The Spectacular Second Grade

In conversation with some of my Mom friends (who haven't had a second grader yet,) they expressed to me their concerns and worries about the Second Grade not being challenging enough.  It may not be a strong year for standardized tests but there sure is quite a bit of learning going on.

Check out how Tyler's writing ability has grown over the school year

(I do paraphrase if words are misspelled.)

The first writing assignments of the school year:

 8-12-13

"On a hot and sunny day I would wear shorts and short sleeves."

8-13-2013

"My favorite season is Summer.  Why I like Summer is because you don't go to school.  And you can play outside too and you can climb trees outside and swim outside and you can play inside."

The last writing assignment of the school year:

5-21-2014

"I don't know what my plans are for summer but I'd like to go to some place I have not been, like Africa where it's hot and sunny and I could visit the Amazon rain forest and go on an adventure or a cruise! Ohh and I like animals so I could visit the zoo and see animals!  I could learn something there like how people in Africa live and eat.  I could see if they have a fun place like Six Flags or Disney World and go to it!  I bet it will be fun!  I could see how life is there.  I could go to the beach and collect seashells or I could make sand castles and then destroy it by putting a lot of water on it.  It will be awesome!  Ohh and for the place to stay it will be a big condo with big rooms.  I'd bring a pet back if I could.  I'll miss my friends and teacher but I will always remember them.  It will be the best vacation ever!  THE END."

Even if he doesn't find the Amazon Rainforest in Africa he's on his way to being quite academically successful.  

He learned a lot in his Spectacular Second Grade and I can't wait to see what is in store for him.

Braves v. Brewers

 Before I get to the Braves v. Brewers post I need you to indulge me and check out these Cute Cat Pics.

Romeo (Romy) is getting so big but he's still quite the snuggler and he CANNOT resist the Penguin Pillow Pet.

Holding Hands...How Cute!!

So anyway...back to the Braves v. Brewers

Last week we were given tickets (via Matt's work) to the evening Braves game.

The kids were so excited they wanted to get their Bat on before the game just in case they were called to pinch hit. ;)

We headed to the stadium early to check out the roster...

and grab dinner at the 755 Club.

After dinner, Lauren taught Matt the finer points of Major League Baseball...

 ...and then we headed to our seats on the third base line.

 We stayed there for maybe? an inning and a half before the kiddos wanted to "go explore."

First we explored the view from the outfield and a few stories up.

Then we ran the bases.

Lucky Us!

We were just under the Coke Bottle when the Braves scored a Home Run.

We enjoyed the overhead fireworks.

Since it was a school night we had to head home before the game was over.

I don't think L and T minded at all.  They had fun running all over the stadium.

The Braves ended up winning so it was a successful night all the way around.

Weekly Menu 5-28-2014 (partial)

(I didn't get to all of last week's recipes until yesterday so this week's Menu starts today.)
Happy Hump Day!!

Wednesday:  Chipotle Chicken Wrap, red potatoes, salad & fruit
Thursday:  Citrus Scallops, rice & broccoli
Friday:  Mushroom Parmesan Chicken, veggie & bread
Saturday:  Cook-out with friends: hamburgers, hot dogs, et. al.
Sunday:  Broccoli and Bow Ties, bread

Earning Their Keep

"Washing" Daddy's Car

Where's the post of them "washing" Momma's Car?!!

Softball Rain Delay

I know I already posted about the end of the softball season but I found these photos on my phone and wanted to share.

It doesn't happen very often but occasionally it does rain down here in the South.

And when it does it usually downpours. 

  

During one of Lauren's softball games it started to rain.

For awhile they play it out.

Lauren is up to bat in the downpour.  

She walked and made it all the way to second base before the the umpire heard thunder and by league regulations had to call a 15 minute time out.

Tyler stayed comfy the entire time under my large umbrella, reading his Minecraft Novel.

Cubeworld by Karl Olsberg

(he's such a good reader now!!)

The girls didn't stay so quiet during the rain delay.  They kept right on cheering.

Who's Gonna Win?

The rain delay turned out to be longer than expected and finally it was decided that since we were up at the time of the rain delay and since we were the home team that we would call the game then and there.  

Way to go, Falcons!

10U Softball Party

L and some teammates with their participation medals.

Lauren finished up her 10U season of softball last weekend.  The day began with the championship softball game, then the official softball awards, all followed by the highlight of the day.

The POOL PARTY at Coach Bill's house!

Lauren's team came in 4th place (out of 8 teams) which is a huge improvement from last year when they came in last. Needless to say her coach is awesome and her teammates work hard and improve every single game.  This season renewed Lauren's love for softball.  She often asks her Daddy to go out and practice with her.  She even mentioned a desire to learn to pitch!

Now back to the POOL PARTY!

L draped in her towel with her teammates.

Along with pizza they enjoyed a huge chocolate chip cookie.

A team-building experience:  Everyone jump in together!

Ready, Set...

However, the temperature just wasn't warm enough for Lauren to do much swimming.

(It rained on and off that day with bits of sunshine in between.)

She held back on the group jump but had a good time watching them.

Along with the awesome coach we also have some awesome parents on the team.  They all "pooled" together to get every girl a towel with their name on it.  Since Matt is the assistant coach they never asked us to contribute.  What a fun surprise.

The Softball Party was a super fun success and we are looking forward to Fall Ball already.

First Pool Day of the Season

We've been watching the neighborhood sign closely just waiting for the pool to open.

Finally, on May 11th, we saw the sign!

We made a point of  being one of the first pool visitors of the year and went on opening day.

We had a blast but we got off to a bit of a rough start.

Normally on this blog, and on all of my facebook posts, I only post the positive and funny stuff.

But, today I'm choosing to post a video where things get real as they sometimes do in our life. =)

It starts off as a whole lot of fun though....

As upset as Tyler was he quickly recovered and we had a blast at the pool.  

(almost) Synchronized Pool Jumping

It didn't take too long for L and T to get chilly on this barely 70 degree day.

So, why not take some selfies while drying off?

We are looking forward to many more pool days all summer long!

May Holiday Mania

May is a big month for us.  The first two weeks include three big holidays for our family.

My birthday, Matt's birthday, and Mother's Day.

My birthday came first.

Don't worry, I didn't get any older.

I did receive some pretty cool gifts from my family though.

($Gift Cards$ from the out of towners and the gifts pictured below)

 Victoria Secret bag: new Panties (from Lauren)

Banana Republic box:  new Dress (from Tyler)

FedEx box: new iPHONE 5s! (from Matt)

I took my new iPhone to Lauren's softball game and took some pictures.  I also tested out my new iPhone case.  The Selfy.  It comes with a remote you can use to take pictures.

 (the remote clicker is in my hand)

The iPhone 5s takes much better pics than my old iPhone 4!

I love it and all of my birthday gifts.

To celebrate our birthdays Matt and I took advantage of Parents Night Out at my gym. We dropped the kids off for an evening of crafts, games, movies and pizza, and headed out for a dinner date.
The happy (non)Ageing couple.

(The dress is Tyler's birthday gift to me.  He's got good taste!)

For dinner we went to Southern Ground Social Club in Senoia.

I love me some Zac Brown and I love the Southern Ground Social Club tacos.

2 tacos and a side of corn.

Not the best health-wise but very very taste.

At least the giant margarita behind my plate is "skinny."

After dinner we still had time before we had to pick up the kids so we walked around Senoia and found a coffee shop to finish out our evening.  (hashtag: partyrockers!)

At the coffee shop I tried to pull it up on Facebook

(not to check-in but just to photo document it for the blog)

and this is what came up:

The Walking Dead is filmed in Senoia, GA and I guess Facebook is Zombie Crazy.  The Town of Woodbury is the town on the TV show. lol

I finally found our Coffee Shop.

I liked all their Walking Dead decorations, especially the one pictured below. 

(A couple was sitting under the sign so I didn't feel comfortable walking up and taking a picture but I found the sign on-line.)

Our dinner date was a fun get-a-way.  The kids had fun at the Y too.

The next day was Matt's birthday and also Mother's Day.
I don't have many pictures of Matt's birthday presents.
He got some gift cards, clothes, an iPhone car mount and the most awesomest
Mini Basketball Hoop for the basement.
Matt being Matt, he installed it first thing.

The basement man-cave just got manlier.

Since he tried to hijack Mother's Day from me by having his birthday on the same day, I let him grill his own birthday dinner Ribs for Mother's day.
OHHH YUMM!

I cooked everything else but the roasted brussel sprouts and garlic bread didn't compare to his melt off the bone ribs.

May got off to a wonderful start with the Holiday Mania and we are currently closing in on another big milestone.
School's ALMOST Out for the Summer!!
Just 3 more days to go.