Yesterday was a great day of celebration, worship, and fellowship with fantastic friends and family. We spent the day visiting, cooking and grilling, making and eating home-made ice cream, and watching the kids play ’til they dropped. Dana, my kid-at-heart little sis, entertained the kids with face-painting. Once we had enough of the heat, we came inside and enjoyed a time of worship, sharing, and prayer. Finally, we ended our night by going to the Southaven fireworks show at Snowden. We “oohed” and “aahed”, and laughed at Levi who laid back and stared in awe at the lit up sky.
Bye-Bye Baseball
The recreation baseball season is over, so that means no more baseball for Aaron and Caleb. Jonathan’s season is still going since he’s playing competitive. The boys did great this season, and their team tied for 3rd place in the league. The Redbirds ended the season with a party and trophies at McAlister’s Deli. I know they’re missing it. Aaron told me, “I sure wish we were still playing baseball.” We’ll be going strong again next year though. I think to pass the time this Fall, we’re going to let them play soccer again.
Here are a few pics of the boys hard at work on the baseball field…
… and pics from the party…
Fun in the Sun
Levi loves being outside. Anytime we put his shoes on, he heads straight to the door, pointing his little finger outside. These are some pics taken the other day in the water . . . so fun to be 1!
1, 2, 3 Birthdays
Last month was full of birthdays, cupcakes, parties, and gifts as the boys celebrated their 9th, 7th, and 6th birthdays. Of course, they were so excited on their special days…here’s a quick run-down of all the fun we had…
Jonathan wanted a sleepover again this year, so we grilled hot dogs and let them play outside with sprinklers and water slides.
Caleb woke up on his big day to our traditional birthday pancake breakfast. He wanted one in the shape of a puppy, so I did the best I could. He got to unwrap a few presents and then went shopping for a present with Ma and Pa. And Ma made him a yummy chocolate cake!
Caleb and Aaron had a party together at Chuck-E-Cheese since they share the same friends. Great fun was had by all, including grown-ups. The best thing was, no clean up!
And finally, after the long wait, Aaron turned 7. Like always, we had birthday pancakes and unwrapped gifts. Then he got to go on a birthday shopping spree with Ma and Pa. That night, we went to McAlister’s Deli for his baseball party.
Now, until next year . . .
Build a Boat
The boys were excited when we arrived home from the cruise bearing gifts. They liked their t-shirts and seashell necklaces, but they really loved the model pirate ship from Key West. They couldn’t wait to start building their new boat. So Jeff and the boys emptied the box on the table and got to some serious ship construction.
Cruisin’
Jeff and I were finally able to take our first cruise last month. The weather and the seas didn’t quite cooperate; nonetheless, we had a great time spending time with each other, and hanging out with some of our best friends. I’ll try to spare ya too many details, as I share some pics; but this will probably be a long post because we had so much fun!
So we drive down and arrive in Mobile with Austin, Alesha, Adam, and Amber, unload our luggage out of the van, stand in line to receive our boarding passes and Sail and Sign cards, and finally walk onto the ship. We couldn’t help but notice and partake in the tropical, fruity drinks being handed out everywhere we went. And, the drinks totally matched my shirt so we had to take a picture.
Then, we girls decided we need to get airbrush tattoos on our feet. My foot’s the one with the orange and black sun. It faded away soon because my flip flops rubbed it off.
I can’t talk about the cruise without mentioning the cute little towel animals. This was our first night’s discovery waiting on the bed for us.
Jeff couldn’t resist a few games of blackjack. He even entered a tournament. I tried a few hands but lost 2o buck real quick. I decided I could spend my money better elsewhere.
The Captain’s Ball was a lot of fun. We dressed up, listened to some ballroom music, and danced the night away!
Our first port-of-call was in Key West, FL, where we shopped, rode jet skis around the islands, and stopped at a little Tiki Hut before we boarded the ship. This was the one and only time we wore our swimsuits. The next day promised exciting adventures in the Bahamas, but high winds and stormy waters put a stop to that. Too dangerous to port, the captain turned us around! Dinner the night before was crazy. Straight-line winds rocked the ship so hard, plates and glasses were sliding off the tables shattering on the floor.
All the guys posed for a picture in front of the big bus on the ship.
Jeff and I posing at the front of the boat.
We also played putt-putt on the top deck of the ship.
Alesha and I all dressed up for dinner.
Jeff smoked his cigar from Key West one night while we listened and danced to an awesome band.
Jeff saying his goodbyes to his best bud all week.
The whole gang saying goodbye to our waitstaff: Felipe, Armando, and Denzil. They took great care of us every night and were very patient as Jeff ordered 3 entrees each time!
Why do I want to cruise again? 24 hour ice cream-anytime I want it!
So now it’s time to say goodbye to the room service, turn down service every evening, great food, and all day fun. Here I am waiting for our call for disembarkation. Ready or not, it’s time to come home!
Boys Being Boys
I love, love, love my boys! Here they are being 100% boys. Just a little dirt is all they need for a good time.
Kindergarten Luau #2
It seems as if we’re always partying at the boys’ school. Just a year ago, we were celebrating the end of Kindergarten with a luau for Aaron. Now, Caleb is leaving Kindergarten behind and is ready to go to first grade. So again, Jeff and I found ourselves at the school enjoying yet another luau with Caleb and his classmates. Lots of fun was had jumping on moonbounces, racing in relays, sliding down the water-slides, searching for treasure, digging in sand, drawing with sidewalk chalk, blowing bubbles, and feasting on catered bar-b-q. It was great, and now we’re looking forward to next year!
End of School Fun
School’s been out for a month now, and I’m finally getting around to posting some pics of the boys’ end of year field trips.
Jonathan’s SPOTLIGHT class chartered a bus and went on a day-long fossil dig in Tennessee. This was right up Jeff’s alley, so it was fun day for Jonathan and his Dad.
Aaron’s class headed out to the zoo for a day of animal-observing and hanging out with buddies.
Caleb’s Kindergarten class also went to the zoo. Ma and Pa accompanied him this time.
Redbirds and Red Sox
Baseball season is well underway again. We’ve been at it for over 3 weeks now, and we’re loving every second of it. There have been some wins and some losses for both teams, but all the games have been nail-biters.
Caleb (Redbirds) plays around in the outfield mostly; but he scored the winning run the last game, and was so excited. He told Jeff, who was coaching first base, “I’ve never done this before! This is fun! I love baseball!” It was his very first hit in a game, so we celebrated with ice cream . . . even though it was already 9:00 on a school night when we left the ballpark.
Aaron (Redbirds) has been playing 3rd base, and is making some good stops. He has also had a couple of good hits. He’s learning and is going to make a really good ballplayer!
Jonathan (Red Sox) has played 3rd base, and is most needed as catcher. On 3rd, he caught a pop-up; and at catcher, he’s made some good plays and has even tagged some kids out at home.
More pictures, coming soon.
