Ballgame

And with that word Wednesday night, our fall baseball season came to a close.

Wetumpka Braves

We finished the season 12-1 (and can I just say that the "1" sucked - ok, I feel better now). It's hilarious to me to hear people say, "It's just fall ball. Who cares about the score." I'll tell you who says that. Whoever just lost. That's who. It doesn't matter if it's fall, spring, or backyard ball. THE SCORE MATTERS.

All our boys did a great job, but of course I was especially proud of my two. Not that I'm partial or anything. Mac was 5 when the season started yet was playing with 7 and 8 year-olds. He held his own and was loving the challenge until the whole cast thing. 

Bueller decided a spectator he is NOT. The first game in which he had to sit out because of his cast was tough. He didn't like it one bit. Visits to the concession stand helped his feelings a little. :)

As soon as Grant found out a catcher was needed in this age group, he was determined. He wanted to catch. 

I am frequently amazed by this little boy. He's an old soul, very self-motivated. Not only did he catch every inning of every game, but he looked like a natural doing it. He came home with sore legs and sometimes sore shoulders, but he was right back at it come game time without complaint. We keep telling him catchers are in high demand and to keep it up. Scholarship one day, perhaps??? His parents can only hope. :)

And let's not forget baby Reid. 

Turbo has been to every. single. game since Grant started playing ball. He has sat through games in the sweltering heat and humidity of a southern summer as well as those cold-front fall games when temps dip into the 40s and we're sitting on cold bleachers, layered and bundled up drinking hot chocolate. Never once has he said he didn't want to go. He's a trooper... Trooper Turbo. HA!

It will be nice to have some of our nights back. Three games a week is a lot, especially for those late games. But it's always bittersweet. It's not likely we'll ever have that same exact team again. You spend so much time with the players and they're families that it's always a little sad when a season is over.

Coach Chris giving the after-game, end of season talk

Giving out medals

The team and our coaches
We had a great team and are so proud of our boys. Way to go, Wetumpka!

B & Friends; A Note from Mac

Bethany brought Ellie and Elizabeth home this past weekend. Ellie has been here before but it was the first time Elizabeth has been introduced to Wetumpka and all the Norton madness. Bless her.

After spending the weekend with one sixteen year-old and two 15-year-old girls (one who will be 16 in 26 days - not that anyone's counting) may we please pause for a moment of silence while I say a prayer of thanksgiving that my younger three children are boys.

Amen.

They ate. Heavens to Betsy they ate. I can only imagine what it will be like when the boys are teens. I think they ate their weight in Slim Jims, fruit roll-ups and Oops! All Berries. And that's not counting the times we cooked. All Ellie asked for was Chris' baked beans, so Chris' baked beans it was. He said sure he would make them as long as she was confined to upstairs after she ate them. haha All weekend I laughed, they laughed, the boys made the girls laugh. At times the boys made me want to crawl under the table trying to make them laugh. With certain talks the girls made me want to crawl under the table. ;) Then there were times that instantly took me back to Bethany's sleepover and slumber party days. Like Saturday when they discovered the movie Halloween would be on at 8 p.m. and decided to watch it. It was Bethany's first encounter with a movie like that, so they decided they all needed matching pajamas for the occasion.

Aren't they cute. :)

Did you know Halloween pajamas are not in abundance? After a few stops we were able to score socks at Old Navy, and the low-price leader came through for the pj's. I don't think Wal-Mart has ever seen three teenage girls so excited over Halloween pajamas. 

It was a sight. You would have thought they were picking out formals.

This picture is too funny not to share:

That's Bethany sandwiched between the two of them. She was so pumped up about the movie all day long, then five minutes before show time she wanted to chicken out. We weren't about to let that happen so she made them all pile on the trundle bed to watch it. I got them settled then headed downstairs. I used to watch them and love it, but times have changed. Just the theme song creeps me out now. I received this text from her about an hour into it:

Needless to say she's not a fan. :)

It was a fun weekend. We thoroughly enjoyed having E and E visit, and I love that B is eager to share her life in Wetumpka with her friends from Decatur.

Sunday night while the boys and I were waiting for Chris to get home from hunting, Mac was practicing his writing skills. He flashed that Bueller grin then passed me a note...

He tried to spell "momma," and I think he did an excellent job. And of course he included daddy too. :) Sweetness.

LIGHT-HEARTED

Some random light-heartedness...

Grant came home yesterday with a web address for the Alabama Virtual Library. They use it at school, so he was anxious to show me when he got home. He thought it was so neat you could type anything in the search box and it would bring up different resources. Thankfully he doesn't really know about the google yet as there are some "resources" I don't wish for him to encounter. Mac, Reid and I gathered around the computer while Grant educated us. He looked up information about everything from sharks to baseball to Auburn football. One of the resources had a book with something about the year 1955. Grant said, "WHOA! 1955. Was that when you were growing up, momma?" 

Hilarious, Professor. Yet the funny thing is, he wasn't even trying to be funny. :)

This is what my kitchen table looked like after clean up the other day.
It meant we had a good afternoon. ;)

In the past I have resorted to drastic measures to cure boredom.
Remember the pies?
Amazing how much fun can be had with 3 boys and a $2 can of hair paint.

You know you wish you could be this cool on the way to preschool.

A JAM-PACKED, FUN-FILLED FALL WEEKEND

I'm referring to two weekends ago because that's how long it has taken me to get this post together. Where does the time go? But what a weekend it was! It was filled with fun and I'm still exhausted from it. ;)

Friday was Mac's first field trip with his Kindergarten class. It was also Reid's first field trip with his Kiddie Kollege class. Both were to the pumpkin patch... DIFFERENT pumpkin patches of course. Reid's was to Clanton. Mac's was to Union Springs. Mac's has been in the works since the beginning of the year, and his teacher knew my going was a given. As much as I would like to clone myself and be in two places at one time, I had to tell Reid's teacher I couldn't make his. I asked if I should get someone else to go with him and they assured me he would be fine. The director said he could ride in her car along with his teacher, so he thought he was big stuff. There are only seven children in his class, so I knew they had enough hands. I still wanted to be there, though. :( Mrs. Rita was very sweet to keep me updated via text and picture messages throughout the day.

Making his "smash" cupcake

Nothing was going to take away from the fact that it was Mac's very first field trip since starting "big school." It was also his first ride on a school bus. 

I'm not sure which he was most excited about. 

After driving for what seemed like forty forevers, we finally arrived at Dream Field Farms. I cannot say enough great things about DFF. It was great. They operate like a well-oiled machine, so as soon as everyone got off the bus we were whisked away to the hay ride and pumpkin picking.

Mac & Mrs. Schweers

Then it was on to the animal farm.

Next stop was "shaking" cream into butter.

Where they had to sing, "Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake. Shake you're butter." :)

They all got a kick out of it. It took a lot of shaking, though, so most of them turned to their parents for help when their arms got tired. It made all us mommas keenly aware of the fact that we probably should do some arm-toning exercises. ha!

You can tell from Mac's face it doesn't look too appetizing. But some of them were lapping it up.

A short stop for a bite to eat and then it was on to one of Bueller's favorites:

It didn't stop there. We still had more fun to go.

Remember when I said he prefers hanging with the ladies??? Yeah.

Group shot

Other than it being a bit windy, it was a beautiful day for a trip to the pumpkin patch and was a sweet start to the weekend spent with my sweet Bueller.

I said START to the weekend because it had only just begun. As soon as our time at Dream Field Farms came to an end, it was a mad dash back to Wetumpka to hand Mac over to Chris so the two of them could get in line to pick up Grant from school. Then it was another mad dash to Clanton to pick up Reid. Their field trips always run LONG because Hazel is in her own world. Which I love (most of the time) because she puts so much into making things great fun for the kids. Think decorating cupcakes for dessert then letting them smash them into each other's faces. Yes, Hazel's a bit nutty. ha! But that's why we love her. I arrived in Clanton just as they were finishing up. He was covered in dirt from head to toe and his hair was sticky and stiff from the cupcake smashing so I think it's safe to say he had a great time.

That wasn't the end of our day either. After picking up Turbo, we made our way north to Decatur to watch Bethany cheer in Decatur's homecoming game. Most of her games are during the week, so I haven't gotten to see any of them. Football games are one of her favorite things about being a cheerleader. I was a happy momma watching my baby girl do her thing.

After the game we stuffed our faces and ingested a little caffeine in hopes of catching a second wind for the 3 hour trip home. Reid slept most of the way and B was very sweet to stay awake the entire way, talking and playing DJ, while I tried my best to safely get us home. Although I will admit the last 45 minutes I probably shouldn't have been driving. I swear my eyes were crossing. We finally pulled  into the driveway around 1 a.m. which is so past my bedtime it's dangerous. 

It was a great, great day - crazy busy - but great nonetheless. 

We managed to get a few hours of sleep before we were up and at 'em again Saturday. There's nothing to get you going like a trip to the Central Alabama Fair, especially on a beautiful day. We live about 25 minutes from the Alabama National Fair in Montgomery, but there's just something about the Central AL Fair that makes it worth the drive to Selma. Maybe it's that I grew up going to that fair. Maybe it's seeing friends I only see at the fair. Maybe it's the cozy dogs. These aren't your typical fair cozy dogs. These are special. And they're just as wonderful as I remember. I think I ate 3. And now I must add to that list fried oreos. 

Have you ever? If you haven't you must. They're oreos. Breaded in pancake batter. Deep fried. Covered in powdered sugar. Who cares that they're terrible for you! Oh my goodness for the deliciousness there are just no words. No words. 

I think most of all I love that I can share with my children something I always enjoyed and looked forward to when I was growing up. They've come to love the "Selma Fair" as they call it, and all four prefer it over the "big fair." 

Our first stop was RaRa's house where the Halloween Fairy had visited and left lots of happies. Poor GaGa and Mags. I'm so sorry, girls, that y'all don't have a RaRa. AA really needs to step up her game. Martha, you're making me look bad.

Then it was on to the fair.

Grant was FINALLY tall enough to ride the "big rides." He and Claire are on this one.

I wish I had gotten a picture of him on the turtle cages. Claire broke him in on that one and didn't give him a choice in the matter. HA! I think after he rode that he decided he could do it all. 

Professor, Sissy and Claire

Am I the only one who thinks it's a bit unsettling to put your children on rides where the people who put them together don't even take care of their teeth??? Scaaaarrry. 

Sissy rode about three rides. Cozy dogs + fried oreos + fair rides do not = a happy stomach. All the more reason to sit and enjoy watching the Tiny and Little Miss pageants.

Reid had no interest in the big rides and poor Mackey just wasn't tall enough

Truth be told I think Mac may have been a bit relieved he wasn't yet tall enough for the bigger rides. ;) It's crazy how Grant is so serious but is the little thrill seeker, and Mac is so rough and tumble but is fearful of these type things. :)

After the rides, a few games, the winning of a couple of goldfish (which may or may not still be alive in Granddaddy's aquarium), and a couple more cozy dogs on the way out, our fair day came to a close. We already decided next year is a must.

On Sunday... well, on Sunday we did absolutely nothing. And it was fabulous.

EARLY MORNING HUNT & BUELLER DID IT AGAIN

Early morning hunts for daddy...

equal sweet mornings for momma. :)

The morning was sweet, but the day has proven to be a bit more challenging.

You see, I guess Mac didn't think there was enough drama this summer in fracturing his foot and having to wear a boot.

He took it a step further and decided to fracture the same foot - different place - this time requiring a cast to help it heal.

The new electric scooter he just got for his birthday this week is the culprit. He has wrecked on it several times, and Mac being Mac makes everything a little more dangerous exciting. After I tucked the boys into bed Thursday night he came right back out crying, saying his foot was "killing" him. He tried to tell me he slipped in the bathtub. I knew that wasn't the case. He just knew the scooter was likely to go MIA if he told the truth. And it very well may. I checked out his foot, didn't see any swelling or bruising, so I tucked him back into bed and said we would check it in the morning. Around 3 a.m he got up to use the bathroom and fell trying to put weight on his foot. He sounded like the Hunchback of Notre Dame coming down the hall to our room. ;) I knew then it was likely broken. Bueller is a tough cookie.

That may be the last picture we have of said scooter.

Thankfully his orthopedist was in the office Friday morning, and they worked us in first thing. The good news was the x-ray showed the fracture from this summer to be completely healed, so the doctor feels confident a few weeks in a cast and he'll be good as new. Dr. Curtis assured me this is quite common in little boys and that he's not concerned being that they are small fractures and not major breaks. He said he sees it all the time. That may very well be the case but I sure wish Mac would slow it down a bit.

As of right now he thinks his orange cast and blue boot (the perfect combination in his eyes) are "cool."

I have a feeling the newness will wear off in a few short days, and he won't think it's quite so cool. He's a trooper, though, and is getting along just fine. However, we have strict orders to keep it clean and dry. The dry part is not a problem. The clean part? Well, we're trying. ;)

At least he still has that sweet smile. :)

Happy Saturday and War Eagle!

CELEBRATING 6 YEARS OF BUELLER

Six years ago today our home expanded by yet two more feet. Those sweet feet belong to Mac. I wanted Grant to have a sibling close in age like Rachel and I are. We are 17 months apart. Grant was born on 5/10/04. Mac was born on 10/10/05 - 17 months apart to the day. How perfect!

And boy was he ready to get here! I was induced the morning of his birth day around 7:00 a.m. He made his debut at 10:19 a.m. And a big debut it was because not only was he the biggest of my four loves, but no one even had a chance to make it to the hospital yet. When everyone got there they walked in to see Chris already holding Mac. Also perfect. :)

We are so very thankful and grateful that the Lord has blessed us with six wonderful years with our Mackey. He is a ray of sunshine. He has the sweetest smile. He has a bit of a stubborn streak. He is his daddy's clone - he looks like him, runs like him, acts like him. He has the ability to make me laugh even when I'm angry at him. Did I mention he's his daddy made over??? haha! He is very affectionate, loves to give love and get love. His RaRa calls him her "Baby Love." He often calls my name saying, "MOMMMMAAA" as if he's going to ask for something like a snack or something to drink, then he'll pause and say, "I love you, Momma." He tells me he loves Jesus and won't go to sleep without saying prayers. He's ALL boy. He's very tough and has natural athletic ability. He has a love for baseball like his daddy did/does. At night when the boys watch a little TV to wind down, he will get irritated at his brothers if a baseball game is on and they don't want to watch it. He is very funny and makes us laugh although some of the things he does we probably shouldn't laugh at. But we do. ;) He's already a little heartbreaker (Heaven help us when he's a teenager) and prefers having girls as friends over boys.

He's our Mackey. And we wouldn't have him any other way.

These were his "stats" when he was born:

And these are some current ones:

Weighs 42 lbs. and is around 42 in. tall (perfectly square - heehee)
Wears size 6 shirt and size 5 pants
Shoe size is 12.5
Coffee is a must first thing every morning
Loves, loves, loves candy but is not much of a chocolate fan
Favorite foods are pizza and white donuts :)

 

 Happy 6th Birthday, sweet boy! We love you so very much!!!