Barons Scout Night

A couple of weeks ago, George's Boy Scout Troop had a special outing to see the Birmingham Barons play. When George got in the car, he had on his uniform, complete with his glove on his hand. He was determined to catch a ball.  

Some members of George's Troop were planning to camp overnight in the outfield, but we made it an early night because the girls had a dance recital the next day. Besides, George was really only interested in getting a ball.  

With an assist from Dad, he got one!

After the dinner, we went to Newk's - a favorite - for a much-needed late dinner.  

We have had tickets to see the Barons on a couple of previous occasions, but never went due to rain (read: monsoons!). So, although the girls have been, we had not been to the new stadium. We would definitely go again.  

Anniversary

Back on May sixth, we celebrated our thirteenth anniversary. 

We woke up to busy, household sounds, whispers and the sounds of the trio going up and down the stairs. William George came and stood over us, telling us not to get up until he came for us. 

After a few minutes, he escorted us to the dining room, where they had planned a Pinterest-worthy surprise. They had all worked together, which was just the sweetest ever.  

Thirteen years 

of laughter and fun

and many blessings

3 amazing kids

1 puppy

Fabulous memories

BEST of friends

Plenty of times to come

Living HAPPILY

Ever after 

After breakfast and church, Skip and I slipped away for lunch at Ruth's Chris, complete with a decadent Bananas Foster Cheesecake.  

Happy lucky 13th!

Mother's Day

Although Grace and Lauren were tired from their dance recital the day before, they woke up early on Mother's Day and, grabbing George, sprung into action. Although officially allowed to sleep in, I could hear their little feet going up and down the stairs to the basement, back to the main level, and occasionally back to their rooms.  

I came out to find a walkway of complimenting post it notes... saying things like:

"Best Mom Ever"

"Awesome"

"You Rock"

"Loving"

"Incredible"

"Helpful"

"Fun"

"Talented"

"You Are Amazing"

"Love You"

"Dance Mom"

"Basketball Mom"

"Baseball Mom"

and then she transitioned to things I love:

"Grace"

"Lauren"

"George"

"Dad"

"Pixie"

"Love"

"Hugs"

"Kisses"

"God"

"Jesus"

"Holy Spirit"

"Family"

"Friends"

"Roses"

"Jewelry"

"Summer"

"Beach"

"Pool"

The post it note pathway was amazing, and at the end sat the three beautiful people who made me a mom.  

They worked so hard, were so thoughtful, and totally made me cry.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother’s Day 2018 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

Confirmation Sunday

This past Sunday was "Confirmation Sunday" at our church. Lauren and Grace have been attending confirmation classes over the past eight weeks or so and are now fully confirmed in the United Methodist Church. They are full members, or as Lauren says, "Now I can vote."

The girls were previously dedicated at our church on February 25, 2007.

February 25, 2007

Grace and Lauren were saved on August 9, 2014, at the age of seven, after spending their entire lives studying the Bible at home, in Sunday School and during VBS. After saying their prayers and making their confessions of faith, they completed a thorough study of the Bible to reinforce their decision. After completion of this additional study, they were baptized on January 10, 2016. Although we are Methodist, our pastor at the time wanted to offer the option of submersion as well as sprinkling or pouring.

January 10, 2016

January 10, 2016

January 10, 2016

After now completing confirmation, they chose to "remember" their earlier baptism through sprinkling, to keep their earlier baptism as a special event.  We are so proud of them for continuing to grow in their faith and devote themselves to the study of God's word.

April 29, 2018, Remembrance

A sweet friend from church took my camera from the alter and captured some very special photos of our family (above). She is amazing.  

Skip's parents were able to celebrate this special occasion with us. After church, we had lunch and celebrated Lauren and Grace, with George's sweet support, of course. 

Weekend Update

Y'all, I know May has arrived because our days are getting busier each week, including weekends, trying to fit everything in. We kicked off Friday by having a picnic at the park for dinner and then spending some quality playground time.

We had an impromptu visit with out of town family Saturday morning before heading off to watch George's baseball game. The Mets had a great game, and George was 3/3 at bat. 

Baseball 4-28-18 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

After the game, we had a quick lunch, showered and went to a birthday party for a gentleman from church. The trio were on their best behavior, although they kind of kept wondering where the bounce house and/or entertainment was. This may have been their first non-relative adult birthday party.

After the party, we came home, and Lauren, Grace and George just played for a while. All the good behavior caught up with them, and they were ready to unwind. They showered early and settled in for some down time, but our super nice neighbors invited us over to watch a movie outside. Naturally, the trio were super on board with that so they put on their robes, and we went next door for a viewing of The Showman. Saturday night was beautiful, and it was the perfect ending to a busy day.

So adorable

Nix Cinema from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

The next morning we had a special church service celebrating Confirmation Sunday. Grace and Lauren have completed confirmation class, and I will post a separate update on that soon.

After church (and lunch) I had a meeting back at church, and the trio helped Skip with some much needed yard work. Later, we had a "work day" at the trio's school from 5-7pm. So we took our work gloves, rolled up our sleeves and got to work.  

Overall, we had a busy but really good weekend. 

How was your weekend? 

Scout Sunday

A few weeks ago, George's Boy Scout troop participated in Scout Sunday at a local church. They presented flag, recited their oath and prayed. George has enjoyed his troop and all of its activities this past year.

Weekend Update

This past weekend our little town held its annual spring festival. George's Cub Scout troop presented the flags during the opening ceremony. Following the introductory remarks, we spent a couple of hours at the carnival, where the trio rode a few rides. 

We had a quick lunch at home, picked up my mom and then went to George's baseball game. He had a good game (3/3 for getting on base), and he made some excellent plays in the field. 

The girls served as acolytes Sunday so we went to the traditional service. Because we were going to "big church," George came down dressed in his blazer and hat, and he talked Skip into wearing a similar look. Sadly, Skip doesn't own a Fedora, so he was unable to completely replicate the look.  

After church we had tacos at home, and then the girls went on a field trip with their confirmation class. Their trip was to Surge, a local trampoline park, and George is definitely keeping score because he commented on the fact that they have recently been to two trampoline parks without him, for different field trips. 

"Why are all my field trips about ART?!" he wanted to know.  

We explained that fifth grade is a really special year, much like kindergarten was extra special for him last year.  

Overall, the weekend was fantastic, and we are officially winding down the last few weeks of school. 

Magnolia Festival 2018 from Cathi Lindsey on Vimeo.

"A" School Celebration

The trio's school had some really exciting news a few weeks ago. County-wide, their school was one of only three to receive an "A" for their performance on standardized testing. This is a smaller school, and over the past three years, many resources have been removed and/or diverted to other schools. Needless to say, everyone was thrilled to receive such favorable results in spite of diminished resources.  

To celebrate, our school had popcorn and a movie one Friday afternoon, following by a dance party in the gym. Plus, their principal gave them the following Monday off. Granted, that day was scheduled as a professional development day, but the cheers from students was thunderous.  

Congratulations to such an awesome group!