Katy Up To Bat

Katy had her third game this morning, against the same team as Tuesday's game. They won again, 9-4. This time I was able to get some pictures.



Katy gets some last minute pointers from Coach Rick

Number 20 gives it her best shot!

Katy assumes the stance, her elbow actually leaving her side is new, someone's been practicing! She got a good hit, took off running, and three-quarters of the way to 1st base she tripped. She caught her balance but they had time to catch it and she was out. The important part is bases were loaded and she got two runs batted in. She asked me if I knew why she didn't get to first base. I said why do YOU think? She said, I tripped, what did I trip on? I said, you were running so fast this time that your feet couldn't keep up with your legs! She said, yeah, that was it! I said, you run full out like that every time and Coach is going to love it! I think she was happy over all. Afterwards, we took them all to Ralph's Burgers, this place by the ballfield, and then came home.


I'm baking the crust for my Lemon Mousse Cake for tomorrow's dinner. There should be about 18 of us this time. I already made the lemon curd, and boiled four dozen eggs. Twenty for coloring here shortly and the rest for deviled eggs. Mmmmmm... I better get busy.

Handsome Is As Handsome Does

Did I ever mention how handsome he is? Did I also ever mention that I love this kid? Oh, well, I do. He's mine, all mine.

More Flora and Fauna

Our wisteria in full bloom

The peach tree is loaded

My center kitchen window with azalea blooms (love me some North Carolina pottery)

Lantana by the girls' playhouse

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has shown up here in a big way! Everything is blooming and our air is scented with citrus blossoms. This is the time to be outside, going on wagon rides, fishing, and taking long walks. Our windows are open at night, making great sleeping weather. I love this time of year!

Big Boy smiled for Momma when I took him for a wagon ride today! Did I ever tell you how handsome he is? Check out his giant boo-boo, yes, the one that screams "I'm ONE!" He undid his stroller buckle at the game the other night. A regular Houdini, he plopped himself right out onto the concrete, he did. Yup, that's one bright little fella. On the other hand, he won't be doing that again!

Our tangelo tree is INCREDIBLE! After an off year last year, it has rejuvenated into a spectacular show of blossoms, and the smell, oh the smell, it cannot be contained in any air freshener!

William examines the azaleas up close and personal. Then he ever so gently, so gently, RIPS them off their stem. It's a delicate process.

Even Littleneck knows it's great to be outdoors right now. He took a little snooze on the driveway, completely upside down. He turned a little by the time I snapped the picture. Sweet kitty kitty. As Willie would say, "Ki Ka".

Big Bucks Pie Auction

Tonight we had the school's Pie and Dessert Auction which benefits the new elementary playground. I made three pies and a cake! Plus, I made my friend's cake while she did the dishes! What a tradeoff! The Italian Wedding Cake went for $85, two Cooks' Illustrated Pecan Pies went for $45 a piece, Mom's Chocolate Cake went for $60, and Sarah's Key Lime Pie with Shortbread Crust went for $25! We single-handedly brought in over $250! It was very cool, and Sarah's teacher (who was in charge) was thrilled, of course. Maybe she'll get all A's again next 9 weeks... It was pretty exciting, actually, watching everybody bid like crazy for our stuff. Most things went in the 5-25 dollar range. A day spent baking that was well worthwhile! It's almost eleven o'clock, though, so this tired Momma is off to bed. Good night!

The Thrill of Victory

It's official, Katy's softball team got their first win last night. The final score was 10-4. And KK was FANTASTIC! I was like, who is that kid? She was up to bat four times and had a hit on the first pitch all four times! In fact, her second time at bat she got a double! (That is, she hit it hard enough to make it to second base!) She was flying high and you talk about one proud little girl! She had so much fun. After the butt-whipping they got on Saturday, it was awesome for them to come back and play hard as team. They deserved to win. I think KK knocked the coaches' collective socks off. She was not the best batter there but definitely in the top five and some of those girls have played for years. She got at least two or three RBI (Runs Batted In) and no outs for her team. She definitely could've scored from third base but the two batters behind her struck out all four times so she never made it that far. We were so proud of her and what a wonderful boost to her self-confidence!

The smile says it all!

Honor Roll Dinner

During the school year, we make a deal with our girls. If they get on the Honor Roll, they get to go out to dinner at a restaurant of their choosing. Generally, that means Carrabba's or Olive Garden. This time it was Olive Garden, so we loaded them up Sunday afternoon and took off to Gainesville. They all were dying for some calamari, much to the waitress' amusement. Sarah and Izzy shared a Black Tie Mousse Cake and Katy opted for the chocolate milkshake at Mickey D's on the way home. They both got all A's and they now realize what that means, both class status-wise and out-to-eat wise!

Willie oohs and aahs at his daddy

Katy's First Softball Game

While we were busy at the Easter Egg Hunt, Katy was experiencing her very first softball game! She was crying, disappointed, pretty much devastated that she didn't get to Easter Egg hunt, but in the end, she had a great time. She has only been playing a few weeks and she managed to get a hit! The other team was full of seasoned 8-year-olds (yes, there is such a thing) so our team got whipped (20-5 or some such thing), but hey, 5 is better than zero! Katy said she hit a foul ball the first time, then hit it the second time, and while she was running to base, the green team threw the ball and got her out. She was so happy she at least hit it! Frankly, I was shocked. She didn't even strike once! Anyway, this is the first of many games, going well into June, so she'll only get better. She is THRILLED about her team jersey, but hates the socks. Check them out!

Those are some socks, I'd say, she asked if they were supposed to be tights! Next up, a pair of cleats.

Easter Egg Hunting

Even though the weather was marginal, we went to our local bank's Easter Egg Hunt at a local forest area. Isabelle was determined not to be afraid of the bunny, but at the last second she jumped into my arms. She did hug him, pet him, and tell him she was very glad that he left so many eggs for her to find in the forest. She also told him that she really liked his ears. He gave her a thumbs up! Since I was holding her, I couldn't take a picture of her with the bunny, but she did look beautiful in her blue and white floral dress and white Easter hat. I always wanted bonnet babies. Never had any, but always wanted one. At least she let me take a picture with it on.

I said she agreed to the picture, I didn't say I could get her to smile. She's sulky, but sweet!

Sarah ran into a friend who moved away this year and they had lots of fun together. Look quickly, it's Sarah smiling!

My friend Linda and her ever-kind husband Doug helped with William so I could egg hunt with Izzy. Doug's hair is not pooched out like that, he was given a mask to wear by his three kids and the rubber band is pulling it. The sheep mask is on top of his head. Too bad I couldn't capture that one on film. Doug's always game for whatever plan the kids have, as long as they're entertained.

A Tad Ill, You Might Say

Well, I am able to walk around. I even ate food tonight. I even had a glass of milk. WOW! I must be back to the land of the living. Here's the story. I have been having trouble sleeping thanks to the Daylight Savings Time switch. It kills me every time. I LIKE it to be dark when I want to sleep in, it's just the way I am. So, with that in mind, I made a plan to hit the sack at 10 pm, come hell or highwater, or thirsty children. Eureka! 9:53 as I climbed into those sheets. Three hours and 47 minutes later, I was awakened by a wave of nausea. I don't mean a little bit of queasy tummy. Poor me. Alas, it was not to get better. For the next ever-so-wonder-filled six hours, my weary feet trod back and forth the six and a half feet to the potty, bucket in hand. It was, well, a night to remember. In an unfortunate twist of fate, I was scheduled to serve the 3rd grade breakfast (they are taking FCAT this week and we provide a full-blown breakfast. I think it's supposed to make them do better. It better have. I'll let you know.) Tuesday evening I had spent making 30 waffles, one at a time, in my trusty wafflemaker. Alongside that I had cooked 4 pounds of bacon (Weight Watchers is NOT going to like that) and 24 muffins. My friend Linda agreed to pick up the food which was to be served hot. Shawn and Sarah asked for directions on reheating it all, which I gave them. Within about 10 minutes, my entire house smelled like a smokehouse from the intense bacon odor. Let's just say, my exhausted tummy let me know how much that was appreciated. Which is to say, it wasn't. Just when I thought I wasn't going to make it, I called my momma in tears, and as always, she came galloping to the rescue. Tidying one heck of a messy kitchen, (there's just something wrong about the sink emitting odors when you can't take a single smell without barfing), washing our sheets (heaven that night), and being a general do-gooder. I spent most of the day on the couch. Thankfully, I slept straight through the night last night, and haven't had any bad stuff today. I still feel a little queasy when I eat, but I'm holding it down. Shawn's feeling gooky himself, but seems to be shaking off the vomiting part. Our tummies are both arumbling, but we're going to make it. Let's just hope I don't catch a whiff of smoked piggy anytime soon. Oh, sorry, no pictures, sometimes the story is more than enough.

Willie's Wild Ride

We got the kids a Jeep Hurricane Power Wheels, officially for Willie, but the girl's will never admit it. They've been having a blast on it. It only took me 3 hours Sunday afternoon to assemble the dadblum thing! Argh. Sarah was the only one who could control it comfortably in third gear. She also knew how to turn the steering wheel opposite when in reverse, which was weird.

Willie consoles himself that this is only a ride and will soon be over. He actually had fun, just the driving of others scared him a bit.

Izzy having a blast, Willie having a scary ride.

It's so cute, it even has a real radio. The license plate says, "FUN R8D". Willie and Katy ride off into the sunset.

I'm a Big Boy Now!

A couple days ago, I was upstairs getting clothes for William, my friend Linda was here. She starts freaking out, Caryn get down here, get down here now, Willie's crawling! Sure enough, he was! The only problem, he won't do it for Daddy! So Daddy doesn't believe it.

Until TODAY! He got up from his nap just now and started crawling! A bit excited, wouldn't you say?

Tummy off the floor!

Trying to pull up on Daddy!

UP on Daddy! What a big boy! Hurray for William!

Down at Cedar Key Beach

I had been feeling terrible all weekend, slight sore throat, terrible sinus pressure, zero energy...Laid on the couch (yippee, I laid on a real couch! Oh, two years is a very long time with nowhere to sit!) for most of the weekend. I didn't do a single load of laundry. I didn't even cook dinner Saturday night. I was a complete sick blob. Sunday morning, I didn't set my alarm because I just wake up these days. So, of course, I slept right through church! Whoops! Sarah came home from a sleepover, and the girls were moping around. "I'm so bored," blah blah blah. Finally, Katy and Izzy put on their suits. They looked so cute, I figured what the heck, if I'm going to lay on the couch, I might as well sit on the beach! After giving the news to some very stunned faces, a lot of hooping and hollering, a big hunt for the beach toys, and a new greeting on our answering machine (You'll have to call to hear that one), we were off.

It was a picture perfect day, clear and sunny, cold water, warm sand. They loved every minute. Izzy is eating a chip, that she soon dropped. See the next picture to see who was most appreciative...

The seagulls loved us, too. In fact, this was the first of about thirty to notice we had food. William ate chips and dip, well, chips and sand dip, anyway. No sour cream around here, just sand. Mmmmm...

This was not taken yesterday, it's from Indian Rocks Beach in December, but it is still my favorite beach picture. I just had to put it in again. Love that little fanny...

Once the seagulls started coming, there was no stopping them. But don't tell the girls, they spent a solid forty-five minutes chasing them. Alas, to no avail, they came closer and closer. I swatted one with my newspaper. It was fun. (Sorry, but it's true.) Not long after this, Momma's pounding head got the best of her and we left. One quick stop at the market for an ice cream treat made for some very happy chilluns. I showered William and removed his swim diaper, which contained approximately 5 pounds of sand. He was much lighter going down those stairs than up. We had a great time...

Play Time!

Sarah gives a rare, true smile! These days I usually get a Grrrrrin, Chin to the Neck, or my personal favorite, Uh Duh look!

I am still hoping that Katy will learn to "smile gently", but until then... we just enjoy a good look at all twenty teeth!

Izzy plays in the sand, notice Willie's fuzzy head on the bottom right!

William LOVES the beach! He crawled back and forth to the water, giving himself a nice sand burn on his tum-tum. He only ate about a half cup of sand, and big news, he learned how to use the shovel to actually dig a small hole! You go Willie, you'll be building sandcastles in no time!