Kids say....

I love kids. They crack me up.

Just a couple things I’ve overheard recently..

A couple nights ago I was in the living room and heard some commotion in my bedroom. Upon further inspection I realized that the boys were wrestling on the bed, an everyday occurrence. Clearly Ethan had the upper hand and Gavin was struggling to gain control. For just a moment Gavin managed to stand up and just before jumping on top of Ethan he yelled at the top of his lungs his battle cry: “You wanna piece of meat?”
I’m pretty sure he meant “Do you want a piece of me?” I slowly walked out of the room and laughed for a while.

During the Christmas holidays our friends the Dykes, from Chattanooga, came over for a few days. I call them friends but they are more like family. I love them like they are anyway. When they come over we always have an eventful week. Not a single boring day. There are three Dykes children: Aimee, Stephen, and Natalie. I’ll need to tell you more about them in a future blog, especially more about my future wife Aimee. She’s had plans for Kristi since she was little that will make me available for marriage again sometime in the future. I’ll save those details for that later blog. I’ll just say it involves, Kristi, a long walk, woods, and a hungry bear.

So anyway, during this past Christmas visit, the following conversation was overheard as Natalie (7 years old) was pretending to be a giant “Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, I smell the BUTT of an Englishman!” Her brother Stephen (10) quickly told her “Natalie, it’s not BUTT it’s BLOOD!” Natalie looks surprised and yelled “Why didn’t somebody tell me? I’ve been saying it wrong MY WHOLE LIFE! “

Good stuff!

Favorite Pic

After writing that last blog I found myself a little depressed. So I had to share something that makes me smile.

My sister, Leslie, took this pic December 20th during our Christmas gathering at my Grandmother's house in Columbus, MS. This was at the Stinson Christmas gathering, or as it has become known in my house "Stinson Christmas family fun weekend" although it is now just done on one day. It used to last Friday-Sunday. But as we've all grown and had kids, it has become increasingly difficult for everyone to spend the night.

Now having said all that, this pic is not my Grandmother's house. This is the tool shop that is in her back yard and has been there longer than I've been alive. I love this tool shop. It reminds me of my Grandfather, Charlie Stinson.

Here's a little history. My Grandmother, Gladys, was a McCool before she married my Grandfather and became a Stinson. After my Great grandparents (McCool) passed away, my Grandfather took apart their house piece by piece and with those materials and wood he built this shop. (The McCool outhouse was still standing even into my teen years). When we'd go visit my grandparents, I knew I could find my grandfather either in his garden or in this shop. His tractor/lawnmower was usually stored on the right, his wood working benches and tools were in the middle door, and the door on the far left was a smaller area where my grandmother did a lot of canning and preserving. It was a really cool place for a kid to explore. He had so many tools, I'll never know what they all do.

As I look at his shed and think about the fact that he built it with his hands, with his own plans, I'm amazed. I think about all the many things I've made at my own house... Let's see there's ....uh... um....

a sandwich...

a mess....

the bed... (if you think I actually make the bed then you don't know me very well.)

but I did make my computer... (just further proof of my nerdiness).

Looks like I should have spent more time in there with him and his tools. Maybe I could've learned a thing or two.

My Grandfather passed away just over 10 years ago. I still think of him on a regular basis. He was so much fun to be around. Seeing this pic, really makes me miss him. But I think what I like most about this pic is the little guy in the foreground. That's my 2 year old son, Gavin. Seeing him ( and me, in the shadows inside) walking into my Grandfathers shed. Makes me think of generations, of family, of legacy, and of how blessed I've been to have such a wonderful family.

I hope that I'll be as good a father/ grandfather to future Stinson's as my father & Grandfather have been to me. And maybe, just maybe, along the way I'll teach them how to make something besides a mess. (doubtful)

- On a completely seperate thought...Isn't "McCool" a great last name. I think if it were mine I'd just want to be called by my last name alone. You know, like McDreamy, McSteamy, McCool. That's awesome.

Or maybe it would be a good name of a great ice-cream type dessert at McDonalds. Don't you think it'd be fun to call me up and say "Hey McCool, it sure is a hot day, let's go get a McCool."

Feel free to call me McCool from now on if you like. -

Having just re-read this, I realize it might have been better to have stopped typing after talking about the shed.

And so it begins.....

I try to keep my blog goofy, funny, or at least somewhat entertaining.
I do so becuase that's what I look for in a blog. I figure if you want to get depressed or hear news there are plenty of other places to find that kind of info. But this really got to me, so I wanted to share....

I just read this article on Fox News.
It appears to me that within the first few days of Obama's presidency the largest news stories about him have beeen that he's stopped the 9/11 war crimes trials, stopped torture of any kind for information from terrorists, and now has authorized MY tax dollars to support international groups that provide or encourage abortions.

I'm concerned about the decisions our president is making.
- 9/11 trials? Are we not going to punish those responsible for killing thousands of americans?
- Torture? I guess this decision I can understand better than the others. We're not animals and need to treat people fairly, but where do you draw the line? How far can you go to get information that will save American lives? We need someone like Jack Bower ("24") to make these decisions I guess.
- tax $$ for abortion. -This bothers me the worst. I realize many people disagree with me on this.... but I believe there is NO reason that abortion is ok. I know all the arguments: birth defects, health risks to the mother, rape, etc. I'm not ok with abortion for any of these reasons especially for those who just do it because they don't want the child they created. I believe that God is in control and can take care of all of these situations if we just trust him. Even as I type this I'm getting more angry by the moment that I can't do anything about where my tax dollars go right now. I guess all I can do is pray....

"God, please continue to bless America, even though we're not always worthy of your blessings. Also, please guide the Obama and Biden families as they adjust to their new positions and lead them to make decisions that honor you. - Amen"

Fireworks and a good question

Monthly I'm supposed to write an article for our church's newsletter "The Builder." This month I was later than usual getting mine submitted, so I may not have made the printing deadline. But I thought I'd go ahead and share it with you anyway. Enjoy...


I’ve been very blessed. Not only do I have two wonderful sons, I’ve also got two of the greatest nephews in the world, Will and Nicholas Wiginton. On New Years Eve, we had a small family new years party. That evening, Matt Wiginton and I were lighting fireworks in the driveway while the rest of the family attempted to stay warm and sit closer by the house to watch the display. As they were watching Will asked his mom, Kasey, “Mommy, what is heaven like?” How do you answer that question from a 4 year old? She thought out her answer carefully and told him of streets of gold, love, family, and God. He considered her answer for a few minutes then said “Okay, but I don’t think I’m ready to go there yet. I like living here.” She explained to him that he wouldn’t have to worry about “moving” to heaven for a long time. That he would grow up, have a family, and become old before he’d need to worry about “moving”. And then he looked at her and said “But today’s the end of the year.” She could see the concern on his face. “We’re going to count down later and then all go to heaven, right?” With shock Kasey realized that this wonderful kid had somehow gotten the idea that the world was ending. He had heard it was the end of the year and his 4 year old mind reasoned that it was the end of the world. Quickly she explained to him that he had nothing to worry about and he was content with their explanation. This great story makes me wonder, how much do we really think about heaven? How ready are we to go? Are we living lives that are worthy of God saying “Well done” ? What about your friends, family, coworkers? Are they ready? Isn’t it our job to make sure they are? It’s probably something we don’t think about enough.
Before I end this article I think you should hear “the rest of the story”. Later, Will started asking questions about what it’s like to grow up, especially getting married, having his own family, etc. He asked Matt “Daddy, is Mommy married.” Matt said “yes”. “Who’s she married to?” Will asked. Matt answered “She’s married to me.”

Will’s response… “Why?”

Good one, Will.

Hello... Uh Hi.... Is there anyone out there?

So, yeah it's been a month since I blogged.
I've missed you all so much. (Do you like how I said "you all" as if a bunch of people read my blog?)

I've got a huge list of things that I've been meaning to blog about... Christmas events, Christmas Pics, Santa pics of the boys, The Inauguration, the return of "24" and "Lost", but somehow I just haven't found the time to sit and actually do it. I've even got a blog entry partially completed that may be the most interesting, most hilarious thing I've ever posted online. But It's taking me a while to work out the bugs on that posting.

I blame my blog delay on my newest toy, my iphone.
Ah, the iphone. She's a beautiful piece of technology.
I will tell you all about her very soon.
"She?" you may be thinking. Yes, her name is Iris.
Iris the iphone. She's always with me.
This is the first time I've let anyone know she has a name. I have no doubt that in the days to come when I say to Kristi... "Do you know where Iris is?" she'll mock me endlessly. But I don't care. My relationship with Iris is a special one.

So you can blame Iris for the lack of my blog presence. I've been spending a lot of time with her. But I think now that the holidays are over and Iris and I have had plenty of quality time, I'll be back to my normal blogging ways.

So be on the lookout soon, coming back to the rotation..Sunday setlists, stories, from church, work, and home, and a great entry coming soon involving a priceless picture from my past.