparents in one house, I simply say..."The Table"! Our daily schedule is chaotic to say the least, taking one kid here, another kid there, trying to get to church on time, choir, dance, soccer, football, friends....aaahhhh! However, the table is where we find our peace. As busy as I am with my own dealings, I try really hard to make sure that we have dinner together...at the table. This is where Tasha and I get the chance to slow down and talk with our kids and each other. I may have to run as soon as dinner is over, but it is extremely important to me that we sit at...the table everyday to love on each other. I'm trying to incorporate the Word of God more in our conversations, but with a talkative 3 year old and a 18 month old, it's hard to get the point across. My older two understand a bit, but the goal is to just feed them more than just bread. (Matthew 4:4) No matter how much is heard, we still have the opportunity to enjoy one another and bring sanity to the hustle and bustle that we call our life. It's at the table where we make our house into our home.

They grow soooo fast

Spent the weekend with 2000 other families trying to make sure that our children's academic future is secure by ensuring they get into the best schools. Yes, they are growing up and the path we send them on today impacts tomorrow's decisions and opportunities. Well, we really did this because Paris is going into middle school next year and it is a tough decision on what to do for placement. Paris is a GT student destined for pre-AP classes, but we want to make sure that her experiences in school are not only beneficial but rewarding to her outlook of what the future has in store. So we stood in lines, sweet talked our way through some and name dropped our way to the front of the rest all to put our faces on the forefront of the decision makers. However, we will ultimately have to stand in line along with everybody else who will, camp out the night before just to get their application in first. Wow, the things we do for our kids.

While looking to make decisions on our little pre-teen, we realize that we should start now shaping the academic path for BJ and Jericho. We are looking to get them both in the new fine arts academy where BJ can add media production to his academic rigor and Jericho can take Suzuki Instruction on the strings. Train them in the way they should go is what I was always taught and we plan to follow that creed to the fullest. Wow, I guess I'm growing up also!


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Location:Swainsons Hawk Ln,Grand Prairie,United States

From The Mouth of Babes

Having four kids and having to schedule dentist appointments, we figured it is best to find a dentist that had a large enough office to take all four at once. We are blessed enough to have a great office that is within walking distance of the house. We pray before we go that no one has any cavities because making sure everyone brushes their teeth day and night is a task. See with a busy family, we have a tendency to rely on the older to do what they are told, but... they don't always. Hence the no cavity prayer is apropos.

Paris and BJ seem to enjoy the trip to the dentist, while Jericho only goes because he gets to play with the iPad while he waits his turn. London on the other hand, hates the dentist. Well, she is so attached to her mom these days, she would hate the ice cream man too. So, Tasha has to sit London facing her and lay her down in Dr. Blake's lap and he gingerly assesses the collection of teeth that London seems to be forming in her mouth. London, kicks and screams while getting her gums massaged and immediately calms because she gets a taste of the bubble gum flavored tooth cleaner that is being applied. Anything that tastes like candy automatically soothes any child, especially ours. I guess that is why we go to the dentist regularly.



Paris and BJ once again handle the visit like champs. They love bragging about how many teeth they have lost since the last visit. Paris also realizes that she doesn't have any baby tooth to loose. So she holds that over her brothers head.

They both have gorgeous smiles, and look even better after the cleaning. However, BJ was clearly upset that he was unable to have something to eat for the next 30 minutes and no sweets for the rest of the day.


Jackson Jericho did well also. No issues with is teeth and he simply adores the attention from the dentist. He did have issues with the light shining in his eyes and the glasses that BJ wore didn't fit his face. So that made him a little upset until he tasted the bubble gum flavored cleaner. I have got to get some of that stuff... shuts them right up.

Overall, we left the dentist with our sanity intact and 4 beautiful smiles. Just like everyone else, our dentist asked how we do it, considering they just had their second child, and simply respond, "we just do." God gave us the children in the first place so we trust Him enough to give us the wherewithal to handle it. Just a little faith is all it takes. 

When Loosing Is A Great Thing.

Funny how your kids automatically take after you without you having to say a thing. I grew up a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan in the late 70's and early 80's before really getting into my Kansas City Chiefs. My son has become enamored with the Steelers with great passion. So, as he and I were cleaning the kitchen Saturday night, we were watching the playoff game between the Broncos and the Steelers. We were both left with our mouths wide open as Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on a post route for an 80-yard catch-and-run to score the game winning TD in overtime. As I quickly got over my shock, I turned to look at BJ who who was slumped over the broom. He was crying! Well, crying may be an understatement, but I could have definitely used the amount of tears as dish water. My initial thought was to point out that these things happen and to not set your affections on things of this Earth, but I caught myself. Instead I chuckled a bit and told him that God must have some sort of plan for this platform that Tim Tebow has been given. Here it is a man, ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and displays his unwavering faith without hesitation. Then I told BJ that I had heard that he has been wanting to go forward during Children's Church and accept Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, but he has been to afraid of the people watching him. We had the chance to talk about how God uses those who are willing to say yes to him, even when they may seem a little embarrassed and that God wants to come into his heart if only he would ask. Wow, from football to Christ; I'm a blessed father. I love the moments with my kids where God just shows up and uses whatever is going on to teach us something and bring us closer. BJ is just about ready to make that move, I think he wants to do it at church, but I'll be there with him every step of the way. Man I love football!

Taking The Time

Wow, a night out without the kids! We received an invite for a private screening of Joyful Noise with Queen Latifa and Dolly Parton all sponsored by Warning Bros. hosted by Kirk Franklin. However, before we left the house, we had to leave the kids in good spirits, but that was the challenge. Paris, who sometimes poses as a certified genius, was having some difficulty with her math homework. Yes, I know, homework on the weekend and my kids were doing it on Friday, not Sunday...Wow! Anyway, Paris gets so frustrated with a couple of problems to where she screams "This doesn't make sense!" Now, we don't allow yelling and whining in the house, nor do we condone quitting, but it was obvious that she was in a desperate situation. So what do you do? I didn't want to be late for our event, but I easily and quickly came to the conclusion that this was not normal for Paris and she needed me more than that seat in the theater. So I sat down with her in the calmest manner I could muster and began to share with her how Satan can easily use these two simple math problems to throw us off of our path with Christ and that I don't want her to give Satan that opportunity. I hugged her, and we took a look at her problems. The first was a simple solution that involved an additional step that she just forgot to apply. However, the second problem was a doozy. I could't figure it out myself and that immediately made Paris feel better. Even though we eventually figured the problem out, well actually Tasha did, but my daughter saw me as human and got the chance to see the way I dealt with potential frustration. No matter how many times I looked at that problem I couldn't figure it out. So I just explained to her that we will look at it again later, maybe we just need a break from it to allow new ideas to form. In other words, we need some intervention. Tasha and I went to our engagement, enjoyed ourselves immensely, but better yet, my daughter was able to handle her situation without worry because she believed that we would eventually find the answer.

That's how God works with me and my life. I don't have the answers all the time, well, most of the time, but I'm learning that if I simply trust and wait on the Lord, the answers come, and that come right on time. I'm grateful that my daughter is learning that as well, more importantly, I'm thankful that I took the time for that lesson to occur.

Can We Talk...Really!

When your 3 year old runs to you and asks with puppy dogs if he can have your phone so he can call all his friends is the day you realize that your social life as an active parent is about to become interesting. Today, Jackson Jericho just wanted to talk. He grabbed the house phone and begin dialing numbers. After several tries at just randomly selecting numbers to dial, he then asked me for my contact list to find someone to call. Well, as many already know, my kids are not strangers to technology, but how my 3 year old knew that I keep numbers in a contact list is beyond me. However, I give him my mother's number and he calls her. They talk for about 5 minutes and then he was ready for the next number. He then holds a conversation consisting of exciting events of his day with his cousins and then decides he wants to call someone else. He was just in a talkative mood! How do you manage that, when you come home from a long day of work, where people are talking non-stop, pulling on you for information, asking you this and that, and you walk home and all your kid wants to do is talk some more? Well, let him talk! Freedom to express yourself as a child is a lost joy. Nowadays, kids are left to their devices as their mode of communication to where the art of having a face-to-face conversation is foreign. Texting and Facebook keeps us off the phone so much that we forget the voice of many of our family and friends. So to hear my son yammer was a pure delight especially as he proceeds to tell me that he can't talk much to London, the 16 month old because she can't talk very well. Enjoying them while I can.