Saturday, April 17, 2010

A Lovely Lowcountry Day

Today was as busy as it gets for this family - I think it's fair to say we like to stay close to home as much as we can. There is some comfort for all of us in piddling around the house. Perhaps that's why days like today are such a treat for us - unless it's a marathon trip to Kiawah on a hot summer day, we don't typically stay away from home all day long. Today was the exception; and a fun one at that.




We had an early morning start at the baseball field where the Biggby Coffee Tigers put together a great game against a formidable Crowfield team. Great game for everyone, including W who had a few base hits and survived a "grazing" by a baseball bat while playing catcher one inning. This Mama sprang up from her seat in a millisecond as I saw and heard the impact...he was just fine, Thank the Good Lord.


Winston is really fun to watch; he is still learning the strategy and rules of this new sport and every now and again he'll show some football moves of his...and no, he hasn't tackled anyone yet but instead of throwing the ball for an out, he'll sprint after an opposing player and attempt to tag a runner out at the bag. It's pretty funny. We couldn't feel more fortunate to be part of this team - our coaches are exceptional and the team Mom continues to give me the warm and fuzzies with her detailed and frequent email communications. Ahhhh...the sweet, sweet joy of someone as OCD as me!

We came home in time to clean off the red dirt stains from the baseball field and head back out to see the Blue Angels fly in the Charleston harbor. The day was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for spending it outside by the water. We parked ourselves on a blanket in Liberty Square; Winston quickly found some boys to join him in a game of football and Lil began what was a very long afternoon of finding and naming ladybugs. Super sweet that girl...I so enjoyed just watching her walk around peaking in the grass for new friends. She had quite an attachment to two ladybugs and named them Jillie and Chrissy. Winston also got to spend some time with his buddy Hampton which is always a bonus.












The most random surprise of the day.....I morphed into a paparazzi for a few minutes when Lilly and I stumbled upon a pretty familiar political figure while we were waiting to see the Blue Angels too.



Crazy huh? I was super happy about my nifty camera and its ability to zoooom in for some great pictures. Actually we weren't that far away but it was nice to get a close up picture. McCain was there to see the Blue Angels too! If Lilly and I would have hung around, we would probably have gotten a handshake but Lilly was more interested in finding ladybugs than discussing politics....a fine choice if you ask me!

So the Blue Angels....







Crazy unbelievable, those pilots. I will be the first to admit I don't really have an appropriate appreciation for the skills required to maneuver an aircraft, any aircraft for that matter, but these dudes (and dudettes?) are MINDBLOWING with the things they do at such high speeds with such massive aircraft. Powerful....loud....astounding.....I am so glad we braved the crowds/traffic (which neither were bad at all) as it was quite a sight to see GREAT STUFF.



Flying 500 miles an hour, about 50 ft from the water....a walk in the park......GOOD GRIEF! And I was nervous about my 7 year old playing catcher in Little League!! Wonder what the Mama's of these pilots think about all of this!
We lingered for quite a while after the show enjoying the sea breeze and lovely sunshine. More football tossing and ladybug finding before we finally packed up, headed for Daniel Island and enjoyed a lovely dinner outside. The weather was perfect to sit outside and since no cooking/cleaning was involved on my part, I was especially happy about the way we ended our day of adventure.

We are home with squeaky clean children, full tummies and lots of happy moments to think about as we drift off to dreamland after this very wonderful Saturday in the Lowcountry.My guess is we'll hardly leave the house tomorrow except for church - and as fun as today was, a day spent in the comforts of home with my people will be more than enough fun for me!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Close to Home

Last year about this time, the kids and I spent a Friday evening at our local high school's track with some good friends walking laps in honor of cancer awareness, cancer survivors and for those who have lost their battles to the disease. Little did I know that one year later, we'd be walking that track again...only this time with more purpose, more emotion....more hope.
Winston had some Relay for Life activities at school today - they walked their own laps this morning and he made a "tile" in honor of his Granddaddy. We were excited to find the BHES tent tonight and for Winston to show us his artwork in honor of a special person in Danville, VA.
Thanks to my sweet friend, the kids had special shirts made to show just who they were walking for. We walked the track searching high and low for the luminary bags we had made; it's a pretty powerful experience to read all those names...so many names....fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, friends....all with their own stories to tell.
We spent time with some friends and enjoyed the fellowship of hundreds of others....all in honor of a special Dad and Granddaddy. Keep fighting Dad - We love you!



Thursday, April 15, 2010

(almost) Chatter-Free Catch Up

Lots happening in the tiny Grant corner of the world....

Last Easter Egg Hunt at Bethany


Handbell concert by a precious group of Fantastic First Graders:


Easter Egg Hunt - 1st Grade Style



A Day in Charleston with some VA friends...FINALLY!

Easter Bunny's Loot


A Beautiful Easter Day

A little QT with Grandma in her flower garden


Sleeping in foam curlers.....a first for Lilly


Movie time with Grammy and the curlers


6am trip to the pier to see what's biting.....

First toe-dip of 2010


And a little sneak peak of what's to come in May...

Enjoying some frequent trips to the baseball field, sneezing from all the pollen and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.....it's Spring after all!!

Friday, April 2, 2010

It Really Is The Little Things

We've sure had lots of fun this week and there's a fun weekend and Spring Break on the horizon - lots more to post about Easter Egg Hunts, Handbells, House Awards and the Smartest Daddy
on Planet Earth; but for now, I'm still smiling at the moment I had earlier today...

It might take me 15 minutes to get to our favorite grocery store....and we might have to leave 30 minutes ahead of time to get to baseball practice or ballet on time...but being 5 minutes away from what is in my humble opinion the best elementary school in the district makes all of those trips "in to town" worth it. Winston's class got to walk that 5 minutes to our house today for an Easter Egg hunt and picnic lunch in the backyard -- I'm very aware of how lucky we are to have that luxury. But even better than that.....

Washing dishes and looking out my kitchen window to see my 1st grader during his PE time is a gift I hope I never forget. He looked over at our house and saw me watching him and well...it just made me grin from ear to ear. A glimpse into his little life at school....and he even took the time to wave to his Mom!! (He's the one in yellow/blue)

A great moment in this very blessed life of mine.....