Race is home!

Well, you may have already guessed that, what with my prolonged absence from cyber-space. Sorry.......we have all been involved in various forms of "Race-Worship". It has been so wonderful to have my whole family together again. We have been enjoying one another SO much. What had seemed like work and monotony, now seems like a fun vacation.

I have lots to tell, and plenty of pictures to share. Race is taking the boys camping tonight, so maybe I'll have some time to catch up a bit.

Briefly, there are a few new things that have entered our family since Race's return. Texas Hold Em' is now the card game of choice here. If we were a gambling family, Jack would would be a very rich young man. (ahem) Also, now it is not unusual to see any of the three of my children walking around singing. That, in and of itself is not unusual, but when you ,listen closely you will realize that you cannot understand ONE WORD of what they are singing. That's right, Race has introduced the kids to Mid-Eastern POP music! They love it.
If Race were to take you for a ride in his jacked up, CJ-7 Jeep, one of the first things that you would notice after you climbed up and got settled into your seat is the unusual sticker on his dash. There in all her Mid-Eastern glory, is the face of a beautiful woman with piercing eyes, in traditional dress. Sounds wierd, but you could sort of liken it to the naked lady on the mud flaps here in the U.S. Race said this picture is everwhere on the cars over there. He put it on his jeep to keep the rednecks confused around here.
Baseball is the main pass time for us right now, and Race is helping coach Austin's team. We are all having a blast and staying insanely busy. But it is wonderful, and I am enjoying every single second of it. I am feeling very blessed.
Thanks so much for all the comments, and for checking back in. I haven't been online AT ALL, so I am totally lost and behind. I will catch up on emails, phone calls and blogs soon!
Dy, I got your message, and I'll give you a call this week! Thanks for checking in!
Have a great day!
Melissa

Play Ball!

What a day! It was a long one, but we were one tired happy family when we finally pulled back into the house at 10:00 pm.

After Jack's martial arts class, we pulled up to the ball field to watch Austin.
Austin's varsity team won 22-4. The coach had told him that he would probably pitching this game, but as it turned out, they were doing so well, that he didn't have to put him in. SO he played at 3rd base. And man, did he play! It was awesome to watch. The game had started at 4:30 and we left at 7:15. We had to head straight over to the Dixie Youth practice (Austin's also) which started at 7:45. He was having a blast, and we were having a blast watching him. The hitting pratice that Pap-paw had been taking him to last month really payed off!

Savannah was happy because the next book in the "Warriors" series was released yesterday, and we went straight out and bought it. I thought that she was going absolutely EXPLODE with excitement in the store! She could not wait to get her hands on that book! So she was sitting at the ballfield wrapped in my coat, completely absorbed in her book.

Jack was running all over the place catching all the foul balls and throwing them back in for the "big kids", so that they would be sure to notice what an "incredible arm" he has for a "little kid".

We were tired and worn out as we drug ourselves and all our stuff back home. Our dinner so far had been some sort of mix of Nutri-grain bars and Gatorade.(As a matter of fact between the 2 games we ended up feeding a LOT of stray boys Nutrigrain bars and Gatorade!) We had pulled in at 9:50 and got the last 2 Little Caesars pizzas...they locked the door behind us. But it was a good day. The kids had a wonderful time today pursuing their own interests, and I got to be the lucky mom to sit back and watch, and cheer them on.

Laney, Thank-you, thank-you!! I do NOT posess the ability to do even the simplest of flower arrangements. I will post the pic soon, I've got to find a decent "before" that shows how much the room has changed.

Have a great day!
Melissa

Well, I have heard from Race, and all is well on his end. He is stating really busy and he is really tired every time I talk to him. But I am pretty sure that he wouldn't have it any other way.

As for us, we are staying busy too. As you know, baseball season and dance rehearsals are in full swing, and we get to martial arts on the days that we don't have other conflicts. The back of my suburban looks like a sporting goods store exploded in it. But with mucho baseball games ahead of me, I am prepared! I have our collapsible chairs, our huge sports umbrella, and a soft sided cooler. We're set! And you know, what a way to spend an afternoon. You can hang out in jeans, tee-shirt, flip-flops and a baseball cap, eat plenty of food that's bad for you, and watch your kid having a blast! (This is all assuming that you DO NOT sit near he other parents...ugh)

This weekend, Austin worked on staining the deck. I helped him in hourly spurts in between running savannah and Jack to their different activities Saturday. WOW! What an ENOURMOUS job that is! It still isn't finished. But what we DID get done looks really great, and so that is at least keeping us motivated to keep going.

I am going to find a "before" pic of my dining room, and I'll post the "after" pic with it. It's the only room that I have pretty much completed. If I could figure out what sort of flower arrangement should go on the table I'd be set. But I stink at that.

have a great day!
Race, we miss you! Be careful!
Melissa