Bases Loaded with One on Deck

With an Eye Towards Spring

Last week, with a great amount of giddiness, I announced to my children that the 10 day forecast included many days in the mid to upper 30's.   Some of us (namely me) were more thrilled than others (that would be the boys), but obviously it got at least one child's mind thinking about the warmer days to come.   

 

 

 
 

 

The above set of balls came on Thursday.  41 that day. (Technically 40 since the boys won't play with the pink ball.  For now it has been carefully set aside for a certain little girl to have when she is old enough to play.) Over the weekend they secured about 70 more.  And considering these little suckers cost about two bucks a piece new,  I'd say we're saving quite a bit on "green fees"!

Hello Cabela's!

Remember this?  Michael sure does.  Every few months he would ask us to check and see if Cabela's had a "dot" in Georgia yet.  The answer of course was always, and still is "No!"  

When we told him we were going to move to Wisconsin I'm pretty sure the first words out of his mouth were, "Do they have a Cabela's there?"  This time the answer was "Yes!"  And Sunday he FINALLY got to go.

I was all ready to capture his long awaited pilgrimage on camera, but after two photos the camera batteries became exhausted.  I guess that's just as well since Michael spent all his money at the Bass Pro Shops in Nashville, so it's not like we missed his first big Cabela's purchase.  And even though Michael couldn't buy anything, we didn't exactly go home empty handed.  Kent and I picked up one of these so we could make this .  It's stainless steel and holds 2 chickens, so we'll have plenty for company. Just let us know when you want to come!

                     

                  

Food, Feet, and First Lego League

   

   

 

 

It may come as a surprise to some of you that we have been involved in other activities besides taking pictures of Catherine.  In fact one of the things that has occupied much of our time over the past 7 or 8 months has been Michael and Matthew's involvement in First Lego League (FLL).  This past Saturday they competed in the state competition that was held at Georgia Tech.  They did not place in any of the events, but to make it to State you had to get through qualifiers (where they placed 1st for research and 2nd overall), and regionals.   So the fact that they made it to State as a rookie team is a huge accomplishment in itself.  Their team was called the "Lego Crusaders" and they did an absolutely amazing job!  Way to go guys!

I have to add some personal feelings on this whole experience.  When the boys were asked to join this team we had no idea that Kent would be looking into the job in Milwaukee, let alone accepting it, but they let Michael and Matthew remain on the team even though they might not be able to finish out the year.  Then when I had Catherine and it turned out Kent wasn't going to be here as much as we had hoped, and Catherine kept having doctors appointments and I couldn't always keep up with the practice schedule or help the boys keep up with their work and research, they still allowed the boys to remain on the team.  The other families we were involved with picked up the boys for practice, took them on the field trips, took them to and from tournaments, sat down and helped them with their work so that they could catch up.  They did EVERYTHING for me when I could do nothing because our life circumstances at the time.  These families gave my boys an experience of a lifetime.  Priya, Marjorie, and Debbie, I can't thank you or your families enough for the wonderful gift you have given us.  You are an amazing group of women and you have blessed our lives more than you will ever know.  THANK YOU!

Today..........

We celebrate Michael's 13 years of life

       

and we pray for Catherine as she undergoes surgery.

       

Smitten!

To say that the boys just absolutely adore their little sister would be the understatement of the year.  Never has a child been so doted over like our sweet little Catherine has over these past few weeks.   They are all constantly hovering over her, cooing at her, kissing her face and holding her hands.  There are daily fights over who gets to hold her first or next and who gets to sit by her in the car or at church.

Matthew got a camera for his birthday, and I fear Catherine will go blind from the hundreds of times a day the flash goes off in her face.  If she doesn't go blind she will certainly become deaf if James doesn't stop talking so loudly to her, for some reason he thinks babies are hard of hearing.

Catherine is certainly the boys new favorite thing.  They run to her bedside at the littlest peep to see if she's waking up, they line up at the kitchen counter to watch her at bath time, and they narrate her every possible thought that might run through her head as her big blue  eyes move around the room discovering the world around her.  Even when she's sleeping she has a constant audience.

Yes, no doubt about it, Catherine is loved and adored by four amazing boys which makes her one truly blessed little girl!

Scut Farkus Lives Here

If you were to call our house, and Michael were to answer the phone you might notice something a bit different.  Over the past few weeks his voice has gotten very squeaky, and scratchy, and it cracks a lot when he tries talk loud.  He's a bright young kid and a joy to talk to, but lately listening to him is a like hearing fingernails being run across the chalk board, and I'm very much looking forward to the day his voice finishes changing.  Especially since every time he laughs now he sounds like this guy :