End of Fall Sports

The fall sports season officially came to a close on Saturday, November 1st. Emmy's Walkertown team had their last game to end the season with an impressive 9-1-1 record. Eli's team had a double-header, and while their record wasn't quite as strong, the boys gained new skills and had a lot of fun. At the end of Emmy's game, Coach Boomer had a special 'awards ceremony' where he presented each of the girls with a certificate and a gold championship ring. The girls were excited to receive their bling. They closed out the season with one last huddle and their special chant "Hustle, Hit, Never Quit!" After leaving from the softball field, we moved over to the baseball field and joined Grandpa, Aunt Megan, and Maddox to watch the second game of Eli's doubleheader. Eli had been in a bit of a slump in his hitting, but he finished strong in the last game, going 2-for-3. He also tagged a runner between 1st and 2nd and fielded a few other balls that came to him at 2nd base. For his attitude and effort, he received the game ball, which was as exciting to him as a ring! I'm finding that with the close of each sports season, the feeling is bittersweet. While we look forward to a short break of evening activities, we will miss the friends we have made during these last three months together. We hope to reunite with many of them at the ballfield in the spring....and also on the basketball court this winter!

In the evenings during November, the kids continue to go to Awana on Sunday nights and to Christmas play practice on Wednesdays. Emmy also has gymnastics on Thursdays....soooo it's not a total break from evening activities!

We have had lots of fun attending parties for our fall birthday friends this weekend. On Friday evening, Emmy had a party for her friend Ellie. Then on Saturday, when Emmy went to Kessley's softball tournament with Daddy, Eli and I went to a taekwondo party for his preschool buddy Cooper. In the evening, I went to the 40th birthday party for Emily and Carrie. It was in downtown Winston, and we had the best time celebrating my favorite twins. With all these fall birthdays, Emmy and Eli have been patiently waiting for their turn. They are counting down the days until their birthdays are here. We are planning our annual trip to the zoo, plus a few other surprises too. It is the eve of Emmy's birthday right now, and as soon as I sign off here, I will be blowing up balloons to put in her room. Hopefully Mommy and Daddy can pull off some birthday magic to make 9 and 6 special for our kiddos. 

Happy Halloween 2025

Happy Halloween from our chef/butterfly and fireman! The Halloween festivities kicked off several days ago with our church's Fall Festival Trunk or Treat on October 17th. The date snuck up on me, and we were scrambling for costumes just before we had to head out the door for the event. Eli claimed his cousins' fireman costume quickly, but it took us a little longer to throw something together for Emmy. It felt like a #momfail since I had not planned ahead by ordering or shopping for a costume. In the end, Emmy was a good sport and went as a chef, using her apron and hat from our annual Christmas cookie baking. I promised her that we could work on finding a different costume in time for the 31st. At the Trunk or Treat, the kids collected bucketfuls of candy. While we were walking around, we were able to capture a photo of the four cousins. I don't think any year can top when they dressed up as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. I'm glad we were able to coordinate their costumes for that one year; it's hard to know if we would be able to convince them to do it again. 

In the time between the Trunk or Treat and Halloween, we were able to come up with an alternative costume for Emmy. Thank goodness for Aunt Megan; she allowed Emmy to borrow a butterfly costume for trick or treating around our neighborhood. Daddy joined us this year for the first portion of the walk. Then he returned to the house to check off a few Friday chores and to hand out candy, while the kids and I completed the loop. Once again the kids got a ton of candy!

Other activities this week included pumpkin carving, Emmy's 3rd Grade chorus performance during the school's Literacy Night, a Halloween party at school for Eli, and a birthday party for Emmy's friend Logan. As we say 'so long' to October, we look forward to all the fun ahead in November!

Whirlwind Weekend

I am still trying to catch my breath from the whirlwind of the weekend. It was quite possibly the busiest stretch of 48 hours that we have ever had! It started on Friday afternoon, immediately after the school day ended. We thought that Emmy's travel season was over after the tournament on October 11th. However, she was invited to join the 8U "Black" team for their "Friday Night Lights" tournament in Statesville. So off to Statesville we went! The first game started at 6PM, and the team was asked to be there by 5:15PM. Boomer and I had to pick up the kids, quickly consolidate into one vehicle with all of our gear, and make the hour-or-so drive west. When we arrived, there was an awesome playground, which was wonderful for all the younger siblings that were dragged along to the ballpark. After the girls' first game at 6PM, they played another game immediately afterwards. Then we all moved to a different field for the last two games of the tournament. The girls had big wins (double digits!) and went 4-0 to win the championship! Emmy played catcher in all four games and made an exciting out in the championship game when she caught a foul ball. Over the four games, she laid down three perfect bunts to get on base and advance the runners. It was exciting for Emmy to play with such a talented group of girls. After the girls posed for photos and collected their bling, we made the drive back home and finally pulled into our driveway just before midnight. Whew what a day! Even though we were tired, the championship win made the late night worth it! 

You would think that after our jam-packed Friday we would take it easy on Saturday, but nooooo! Saturday was a full line-up of sports and birthday parties. The morning started with Maddox's birthday party at 10AM. Then Eli and I made our way to Walkertown for his 12PM game. Eli played 2nd base. Sadly his team lost 4-2. Grammy, Grandpa, and Emmy joined us at the ballfield, and then the kids and I headed to Walnut Cove for Luke and Laurel's birthday party at 3PM. For our last event of the day, we went to Incendiary Brewery in Lewisville to celebrate Caroline turning 40. It was a fun ending to the day, with all of my girlfriends there and our kids running wild together. While the kids and I went to all the various functions, Boomer was with his guy friends at the Wake Forest Homecoming game vs. SMU. Several of his buddies came from out-of-town, and they got an AirBnB in Winston for the weekend. Boomer joined them on Saturday morning and hung out with them all day and into the evening. Wake won the football game in the last minute, with a career-long field goal for the kicker, for a final score of 13-12. It was a great game for the guys to see. On Sunday, Boomer met back up with the guys for the Wake baseball exhibition at 11AM, while the kids and I went to church and then out to lunch for Maddox's (actual) birthday. After lunch, Boomer and I traded off with the kids, and he took them to Emmy's spring Yadkin Ignite tryout. I am not sure when we might hear the outcome of the tryout, but we are hoping she will get the opportunity to continue to play in the spring. The last hours of the weekend flew by with Awana and then getting the kids to bed. As we did our usual Sunday preparations for the week ahead, it felt like the weekend had passed in a blink. We are already looking forward to the next one!

Amidst all the running around, I have enjoyed some one-on-one moments with each of my kiddos: a breakfast date with Eli before his dentist appointment and a Krispy Kreme stop with Emmy for her report card. It's always special to have this time individually with them.