American All Stars

Ethan is playing for the American All Stars. We are practicing two hours every day. I thought he would be worn out by now, but he loves it. It is a nice break for me to get to go sit with the other moms and talk while our boys play. All of the moms got matching shirts with "Mom of #3" on the back. (Ok, mine says 3 and the other moms say their kids number.) We also all went to the nail salon and had our toes painted to match their uniforms with little baseballs on them. I even got crafty and made matching sandals. I think the moms are a little obsessed. I love it! Chris is helping to coach the team. We have the district tournament this weekend to determine if we get to go to state. My parents are coming to watch Ethan play and I am so excited.

Is it Halloween?

We went to the YMCA like we do every Friday night and they had face painting in the children's area. Tyler was so excited to be spiderman. He wanted to save it for Halloween and cried when I made him wash it off. Ethan was Venom. The boys cousin, Justin, is staying with us for a couple weeks. He is the Incredible Hulk.

18 - 0 Tournament Champs

Ethan's Redsox team finished the tournament with an 18-0 record. We are so proud. The team played great. Ethan hit the ball into the outfield and got an inside the park homerun to help the team win the game. He had a great time. We got to take a day off baseball and we started practice for All Stars. He is playing baseball two hours every day. The minute he is tired of it, we will stop, but he loves it. We are considering playing on a select, travel team in the fall. Ethan really wants to travel with his friends. I never thought I would be one of those moms. Oh well, I don't know what we would do all week without baseball.

Undefeated Season



Ethan's team finished his regular baseball season undefeated. It was a great season! The boys on Ethan's team played their hearts out. Chris helped coach the team. We start tournament play on Monday night. It would be amazing to soar through the tournament. Here is a picture of Ethan throwing out a runner at first. His best bud Tucker is on first. They make a great team.



It was so hot during this game. It reached over 85 that day. I'm not looking forward to the hot days during all star season. The only thing I hate about the south (the heat)!

Baseball Update

We are in the middle of baseball season. Ethan is loving it! He told me the other day that baseball is his life. He has been working on his swing this season. He recorded Chipper Jones' swing and watches it in slow motion. He is a little obsessive. I'm not sure where he gets it from. (Kidding!) He hit a grand slam in the last game. He was so proud. We ended up beating the other team by 12 runs. There has only been one close game this season. His team is still undefeated. Tournament play starts next week. When that is done, we will start practice for all stars. Ethan is marked for all stars and there is already talk of where he will go in the draft next year. (They take baseball seriously in the south... Drafting at age 7!)

He is playing pitchers mound this year. Ethan and his best bud Tucker are a pleasure to watch. Tucker plays first. Ethan fields the ball and throws to Tucker. Very few kids are getting on base and our team is getting a bad reputation as being stacked. Who knew parents could get so passionate about little league. The little league state tournament is in Chattanooga this year, so we aren't going to have to travel. This is a blessing.

Memorial Day in Atlanta

We went to Atlanta to spend Memorial Day. We went to an Atlanta Braves game on Saturday. Unfortunately, they lost. Tom Glavin pitched and the batter hit a home run on the second pitch. It was so hot that day. We sat in the fifth row in the outfield. We ended up spending some time in Tooner Field so the kids could play mini baseball. We also let the kids run the bases on the top level of the stadium. It was a good day.

After the game, we stayed at the Westin in downtown Atlanta. We stayed on the 52nd floor. We had a beautiful view of downtown Atlanta. The kids loved the giant window. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a great weekend!

On Monday, the highlight of the weekend, we stopped at IKEA. It is the most amazing store ever. Chris will have to head back in a few weeks. He is putting in a home office. He should be working completely out of the home by the end of the summer. I am looking forward to this!

Kentucky Derby in Nashville...





We went to Nashville to celebrate the Kentucky Derby. My sister, Jessica, is on the board of directors for the McNeily Center, a school for disadvanted children. She is in charge of helping to put on this large event at City Hall in downtown Nashville. Chris and I went to rub elbows with the rich and famous of Nashville. It was fun to play grownup for the afternoon and evening.

My sister, Jessica, and her boyfriend Brandon.

Brandon, Brandon's father, my dad, and Chris.

My mom and dad.

The Lookouts

Since we don't get enough baseball during the week, we decided to go to the Chattanooga Lookout's game on Saturday night. (Sarcasm: Ethan has 2 games a week and a practice and Chris has two games a week and a practice.)

The boys had so much fun! We had great seats. The kids get in free and Chris and I get in for four dollars each. It is a cheap night, excluding the food. Tyler loved that a train came out every time a Lookout's player hit a homerun. He also loved the giant characters. Ethan's team is scheduling a date for his team to run out on the field with the real players. He is so excited. His team is undefeated so far this year. More on that later...

Easter in Gatlinburg

We went to Gatlinburg for a quick weekend getaway. We stayed in downtown Gatlinburg right on the river. We went to the Ripley's Believe it or not museum on Saturday. It had some pretty scary things for the kids, but I think they liked it over all. Tyler's highlight was seeing Herbie the car. We had to walk by it several times.

On Sunday, we went to the indoor water park. We had so much fun but were so tired by the end of the day. It was a nice change of pace for Easter and a good chance for us to get away before my surgery. I think the boys had a great time.

Benton Falls

We went to Chilhowee about 30 miles from our house. It is a large mountain overlooking the Ocoee River. We drove up the mountain and hiked to the Falls. It was a 1.5 mile hike, so we ended up hiking 3 miles. This was a challange with the boys. Ethan walked the entire way, but Chris had to carry Tyler most of the way. The falls were beautiful. To our suprise when we got there, we ran into a couple of Michigan fans. We just can't get away!

This is the same area that had a bear attack on two little children two years ago. I was a little jumpy the entire time. I know that something was stalking us in the woods the entire time. I know, paranoid!

It was a great day!