What would you do?

What would you do if:
It was Spring Break, you had a seven year old that loves US History, you found your old camera with lots of film, and Daddy had a day off? Well, we packed up our stuff and headed to a Civil War battlefield and took some really cool pics.

We also......

Learned all about the Civil War







Explored Battlefields









Climbed a tower and looked out







Learned how to shoot a cannon





And ran and played like crazy!



So, that's what we would do......if only we had days like this more often.

"The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love." ~ Bryant Gumbel, 1981

Tuesday night was Davis' first tball game. What a great night! We had so much fun. There were lots of laughs, smiles, friends, and win to top it off! For the month of April, tball rules are a little different - every batter in the lineup bats, regardless of the number of outs, but the runs after three outs don't count (confusing - I know!) And on top of that, they don't keep score (just for April) When I learned this, I went to Walmart and purchased a notebook and became the unofficial April scorekeeper for our team. In May, we play by the "real rules" with a scoreboard. Since I was busy keeping track of runs and outs and Matt was busy being the "Dugout Dad", our dear friend Briana got some wonderful pictures of the special night. It is great to have friends, but it is wonderful to have friends with great cameras!

So here is our first tball game in pictures.....and lots of them!

Davis' first at bat!



"Don't forget to swing hard, in case you hit the ball." ~ Woodie Held



Running to first base



Safe!



A little encouragement from Coach AJ



A score!



A quick reminder for the outfield



Ready to play



Next time on First, a High-Five from Coach AJ! We love AJ - he is such an encourager, but also so knowledgable about the game.



These next few pictures are to me, the highlight of the night! The last inning, Coach Chris switched up positions a little and put Davis at pitcher. This was brand new to D, but he did SO good and gave us a lifetime of memories, laughs and some really great plays!

This was the first hit while Davis was at pitcher. Davis scoops up the ball.....



Throws it to Landon at First.......



And get the OUT!



Davis was SO excited! He even gave Mom a thumbs up!



A few plays later, he catches the ball and runs it to Home to get the out! Look at that proud Daddy looking on!



Davis did the exact same thing again a few plays later, got a boy out by tagging home plate, but this time he decided to tag the little boy as well. You can never be "too out"



Lining up to give high fives to the other team



"
You gotta be a man to play baseball for a living, but you gotta have a lot of little boy in you, too." ~ Roy Campanell



"I've come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen." ~ Bob Lemon, 1981



My favorite part of each practice and game.....the team ends the night in prayer!



A quick word of advice to my most favorite ballplayer of all times:

"Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off... the right pitch will come, and when it does, be prepared to run the bases." ~ Rick Maksian



The first game is now history. It was a huge win (27-4) and the beginning of a lifetime of sports with buddies. I am sure I will be posting more as the season goes on, but this game was one for the record books!

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do" Eleanor Roosevelt

As some of you know, Matt and I have entered a new stage in life, quite by accident. It all started as a way to lose weight - we just started walking. We got in the car one day and Matt said "As fast as you walk, you really should just run!" My reply was "Um - no! I am 34 and overweight! When I was 21 and skinny I didn't even run, why would I run now?" Matt didn't say anything and I thought it was over. The next day, Matt RUNS beside me! Most of you know that I am just slightly competitive and can NOT stand to lose, so I ran too. This has evolved into an obsession. Let me say, we are not fast - but we are faster than we were that first day. We do not have that pretty stride that most runners have, but it is prettier than it was that first day. And we have lost weight - at this point Matt has lost 35 pounds and I have lost 23. I feel like Forrest Gump at times
"That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going."

Once Matt and I started running, we have just not stopped.

Today marked a milestone in our running adventures......our very first 5k. It was a local run sponsored by The Gym and Miss Covered Bridge. It was a great way to start running in the race setting. We were in our hometown, running with our friends and we had sweet people cheering us on at the finish line. It really was a great day!

Matt, Davis and I before the race



Please notice that in most of our pictures, our sweet Jonathan is in the background! We love that kid SO much - even if he likes to sneak in our pics :)

Terri and I before the race. Terri is my best friend in the entire world, and really is more like my sister. She actually tried to get me to run a few years back. I didn't start with her and really regret it! She is now running half-marathons like a pro and I am just getting started. She has been such an encouragement to us. Two quick things about Terri: 1. She is Jonathan's (our background friend) mom 2. She was watching Davis tickle Matt in this picture.



I wish you could have been there when we started. Davis had his own little cheering crew. "Go Davis! Run buddy! You can do this!" It will forever be a sweet memory for me. As we neared the halfway mark and those fast runners headed back to the finish line, we passed some of our friends. The encouragement was amazing. I am sure big races are different, but we were giving high fives, people told us how great WE were doing (when they were passing us) It was a neat experience.

I didn't take any pictures during the race, but was able to snap a few afterwards. Here come Davis and Matt toward the finish line



When they got closer, Matt let Davis cross the finish line first. What a sweet Daddy!



"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." 
-John Bingham



Terri, LeeAnn and I after the race (that is not sweat on my shirt, it is from holding Davis' water bottle) LeeAnn works at the school where Terri teaches, and LeeAnn has also just started running. This is the definition of a true friend -Terri could probably have run this 5k twice in the amount of time it took LeeAnn and I, but she didn't! She ran with us the entire time, except for the little while she ran with Davis. When we neared the finish line, she refused to cross with us! She made us go first!



Terri and Davis



Davis and Dr. McKinney - our dentist. This man is the reason Davis wants to be a dentist. The best dentist around if you ask me!



Davis and Coach Russell. Coach Russell is the elementary PE teacher and every child loves him! He is very good at what he does. He takes the time to get to know each child and really invests in their lives, and it shows!



Mommy and Davis after the race




So there you have it! History in the making - the first of what I hope will be many races. We have a long way to go, but we have all the time in the world. And hey - just think - if I wasn't out there running, I would have been at home doing laundry! I think I will just keep things in perspective!

I Had The Best Day With You Today

This past Saturday was one of those days that you wish would never end. We had such a great day - lots of fun people, places, but most of all - memories!

Bright and early (at least for a Saturday) we headed to the church to go bowling with the Children's Ministry.

Davis and his buddies on the bus (sorry it's in black and white, but the auto-enhance red eye made circles under their eyes, so I just turned it to b/w)



Davis getting his shoes on.....he really liked those bowling shoes



A quick little lesson



Davis and Mrs. Tammy, our children's director. She is an amazing woman that I truly believes never sleeps. She is doing a GREAT job!



By the second game, we had a pro on our hands.



Once we got back into Oneonta, we headed over to Rosemary's house for a little outing with the Atkinson clan. Rose, Jean (Rosie's mom) and I took the three kids - Taylor Rhea, Charlee Ellen and Davis to Mickey's Magic Show in Birmingham. These little outings started when TR and D were about three years old. We always have the BEST time. The problem is we have so much fun, I forget to take pictures. This is the only picture I have from that night - and sweet Charlee Ellen isn't even in this one.



We had so much fun! After the show, we went to eat at Carrabas and had no idea the weather was quickly going downhill.....and fast. So we had to beat tornados and hail home, but we made it - with time to spare.

It really was the perfect day - bad weather and all!

To steal a line from Taylor Swift:

"I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today"