Happy Valentine's Day

Check out Kyle in the new "Stud Muffin" shirt Grammy got him.  He for real sported it at school today!  He also for real said he didn't really need the shirt because all the girls already thought he was a stud muffin.  Somebody has the "big head".

Lyla really loved the candy part of this Valentine's thing.  I gave her a gift of "Cat in the Hat" DVD's and she dropped the gift bag in the floor when she realized there was no candy in it like there was in the ones from Grammy and Nana.

Happy Valentine's Day from my little sweeties!  I hope everyone has a day full of love. The Bible says without love there is nothing.  And if you know Jesus you will ALWAYS have love. 

"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 
1 Corinthians 13:7

Softball Season

Yes, I know it is February and freezing.  But our HouseHould is gearing up for softball season.  Tryouts are Wednesday the 15th.  Chris is excited about getting his second season as head coach underway.  Last season he took the Henry Clay Lady Bluedevils all the way to the Regional Final for the first time in school history.  With several returning players and a year of experience under his belt he is expecting a great season again this year. 

This means a few things for our family.  One major thing is we don't see him very much during this time of year.  With a full time job and practice 6 days a week there is not much time for anything else.  This is a sacrifice our family is willing to make.  It is difficult I won't lie.  I am basically a single mom during this time and the kids miss seeing their dad.  But it is something Chris loves with his whole heart and it makes him happy.  He doesn't really like his job so this is something that fulfills him.  If he could make a living at coaching he would do only that, but it doesn't pay so that isn't possible right now.  We love him and support him because he works sooo hard to support our family. 

Also he truly loves these girls.  He loves coaching and the game, but his true love lies with the kids.  He cares about them and wants them to succeed soo badly.  He works to help them improve and when possible find scholarships for college.  He loves coaching, he loves keeping stats, he loves the game.  But more than all of that he loves the kids.  And I believe that is what makes him successful.  The parents can be difficult.  The school can be difficult.  The budget can be difficult.  The girls are what keeps him going.  I can only hope that one day the parents and kids can truly appreciate what he does and how much I sacrifice and our kids sacrifice for them. 

I love sports, I always have.  It is something that originally drew Chris and I together.  So to have it be such a huge part of our lives seems natural.  I love going to the games and watching the girls play and Chris coach.  The kids love running around at the ballpark.  Both of them have literally been going to the ballpark since they were born.  I can honestly say Kyle may hold a record for most games attended/fewest innings watched.  He has been know to read books during huge games.  (we are not sure sometimes how he is our child)

 Lyla seems to show more interest in the game so far.  She loves playing ball and will turn most any household item/toy into a bat.  Time will tell.  But what we do now for now is we are looking foward  to getting back to the ballpark.  Go Bluedevils!!

Awards, Princesses, and Carnivals

We have some cool things going on in our househould lately.  First my amazing boy won some awards at school.  He got awards for Reading and Math Map scores. (MAP stands for measured academic progress).  They take these tests 3 times per year in the fall, winter, and spring.  He got the awards because he met or exceeded his goal in both subjects.  We are super proud of the math one because he struggles in this area and has been working super hard at improving.  Then he also won Outstanding Student for his class!  We are so proud of our Kyle!  I am glad he is such a good student at school because you sometimes wouldn't know it at home while trying to get him to do his homework! 

Our girl has developed an obsession with being a princess lately.  She likes to wear a tiara around and sometimes dress up in her princess dress.

Every Princess needs a tiara at bedtime!  Her and her cousin Leighton, along with her older girl friends Sophie and Sydney are going to the Disney Princess Show Live on Stage this month.  She wants to be Cinderella and we have been looking long and hard for one she likes and that fits her well (and that doesn't cost $50).  We finally settled on this one.

She really loves the headband that came with it so I guess it will be a game time decision whether or not she wears it or a tiara on the show day.  She also has some cute Cinderella accessories like rings and necklaces thanks to her Aunt Kylee.

And finally, today was her carnival at her preschool.  She was soooo excited about this.  She has talked about it for weeks and you would think we were going to Disney or something.  So I was glad when the day finally arrived.  She was obsessed with  the fishing game and played it over and over. 

It may have had something to do with her dad being the one working the game.  Kyle helped out and LOVED it!  He wanted to work even longer lol.

Nana and Papaw came with us and a great time was had by all!  We ate hot dogs, and pizza and chips.  The only disappointment is we didn't win a cake at the cake walk :( (I think Mama was most sad about this).  Lyla had such a great time she fell asleep in the car on the way home.  Playing at a carnival all morning is hard work!