All About Angus

One of the highlights of preschool--taking home the class mascot for the weekend!  

This past weekend, it was Cami's turn with Angus.  She was thrilled!

We kicked it off with an after-school trip to Braum's for some strawberry ice cream.  I had already decided to take Cami there as a treat for being well-behaved all week.  Angus picked a good day to hang out with us.

I enjoyed visiting with this little lady and then we headed home to get the big kids.

A few hours later, we took Lila to Brooklyn's birthday party.  Angus and Cami were both very intrigued with Bubble Soccer!

Lila said it was harder than she thought it would be...especially when she got flipped upside down!

Memaw and Poppi met us at the park and stayed with Angus and the kids for the evening.  Jared and I met our crew in Dallas to celebrate some September birthdays.  Always such a fun night.

The next day was another birthday party for Lila.  Angus decided to take a nap at home, though.

Good call, Angus.  This party was rockin', but it was super HOT!

The twins had an awesome birthday and Lila loved hanging out with everyone.

After the pool party, Madison came over and Angus got to watch the girls play some backyard soccer.  He was pretty darn impressed with their skills.

The next day was Meme's birthday!  The kids made her lots of sweet cards and we went to her house for lunch.

I'm pretty sure that the cake was Angus' favorite part!

Later that afternoon, Angus got to watch Lila in action at her Sting game.  He was a huge hit with all the girls Well, maybe it was really Cami that was a big hit, but they liked him, too!

We let Cami choose the restaurant after the game.  Her pick--Frankie's.  She's a pro at ordering some mexican food.  "I'd like a quesadilla, french fries, and a side of ranch, please."

Angus slept well that night and so did Cami.  We enjoyed having him all weekend, but he's got more people to meet and homes to see!

Baseball Buddy

Cami and Lila are both sure good sports about spending lots of time at the baseball field.  Last weekend was no exception.  They were there for 9 straight hours on Sunday and were so good.  I took them to the playground in between games 1 and 2, they played soccer next to Bubba's game, ate popsicles from the concession stand, made pretty art work, and made new friends.

My favorite quote of the day came from this little lady, though.  Grant's older brother was sitting in the stands next to us during the last game.  Like them, he had been watching his brother play all day long.  He was a really nice kid and began talking to both Lila and Cami.  They were shy at first, but then Cami started chatting with him.  The next thing I know, she says, "So, let's talk about sports."  He says, "Ok, what kind of sports?"  She replies, "well, my sister wears a sports bra!"  And Lila just about died of embarrassment.  It was so funny, and Cami knew it!  I'm sure it won't be the last time that little sister embarrasses her--she's such a goose always looking for the laugh.  She got it this time, for sure.

NTX Eagles

Wowsers!  We knew that Jackson's new baseball team was good.  Really good.  We just didn't know how good, though, until this past weekend.

Jackson was one of 5 new boys to join the NTX Eagles this summer.  I'm so thankful that he did, and so is he.  They are a fantastic group of kids and all super-talented.

Two Sundays ago, they started league play.  

Jackson pitched the second game and helped his team win both of them.
He got hit in the back while he was up to bat...   

but shook it off and went on to score.  A few innings later while he was pitching, that same kid, who was huge, nailed him in the leg.  His teammate ran up, grabbed the ball and threw out the batter at 1st, ending the game.  Eagles win! 

This past weekend, the Eagles played in their first tournament of the fall.  There was stout competition, with 22 teams in the 11U AAA division.

The first game was tough at first, but J did well as the lead-off batter.
He held back on high fastballs...

and ran the bases well.  The most controversial play came when he got caught in a run-down between 3rd base and home plate.  He made an awesome play and slid in under the tag, but the umpire called him out.  He was so clearly safe!  After the game, the other umpire apologized to our head coach and admitted J was safe.  Oh well!

J was upset, but we told him to shake it off and get back to being focused on pitching.

He did well and struck out a lot of batters.

During the last inning, he was playing second base.  The bases were loaded and the batter hit a line drive to him. He made the catch, then threw it to 1st base, making the double play to end the game!

The Eagles won both of their Saturday games and were sitting in 2nd place in the division going into Sunday.  

We got to the ballfields at 1:00 on Sunday.  These boys were so ready to play. And win!
They won the first game.  Then they played at 3:00.  And won that one, too.  The semi-finals were next at 5:00 and they were up against a really big Jaramillo team.  No prob.  They beat them, too.  In fact, they run-ruled them by scoring 8 runs in 4 innings.  Eagles won 8-0!

Just like that this kid was about to play for the championship!

A little while later, they had run-ruled the Bulls, too!
Braeden hit a walk-off double to seal the deal and everyone was so excited!

The boys all got their first and second place rings, some just had a little bit bigger smiles on their faces.

Coach Michael was just as pumped as the boys were, despite his "too cool for school" face!

Boom!  11U AAA Champs of the Matt Dozier NIT Tournament.

These girls were SO happy for their Bubba!  They had been at the fields from 1:00 - 9:00 pm and were still smiling.  Now that's some true fans right there!

The next morning, the new rankings were out.  The NTX Eagles were #1 in the state of Texas and even better, the #1 11U AAA team in the nation!  A few hours later, they got the news that they had been bumped up to the highest level--the majors.  I'm nervous, but excited for Jackson and all the other boys.  They will now be playing against the very best talent.  I have no doubt that they will handle it like pros.  Go Eagles!

Sting

New season, new team.  Lila has joined the competitive soccer arena and now plays up a year on a club soccer team.  She wanted to play with her friends and had a few already on Sting, so we are giving it a try this year.  So far, she's holding her own just fine!

I missed her first game, but heard that she played great.

I sure wasn't going to miss the second one!  My precious girl is all business on the field.

When needed, she can still turn on the turbo boosters, too!

We are loving watching her develop better ball skills and up her game.

Everyone loves cheering for #12.

This past weekend, Sting lost 3-2, but it was a much better game.

Get it, girl!

Anyone who doesn't think that soccer is a contact sport, is sorely mistaken!  There are all sorts of fouls and rough players that these girls encounter.  I had no idea that girls could ever be so aggressive!

So focused.  I love it.

We miss the Bumblebees for sure, but are excited to see how much Lila can learn this season.
She's already a star in our book.

Girl or Boy? What will it be?!

Lyndsie and Scott announced that they are expecting a baby a few weeks ago.  A new little Hays baby!  We are all super excited! They chose to do the gender reveal at our house and it was so awesome.  I was the only one with the test results, so even they were surprised!

Girl or Boy?

Aren't they just glowing?!  I love it.

Lyndsie's dad was there, along with the rest of the Hays crew.

We asked everyone to wear their vote.  Lila, Jackson and Madison voted boy, while Cami voted girl.  A new cousin will make everyone happy, though!

1, 2, 3...Pop!  

It's a BOY!!!

Congratulations Scott and Lyndsie!

Confetti mess--happy girls.

I simply cannot wait to be an Aunt to this little baby boy and share the joys of motherhood with Lyndsie.  

First baby boy gifts!  So cute.

The Hays Family is growing again.  

Cami is super stoked about the new baby.  She just wonders why she can't meet it today!

We ended the evening with a little swimming and Uncle Scott played football with Jackson.

He's going to be such a great dad!