Softball Tournament

.

This weekend was filled with softball! Abigail's team the Blue Crush played in a double elimination tournament. They won five games and lost two. There team will advance to the district tournament next weekend. Abigail played catcher in most of the games. Imagine 97 degree weather, then polyester pants, t-shirt, jersey, leg pads, chest protector and one very thick padded helmet. She was one sweaty girl!

Time at the pool!

The joys of summertime!!! At the Kirkwood home that means time with our homeschool friends and usually at the pool! This week Ms. Stephanie baked cupcakes in ice cream cones! There was also fresh watermelon, popcorn and yes, Granny, lots of sunscreen!!! My little Indian son is darker after one day at the pool than the two albino girls will get all summer! We broke in the water pistols, broke out the dive sticks and used the kick boards!

At the Ball Park

If you ever wonder why you can't get in touch with us, or are curious about where we spend our evenings, the answer is very simple, we're at the ball park. Caleb played this season with the White Sox. I think they may have won three games all season. Caleb usually plays third base, he love to play ball but hasn't been with a winning team since he was in 2nd grade.
.
Abigail, on the other hand has always been on the team that won every game. She has played up a grade level because she is very focused.
.
The other day Abigail was in the back yard throwing the softball on the roof, letting it roll down to practice catching fly balls. While Caleb was inside finishing up the needlework I was teaching Abigail.
.
It really is their personalities. Caleb is detail oriented and very creative and inventive, but doesn't have a competitive bone in his body. Abigail on the other hand wants to win and plays hard, but has no time for details!

Sweet n' Sassy

Abigail is by no means a girly girl. She loves softball, can do anything Caleb can do, and has never been afraid of anything. She's tough as nails, rarely cries when she gets hurt and is just a real trooper. With that said, one of the best times I have had with her was taking Frankie and Abigail to Sweet n' Sassy. It is a pink, girly salon, that caters to pre-teens. Everything in the store is pink with bling, and sparkle. Abigail went in there very hesitantly, never said a word to the girls that did her nails and hair. It was like she was absorbing everything around her. As soon as we stepped out of the salon she asked when we could do it again!

The other day we were out and saw the Sweet n' Sassy limo, Abigail quickly asked if we could stop and take a picture.

Our Anniversary

Jon and I celebrated 19 years of wedded bliss over Memorial Day weekend. The kids spent most of the weekend with the Herrings. Sunday evening we took the kids out to Macaroni Grill for a nice dinner to celebrate. We made toast, ate calamari, used our best manners and spoke a little Italian. I love the time alone with Jon, but it was fun to be back together as a family and celebrate with the kids. I would post photos from my time alone with Jon, but that would be very inappropriate! :) I crack myself up!!

Boys will be Boys!

Caleb, Richard & Harrison spent the weekend at Blake's home. They celebrated Blake's birthday. I understand that no one slept, they went to Adventure Landing and played laser tag, golf and raced go-carts. So what do four wild and crazy 12 years olds do when they stay up all night? Apparently they watched the history channel and Dirty Jobs on TLC. Crazy!! :) What good kids!

Leauge 8U Champions

.After winning the league championship, Coach Ron treated all the girls on the Blue Crush to ice cream at Braum's. They are really a good group of girls, and quite talented. Pictured above is Annabelle, Isabell, Abigail and Alison. Later the first three to get their ice cream hid before Alison could find them. Silly girls! They call the three Annie-Bell, Izzy-Bell and Abby-Gail! They look too sweet!!

Days of Toil

Usually when individuals discover we have an English Mastiff, and that she is an inside pet, they immediately question if she knocks over stuff, chews on things, destroys the house etc. Unless you have first hand experience with a Mastiff, you don't understand just how laid back they can be! Today I thought it would be fun to snap photos of Padme's very busy day.

.

Beginning at the top right hand corner, and working around clockwise: Padme' during Math; Padme' during Reading; Padme' during Science; Padme' during History; Padme' while I separated laundry and finally, Padme' all worked up during lunch! I could add more pictures, but I think you get a good idea of what the 2nd half of her day will be like.

6th Graders Night Out

.
.

.

.

Tonight was the 6th Graders Night Out. Chad took the kids to a ceramic pottery shop, followed by dinner and a movie. I have a little pocket camera that Abigail usually plays with, so since she wasn't invited to the 6th grade party, she gave Caleb the camera to take photos of all the fun she was missing out on!

Prayer Marathon

.

.

.
.

This post I'm putting up mainly for myself, it's a weird post, and even weirder that I took pictures of the kids. These are the photos a mom carries in her heart. A couple of times per year the congregation has a prayer marathon. It is 24 hours of members meeting together to pray. Members submit cards for prayer request. It can be prayers for themselves, prayers for friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. The prayer marathon kicked off Friday at noon. The kids and I went up, took a stack of cards with prayer requests and prayed. When each of us was thru praying over a card, we would put it in the middle of our little circle and someone else would take it and pray. These sweet babies bowed their heads and prayed for an hour for other people's needs! The photos are blurry, I wasn't going to turn on the flash, but when I looked up and saw how precious a moment it was, I had to take a picture.

My Brown-Eyed Handsome Man

.
Somewhere between ball games we took team photos for Caleb's team the White Sox. Most of the boys on the team were able to make it for photos. We haven't had photos for Abigail's team yet. Ok well, we had a time scheduled for pictures, but one of the girls on the team fell and broke her arm while waiting for their turn. Needless to say we didn't do pics that night.

.

Caleb is such a handsome young man. As much as he looks like me, in this photo I see Jon in him!

Summertime. . . . Summertime . . . . .

Summer is almost here!!!! Today six of our church homeschool families spent the day at the pool! The kids swam, played tennis and volleyball while the mom's sat under the cabana! Very nice! After so much rain the pool was a little chilly, but with 80+ degree weather it warmed up nicely! I can't wait for summer!!! We love hanging out at the pool, my little fish could live in the water! Me too!

Happy Mother's Day

.

Any day is a great day for a celebration! Birthdays, Anniversaries and other holidays always begin with breakfast in bed. The kids prepared peanut butter toast and coffee. This was followed by gifts! Frankie gave me a pretty Wizard of Oz watch. Abigail and Caleb made me an origami dime in a ring.

.

Next came four beautiful rose bushes. Each of the homes we have lived in have rose bushes outside that the kids have given me over the years. When we go back to Owasso and drive past our two previous homes, it is heartwarming to see the beauty left behind. Abigail chose a rose called 'love'; Frankie chose a rose 'Oklahoma', Caleb chose 'Queen Elizabeth'; and Jon gave me a rose called 'Cherish.'

Local Elections

Christians often speak of the current political situation and wish that it would change. This local election session I took a more active role. I did freelance work for several local elections. I did the design & graphics for posters, signs, door hangers, post cards, business cards etc. I am so thrilled that each of them won their races, usually with double the votes of their opponents! So, to Dr. Carrie Gordon, New Mayor of Balch Springs; Joe Chow, re-elected Mayor of Addison; Joe McCourry, New Mayor of The Colony; and Michelle Holmes, New City Council Place 3 winner for Farmers Branch . . . .CONGRATULATIONS!!! Each of them will do good things for their communities!

Blooms Abound!

.

.

.

All of the rain has been bad for baseball but good for our garden! Our strawberries and tomatoes and even the fig tree are all bearing fruit! Even the potatoes, onions, eggplants, and herbs are all growing and beautiful! Our garden has been a family project each year, and this year we have a few new additions, like the olive tree and blueberry bushes!

All I Want for . . . .Memorial Day

Baby girl woke me up this morning with, "Mom, Look!" Ususally at five in the morning those are not words you want to hear! In this case, Jon had pulled her tooth last night, right before bed time! Jon has been the parent to pull all of the kids teeth. I can't stand the proccess, I'm always afraid it's not a baby tooth, or to cause them pain, whatever. Usually Jon has waited to pull the kids teeth until Mom is not around. I'm the snuggly one that holds them with a popcicle the next day!

Hangin' Out at the Ballpark!

.

.
.

.
.
.

.
.
.

.

.

Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it's beginning to seem that way. We're reaching the point where you can be a truly dedicated, state-of-the-art fan or you can have a life. Take your pick. ~Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, 13 April 1990