Softball tourney 2016

The girls both had their first fastpitch softball tournaments of the season on the same weekend recently (in 2 different locations). It also happened to fall on their dance recital weekend....talk about a whirlwind of a weekend! Oh and there was some major road construction happening too which was just par for the course around the metro. 

Between the two girls, they had 9 games and it was so hard for me not to be at every single game, but we had to divide and conquer. 

Regan's team struggled a little, but they played hard (after a rough start at an 8am game) and had a lot of fun. In my mind, FUN is what it's all about. At 10U, I want her to enjoy what she's doing, not get stressed or worry too much about performance and winning. 

She has a pretty awesome coaching staff and team of girls helping to make it fun! They walked away from the tournament at 2-3 for the weekend. It wasn't our best performance, but a great learning experience for sure!

Sidney is playing her first summer season of fastpitch. She played fall ball last year and went the entire year without a hit and then lit up the field during the state tournament! 

This year, she's playing for a coach who dreams and breathes softball. She's held more practices than I could ever imagine (especially at this level) but the kids don't mind one bit. 

And you know what? It shows! 

Sidney's bat has been on fire and these girls know the game. They can field, get outs, hit and have FUN! And when all of that comes together during a tournament....

your team wins 4 games to take home the CHAMPIONSHIP! 

Sidney happened to score the winning run in the final game, with a slide at home plate nonetheless. To say she was on cloud nine is a complete understatement. She has been talking about that game, and her slide at home for days. She (and we) are so proud! I love that she loves the game. 

It helps when one of your BFF's plays right alongside you! These two 7 year olds have been friends since birth. It's so much fun to watch as they grow and learn a sport together. 

Congratulations Sidney! We are so proud of both our girls and enjoy watching them have fun on the softball field. 

Someone to love-Dance recital 2016

These pretty girls participated in a spring dance recital last weekend and they both had a wonderful time. It was a jam packed week of 3 dress rehearsals and 2 (should have been 3) recitals.

Regan did both the opener and finale as well as her danceline number. She really enjoys dance and puts her heart into it each and every practice. She gained a lot of flexibility this season and continues to shine on stage. That girl loves to be center stage!

Sidney spent the year in a combo class where she practiced ballet and tap. Her class performed a ballet number this year and she too loved being on stage.

That girl was front and center at the start of her dance and the smile plastered on her face was priceless! It made all of the hours of carting her back and forth worth it. A hundred times over.

She is our little ballerina!

Despite the headache these shows provided (5 hours of dress rehearsals and 2 shows, in an auditorium 20 miles from home, trekking through rush hour in the middle of one of the worst construction projects in the metro), we will smile because it's over! And everyone made it through in one piece with pride across their faces!

Congrats girls; you both looked great up there! We are so proud of you :)

Life in the thick of it all

With two girls playing for a pretty intense softball league, on two different teams in two different age brackets, we are running wild right now. But seeing them out there learning, active and having fun is a level of joy that I just can't explain. 

Unfortunately, I have a toddler in tow at nearly every single practice (we are required to stay during practices....not allowed to drop off) and for sure at every game. So when my text with Ryan looked like this a few weeks ago, we all stopped to laugh (pardon Ryan's typos, he was hurrying with laughter). 

Yes, I dropped his undies into the toilet, fished them out and tossed them in the garbage letting him run free (from undies) the remainder of the night :) The latest antic is failed attempt at using the porta-potty. His scrunched up face and "Ewww tinks" (stinks) was enough to make me pee my own pants! And since he refused to go there, I held a quick lesson in peeing in the great outdoors. He's now a pro... Remind me why I wanted him potty trained at 2!? (This little sibling of a player is my new best friend; she can entertain Lincoln for an entire softball game!). 

Normally during the year, we keep track of all daily events both in electronic and written calendar forms. But this week became too much for anyone to keep track of and we resorted to a color coded daily chart. Really? Gone are the "behavior charts" for the girls. They've been replaced with activity charts to help us track the chaos. 

The weekend ahead only looks worse. Both girls have tournaments on separate sides of the city, and each has a dance recital (we didn't even add Regan's second recital to the mix as she will be skipping it for ball). I'm just sort of pretending that the major traffic reroutes/construction are going to magically go away for the weekend. 

But when this sign popped up on my social media feed the other day, I stopped dead in my tracks. Because as crazy as life is right now, I dread the day that someday, there won't be anyone left to take to practice. 

I'm going to cherish these crazy moments instead. The racing out of work-hurrying to pick up kids-picnics in the car on the way to practice- and late night game recaps. I love watching these girls have fun and play such an incredible sport. Here's to many more crazy weeks....I'll gladly take them! 

Mother's Day 2016

I am the luckiest person ever to spend my life as mom to these 3 little people. Mother's Day reminds me just how fortunate I am to hear the cries and the giggles, celebrate the triumphs and muddle through the hardships of life with these 3 a part of my every day. It's not always pretty, I'll tell you that! 

And as they get older, the conversations have changed, and I'm so excited for who they will become. Thankful to my own dear mom for helping pave the way to this place called motherhood. 

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! 

growing up

As graduation season is upon us, I'm reminded at just how quickly these little people grow up. And as I reflect on the last 2 (actually 10) years, I am doing all that I can to hold on for dear life. In particular, to this little baby boy of ours who is growing up just as fast as his big sisters. 

I remember hearing things like "the days are long, but the years are short" when we first had Regan (note, I come into contact with many older folks who dished out wisdom whether I wanted it or not). Well you know what, they were right. 

All 3 kiddos are growing up much too fast, and so I'm soaking it up and trying hard to pay attention to the little things.
The chubby toes. 

The way his feet hit the ground when he's barefoot. 

His tiny short fingers and the way he rubs all around to the backs of his hands when he washes. 

His curls. Oh those curls. 

His most sweet voice. 

And the way he says "pea bucker" (peanut butter), "bu-do-der" (bulldozer) and "bwess you". 

Over and over he says "bwess you". Whether you sneeze, cough or sniffle a little (mind you we are heavy into spring allergy season over here!). He will stop a full blown cry to say "bwess you". 

And you MUST say thank you. Or he just gets louder BWESS YOU! 

We're working on this....because frankly it's a little annoying. 

I think this is his new favorite position. I can't usually get down with him at this level, because it means he is in his zone and he generally prefers to play solo like this. But lately he's been inviting me onto the floor with him. And I'm reminding myself at just how quickly this phase will pass; and the laundry (or cleaning or paperwork) will wait. 

So I join him, and capture his playtime so I can remember. Because in 16 short years, it will be his turn to graduate. 

~Love you my sweet baby boy~

BFA Blastoff 2016

We play a lot of ball these days in this family. Like 5 days/week ball!

(But I love softball and so I have zero complaints).

Last weekend was the kickoff to the season (games start next week), although we've been practicing for 5 weeks already.

It was a chilly morning for a parade and scrimmages, but the girls hung in there and we had a fantastic time gearing up for the season.

Sidney is in the 8U level where she has one of Regan's former coaches who is intense and ready to teach (and hopefully win!).

She is lucky enough to play on a team with her BFF and another good friend. The remainder of them are new friends to be made and she's well under way to doing just that. These girls are so cute when they chant and cheer each other on.

Regan's team is made up of a group of girls who we have known for years already (all but 2). Needless to say, they are all in love with Lincoln (see him in the middle there!?). This is usually how it goes when he shows up.
They all surround him and fight for his attention. I sure don't have a lack of babysitters!

Their coaches are some of my favorite people. Most of these girls are new to the 10U bracket (only playing last fall for the first time) so it is a whole new ballgame with full rules in play. We are excited for a season of practices/games every day (between both the girls) and tournaments on the weekends.

Go Black Panthers and Blue Boltz!

Sidney, Sidney, Sidney

This girl.

I tell you she is a funny thing.

On any given day, she will make us laugh until we nearly pee our pants.

Like when she walked around the corner and out of the blue, struck this pose.

She is fierce and stubborn and fun and creative all wrapped into one. She adores her brother to pieces and then purposely teases him to no end like only a big sister would do.

She has sass and flair and a zest for life.

She is a leader with her peers and likes it that way. Today I showed up to watch her class run the mile and one friend asked "can I take off my t-shirt now?" (she had a tank under) and another girl saw my face and said "Sidney is our leader".
Say what!? We'll have a chat about that one tonight.

Thank goodness she is sweet underneath it all!

Easter 2016

Easter has come and gone, and I realize I'm way far behind on blogging! Life has gotten crazy around here.

With Lincoln's allergy to egg, he isn't allowed to even touch a carton, let alone an egg. We snatched up some fake white eggs and gave them a whirl for the egg dyeing afternoon. To say they worked is an understatement, but he felt included (for the most part) and only mildly disappointed that the color wouldn't stick to his eggs.

We prefer to host Easter at our house and had the pleasure of having all 4 grandparents, my dearest friend from work (and Baylor!) as well as Hope join us for the day. We ventured to a new to us church in the neighborhood and then back home for an egg hunt, lunch and a relaxing afternoon.

 Lincoln searched high and low for those Easter eggs in our backyard. He worked so hard each time to bend down that by the end, this was our view!

Volleyball wrap up

Regan played her first season of volleyball this spring and boy was it an eye opener! She came home after the first or second game and asked me "how come everyone has to serve?". The girl was used to softball where there is a designated pitcher (or two or three) so this was a whole new experience for her. It made me realize that she knew far less about the sport than I had thought.

Thankfully her coaches were kind and sweet and laid back as they taught this group of gals not only the rules, but how to actually play the game too! We lucked out with this group. They weren't great, by any means, but they had fun and cheered each other on in small victories (like getting a serve over the net!) and they sure learned a whole lot this year.

The league wraps up with a tournament. It was a quick one for our team, losing in the first round. But it was a great season and she's so happy to have tried it out! Grandma Jan was here babysitting the Monday of the final game; another cheerleader for Regan!

Thank you Lincoln for the photo bomb :)