March Madness

March was definitely our busiest month so far this year. Baseball was back in full swing (pun intended), soccer season started for Reese and Hayes, and Reese was finishing up her cheer season.

The first weekend in March Reese had her first cheer competition with her half year squad. It was in Chattanooga and we had to be there around midday. Sam had a baseball game right around the time we were supposed to be leaving so Reese and I rode up with some friends and Lance met us up there later with the boys.

We stopped at CFA for lunch and the cow was walking around. The cow did their little cheer sign with them and they thought that was so funny!

Reese was so excited to see some of her friends from another squad. Her squad got first place in their division. Her friends got first place in their division and grand champions.

We stayed in Chattanooga to eat dinner after the competition and ended up not getting home until 11:00 that night. Sunday was packed full and Monday hit us like this! I thought Reese looked like one of Cinderella's step sisters when I walked in to wake her up with her leg sticking out of her sheets.

Another walk through the neighborhood with Hayes. He loves to throw rocks/mulch/acorn shells in to the creek. The structure he is holding on to is a tree house and he usually gets in the top of it and pretends like he is on a pirate ship. We will collect a bunch of "cannon balls" before going to the top and he will yell at the pirates and throw his cannon balls at them.

Preschool pictures

Hayes doesn't take naps any more but put him in the car around 4:00 and he goes right to sleep.

One morning we were coming downstairs before school and caught sight of this amazing sunrise. It was so gorgeous we were all taking pictures with different devices.

Hayes finally got to start soccer...and I am his coach. He cracks me up out there. He gets the biggest grin on his face when he is running with the ball. He scored the first goal of our first game but then didn't want to play any more. He starts out each game ready but isn't a big fan of the parents all around the field clapping and cheering and yelling.

One night we had friends over to a movie night and we cooked out. While we were waiting on the food to cook the kids all played outside.

When I saw this cul-de-sac full of kids it made my heart so happy. This is exactly what I envisioned buying this house!

We got a big, blowup movie screen for outside. This was our first go at it and it was fun!

While the kids watched the movie, the parents all sat around the fire and had the best time!

Finally we all got to play baseball against our friends and the big sisters were so excited to all be together again.

And these boys thought it was so funny to play against each other. The funniest part was that they each took a turn getting the other one out at one point during the game.

St. Patrick's Day

"Cowboy Round-up Dance" at school

Sam has a best little buddy in his class. She is so cute and they played together and danced together the entire night of their dance.

This is the only picture I have from any of Reese's soccer games. Her team moved up to u10 in the fall but since she did fall cheer, this is her first season playing on this bigger field with an actual ref. She did so well at her first game. She scored once during this game and then two during her second game.

Reese had her second cheer competition mid-March and it was the busiest day yet. Hayes had a soccer game at 9:00, Reese's game was at 10:30, Sam's game at 1:15, and then we had to be at the GWCC at 6:30 and she competed at 8:45.

The boys were wild while we waited but luckily it was packed fun of parents and cheerleaders and was so loud in the lobby that it was ok.

Her team ended up getting second place but I thought they did way better than their last competition!

One afternoon there was an uprising. The kids asked to watch TV during the school week and I told them no and reminded them why we chose not to have TV during the school week. Well, Reese walked off and made picket signs that said "TV during the week" and gave one to each of the boys. They marched around yelling "TV during the week, TV during the week". It cracked me up but I still didn't cave.

Easter celebrations were had at school. Sam's class did a sight word egg hunt. They each had one sight word they had to look for. Each time they found another word they had to yell it out so their friends with that word would know where to look. They were supposed to do it outside but then it rained the night before and was too muddy. They did it in their classroom and still had a blast.

Hayes's class did an egg hunt as well.

Reese's class had a small class party.

Lance took the day off on Good Friday. We went to Sam's class for his egg hunt and then headed to church where they were doing communion and prayer time. After that the three of us headed to the mountain. When we got to the top there wasn't much to see because of how cloudy it was but it is always nice to make it up there.

That night Reese's soccer team went to the high school to watch the girls soccer game. Our girls high school team is really good and it was a lot of fun to watch them play. I am hoping to make it to at least one more game this season.

Saturday morning was full of soccer and baseball again. I caught this sweet picture of Reese and Hayes while watching Sam's baseball game.

Our crazy cat, Chase, loves to follow us to the ball park when we walk. He will just hang out down the hill while we are at the game and then walk home with us when it is over. He is like a dog in a cats body!

Saturday afternoon we went to church for the Easter service and then they always have a festival afterwards. There are tons of fun activities for the kids, CFA sandwiches, cotton candy, funnel cakes, etc and we just have a blast. And apparently I did not take one single picture that night!

Easter morning we were up early to see what the Easter Bunny left behind. This year's basket was full of fun stuff for our cruise we are taking this summer...including these cool sunglasses.

We got ready for church and headed out the door. This time Lance and I were serving. I worked in Hayes's class and he was so excited.

After church we met Lance's family for hibachi. And it was the perfect lunch!! The kids had so much fun watching the food being cooked. I don't know that they really ate much of it. I did though and was stuffed on our way home.

This week the kids school did their annual fun run. Because of more rain, it got moved inside their gym but they still had fun.

When I was pregnant with Hayes, my friend, Kiera, introduced me to some books by an author named Karen Kingsbury. She writes Christian fiction books so they are not real stories but they are Christian based. There is a set of 23 books that goes through the life of one family and I could.not.get.enough. I would binge read them. The second I finished one I would download the next one on my Kindle. It was about six months straight that I read these books. This past week Karen Kingsbury was speaking at a local church and my sweet friends and I went to see her. Kristin originally bought tickets for her and her mom as a birthday gift but then told Kiera and I about it. So we jumped at the chance to join them. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the night but I loved getting to have that special time with friends.

I can't believe it is already April! Time is just flying by and I am hanging on tight!