Fury Family Party

Baseball season is about to commence.  It's a huge time commitment and we spend a lot of hours with the families of the baseball players.  Therefore, we thought a kickoff party was in order!  

We heated the hot tub and these boys were smart enough to get in it.

Some other boys weren't as practical and played basketball in the un-heated pool!

Our son was one of them.  In all fairness, they all got in the pool at one point or another.
Most played basketball...

and a few even jumped off the diving board or went down the slide!

Eventually they came to their senses and played Spike Ball and jumped on the trampoline.

We were missing a few dads, but most of them were able to make it.

All but one of the moms were there--such a great group of ladies!

We are so excited to see these boys play in their first tournament this weekend.

This little lady hasn't quite figured out all the rules to baseball yet...

but she's mastered how to be cute!

What a fantastic Sunday afternoon.  Now let's play some ball!

Winstar Weekend

 For Christmas this year, my parents gave us great seats to Brad Paisley's concert at Winstar Casino.  Such a fun gift!  We had not spent a night away since last June when we went to Oregon for a wedding.  It's just so hard to get away!  We had the tickets, though, so we had to do it.  Some of our best friends got tickets at the last minute, so they met us there.  Bonus!

We had a nice dinner at The Grill...

then walked through the casino and up to the front of the concert.
A few minutes later, Brad was on the stage!

Singing a duet with Alabama--I just loved every minute of the show.

March 24, 2017.  Such a great night!

Brad played for two hours and we enjoyed the entire show.

After the concert was over, we hit up the casino. Bring on the Blackjack!

It may not have been Vegas, but it was still such an entertaining night.

I got to hang out with this guy all night, too!

 

We didn't make it back in time for Lila's game at 9:30 the next morning, but they still pulled off a win against the only other undefeated team.  This little girl has been on fire lately!
Last week she scored three goals!

We did make it home in time to see Madison play with Texas Spirit, though.  She's such a competitor.  I just love watching her play.  And I love that new glittery headband, too!

You're All My Favorite

 This kid went to the symphony with his fourth grade class last week.  It was a fantastic reason to dress nicely!  It's the first time he's ever worn a tie to school and I just loved it!  

When did my first baby bear get so big, though?

Although he despised shopping for and trying on ("Do we have to, Mom?") these new clothes, he was so proud to wear them to school.  It was really cool watching him leave for school, his head held high, feeling all grown up.

My second baby bear is a nurturer by nature.  When Baby JP came to hang out last weekend, she loved every second of being his babysitter.  She's such a precious, sweet soul.

My third baby bear is the entertainer, for sure!  It might be a chilly night by the fire, but she will be rocking her fancy bikini and performing her songs.

As our children grow up, it's so fascinating to see the little people that they are becoming.  They are all very different and have such special qualities that make them unique.

They are all fearfully and wonderfully made.  Psalm 139 13-14

I am grateful beyond measure.

My Angel

Opening Day!

Softball is Lila's third sport.  We just started practicing a few months ago when Reagan's dad asked if she would like to play on his team.  First time to use a glove to catch a ball, first time to bat, first time to field ground balls.

These girls have grown up at the ball fields, but it was always to watch big brother.  Last night was Lila's turn to be on the baseball diamond.  Everyone wore their red, black and white.  We were just a tad bit excited!  The cuteness that is this kid in her red visor is almost too much for me.

Our team is so official, too!  Banner hanging on the dugout and almost 100% of parents in their Angels shirts.  Drifit, nonetheless!  I like it already.

We met Reagan a year ago when a friend told me she might be interested in soccer.  We have loved having her on the Bees.  The girls both played basketball this winter and now they are playing softball, too.  Reagan's brother is the same age as Jackson and also plays competitive baseball, so she's been around it just as long as Lila.  These girls have so much fire and drive to excel--love it!

My #12 was really nervous all day long.
We made sure to get there early so she had plenty of time to warm-up. 

The girls did some hitting drills, then played catch in the outfield.

They were the first team up to bat, so they got their batting helmets on even before the game began!

This girl played hard!  She played 2nd base, 3rd base and right center field.  Her best play was actually when she was in center.  The ball was hit to the short stop, who fielded it and looked to make the throw to second base.  No second baseman was in sight though. Oops.  Lila saw that someone needed to make the play, so she ran towards the base and made the catch!
I was SO PROUD!  That's my girl, y'all.

The Angels ended up losing 6-3, which was much better than we expected!
The team they played was all 8 year-olds and huge!  We can't wait for the next game.

We finished at 7:30, ran into Whataburger and scarfed it down.  Jackson changed in the truck and we were off to his flag football game at 8:30.  This kid was on fire, too!  I'm so happy that I chose to keep the girls out late.  I would have been so sad to miss his game.  He played great at quarterback, made some impressive receptions as a receiver, AND made two interceptions, one of which he ran all the way back for a touchdown!  The Cowboys won 45-26.  I think 12 must be their lucky number!

Last Day in God's Country

Our last full day on the slopes was amazing.  The sun was out and it was the perfect day for Jackson to wear the Go Pro on his helmet to film everything.

I really enjoyed skiing with this kid this year. 

Our entire ski crew did so well.  By the final day, we were easily skiing blues and they had no problems at all keeping up.

We enjoyed it all, from looking around at the gorgeous trees while riding the lifts...

to skiing down exciting runs like this one.

 

We spent a lot of time on Tomahawk and One O'Clock.  Just look at that view!

It really is the most entertaining vacation, for all three generations.

And I got to spend a week with this guy--always fun!

Go Lila Lou!

Get it, Maddie Mae!

Sweet stop, Daddo.

We rode the Gondola a few more times.

These girls couldn't get enough of the slopes.

How is it almost time to go home?!

After a quick break for lunch, this little lady decided it was time for her to ski for real.

 

We put the harness on her and away she went!  Slowly at first...

but then she started picking up speed.
She hollered, "this is so FUN!" as we went down the mountain.
It's one of my favorite memories of the entire week.

We made it all the way down the mountain and she only tipped over three or four times.  Such a great experience for her.  When the big kids and Boom Pa skied over to say hi, she pointed up at the mountain and told them, "I skied that mountain!"

Since our little ski bunny was content with her time on the mountain, the rest of us got to go back up for a few more runs.  It was so bittersweet--we just love zooming down so fast and having a fantastic time together, but we knew it was quickly coming to an end.

The lifts all start to close by 3:45 or 4:00, so we made sure we were back at our condo by then.  The small lift that services Little Rodeo, though, doesn't close until 4:30.  The three amigos begged us to let them do it "just done more time!"  How could we say no?  They made it down the first run, doing some sweet jumps and the halfpipe.  Lila came in, but Maddie and Jackson kept going.  Maddie came in after the next run, but J did not.  She told me, "I sure hope that Jackson makes it on that lift before it closes, because when I got on it last time, there were only 53 seconds left."  Sure enough, Gigi spotted Jackson from the balcony a few minutes later.  This time he wasn't on his skis though.  Those were over his shoulder.  And he was hiking back up the mountain.  He had missed the last lift!  I met him halfway and carried his skis back up for him--poor kid was huffing and puffing like crazy.  And that's how we ended things.  Last people to ski on the mountain!

Until we meet again, Steamboat!  Stay cool.