Take me out to the ballgame

Papaw Rick got us all tickets to go to a Smokies game as part of Andrew's birthday celebrations. We decided to still go after saying goodbye to my grandfather on Thursday. Turns out it was good timing, because having fun with the kids provided a much needed break after a tough weekend. Robert coached a guy playing for the Suns and arranged to have him come out and sign a ball for Andrew before the game, so that was really neat too.

The gang at the Smokies stadium

Uncle Robert's buddy, Kevin Mattison, came out and signed a ball for Andrew. He has a fan for life now. Andrew made sure we all knew when #4 was up to bat.

He was so proud of his dirty ball. Apparently a used baseball is way more special than a shiny new one.

The kids got to go on the field and participate in the balloon bust relay

It was hilarious!

The chicken run!

First Day of Kindergarten

Andrew had his first day of Kindergarten today. He was so excited that he was ready to leave the house at 7 am. The bell doesn't ring until 7:45, so that was entirely too early! Evie and Andrew were so cute hugging in the hallway at school before Evie headed off to the 2nd grade hallway. There were no tears this morning. He was excited to go to school and I knew he was in good hands. He told me he had a great day when I picked him up! He informed me that he had seven teachers but he didn't get to go outside. He knew 2 friends, which surprised me. One was from West Hills last year and one he had seen at our neighborhood pool. I asked if he saw Evie, and he told me no and reiterated that he didn't get to go outside. He must think that they will be together on the playground.

Back to School

Evie headed off to 2nd grade this morning. She is very excited to go see all of her friends again. She was so funny at meet your teacher night. We already know her teacher because he taught Kindergarten until this year, so we really just went to say hi and get the supply list. Her first question was, "What did I miss around here over the summer?" Mr.Roach gave her the rundown of who moved and who had a baby. I was impressed he immediately knew what she was asking. We have been blessed by wonderful teachers the past 2 years and we already know we have a fabulous one this year too!

2nd grade

1st grade

Kindergarten

Take me out to the ballgame

Evie's first Smokies game

We were entertained by the ZOOperStars! throughout the game. They were so funny!

Dollywood

If you know us at all, you know we love Dollywood and this summer included lots of visits!

One of our first visits in the year with friends ended with a violent storm. We were watching a show when the power went out and water started pouring into the back of the theater. Dollywood was a huge mess of fallen limbs and debris by the time we went outside. The dads had to walk to our cars because tram road was closed by a fallen tree. Definitely a crazy afternoon!

For better or worse, when you have a big sister you know and love Strawberry Shortcake too!

The Kidsfest decorations are Vol fans!

Our first stop of the day is always the Rockin Roadway

The past few years Kidsfest has included shows about children's books. We got to see 2 new ones this year:

Otis

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad

Llama llama red pajama~ an old favorite that didn't make the line up this year but made an appearance anyway

The Gazillion Bubble show. It was so popular that the theater was hitting capacity while the lines were still wrapped around the building.

Funfest 2011

South Dakota

Phil and I had the chance to go on a mission trip to South Dakota. We worked on a new roof and a VBS kick off festival at Praire Lakes Baptist Church in Watertown, SD. You can read more about our trip at cbcb2watertown.blogspot.com

Phil up on the roof

Festival day! The heat index was 105 as a heat wave moved through the midwest.

Corn, corn, and more corn as we drove through Minnesota

A hail storm in Denver caused some travel headaches for us. At one point Phil and I had tickets to fly from Minneapolis to Chicago to Charlotte to Nashville. We were so relieved we didn't actually have to take that tour of airports!

Hanging out with Woody at the Mall of America

Happy 4th of July

Watching the parade with friends

Appreciate our neighbors putting on a great fireworks show for us!

Destin

We just got home from a week in Destin. I highly recommend the Vision flight from Knoxville to Destin. We had lunch at home last Wednesday and dinner in Destin. It was fabulous! This was the latest in the summer we have ever been to the beach and it was definitely crowded, but we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful beach. We had one really calm day that the kids could swim in the ocean and then a few days of Atlantic size waves for them to play in.

Wonderworks

I've always wondered what it was like inside that upside down building in Pigeon Forge, so when tickets were available for half off we decided to take a trip to Wonderworks. The kids had a great time climbing the rock wall, experiencing hurricane force winds, playing virtual air hockey, flying fighter jets in simulators, and more.

Evie climbed all the way to the top of the rock wall

Andrew climbing

Evie and Phil on the ropes course