All-Star Team! :)

Jon David made the All-Star Team for his league. He is so excited and looking forward to the next level of play. Of course, with that next level comes a greater commitment by our family too. For the next three weeks, there will be 2-3 hour practices every afternoon or evening. For the next three weekends, Nathan (also helping coach the team) will be toting Jon David around central AR for tournaments. I won't be able to attend all of the tournaments with our other commitments here. And, have I mentioned how hot it's going to be? I just sent JD and daddy off to practice with the temps nearing 100 degrees and a heat advisory. Whew, they must really LOVE baseball! It's difficult to find a balance. We want to encourage JD's talents and passions. But, we also don't want to give up our family time either. If this is how busy it is now with him at 7, how will it be when he is 15? We're praying for God's guidance . . .

And a princess becomes a mermaid

Ali has been waiting for swimming lessons for FOREVER! Since she could talk, she wanted to take swimming lessons like the boys. So, I made the mistake of telling her that when summer came she could take lessons. Well, the boys got out of school on May 20th which marked the beginning of summer. It's been a long three weeks of explaining to Ali that it wasn't time yet. Monday was the day! Ali jumped right in the water and loved EVERY minute of it. She jumped off the diving board without blinking . . . (Of course, she attempted the same thing at a friend's house the next day without swim teachers in the deep end to catch her. She's a little too confident in her ability now.)

Sharing a little love

The opportunity to be a visiting resource for the Searcy Children's Home has been a blessing for our family. We offer "breaks" for foster families who have obligations away from their kiddos. The little guy in the picture is one of our regulars. When I use the word "our", I use it loosely. It really should read "Nathan's" because Little A loves Nathan. Little A is a man's man . . . but, he's precious to us and such a joy to have visit. (Notice that he's watching baseball with Nathan!)

The Invasion of the Cousins

I say this lovingly . . . but, when seven kiddos join the ranks of our three, the house truly feels invaded. It doesn't help that of the nine, six are boys who love swords, guns, etc. The house and yard often looked like a battle ground, but it was a fun visit. We spent the visit fishing, eating, swimming, eating, watching videos, eating, going to ball games--you get the point. As with any good family reunion, food must play an important part! While here, cousin Cory had his 10th birthday. He most enjoyed his time fishing at Yaya's pond, so I picked out a fishing cake for the bday celebration. (See attached pictures.)

Aargh , matey!

Each spring, HA's elementary students get to go to Camp Tahkodah for Outdoor Education. It was one of the times I most enjoyed as a student 25 years ago. It's still a highlight for the students. Jon David's class enjoyed adventures on the high seas with a Pirate theme. What fun times for the students, teachers, and parents. Nathan and I try to both attend an Outdoor Ed. each spring. We've been swapping which kid we go with each year. This was my year to go with JD and Nathan's year to go with Caleb. So, as you will notice, JD has pictures of his experience. Caleb does not. (I'll catch him next year!)

The snake hunter

Well, the title is a little misleading. Caleb wasn't hunting this snake; it found us. The narodia sipidon (yellow bellied water snake) seem to like the area on our back porch behind the dog house. We can always tell when the pups have one cornered for the chaotic yipping that ensues. On this particular day, Caleb wanted to capture the prey on his own. It's a talent and something many never perfect. Nathan can catch ten snakes and never get bit. I, on the other hand, get bit half of the time. Caleb is still averaging a bite more times than not. As you will see in the first picture, this was one of the times when he did get bit. But, he was proud! (As was his father! His mother just wanted him to use lots of hand soap to get rid of the odor!)

Take me out to the ball game

Jon David started playing baseball at the end of April. Daddy was his coach this year, so it added a new element to the process. Although Jon David wanted to play catcher, Dad kept him at pitcher all year. Since they use a pitching machine in this league, Jon David got to focus entirely on defense. He loved it. This was Nathan's first experience as head baseball coach. It was a stress but a good experience for our family. We loved each boy on our team and enjoyed getting to know the families. The team finished in third for the season. Congratulations!

Jon David's Jungle Excursion

Each spring of first grade, the kiddos get to go on an adventure down the Amazon. Their at-home project is to build a boat worthy of the Amazon. All building projects are relegated to Nathan. So, this is the final product of Jon David's ideas and the work he and daddy did! A jaguar boat! (Notice the cool hair.)

Flat Caleb

Caleb had "Flat Caleb" due the first of May. It was a fun project with many helpers. Grandma and Grandpa toured with Flat Caleb in China. Miss Jaime and Miss Susan took Flat Caleb with them to St. Louis. Flat Caleb enjoyed a family outing to Branson with Yaya and Papa. And, he got to go to swim lessons and on a fishing excursion. It was a fun project, and it's DONE!

GOAL, Searcy Lagons!

Jon David's soccer team was the league champion this spring. The regular coach had to miss most of the spring games due to work, so Nathan was the stand-in. It was a great season and so much fun. The team played well together and improved each week. Congratulations Searcy Lagons! (That's not a typo. Some wanted to be the dragons, and some wanted to be lions. This was the compromise!)

Ali's program

Ali's last day of preschool was April 29th. It was a luau theme, so Ali enjoyed wearing her twirly, hula dress. This brought back many memories since I have pictures from a preschool program of my own with a grass skirt doing the hula. Ali loves to perform but most especially sing. If I could figure out how to upload video, you would enjoy a snippet! I suspect this is the first of many activities in which we'll be watching Ali perform in one way or another!

So behind . . .

This is the reason I hesitated about becoming a blogger. I knew there would be times, many of them, when I would get WAY behind and then feel bad about it. This is the deal . . . over the last six weeks, we've had two swim meets, sixteen baseball games, end of school activities that included camping trips, a cousin invasion, an eight day stay with a one-year-old, etc. It's just been too busy to do the "extra" stuff . . . and, blogging is still on my "extra" list. I vow to do better and get caught up before July comes!