Weekend - April 19-20, 2013

AMAZING!  That is my one word description of this past weekend.  It is always good to see family, but to enjoy a couple of days away from our busy schedules was truly wonderful.  Friday afternoon our family headed to Montgomery for the night, but not before we stopped for Austin Kieff to tell Silas goodbye.  This was Silas' first overnight trip away from home.  The kiddos were so excited to arrive in Montgomery.  The first question out of the mouths was "where are Jacob and Lily?"  And just who did we see waving from the window of their hotel room?  None other than Jacob and Lily.  David was the first to spot them, but once the rest of us did it was very hard to keep the kids from rushing across the street! 

We checked in and settled in our room.  We were lucky enough to have a fabulous view of the river front. 

The kids could not wait to see their cousins and Uncle Grady and Aunt Mary Margaret.  We all met up and went to pick up our registration packets from the train shed.  The kids were full of excitement.  They did not want to part ways for a minute.  In fact, I had two very upset little ones when we decided to grab a snack before the Biscuits' game.  On top of not being very happy with her parents, poor Caroline started feeling poorly.  She did color a little bit at Wintzell's but did not touch her food.  Austin Kieff on the other hand at every bit of his grilled cheese.  David and I split a fried shrimp dinner and a bowl of gumbo (far too spicy for me).  It was all delicious!!

The kids could not wait to go to the stadium.  As we approached the crosswalk, I happened to notice Mrs. Martha Roby there with her son.  No matter what a current official's political affiliation is, I think it is important to respect the position and to appreciate the sacrifice they and their families make.  Now, I happen to really like Martha Roby.  I have met her several times and have been privileged to be a part of a couple of sit downs with her.  While she did not remember my name, she did remember the location and circumstances we had met in the past.  That is amazing.  

This sweet boy posed for a picture with me!

Caroline was not feeling great and slept through most of the first inning

Dancing trying to get on the jumbotron

It did not take too long for Caroline to come alive!  She and Lily bundled up under the

blanket...it was FREEZING!

We left during the 4th inning because of how cold it was.  No trip to a Biscuits game is complete without going to Dreamland!  We have a favorite little waitress there and we try to always sit in her section.  We thought we might have missed the firework show.  This did not bother Austin Kieff because the noise level still bothers him.  However, after we made it back to our hotel room, I opened up the curtains.  It was not very long before we experienced the fireworks from the warm comfort of our room!

Morning came a little earlier than I would have liked, ha!  Race Day!  I was excited about all the day would hold.  The starting line is shown below

The fountain is one of my favorite parts!

We were all ready to run!

Our before pic:

After:

The pink "pig" was Caroline's favorite after-race perk.  She LOVED looking at her.  It took some convincing to get her to believe it was a pink cow.  Cows are not supposed to be pink!

The rest of these are some not so good i-Phone photos, but they are all I have to document, so they are being used!

Caroline was so excited to finish her race!

The awesome cousins.  They all did GREAT!  Austin Kieff even came in 2nd

in his division:

I am so glad Caroline is getting over her mascot/dressed up in a costume fear!

Beautiful Survivors

For the sake of actually posting, I will update on the remainder of our weekend later!  Saturday was an awesome day.  When we arrived back in Jack, Nanny and Aunt Sue were there!  The kids were on an excitement overload for sure.  More about this amazing weekend to come...and also several other updates...

Observation and Encouragement

There is one thing I am noticing about our 6 year old Coach Pitch team.  First, the obvious - the boys are all six or almost six!   Second, they are all heart.  They love their team, they love the game, they love their coaches and they love to be on the field.  The love of these boys brings forth such strong emotions for the sport.  It is refreshing to see the pure JOY on their faces when they make a good catch, have an awesome hit or hear their name cheered from the crowd. However, it is absolutely heartbreaking to see the disappointment when they strike out, are tagged out or miss a play.  The weight of the world seems to be on their shoulders. 

Last night, our boys lost 12-2.  We beat this team last week, but were told it would not happen again.  There boys had not even practiced when we played and are mostly 6, 7 and 8 year olds according to one of their parents.  The boys were not discouraged by being behind.  Maybe one good thing about being so young is that for many the score doesn't even cross their mind until the end of the game.  As I said, we lost, but there were some amazing moments in the game.  Our third baseman had several awesome plays.  Our shortstop was great as well as our second baseman.  Our first baseman made several great throws and made several outs.  For a young team, we have some really good moments.  I am rather partial with respect to our catcher, but then again, he is mine! 

I see improvements each game and every practice.  It is a wonderful thing to experience.  Austin Kieff loves being behind the plate.  Last night there was a play that tangled him up pretty good with a member of the opposing team.  He dropped the ball and missed the tag.  Devastation.  Later, after another missed catch he was furious with himself and the throw.  While I will console his hurt and disappointment, displays of poor sportsmanship, no matter how small will not be tolerated.  Slapping his glove against his leg and stomping his foot got our little boy a long talking to last night.  Not in front of everyone (a stern AK, NO! did the trick), but once we were home.  We told him he has to be a leader on the field and off the field.  He needs to work to control his emotions and pray for strength to do so.  His Daddy did talk to him in the dugout, which set those emotions on overdrive for a few seconds.  It was an emotional night for several of our players.  The good thing is at this age the boys are quick to get upset and quick to rebound. 

Uplifting these players with positive encouragement is goal for me this season.  I want them to do their best each time.  I would love for them to get a hit every at bat, make every catch, win every game, but regardless, doing their best is enough.  In this age group (maybe every age group...), I think it is okay to cheer for both sides.  It is especially okay to encourage every player on the field, to recognize awesome plays, hits and effort.  I pray coaches, parents and fans are mindful of what they say and how they say it.  Words cannot be taken back.

I have to remind myself that Austin Kieff is six.  He loves baseball and has an excellent knowledge base for his age.  However, he is only six.  Knowing what to do and being able to do it every time during the game are very different.  I pray my attitude, the attitude of his dad, fans and coaches is one of encouragement.  I love to hear our coaches tell the boys great job, way to hustle, you are doing so much better.  I think losing teaches important life lessons, well provides opportunities for important life lessons to be taught.  Our Coaches taught our boys several things last night.  I am most proud that the coaches showed the boys they were proud of the boy's best efforts and encouraged better performance when perhaps best efforts were not shown.  The constructive comments warmed my heart and are a great example for the fans. 

Praying for the right words at the right time in all instances for our Coaches, Parents. Fans and Players.  Attitude helps determine altitude, right? 

My little 3 for 3 batter last night:

Saturday = Fun Family Day

Saturday, April 13, 2013, was a very BUSY, yet VERY FUN day for the Jordans!  Caroline had her second T-Ball game at 10:00 Saturday morning.  David and I were responsible for concessions that morning for the 9:00.  Thankfully we live very close or we would have been very late, ha!  Caroline helped in the concession stand.  She was excellent at retrieving sodas from the cooler and giving them to our customers.  She even tried to help make decisions for a few!  Caroline was the sweetest little helper I could ask for.  While not the cutest picture, this is her giving me two thumbs up after retrieving several drinks from the cooler.  She said "see, I got this."  There is so much spunk in such a tiny package!

Caroline had fun during her game and was super excited (so excited she had to leave the playing field to come and tell me) that her friend Ben was playing on the Red team.

Just hanging out waiting to bat.  Caroline did not want to wear her hat Saturday

because it "smushed" her red ribbon!

After the T-Ball game we had to hurry over to the Troop 99 Hut in Enterprise for the Pinewood Derby.  This was a bit funny.  The Hut is located on S. Main Street, so finding it should have been fairly easy, right?  Not at all!  The GPS on my phone was of no use.  David did find the Hut after about 10 minutes of driving up and down Main Street. 

Here is our Tiger Cub waiting to go in and register.

Registering to compete.

We were so proud of Austin Kieff on Saturday.  He was asked to call the colors,

a task that he has never participated in before.  He did a GREAT job for his first time.

Austin Kieff placed second in the Tiger Cub competition.  The little boy who won his

division was the overall champion as well.  He placed 4th overall, not too shabby for his first year!

After the Pinewood Derby, David had to go to work and the kids and I went to Grandmomma and Papa's for a visit.  Papa had a surprise for the kiddos (well not really "for" the kiddos, but they will enjoy them!).  We went outside before checking on the surprise.  Caroline had to ride the tractor.  Papa said this was a "big violation" and she asked him not to "put the beat down on her."

Silas joined us for the visit.  We are taking a Gator ride to see

the surprise.  Grandmomma was driving not me, ha!

Baby Chicks!  The kids have been wanting Papa's eggs to

hatch since the first gathering.  Papa's eggs don't last long

enough to hatch!

I love Spring!

Our sweet boy is growing!

Papa's hay fields are full of wildflowers.  I love the visual, but not

the effects on my allergies!!

Austin Kieff helped Papa clean up his tools. 

She was not supposed to be in the dirt...Guilty!

David rejoined us and we spent some time cleaning up the livingroom.  It is amazing how many toys can accumulate if not put away nightly!!  It was definitley a FUN, if BUSY Saturday.

Picture Day!

As a little girl, I LOVED picture day!  It was a day where my Mom took extra time to make sure I looked extra special.  As the years passed by, I began planning my outfits and fixing my on hair, but Mom always gave her approval.  One of my favorite pictures is from second grade at Leinkaulf Elementary in Mobile, Alabama. I wore a beautiful ivory dress and my Mom rolled my hair on pink sponge curlers the night before.  My Nanny gave me one of these pictures several years back (ours were all lost in the flood) and I hope to have Caroline a dress like this one day!

Wednesday was Austin Kieff's Picture Day.  He was very selective with respect to what he DID NOT want to wear, ha!  We did settle on khaki pants, his yellow button-up shirt (with the sleeves rolled up and ironed down) and Sperry's:



Today is Caroline's Picture Day.  She is not as easy to please, but finally chose a dress her cousin Lily gave her.  After searching for 15 minutes for a hair bow that did not make it back to the bow holder, we found it and she was ready to go:

A few cute/not so cute pics from this morning:

Prissy

Really Mom???

I am done smiling

Have you taken enough, yet?

 

Vacation - Day 3

Finally, trying to catch up on our vacation posts, ha!

What a week! My one goal was to make some lasting memories for my kids, memories like I have of summer vacation spent in Pensacola. I truly think this goal was achieved. Our day-by-day: Day 3

Monday, July 2, 2012 was our first vacation day with David...and when the Daddy comes there will be…fishing…fishing…fishing…and more…FISHING! Austin Kieff was ready to see his daddy, but he was even more ready to go fishing. Daddy went to McDonald's for breakfast platters. I had had intended to cook breakfast, but the kids wanted McDonald's so we obliged…after all we were on vacation….Picking up breakfast allowed David the opportunity to pick up some live bait as well.

 

After breakfast Caroline and I enjoyed a little picnic in the Florida room with Maggie and Ariel while the boys gathered their fishing gear. It was to be a day of swimming and fishing fun! We started out in the Braithwaite Bayou before heading over to Big Lagoon Park later that afternoon.

Big Lagoon Park was a big hit and definitely somewhere we will visit again. We drove around to an area that had restrooms, a playground, picnic tables and of course beach! The boys fished while the girls searched for hermit crabs. There really wasn’t a whole lot of searching…hermit crabs were everywhere! We even had a little hermit crab race thanks to Grandmomma’s suggestion!

After swimming, fishing and crabbing, we cleaned up and let the kids play on the playground for a bit. By this time we were all hungry and decided to check the GPS for restaurants in the area. I read from the list and both kids agreed on the same restaurant…at the same time. So, it was an easy enough decision to pick where we were eating. What was not as easy was the wait once we got there! However, I definitely recommend a visit to Tacky Jacks if you are ever in Orange Beach.  We explored the various decks of the restaurant, watched people feed the fish and visited the gift shop.  The kids were never too restless because of the scenery.  We even enjoyed a little fireworks show!

Here are a few pictures:

She spread out her "blankets" and had her guests seated beside her.

She is not choking Maggie

 

Skittles, such fancy food and she brought out the good china

Swimming with Daddy

Discovered this...LOVE it

So much fun

This bird was thinking about biting David

Let thr race begin

The big catch

The playground was fun...but not as fun as fishing with Daddy

Our view from the upper deck of Tacky Jacks

Beautiful

Souvenir...that is now broken, but she loved it for as long as it lasted!