Sweet and Sassy

And my favorite...

Thanks to Nicole Louise Photography for another job well done!

Just Because

This weirdo of a 3-year-old won't let me take many photos of him, but when I get a gem like this, how can I not share it?!?!

This boy is goofy, energetic, crazy, silly, and loves to play.  Here is a prime example.  He was trying out a new noise-making tube he got from grandpa.  The whole ride home with it, he was holding it up to my ear and talking or singing to me, and when we got home, he was ready to try it out in the driveway.  He thinks it will help him call in animals.

Good thing he's being so 'sneaky.'  Right.


(Listen carefully, and you can hear him singing "Hey, Diddle, Diddle."  It's the first real song he's sang beginning to end.  His stubborn unwillingness to sing songs is a little odd for a toddler, but hey, maybe he's not ready to share his voice yet!!  (Or maybe he got his dad's voice and already knows it!)

Our newest addition...

...and the kids are soooo excited!  Our live-in handy man went and picked up a used swing set this weekend and restored it to nearly as good as new.  With a little pressure wash, a new roof, and a new coat of paint, this thing will look awesome.  However, the kids certainly don't mind that we didn't pay thousands of dollars :).   Cooper could hardly contain his excitement while Jeremy was working on it this afternoon--thankfully there was a break in the rain long enough to get it set up.  "Is it ready yet, dad?  Is it time to play yet?" we must have heard twenty times!!

Future Sandbox

"Self, self!"  The girl wants to do everything herSELF.

Swing!!

The girl could swing all day long if we let her

And for the big under-dog... all the way to twelve.  I have a feeling he won't be pushing her this nicely all summer long.

Oh, did I mention we're ready for summer?!?! 

Softball season ends...

The end of the season is always so bittersweet, and this season was no exception.  Maybe a little more bitter than sweet...

I didn't take a ton of pics this season--mostly because the kids were always busy playing off in the dirt somewhere away from the game, and it was always so stinkin cold!  Once the weather finally warmed up, it was playoff time!  The Tigers gave it quite a go, but came up a few games short of the state tournament.

The last event of the season, the 100 Inning Marathon, took place on Friday night.  The kids had a blast, and Cooper even got to hit once and play in the outfield.

Jeremy broke the news to his team that he will not be able to coach anymore.  The girls took the news pretty hard, and there were lots of tears.  Jeremy decided he just can't keep up the three-month marathon when his body feels so crummy.  Although he's still getting to know this whole MS thing (more on that in another post some other day), he has learned quickly that stress plays an enormous role in how he feels on a daily basis.  Not that everything about coaching is stressful, but too much of it is.  He came home from his Memorial weekend playoff Saturday, and he felt like he could hardly move.  He was hurting.  He knows for his own good, he has to make some of these tough decisions about how to control his symptoms when possible.

So that's the 'more bitter than sweet' part.  One bright spot in his weekend, though, was the thought that maybe he could still coach the girls for domeball in the winter.  That wouldn't be even close to the same commitment or stress level!!  We'll see what happens...

So here's a look back on the season:

Cooper's first bus ride.  He LOVED riding home with the girls from LeSeuer

A rainy, cold night... but they found fun--like always!

Laying in the dirt is fun, too!

A DQ treat with the girls after the game

Yummo!

Izzy's got her buckets and shovels ready to play! Yeah for SHORTS and a T-SHIRT!

In the sandbox at Caswell while we were 'watching' the girls play ball.

Last game announcements

Dad's biggest fans

He made us proud!!  First swing--GREAT hit!  On the field with the pink team!

Hi-fives from the girls

Playing catch with Maddie

The girls who made it all 100 Innings!

Hooray for Warmer Weather!

Our weeks have been filled with Tiger Softball games now that the weather is nice, so I'm way overdue on a post!  Our springs always get busy, and this year was no exception.

Yard work has begun, and the most anticipated event of the season in our house: The garden got planted!  Through it all, lots of seeds have been planted, some holes got dug, some worms got saved, and a few plants were sacrificed to Big-Foot (also known as Isabelle Kalal).  She definitely doesn't get the idea of being careful of the sprouts!

Planting Potatoes

And another... she felt so important.  Notice Cooper in the background, just enjoying the DIRT!

Supervisor

Yep, this looks like a good spot for a hole

I got this, guys!

Daddy's helpers

We finally have had some trips to the park and lots of time to play in the driveway and the yard. 

Strutting her stuff

This big girl loves the slides, and she loves chatting!  Listen to her new 'counting' skills!!

A ride around the block... Cooper's been less and less interested in riding... he'd rather pull.

Isabelle loves her baby.  She loves to say "seeping" (sleeping) and "banket" (blanket).  Her baby is well-cared for, getting lots of love and kisses :)

Kisses

And our little shaggy girl got her first haircut!  It was barely a trim, but it counts!  Of course, auntie Missy got the honors, and she did a great job with the squirmy little worm.  Hopefully now it will begin to all grow together, reducing the mullet look she had going!

It was all growing at different rates... Missy was ready to 'clean it up a bit'

Her first haircut (on a beautiful day on the deck!)

She did sit pretty nicely, for being so little!!

Thanks auntie Missy!!

I am about to become an Auntie x2!  Missy and Amanda are both looking adorable, and we are anxious to meet the new little babes (not quite as anxious as they are, of course!!).

Amanda at 30 weeks, Missy at 36 weeks - CUTIES!

The kids got to play with the water table this weekend and they loved it.  I hung out watching them on the deck while Jeremy grilled lunch for us... It was quite a treat all around :). 

They played soooo nicely together :)

My goofballs

Bring on summer!  We're ready!!

Dinosaurs!

Cooper has been really into dinosaurs lately, so when our Saturday plans fell through, we decided to feed the obsession and take the kids to the Science Museum and check out the special dinosaur exhibit.  On Friday evening, with the tv on in the background, the Science Museum commercial caught Cooper's attention... "I wish I could go to THAT museum."  Jeremy said it was super cute and innocent. So the next morning, we surprised the kids and headed out.  It was a really cool dinosaur exhibit, but as we suspected, the kids are definitely too young to really appreciate and understand most of what the museum has to offer.  They did play with a lot of cool things, though, despite being so little.

The "movie" was his favorite!

The T Rex!

Izzy insisted on staying in the stroller, she was still pretty curious while Coop was playing.

Making fire

Baby-land was her highlight;)

Chomp chomp!

We are glad we can do fun little things like this together now and then.  The kids are so fun and easy to entertain right now!!

Yummo!

Helping dad with cookies is fun!  And delicious!!!

(How our kids love being in just their underwear is so weird to me!!)