Fall Days...

Our weather is finally starting to get cool. We painted pumpkins the other day and Tyler wore shorts outside. We start the mornings cool, but by the afternoon, you are in short sleeves. I love the south!

We went to the YMCA for the Halloween party on Friday night. The boys had a good time. They dressed up as Troy Bolton from High School Musical. Ethan asked me to straighten his hair for it. It took 20 minutes with a flat iron. He looked like a different kid. The kids had a lot of fun. I can't wait for Halloween!

Happy Birthday Tyler... You are free (three)

We had a small, family birthday party for Tyler. We went to the Japanese Steakhouse and watched the chef cook in front of us. The boys loved the flames. We went to Toys R Us afterwards and let Tyler choose his own gift. He picked out a Power Rangers costume with some help from his big brother. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Douglass for the Disney video Ipod. Tyler loves watching High School Musical and Sky High on it. He feels like such a big kid!

Fall Break in South Carolina




Our local schools took a week off for fall break. Chris, the boys and I went to South Carolina for part of the time. The boys loved riding horses at Grandma and Grandpa Caldwell's house. Tyler was so cute! He would take turns with his cousin, Dallas, leading the miniature horse and riding it. Ethan had a good time playing baseball with his cousin, Dylan.


Uncle Chris took the boys to a hanger at the airport where he is helping to rebuild five Cobra helicopters. The boys were able to sit inside the cockpits of the copters that flew in the Vietnam War. We had such a good time and were very impressed. Thanks for a great weekend Caldwell Family!

I'm a big kid now...

I have put off potty training Tyler due to our school schedule (and my laziness). He finally realized a week ago that Spider Man does not pee pee in his pants but in the potty. He decided that he was spider man so he should pee pee in the potty. He hasn't had an accident since and he is now in underwear (only spider man underwear of course). He is so proud of himself. He has to tell everyone he is wearing underwear. He also demands, "Call me Spider man."

Happy Birthday Ethan (a little bit late)

Ok, I have been so bad about updating my blog. I apologize to my faithful few that follow this site. With school starting for me and the boys, it has been crazy around here. I know that is an excuse, but it is a good one. We celebrated Ethan's birthday by going to Dollywood. We had a great time. His papa and mama from Ohio sent him this Disney mp3, video player. He loves it. Tyler wants one too (hint, hint). You can watch the entire High School Musical movie on it. I downloaded the new songs from HSM 2 and Ethan walks around with earphones in his ears all the time. He is 6 going on 16. He asked me the other day to put extra peanut butter on his sandwich because he needed the protien to increase his bat speed. He is a little obsessed. He started fall ball a few weeks ago, so it is all baseball...again.

Dollywood

We went to Dollywood for Ethan's birthday. He will be 6 on Wednesday, August 1st. We had a great time at Dollywood. We got to see a live Veggie Tale show. Tyler and Ethan sang along with the Pirates who don't do anything. Ethan loved the swing ride. My favorite was watching Ethan and Tyler on the big Ferris Wheel. I can't believe that Tyler was allowed to ride. I discovered how old I really am: I do not like rides that are too high or too fast.

Time with Jessica





Jessica, my sister, started a new job as a realtor. She decided to come spend a couple days with us on her days off. We took the boys to the putt - putt and batting cages. It was really cheesy, but we had a great time. The boys love their time with Aunt Jessie. Thanks for coming Jessie. We love you!!

State Tournament

The Tennessee Dixie Youth Baseball state tournament was in Cleveland this weekend. Ethan's team beat out two other Bradley County All star teams to be the host team. This was a huge honor. Ethan's team did not last too long in the state tournament. We were warned before hand that the other teams coming from across the state were unreal. There were 5 & 6 year olds that could hit the ball to the fence and some of the players were diving in the outfield to catch fly balls. It was like watching mini sports center. Ethan's team was elliminated by Friday night. They played the second game a lot closer than the first game.

Ethan got on base every at bat. His hitting has improved so much. There is no tee in the all stars, so he was forced to become a good hitter or get out. He played the pitcher mound during both games. He did a very good job. I definitly see room for improvement for next year. We are now done with baseball until the end of August when fall ball starts. It is going to be nice to have our evenings back. Two hours of baseball every night is a bit excessive. We will miss seeing Ethan's best bud on the team, Daniel. We will have to make it a point to schedule play dates.

District 6 Chapmions & State Tournament Host

Ethan's all star team won the district 6 championship. I was so happy that his grandma and grandpa Douglass were able to stop in town to see the game. So far, Ethan's team is undefeated. Ethan had a double play in the last game and 5 put outs. He is playing pitcher and gets a lot of balls hit to him. His hitting is pretty good, but he does need to get some muscle on it. He is definitly the smallest one on the team. He is playing in a 5 & 6 year old league, but some of the kids have turned 7 already. The state tournament starts on Thursday. His team should do well, but I am not getting my hopes up. As fun as this season had been, I will not miss the two hour practices every night! We definitly need a break from baseball. (Ok, I need the break, the boys are addicted!)

Hey now you're an allstar...

Game 1

Ethan is on the American League All Star team for Bradley County, TN. He had his first game on Saturday night. He got on base every time he was up to bat. They do not allow the kids to use the tee in the all star games, so he has to hit the pitch. He did great!

The coach put Ethan at the position of pitcher. Ethan caught a line drive and a pop fly. He got the final out to end the game. The final score was 14 - 4 with Ethan's team winning. Ethan was the star of the game, but I am biased. I think it was because he saw the most action due to his position. His team will play again on Monday night and Tuesday night. These games will determine which all star team will host the state tournament. It looks like Ethan's team will be the host. The state tournament is July 12th. We are excited, but just about baseballed out. Two hours every night is a big commitment.