Bluebirds and Princesses

The birds in our yard eat about two of these bird-feeders full of food a day. When they run dry, they either come peck at the window to get my attention or piteously peck at the empty feeder.  Here are all the bluebirds right after I refilled one this afternoon.

While I was cleaning, LJ got into my "pretties"...he put everything on and came out and told me, "Mommy, I a princess".  He then continued to help me clean, just like Cinderella!  :)

...at least he's in touch with his feminine side, too :)

What a fun day!

LJ is still running a low-grade fever, but he's improving, so we spent a lot of his day outside.  We had lunch outside, played baseball, rode his tricycle, took Rookie for a walk...you name it!   It was a great day - hope your's was great, too!

LJ and Rookie running to Ms. Doris and Mr. Jackson's -- every day after his nap, LJ goes there to get his "juice"...a little 7up.  Rookie gets a treat, too!

This is the tricycle that "Uncle Wood" and Aunt Rach bought for him when he was born.  It got its first ride today :)

Lance played with LJ in the back yard when he got home.  LJ put on his batting gloves and tried to hit then run to 1st, (a piece of wood).

For lunch, LJ and I ate at his new "picnic table" ...we had an unlikely lunch party.  LJ, Rookie, Smudge and I :)

Basketball game, then sick...again!

Last night, we went to watch the Alabama Mens Basketball Team play Ole Miss.  We had the privilege of watching from the "free food buffet" area...LJ ate a hot dog, two cups of popcorn, some fruit, a creamsicle and an icecream cone.  He didn't want to go at first, but he's already asked to go again!

In the middle of the night, he woke up with a fever.  It seems the cold bug strikes...yet again.  No Tuscaloosa virus is safe from a trip to our house, it seems.  We've made white tea popsicles with orange juice, played inside and out with Rookie, just hoping to rid ourselves of this thing for good!  I hope you are well!

mmmmm....

We made some little birds nests, (ham with egg and cheese) for breakfast...LJ helped and ate all of his!

So, Mom's a little Type A...at least I let him be sick and eat popsicles on the couch!

Rookie is loving this moment of playtime.

Some fun pics!

"Puppy" watching over the family in the back yard.

The chia pets look like Californians with frosted tips...I think I did it too neatly.  Next time, I'm piling the seeds on!

Eating his toy drill :)

A picture of pure joy.

If LJ holds his mouth just right, he'll be able to screw it in...I remember having a similar face when I fed him babyfood.

working together.

This is the face LJ gets when you tell him "No, you can't use the big drill"

Sunday morning LJ was feeling a lot better, but that nose was draining!  I put him in the bath with some cold and sinus bubbles and let him play.

little cleats by the big ones ;)

Awesome shrimp and grits casserole out of Cooking Light's new Great plates magazine.  It's a keeper!

Good luck, Jarret!

Our friend and neighbor, Jarret Johnson is playing in the last round of playoffs before the Super Bowl.  We just wanted to tell him and his family good luck!  We are pulling for the Ravens Sunday night!  

LJ is ready!

Windy Ridge will be watching! 

It's Official!

LJ will be putting that Oriole jersey in the closet with the Braves one and donning a jersey with the word "Rays" on it!  Thank you, Lord, for providing us with another opportunity to serve YOU through baseball.  May we not forget why we're here and who made the way! 

Amos 3:3 "Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?"

Let's go, Lance!

Learning who I am.

Tired!

He's a part of the group now :)

As I get older, I think I am really starting to learn who I am - deep inside.  I may live in different cities, (sometimes in the middle of the city), in a fast-paced, hi-tech world, but I'm learning where my heart soars as I get older.  I am versatile, and I can be content almost anywhere.  I enjoy aspects of pretty much any location, and have really learned to appreciate places and times for what they are.  Through these experiences, I am learning what I LOVE.  

As I drove home in Lance's huge diesel truck with a filthy, exhausted LJ sleeping in the back seat, down winding country roads listening to old country music, I reflected on my day.  Out in the middle of Jena, AL, at Baseball Country, I watched about twenty 11 - 14 year-old boys play whiffle ball under the lights of a small field. I kept warm by a large bonfire as I organized s'mores in the back of a mule, (like a golf cart) - you know I'm nothing if I'm not organized! Those s'mores were all but highlighted :).  I had two dogs who were my best friends by the end of the night, (one marshmallow for the s'mores, one for them :)  ).  LJ and Lance were running around, acting like they were a part of the game, and I was not just happy, but full.  Life brings me a lot of places and allows me to do a lot of things, but if I could choose something to do every day, it would look a lot like this.  Add a pig, a horse or two, and that would be even better!  LOL  God has given me a passion for kids, (I think especially little boys, but just wait till I have a girl, right?), so I love watching the chaos of these kids - running wild, enjoying good clean fun.  I know the challenges they will face as they grow up, fight for their niche, get their hearts broken, but for now, they have smiles on their faces, and I love it.  What a great day.  Thanks, Kenny, for making your dream a reality - it seems to have spilled over!

New things

Whether it's walking, learning to say thank you, or potty-training, there's always something new to learn when you're little.  Our new task:  eat the same meal, as a family, together.  Well, we're not there yet, but at the end of the night, the spaghetti was gone and we were all smiling - milk mustache and all!  It's tough growing up!

Baseball Country Pics!

OK, so here are some pictures!!  I know there are a lot, and they are in a jumbled order, (how they uploaded), but I had to.  We went back right after church this morning, and LJ went STRONG all day long till we left at about 3:45.  Hilarious!

Here's LJ and Mac.  Mac is a black lab - he's old, but don't let that fool you.  You can hit a ball into the forest in the pitch black night, and about twenty minutes later, he has somehow found it and dropped it back at your feet.  His meals consist of all the scraps of campers' leftovers left on a pizza box.  Whether it be ham sandwiches, lasagna, barbecue, french fries, (usually a good mix of all), he eats it in record pace.  It's amazing he can still run after campers all day!

This is LJ standing on first base on "Corninsky Field".  In the Summer, the outfield is lined with rows of corn, just like in Field of Dreams.  The kids played their final game of camp on this field today.

Because they ate so well, and so quickly, the kids got about 15 minutes of recreational play.  Here they are, playing whiffle ball, volleyball, fetch with Mac, you name it.  LJ is in the distance under the volleyball net.  He had about 4 friends, constantly pulling him one way or another!

When we got there today, I told LJ if he wanted to stay at camp, he had to be just like the other campers.  That included staying in his seat for the whole meal, (almost an impossible task for any of these boys).  Here's LJ after his pasta, veggies, 2 bags of chips, an orange and now...ice cream!

The boys eat in an old 1800's Schoolhouse.  They walk from the fields to the schoolhouse.  They are supposed to stay in line, and LJ walked the entire way with them (he's in the lighter shirt on the right).  It's .3 miles there and back, and the boys taught him to walk in line with them.  

At the end of camp, Mac was exhausted.  He looked like a happy, weary grandfather after the grandkids left.  When we got in the truck, he was fast asleep in his dog house.

Here's LJ wearing his backpack that he won last night.  Below, you'll see a picture of the kids playing a game like a "cake walk" at a fair.  He was standing on #32 when they called it!  His backpack has a picture of the Cincinnati Reds' mascot.

...He even insisted on wearing it to church!

At night, one of the coaches gives his testimony and talks to the kids by the bonfire.   They also have Sunday morning church out in the woods on benches.  Everything is outside, and the boys love it!

LJ discovered a flashlight last night.  When he shined it on you, he thought you should act like you were shot.  Most of the kids played this game with him for like half an hour...he loved it!

Here they are laying out ground rules for the bonfire whiffle ball game.

After dinner, before the bonfire, all the kids sit on the floor and listen to a story from Coach Burns...even LJ :)

The cake-walk game - Which kid is mine?  The little one with his finger up his nose!

As dinner is being passed out, they ask trivia questions.  A right answer wins a baseball card.  The kids are so anxious, (often without even having an answer), that LJ decided he would participate too!

One last picture...just to show, we still love the tide after that rough, rough, game vs. Utah :)

Baseball Country!

Well, we just got back from a full afternoon and evening at Baseball Country - a weekend camp Lance helps out with here in Alabama.  It's out there, about 30 miles out there, in Jeana, AL.  LJ had the best night of his life, I think.  He played hard with the campers, (ages 7 - 11), even raising his hand like they did, trying to answer trivia questions.  After playing then eating dinner with the "big boys" in an old school house on the land, we all headed outside to the big bonfire.  The campers played whoofle ball until about 8:30, and LJ played, too.  There's a lot to tell because we had so much fun.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow, but if you're interested, here's the website:

www.baseballcountry.com

What a great instrument to reach children for Christ through knowledgeable baseball instruction and fun!  I swear, y'all, as I sat on the wet grass by the camp fire with an old black lab, watching my boy play with those boys, (all 20 of them), I could live out there.  If LJ sleeps till 7 tomorrow, we just might move!  LOL  When we got home, we were all filthy, needing a bath, and ready for bed - the sign of a great day!