Biscuits Baseball

Christian running out on the field.

Ben running out on the field

Christian watching the game

All smiles for Ben.  He heads back to the dugout with his autographed baseball.

Jack was excited to be there as well.

Mardi Gras weekend

Out baseball team took a trip down South to watch the Montgomery Biscuits play a game.  Before the game they got to go out on the field and meet the player that plays their position.  Also, they were sweet enough to autograph a ball for the kiddos and send them back to the dugout.  The boys thought it was soooo cool. 

Splash Pad

Something I love about my sister-in-law; she is great at last minute stuff.  I can call her up and spring something on her and she is all on board. I on the other hand, don't always respond well to last minute plans.  Actually, that is probably understated.  My husband would laugh at how causally that sounds "don't respond well." Moving on, so Kari was all about hanging out in Gardendale with the kiddos to let them run and play.  These cousins adore each other.  It is so sweet.  They played between the play ground (dry and hot) and the splash pad (wet and cool).  They must have ran between the two at least 400 times.  Thanks Kari for meeting up with me.  I will call you again for a last minute play date soon!

Beach

Again, the many faces of Jack.  He was such a hoot at the restaurant.

Eager to hit the beach

Sweet family - Aaron's cousin, his wife, and children.

This is my favorite part of the reception

I could just eat him up!

Jack was trying to sneak out on the balcony

In the words of my Mother-In-Law "No vacation is complete without some Putt Putt golf"

Hug or strangle?

Cute little cuz!

 

We went to the beach to celebrate the marriage of Becci (Aaron's cousin) and Alex.  Beautiful beach wedding.  It kind of reminded me of ours, big sigh.  It was good to spend time with family while being beach bums.  I don't think we went very far from the beach.  Not even to eat.  The guys went out on a fishing excursion and caught 42lbs. of fish!  We had a big fish fry for dinner that night.  I couldn't believe they caught that much!  Crazy!  

Oh, and one funny thing that I just can't help but mention whether inappropriate or not:  Aaron and Josh babysat one day while Beth, Kari, and myself decorated the reception area.  So, picture this: two men, 5 boys, coolers, towels, snacks, diaper bags, beach, sand...blah blah blah.  While they were babysitting, someone approached them and seriously asked them if they were a gay couple!  If you know anything about my husband (and Josh) then you know that this did NOT go over well.  Of course they were extremely offended and cleared the air about the situation quickly.  This is funny and sad at the same time, but didn't want to forget that it happened so there you go.

All Stars

Congratulations Christian!

Very proud of this little guy.  He worked very hard and was selected to be on the local All Star baseball team.  When he first started to play t-ball, he was in the outfield.  He told Aaron that he didn't like being out there because it was boring, and Aaron's response was that he was going to have to work hard to be in the infield.  That was all it took.  He hasn't looked back since. He played second base for Coach Griffin for the next two seasons and then was chosen to play on All Stars.  He was super excited.  It has been a learning experience for him because he does have to play in the outfield for this team, but does a great job. It has also been a learning experience for us because we had no idea the commitment it would take on the parents part as well.  We practice a lot during the week (sometimes late) and have tournaments on the weekends.  We have had to totally rearrange our schedule around this which I have grumbled about a time or two-just being honest.  Our State Tournament is this weekend, also the same weekend as my 10 year high school reunion...not sure how I'm going to pull this off.  

(Oh, and my camera is broke so you probably won't see pictures of the State Tournament or much else for a while.)

Spring Ball - Braves

 (I love taking pictures of the many faces of Jack.  He wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. He cracks me up)


Undefeated BABY! Yeah!  Very fun playing t-ball this spring.  I suppose it is more fun when you are winning.  The boys loved it, except Ben (plays right field) really is disappointed that he doesn't play first base.  Christian (second base) had no complaints this year.  He enjoyed it more this year than he ever has.  Aaron has his work cut out for him teaching Ben how to play first base over the summer.  You never know, he just might get there by fall ball.  These pictures are from the end of the season party.  So much fun, and sad that most of these boys will be moving up next year along with our Coach. 

CAP End of the Year Program

 I LOVE THIS ART DISPLAY!  So stinkin' cute!

 Christian is the night in the middle.  :)  He was representing Europe.  Its the only think I could think of as far a costume goes. 

 Ben is the cowboy with the plaid shirt and red bandana around his neck.  He was representing North America.  I couldn't find our Indian stuff.

Not the greatest picture, but its rare for all of us to be in a picture together.  Definitely worth posting.

We love our co-op school, CAP. It rocks and it suites our family well. Glad to have been a part of it and looking forward to next year!

Just a little side note: everyone keeps asking me how my first year of homeschooling went and how the kids did.  My usual response was that it went really well, but it's kindergarten!  Haha!  Kindergarten is just plain fun!  So, perhaps when I am asked how homeschooling is going at the end of first grade or even perhaps in a couple of years, my answer may vary.  Seriously, I have enjoyed it.  I have especially enjoyed the quality time I get with the children.  Sometimes it's hard to slow down and get that time without planning it.  Homeschooling has not only kept me accountable in doing so, but I have watched the children grow in their knowledge of Christ.  They challenge me to do the same. Also, I enjoy watching their thought process, and understanding them better.  Good stuff.

Chicken Show

We went to a chicken show. Yes, there is such a thing and its a pretty big deal.  I had no idea there were so many chickens out there that looked so different.  We got to watch the judges do their thing while a chicken walked around on the table in front of them.  I'm still not sure how they go about judging whether the chicken is worthy of recognition, but it was interesting to watch.  I stuck $20 in my pocket before we left thinking we would come home with a cute little chic or two for the kiddos.  Ha!  The chickens they were selling were about $50 a pop!  No thank you!  We came home empty handed, and the boys were a little disappointed.  They really wanted to buy a silkie. So did I.  They were cute!

Jack Jack

A quick update on our Jack-A-Roni.  I am smiling from ear to ear while writing this.  I can not stress enough what a great baby he is.  He is walking now, and I can't remember if I have mentioned that already.  Started walking at 15 months. He says lots of things: bye-bye, hi, Dada, Mom or Momma, dog, up, look, book, more, tickle tickle tickle (usually while showing us his belly button), and probably more that I am forgetting.  He is still adored by his brothers, especially Christian.  He has been sick maybe twice since birth. He loves to swim, but doesn't care for his bath.  He enjoys sneaking upstairs and playing in his brothers room along with playing chase and the back yard sandbox.  I think one of the water/sand play stations would be right up his alley.  He is a screamer when he doesn't get his way, and does throw himself on the floor during a fit.  I am laughing on the inside, but don't allow him to get away with it. He eats almost everything I put in front of him, and tries to eat with a fork, but still struggles.  His favorite food is probably yogurt. He has panic attacks when he sees it.  We are all entertained by him and are enjoying watching him grow up.

Boo Boo Ben

 

Ben REALLY sprained his arm.  Poor thing.  We thought for sure it was broken but the Doc assured us after several X-rays that it was ,in fact, just a severe sprain. It doubled in size and turned black and blue.  He had to sit out for a couple of baseball games, but that didn't seem to bother him.  I think what bothered him the most was not being able to ride his bike.  I told him to look pitiful so I could take his picture.  The top picture is his "fake" pitiful look and the bottom picture is him wanting me to take his picture while he yelled (it's kind of scary looking).