Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

Well, our first tee-ball game is officially in the books.  And it was just as entertaining as I thought it would be with one batter running after the ball she hit and another batter running the wrong way and a lot of confused running by the infield team.  Along with the laughs came a lot of pride for my sweet boy. 



He went up to the plate without any tears...had to swing several times before making contact but stuck with it and got a great hit!  He didn't get frustrated with the multiple swings...he just got his bat in the ready position to swing again. 



When he made contact he took off for first base with a great big grin on his face. Running the bases is definitely his favorite part of tee-ball so far.

It is a very friendly tee-ball league. Each team bats through the line-up and then they switch sides. Everyone gets to run the bases even if the batter is technically out. And everyone gets to play in the field at all times no matter the number of players.

Speaking of running the bases...here is Carter scoring his first run!



He claims that next week he will hit "one thousand home runs." Love the optimism!

Carter had a pretty special first base coach this first game.



Doesn't get much better than being able to give your dad a high five as you run to first for the first time!

Carter also had quite the cheering section...



Ben gave several loud "Go Carter Go!" cheers. And boy is he ready for his turn on the field. Although not in the picture...Gram was there for the game too!

When it came time for our team to be in the field, they did a good job of moving the kids around to try different positions. Carter made a good stop while playing "pitcher" and even got an out! I was very impressed that he remembered to go tag the player instead of throwing the ball at the batter as we sometimes do in our backyard wiffle ball games.



I will leave you with what I think is one of my new favorite photos. Adam and Carter having a little chat in the dugout before the game.



Let's hear it for the Purple Rockies!

Dragons and Goo

We had some friends over to play this morning...very impromptu.  Sometimes that the best way to get together.  Advance plans inevitably fail.  And making said advance plans sometimes takes forever. Spur of the moment get togethers sometimes work best when you are corralling multiple kiddos.  So I was thrilled when we both said "yes" this morning!  Bridget is a good friend from college...one of my senior roommates too!  Both of us are from Alabama and are husbands are from Alabama too.  Yet, here we are all in Chapel Hill.  Small world.  But it feels like having a little bit of family here even though all of our parents/grandparents are far away.   

Anyhow.  The weather was fantastic today.  Cloudy and high 70s.  That's right.  70s.  In July.  What???  No complaints here...just enjoyed the cool air in the middle of summer!
We took a stroll to one of our neighborhood playgrounds and got right to work coloring the dragon.  What else do you do at a playground? 



He? She? looked very nice when they were all done. It must have been a "she" as Anna did a great job adding eyeshadow, toenail polish, and lipstick.

They worked hard drawing ladders up and down our sidewalk too. It was cute to see them "climb" the ladders after they drew them.



Next up...science experiment time! Thank you dollar section at Target for the wonderful and inexpensive summer workbooks. We LOVE them. Today we made GOO. Here are the ingredients:

1 cup Cornstarch
1/2 cup Water
1-2 drops gel food coloring

Mix the above together by hand and you have Goo!

We made red goo...



Green and yellow goo...



And blue goo!



The kids worked on their goo for over 30 minutes. I call that a successful project! We would add a little more cornstarch. Then add a little more water. And repeat.



It did leave a pretty good mess afterwards...



But it was easy to clean with warm water and a good Clorox wipe at the end.

And we were able to save some of the goo for more fun later. Perhaps we will just do some sensory play in the bag the next go 'round.



If you try this at home, let me give one warning. The blue goo is pretty. But not only do you end up with blue goo. You also get blue hands. Anyone know how long food coloring sticks around?



And this sweet girl wanted some goo action too...but settled for some smiles and snoozes in her car seat.



Thankful for a fun impromptu morning with dear friends!

Coming Soon...

Well, what can I say.  I beat my last blogging silence by a week.  Yay! 

I know there are a handful of you guys that really look forward to pictures and stories about our everyday life and I really want to so a better job of documenting our everyday life so I can remember it 30 years from now.  So, here we go again. 

Here are a few quick pics to whet your appetite of all I have to catch up on...























From the beach to snow...I have a lot to catch up on.

T-H-A-N-K Y-O-Us

The school year is coming to a close which means it is time to tell our kids teachers how much we appreciate them!  Our boys have loved school this year...art time, music time, nature explorer time, etc.  So to say "thanks" I had our boys decorate the letters that spell "Thank You".

I started with construction paper and sketched the letters in a bold black marker.  Then I set them up at the table with markers and stickers and told them to decorate the letters however they wanted...



Once the letters were done...we went outside to our front porch and I took pictures of the boys holding their letters. Here are a few outtakes...






Once they were all cropped and similarly sized, I created a collage in Picasa. I had a great Walgreens coupon and ordered cards with envelopes. I think they were a big hit...and we just might use them again!

 

We also gave our teachers new books for their classroom. I thought this would be something that gets used often and I wrote a note inside each book cover so the teachers would remember our kids when they read these books to their classes over the next years...

Happy 100th Granddaddy Bowen!

Last weekend we traveled south to celebrate my Granddaddy's 100th birthday!  It was a wonderful celebration and I am so glad we could be there.  The boys endured another 15+ hours in the car over a 3 day weekend and did great! 



A little background on my Granddaddy...
-he was born May 10, 1913 in south Georgia
-he studied at UGA and majored in Math and Latin.
-his senior year at UGA cost $350.  (he still has a great memory!)
-he was Assistant Principal, then Principal of Dalton High then Superintendent of Dalton Public Schools
-he has been a member of the Rotary club since 1941 - 72 years!  (and still goes most Tuesdays!)
-he is very active in his local Habitat for Humanity and has been on the board since 1987
-he was married to my sweet grandmother for 60+ years until she passed away in 2009
-he has a son and a daughter (my mom)...6 grandchildren...and 6 great-grandchildren
-you can read more about him here and here

My mom and her friends planned a party to celebrate Granddaddy.  It was on Saturday afternoon at his church from 2-4.  At 1:45 there was a line to see him!  We think there were close to 400 at the party.  That is quite a crowd to celebrate 100...  I met the Homecoming Queen of 1955 that my Granddaddy crowned!  I also enjoyed a story from man who said my Granddaddy gave him that extra chance that turned his life around.  And another that talked of my Granddaddy always being able to get his attention which he claims was pretty tough to do.  What an honor to be there and meet so many that love my granddaddy!

Here are some pics of the big day:



Not too often you get to shop for 100 napkins!






Mom had a couple of tables set up with old year-books and pictures...



My mom in one of her high-school year books...



And my Granddaddy...



This is how I know my Granddaddy...I am pretty sure this was taken on a golf course somewhere.  While he doesn't get to play anymore...there is a golf tournament named after him and he was able to shoot his age many times before he had to retire his clubs.



This picture means a lot to me.  We went out to check to see if Granddaddy had arrived yet...and this is what we found.  This is the Associate Pastor of the church waiting at the curb to help Granddaddy into the party with a wheelchair.  No one asked him to do this...yet it was so thoughtful and helpful. 



These are some of my mom's closest friends from high school working in the kitchen.   They took turns serving and making sure everything went smoothly at the party.  They helped with my wedding too.  Give this crew a party and they will take care of it!



Here is Granddaddy arriving for the big party!



This is my uncle saying a few words...then he turned the mic over to the Mayor who made a proclamation and declared May 10 Charlie Bowen Day! The Mayor used to be Granddaddy's student. Here is what he had to say about Granddaddy...
“There are some people that lead by an overwhelming personality,” he explained, “... and then some people are just quiet leaders. ... When he speaks, everybody listens, and he’s not a loud, exciting type person, but he’s just a very reserved, quiet, dignified leader.”



It wouldn't be a birthday without candles right??? 



My mom's friends and Granddaddy. They call themselves the Squad.  Which means I am a Squadling.  It is a tight knit group and I so thankful they all have each other!



Our boys made cards for Granddaddy...and they did some pretty entertaining Happy Birthday singing too. 



Most of my family...I have 5 cousins on my mom's side...and they are expanding with significant others and little ones.  Always a treat to see this crew!



My mom, uncle, and Granddaddy.



Check out the stack of cards he got at the party!  And he had a stack at his house that should help keep the post office afloat for the month! 



It was Mother's Day weekend and I am glad I got a good pic with my mom.  She worked so hard on this party...lost many hours sleep...thought of every detail...and it was a huge success!  She is such a selfless woman...so thankful to call her mom. 



It was a wonderful day...looking forward to 101!

For those of you that want to see even MORE pictures...follow this link:

Granddaddy 100th Birthday