Baseball High

My son had the baseball game of his life so far today!  He hit off the first pitch every time he was up, no strikes or outs!!!, and had some crazy-good line drives into the grass!  He hit two home runs!!  He also got a single and a triple where he slid into 3rd base just in the nick of time.  It was amazing.  I was crying and screaming out there on the field and realized that I never lifted my camera for the first home run OR the slide.... I was just too excited!  Oh well...  at least I didn't have a heart attack!  I managed to "wake up" and get some shots of him running home the 2nd time and hitting the ball, at least.  ;-)  I was so darn proud of him that I hardly could breathe.  Tears were streaming down my face.  At the end of the game, he was beaming and came to tell me that Coach Drew gave him a game ball to show how unbelievably proud he was of him.  GOOD STUFF.  I'll be on a high from this game for a while.  :)

Trampoline Insanity

Our good friend, Casey, and his children are visiting us this weekend.  Our kids just love each other and had a blast today on the trampoline.  It's a true miracle everyone made it off alive and in one piece.  Good thing I was only watching for a little while.... I am a worrier... I can't handle the stress.  

Fielding the baseball

This is my older son at baseball practice today.  The kids worked really hard on catching/fielding the ball and throwing.  Here's a shot of my boy doing his thing.  He's getting better and better.  I love to watch how hard he's trying and concentrating out there!

Kitchen helper

Today, my little helper and I made chocolate chip muffins before nap time.  He was such an adorable assistant!  He did all the pouring of each ingredient, filled the muffin tin with "Cars"-themed paper cups, mixed with the whisk and electric mixer (with my help), and also licked the bowl clean after we put the muffins in the oven. :)  It was such a nice and relaxing thing to do together, something I needed today.  The best part: the muffins had some secret, healthy ingredients that I added in without his knowledge: yellow squash, sweet potato, and pear purees, and whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.  Gotta love that!  They were TASTY!  You'd never know they were healthy!  He ate two muffins today and bragged to his brother and Daddy that he baked them with Mommy.  :)

Three happy boys at baseball

My younger son played so happily with some of his friends at baseball today.  He had a lot of fun!  He's slowly coming out of that shell!  Look at how cute they all are!  These boys are the siblings of my older son's best friend.  We just love this family. :)  

Gentle love

My sweet little boy was absolutely fascinated by his new baby cousin.  He couldn't get enough of the "tiny toes", "tiny feet", and soft head.  He would just sit and watch my sister breastfeeding or changing diapers with such curiosity.  He was completely enamored.  It was all he could do to not pet the baby's head or hold his hand or gently put his little hands on his cheeks at all times.  He asked "Why?" over and over for every little baby chore we did.  Every time the baby cried, we had to reassure him that it was normal and he was fine.   SO CUTE.  Here he is this morning watching my sister give the baby "Mama milk" before they left.  

First paddleboarding experience.

We all went to the beach today and got my nephew out on the water paddleboarding with his Daddy.  :)  He was soooooo happy.  Would ya look at that precious face?  My brother-in-law was pretty psyched too. 

My nephew's first trampoline experience...

Yesterday, we got my nephew on the trampoline for the first time.  It took him a little bit to get used to the feeling, but boy did he have a LOT of fun.  Hee hee hee... I love my sister's expression in the background. :)  NO child got hurt....well, unless you count my brother-in-law....he broke his toe.  Don't ask....

Rub a dub dub

Three boys in a tub.  :) Awesome cousin memories in the making....

Brothers at the lake

Today we went on yet another beautiful hike.  The boys stopped to pretend to fish with sticks off this dock on the lake for awhile.  What a beautiful spot.  This moment felt very nostalgic to me.  I love their brotherly bond. :) I hope that they are close friends all their lives....

Silly boys

We took a walk in the woods on "our mountain" tonight after dinner. It is SO deserted and remote here that it can be disconcerting, but at the same time, it is AMAZING.  I was hoping to see that darn elusive owl that has escaped me several times on previous trips....but instead,  I caught this moment when the boys were laughing at their Daddy making faces.  Even better. How sweet are they?

Yellow Branch Falls

We took a drive to South Carolina today and hiked to an amazing waterfall called Yellow Branch. We had such a fun time!  The kids walked the whole way (1.5 miles one way, moderate trail) and there were no complaints!  Once we got to the falls, we spent some time relaxing on the rocks, finding some newts hiding in the water, throwing rocks (of course), and having a picnic lunch together.  I even managed to get a family shot with the tripod too. The way back felt MUCH longer since everyone was tired, and I carried a 40lb little boy in the carrier on my back the whole way!! WOW!  What a workout! :)  AND what a super hike!  Spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the hammock, reading, playing catch, and playing Rummy and Go Fish with my son and husband while my younger son napped.  Finally, we topped off the day with another incredible sunset!!  I wish vacation could last forever.....

Just another beautiful sunset...

We enjoyed another amazing sunset tonight.... what a great way to end an awesome day of hiking, walking under waterfalls, swinging and reading books in the hammock, playing cards, and building a lean-to in the woods! To top it off, my oldest son told me he loves me more than anyone in the whole world tonight.  That was almost as good as waking up this morning to feel his little hand grab my hand in the dark (his bed is next to ours in our room)... Life is sooooo good. :)

Our view from the cabin

We arrived in this paradise early this morning, exhausted.  We spent most of the day unpacking and getting settled in.  Then, after we got the kids to sleep, Erich and I made hot tea and sat in the rocking chairs on the deck.  I took this timed self portrait of us to prove how phenomenal the cabin's view is.  Jealous?  ;-)  I still can't get over it everytime we visit..... I always find myself saying "Are you seeing this?!!".  There is NOTHING better than sitting together, relaxing, and watching the most spectacular sunset over the Smoky Mountains in chilly 45 degree weather after a long day.  Happy Spring Break! :) 

Fun in a tree

We had a 5 hour pit stop today at Nani and Papi's house before going on to the Smoky Mountains in NC tonight.  The boys were VERY happy to get out of the car, and so were we! Here is our oldest, crazy little "monkey" in the tree and swinging from a very strong strangler fig vine in the front yard.

My new orchid

My husband bought me this orchid yesterday for NO reason!  He said he knew I'd been very overwhelmed and busy/stressed lately and thought he'd cheer me up.  Seriously?  How lucky am I?!

Baseball

Today at baseball practice, after playing catch with my younger son for awhile, I wanted to take pictures of the team practicing, so we went into the dugout, and I had him play with his cars while I shot some photos.  Here he is sitting in the clay with his cars.   

My older son had a great practice today.  It is so fun to watch him getting better and better.  He just loves baseball.  He is growing up right before my eyes....   He fielded a few ground balls and got his teammates out and was beaming with pride!  It made me almost cry with happiness.  When we got in the car to leave he said "Did you see me catch, Mom?".   He also did a lot of running today.  Here he is doing his thing: hustling.

Lignumvitae Flowers

Our Lignumvitae tree ("Tree of Life") is exploding with beautiful purple/blue flowers right now! It is so awesome! It is my favorite tree in our yard!  It is very slow growing.  We planted it when we first moved into the house.  It has a very unique trunk that is "bonsai-like" in the way that it grows into crooked, neat shapes.  The Lignumvitae tree has extremely hard, heavy wood that is said to be the second heaviest in the world! The wood won't float - sinking quickly in water - and I've read that it is impossible to drive a nail through it!  The wood used to be harvested to make bearings for submarines in WW2 and is still valued for ship propeller shaft bearings, bowling balls, pulleys, neck bearings, and machine parts because it has such a great high content (30%), non-contaminated, self lubricating resin.  The resin is also useful for treating arthritis! Cool, right?  Unfortunately that's why this amazing tree is an endangered species... I had to take a close-up picture of one of the many beautiful, star-like flowers on this fabulous tree.

Buddies

I shot this picture today at baseball practice when my son and his best friend were hanging out in the dugout drinking some water. Definitely a "Kodak" moment! :)

Crazy jumpers

Bet you can't look at these happy kiddos on the trampoline and not SMILE!  (Click on the pic to see it closer.) Try it!  :-)  They had quite a blast jumping around like lunatics this afternoon!  They were laughing hysterically, being very goofy, and having the best time.  The highlight?  When a deer walked UNDER us on the trampoline while we were jumping to cross to the other side!!!  Good thing she didn't get knocked unconscious!  

Beautiful sunset

I had a great photoshoot at the beach tonight and snuck this picture in...  What a beautiful night!

My handsome catcher

My son played Catcher for part of the baseball game today.  I got a close-up of that sweet little face hiding in that helmet right before he went out to the field.  He's growing up so fast...but in my heart, he'll still always be my baby. ;-)

Lounging around

Ah, the beauty and simplicity of childhood....no timetables, no worries or responsibilities, no stress...  I remember lounging around on the floor watching Sesame Street when I was little too.  My mom would bring me snacks and drinks, and I'd watch my show on the floor or upside down on my head on the couch... ha ha!   Life was so easy and fun.  :)  We had our priorities straight.  Sometimes, I really wish I could be a child again... Why does life make grown ups change?

First baseball night game

Tonight, our son's team, the Cubs, played its first night game against the Marlins.  Cubs won 14-4!  Here is our little Cub getting ready to go up to plate.  He hit a great one - pretty far into left field! We were so proud of him! 

Blowing bubbles

Today I spent a good half hour blowing bubbles with my son on the porch.  Up until now, he's never been able to control his breath and little mouth enough to blow bubbles on his own.  He desperately wanted to learn how to "do it myself" so I had him practice and practice and practice.  He had so much fun and when he finally figured out how to do it, he was thrilled!  Look at that happy face!  He was unstoppable!  I absolutely love seeing life through the eyes of a child.  Why can't we bottle up childhood innocence for our whole lives?  

Homework time

This is my son doing his homework (math and spelling) after school today.  He looks so grown up to me lately... time flies when you're having fun! 

Sesame Street Buddies

Today, my little guy found my bag with all his Sesame Street puppets that I had packed for my photoshoot with my nephews in Jupiter.  He arranged them all on the couch to watch Sesame Street with him this morning.

My other favorite nephew

This is my other sweet nephew.  He is hilarious and completely silly! We put on some music for him in his room while my sister was nursing the baby in the glider.  I put him in his crib so he wouldn't hurt himself while I was taking pictures, and before we knew it he was dancing like crazy and bobbing his head to the beat and running around giggling.  He was also playing peek-a-boo in there - totally putting on a little show, loving all our attention.  He is such a trip!  (Check out the awesome artwork on the wall - my brother-in-law painted it!).

My nephew

Meet my beautiful, sweet, precious, soft, miracle of a nephew, Xander Raven.  I spent the weekend up in Jupiter with my sister and family and finally met my nephew, who is now 10 days old.  He is AMAZING.  I am in complete love with him.  He smells soooooo good.....he is so beautiful.  I got to hold him and cuddle him a bunch, and I have to tell you that I am smitten.  :)  I am so proud of my baby sister.  She is an incredible mother.  She is juggling a 20 month old and a newborn at the same time, and that is no easy task.  But, she is doing an amazing job.  She is determined to make sure that her eldest knows and feels that he is still #1 while attending to every whim for the baby.  I have so much respect for her.  She was born for this....what an amazing mom.  And.....let's face it - she and her husband create such GORGEOUS babies. 

Garlic flowers

Today, while walking around the neighborhood with my son in the stroller, we saw these beautiful society garlic flowers. The violet flowers grow up on a stalk from a grassy clump of leaves that look like chives. The plant is native to S. Africa, not here, but it is gorgeous. The leaves actually smell like garlic - really crazy! I've read that the bulbs and leaves are edible, like garlic or chives. I guess the Key deer don't eat it, though, because it was thriving right there on the side of the road! I know what I'll be planting in our unfenced part of the yard next time I do some gardening!

In his hideout

While I was folding laundry today in my bedroom, my son created a hideout behind the glider in his room.  He surrounded himself with stuffed animals on all sides.  When I walked in and found him in his nook, he was sitting quietly "reading" his Little Critter books.