miss louisiana

This weekend Claire & I left the world of softball to go totally girlie. There was not a cleat or glove in sight as we experienced the Miss Louisiana 2009 Scholarship Pageant both behind the scenes and from the audience. We left Thursday afternoon and lived it up until we got home on Sunday morning.

Two nights of preliminaries, days spent shopping & lunching, afternoon naps and delicious dinners. Here are a few highlights:

Opening Number

Claire - Night #2

Claire & Brittany - Our Miss Northwestern Lady of the Bracelet 2009

Momma & her beauty queen

Claire & "Auntie" Madison doing the Stanky Leg (I know!)

All the Girls!

Waiting for the Final Night!

This week brings us back to reality: softball. Practices, scrimmages & the state tournament take us through next week. Who says a girl can't have it all!

Another...

Another weekend, another tourney. Again it was long. And hot. But Claire played great. Better than great. She played 3 games on Saturday and was a superstar in every one of them. Nothing got past her at 2nd base, and she made outs left & right. She's not exactly what you'd call a power hitter, but she sure showed up this weekend. Sunday wasn't quite as easy, but she made the last out of the game with a great catch in center field.

We made the trip with friends since the SpannFam van decided to up and quit on us. We had enjoyed a nice lunch Friday afternoon and found ourselves stranded in the parking lot. A call to AAA and a 100-yard tow (literally), Kelly and SpannVan made it to the shop while the kids and I found a ride to my office with friends. (One of the perks of small-town southern life... You always know someone, no matter where you are!) We're still waiting to hear the final diagnosis and hoping to have her back soon.

Another week, another baseball camp. Kelly has worked very hard to make his camps a success this year. This week brings on the pitchers.

Another week, another Vacation Bible School. We're on #3. The kids are starting to tire of this timeless summer tradition, but it makes life so much easier for us while Kelly is running camps.

Another year, another birthday. Mine is on Thursday. I'll celebrate by heading out of town to Monroe, Louisiana to attend the Miss Louisiana pageant with co-workers and college students. Northwestern State's own Miss Lady of the Bracelet, along with 3 other NSU students, are competing for the crown this year. I've never been to a state pageant, but am looking forward to days by the pool, accompanied by shopping & eating, with nights spent taking in the competition at preliminaries. The week will culminate with the televised pageant on Saturday evening followed by the Gala. We'll head home Sunday morning to celebrate Dad's day with Kelly.

Summer ticks away at full speed. I'm still waiting for one of those lazy summer days, where I can work on projects, cook a leisurely meal and have no reason to leave the house. It's coming. I can feel it. Maybe next month...

4th Place!!

Friday and Saturday took us to Ruston for the Crushers 3rd tourney of... well... ever! We'd yet to experience a victory, but when we took 2 games to earn 4th, we were thrilled!

The weekend was oh, so long - we left Saturday morning at 8am. Played 2 games. Ate pizza. Played a 3rd game. Won. Shopped. Swam in the hotel pool. Went to the "Dawghouse" for a late dinner. Slept. Ate breakfast. Played 2 games. Won one. Ate lunch at Applebee's. Played a 3rd game. Lost. Badly. Headed home. Arrived. Crashed.

(Oh, and yesterday was our 12th wedding anniversary. Yay us! Kelly & I sat alone at Applebee's while a friend and fellow softball dad fed our kids. More of a date than we've had in awhile! It's been a wild ride these past dozen years, and I'm looking forward to dozens more!)

SIX

Okay, so I didn't totally forget, but kind of. (Blog-wise, that is.)

In the midst of baseball, last days of school and trips for travel ball, Nolan turned 6.

Never thought I'd say this, as I'm not a sentimental kind of gal, but I'm very sad about it. I can handle Claire turning 8 this month. I can manage the thought that Claire will be in third grade. I can even handle her taking trips with friends independent of me. But the thought that little Nolan, who-everyone-adores-even-when-he's-grumpy-because-he's-just-that-cute, is six is a bit daunting to me.

Perhaps it's the loss of babyhood. Or the fact that he now calls his sister "Claire" instead of "Cware". Or just the idea that I am the mother of school-aged children with no toddlers in the mix. Whatever it is, Kelly rolls his eyes at me, the kids lift my sunglasses to check for tears, and my throat hurts when I talk about it. I guess I'll just *sigh* and try to deal... And be thankful for the smart, savvy, healthy, hilarious boy who loves to snuggle with me and still calls me 'mama'.

Highlights of the Celebration:

He insisted on a "birthday donut"

Birthday $$

With Friends at the Movies: "Night At The Museum"

Lego Love


Nolan's 'famous' Yoda impersonation

Let's Play Catch(up)

Last we spoke (okay, I know we're not really speaking - you're typing and I'm reading, but cut me some slack) the Demons were battling in the Southland Conference Tournament, the kids were in their final days of school while playing their little hearts out in Dixie Youth Baseball.

The Demons were eliminated in 2 games, which is a sad way to end the season, but the kids and I were happy to have Kelly back, full-time.

Together Again! (notice the fluorescent green - I'm a loyal Crushers Fan!)

The kids ended the school year on a high note. Both received outstanding grades, and Claire was invited to the "Breakfast of Champions" for being on the 4.0 honor roll for the year.

Nolan's tee ball season officially ended on Friday, with a pizza party and trophies. They didn't win many games, but we had a lot of fun. Claire has a handful of games left, with a double header (!) tonight.

Claire's travel ball team played in a second tournament this weekend. They didn't win any of the 4 games they played. The Crushers are a young team, and we wanted proof that some of our opponents were actually 8 years old or younger! The Crushers are improving and will *crush* the competition in no time. (If nothing else, we're the cutest team on the field!).

It may be summer, but we haven't slowed down at all. The kids had a few days off last week, but we were up bright & early for Vacation Bible School this morning. We have several camps scheduled for the kids and they'll make the rounds to the local churches for VBS throughout the next 2 months. Kelly is busy preparing for baseball camps the next 3 weeks, and I'm plugging away at work. (Okay, so I'm blogging at work, but whatever).

Oh - and I'm changing our blog background. Again. Kelly can't read it on his smartphone, and that just won't do. Change is good, people! Hoping for a bunch of it in the near future!