Day 138

LilCrockett’s friend came over tonight.  These boys, who have known each other since they were newborns (and live in the same neighborhood), beg to play with each other, but have a sibling-like relationship.  They are either getting along fabulously or bickering incessantly.  Unfortunately there’s really no in between.  It’s likely an age thing though as GothGirl and the friend’s sister, who are the same age as each other, behaved the same way when they were that age.  Look at this two awesome dudes, though! 

Day 137

Today I’m going to share a few photos of the plants and some other landscaping features in our yard.  These were taken both last night and tonight.

Coneflowers are so beautiful.  I saw this sparsely-petaled bloom tucked underneath a bunch of stems and leaves.  And besides the shortage of petals, it was dull in color as well.  Kind of reminds me of a Charlie-brown Christmas tree…so ugly, it’s cute!  

I am a turtle-lover, so I just had to get this hose guide when we saw it in the store a few years ago.  It still makes me smile!

And finally a shot of an unknown plant in my front flowerbed.  Anyone know what this is?  Whatever it is, it’s a beauty.  I love grass-like plants that bloom!  This one’s gray/sage-colored stems are gorgeous next to the pink blossoms.

Later this evening, the kids went for a walk down to the neighborhood pond with the neighbor girls.  They came back awhile later and yelled at us to come outside.  They had found a little friend…

Ambo took her chance at kissing the frog, but unfortunately no prince appeared.  I think she was hoping for Taylor Lautner anyway!

Day 136

Though LilCrockett’s first baseball game was cancelled on Saturday due to rain, he didn’t have to wait long.  Tonight was game 2 and it was a beautiful night (though a bit nippy).  We had to be at the ball diamonds a little early so that left plenty of time for us to stake some spots with our camp chairs and open my camera bag to get set up.  What did I see when I opened up the bag…..a spare lens and NO camera.  I about fell over.  Here it is LilCrockett’s first baseball game ever and I had forgotten the camera at home.  I could have been crushed, but I quickly regrouped and told myself that this is only game one of a bazillion games and there are still plenty more left in this season only.  And the great thing is that I was able to sit back and enjoy the game rather than worry about getting the perfect shots.  It was quite relaxing.  I might have to forget my camera at all his first games in the future!

But alas, I didn’t go completely picture-free.  I had my iPhone and here are a few shots from the evening. 

Here’s LilCrokett in red on first base.

There are 3 innings in a game.  During the first inning, LilCrockett played outfield (though they keep them pretty much in the far infield since none of the kids can bat into the outfield yet).  Then during the second inning, he was told he could play catcher.  You should have seen his eyes light up at getting to wear all the cool gear!  He actually didn’t do a whole lot as catcher but sit there.  He would get the few balls that rolled right to him, but that was it.  They didn’t want him to get up and chase balls as they wanted to make sure he stayed far away from the batter to avoid accidentally getting hit. 

After the game, I got a few shots of LilCrockett and a friend (and fellow teammate) hanging out in the yard.  These were taken with my Canon.

Day 135

It was another rainy day here and that meant my camera barely came out.  The cat was looking pretty cute laying half upside-down in his bed, so I fired off a few shots. 

Day 134

LilCrockett was at it again today.  I wore my house slippers around the house for a bit this morning and then took them off once my feet warmed up.  Came by a little later and this is what I saw:

Mother Nature did not cooperate and it rained all day.  LilCrockett was scheduled to have his first baseball game ever and it got cancelled.  Talk about a disappointed little boy.  He had been so excited.  How do I know?  Well, he woke me up at 5:00am this morning to remind me.  Hard to see his excitement crushed.  At least he doesn’t have to wait long….his next game is Monday night.

Because it was so rainy and overcast today, we were stuck inside.  Evening came and I knew it would be a good time to have a family movie.  We ended up renting Tangled and it was awesome.  I wasn’t sure how well we would like it as I thought it would be more girly.  But, the whole family really enjoyed it….even Crockett!  Check out my movie-watching, popcorn-eating, couch potatoes!

After the movie, it was bath time for LilCrockett.  Crockett added a bunch of bubbles to the tub and I came in to get some photos.  Won’t be long before he’ll be too big for bubble beards.

Day 133

I came into the living room this morning and had to chuckle.  LilCrockett had been playing with his GI Joes and this is what I saw (remember this is the work of a 6 year old, so try to keep your mind out of the gutter since some of these guys are sans clothes):

This guy was hanging on by the strap of his weapon….

This guy was quite the contortionist, hanging on by his toes…

And these guys were showing off as well…

Question: Why do kids like to undress their action figures?  GothGirl used to do the same thing with her Barbies.  I’m guessing it’s because the clothes are hard to get off and on and are easily misplaced.  Too bad they don’t all have painted on undergarments like some of the GI Joes!

Day 132

Last night we learned about the death of a friend’s 18 year old daughter.  Katie died in a car accident not far from the elementary school.  Her passing means that our community has experienced the death of 3 young girls, aged 14-18.  Two of them died in car accidents and the third died of leukemia.  Needless to say, there has been so much sadness, especially since I knew the girls who died via accidents.  Emilee worked at the cleaning service which was contracted at my office but I only knew her in passing. Katie was the daughter of my friend Kim, who was also a teacher at my kids’ old beloved daycare.

Katie’s death has affected me more than I expected.  Probably because Kim was like a mom to my kids during their daycare days.  The entire daycare staff is a very close-knit pseudo family, so I know how much they are grieving as well.  I can’t imagine how they are coping considering how down I feel.  Kim has been posting on Facebook and admits that she doesn’t know how she will get through this.  That this was never something she expected to have to do.  It brings me to tears and there are really no words to adequately express my feelings.  As a fellow mom, I am simply heartbroken.

If there is any good to be found in this week, it’s that I’ve been hugging my kids even tighter and have been spending as much time with them as possible.  Of course I love them every day, but it’s easy to get wrapped up in business and stress of life.  This week I’ve been trying to slow down and cherish each and every moment, both with my kids and with my husband.  GothGirl and I have been bonding over shopping, dining out, stamping, & Girls on the Run.  Crockett and LilCrockett have been bonding over fishing and baseball.  Life is too short and you never know how much time you’ll have with someone.  So, I’m reminding you to cherish those moments with your loved ones and give them to the gift of your time.

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At Girls on the Run today, the girls filled the treat sacks with candy, office supplies (markers, pens, post it note pads, clips, etc.), and granola bars.  They also made a flower pen to put in each bag.  After the bags were filled, we delivered them throughout the school.  All of the teachers were gone for the day, so they would see their surprises first thing in the morning.  Photos taken with my phone.

After our lesson, GothGirl and I took her godmother out to dinner for a belated Mother’s Day celebration.  I had been thinking about getting flowers for her, but decided that spending time together would be much more meaningful as we don’t get together with her that often.  We ended up at Olive Garden and had a delicious meal.  Sadly, I neglected to get a picture of the 2 of them.  By the time we got home, it was too late to take any additional photos with my good camera.  I was OK with that though as time with my daughter and a friend was much more important.

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While we were out doing our thing, Crockett and LilCrockett went fishing again and they took our friend Jack along.  They caught lots of fish and came across a momma duck and her ducklings.  Here are some photos that Crockett took on his point and shoot.