Fall Fun

After missing the Carolina Classic Fair last year, I was so excited that we were able to go again this year. We had one free evening over the 10-day span that it was in town, and we made the spontaneous decision to go after work last Thursday. The kids were so surprised when we told them our plans for the evening. We arrived around 5:45PM and left just before 8:30PM, and in that time, we managed to fit in a few rides, dinner, a walk through Yesterday Village, and the Figure 8 racing. Watching my crew's reactions to the Figure 8 racing was well worth the price of admission. The looks of shock, joy, concern, and surprise made me laugh, and I found myself watching them more than the cars! The evening was a comfortable, mild temperature, and it felt like the perfect fall activity. Whether planned or spontaneous, I hope we can continue to go again in the future. 

On Monday, the kiddos' school had a Teacher Workday, and although I had a regular student day in Yadkin County, I took the day off to be with them. In the morning, we went to get their flu shots, and then we headed to the Science Center, which was a nice treat for being so brave at the doctor's office. We had not been to the Science Center since the summer, and we seem to always see something new when we go. 

The first half of October has flown by. As the days slide quickly to November, I'm hoping we can enjoy each day as it comes. It's been a wonderful fall so far!

Happy Birthday to our Favorite Guy!

While we weren't on a cruise in the Mediterranean this year, we celebrated Boomer's birthday this past weekend in a simpler way, with a cookie cake and lunch at the Loop after church. We also sang to him the night before at a cookout with all our softball friends. He doesn't like a lot of attention, but we couldn't let the day pass without recognizing our guy who means so much to us. Boomer, Dr. Kennedy, Coach, and of course Daddy - we love you so much!

Just like in August, again in September, the dates lined up with Emmy having an Ignite tournament on the same day as one of Eli's Canes tournaments. Emmy's tournament was in Greensboro, with the first game at 11:30AM, and Eli's tournament was at SWAT in Clemmons for a Saturday Night Lights, with the first game at 4PM. To add another element to the mix, Eli had a Walkertown game at noon! So even though some of the game times didn't quite overlap, there was really no way to be together at one ballpark. Boomer and I divided up, with me taking Eli to Walkertown and then Clemmons, and Boomer (while also fulfilling his head coaching duties) taking Emmy to Greensboro. When the day was done, the kids played 9 combined games, at 3 different ballparks, for a total of 12+ hours of ball. You can tell from the photos at the end of the day that it was dark (and a bit chilly!) when it was all over. Eli's Canes team won the championship, adding another ring to his collection. I followed along on GameChanger for Emmy's games. They went 1-1 in pool play, landing them in the Silver Bracket as the 10 seed. They won the "play-in" game and the semi-final game to play in the championship. Of the 18 teams at the tournament that day, they were the only team to play 5 total games. While they finished runner-up in the Silver Bracket (and 7th out of 18 teams), I am proud of the girls (and their coach!) for playing hard and never giving up. They showed a lot of improvement since their first tournament. 

Eli has since had another Friday Night Lights, which Aunt Megan was able to come to, and both kids have had several weekday Walkertown games. Emmy was featured as the player spotlight this past week for WLL. Both kids continue to play infield positions on their teams, and I love watching them make plays and talk up their teammates. They are involved in a lot of the action, and they make us proud with their attitude and effort. 

September Snapshots

After returning from our big Labor Day Weekend at the beach, we have continued with more softball and baseball back at home. Both kids have started their fall seasons with Walkertown Little League, while also still practicing and playing with their travel teams. It seems that we are at the ballfield almost every day of the week - and we love it! On the weekend of September 12th, Eli's Canes team played in the Jonah Hammett Strike Out Cancer Tournament at SWAT, and even though they are a 7U team, they faced an entire field of 8U opponents. They went 2-2 over the weekend, finishing tied for 3rd out of the 9 teams. Not bad for a bunch of 6-year-olds! This coming weekend, both kids have tournaments in two different locations, so we will do our best to divide-and-conquer. 

While most of my camera roll is from the ballfield, there have been other fun activities in September: the return of Awana, Goodies with Grownups with Grammy and Grandpa (say that three times fast, haha!), Pirate Day, game balls, and birthdays. This month Emmy and Eli were both recognized for Bow Tie Behavior by their teachers. It was special to get the photos from Aunt Megan of them smiling with their bowties on. We are so proud of both kiddos for working hard and giving their best at school and in sports.