Noah's 7th Birthday Celebrations

We kicked off Noah's birthday weekend with a pizza party with his class on Friday. Since Noah is not a sweets kid we always try to think of another way to celebrate with his class - this year Noah chose pizza!

We spent Friday night at the movies. We went to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Long Haul. I had low expectations for this movie and was pleasantly surprised. It was really good - very funny and entertaining. Noah even yelled in the theater at one point "this is the funniest movie I have ever seen!" :)

Saturday morning Noah was supposed to have a ballgame but it got rained out. So, I cleaned house and got all his party stuff ready all morning then it was finally party time! We rented half the courts at the local multipurpose building and it was so nice! We had lots of room for the kids to play and rented a bounce house too. Noah wanted a Captain America vs. Iron Man Civil War party and I think it turned out really cute!

Throwing Captain America Shields at bad guys :)

Pin the Star on the Shield game

After Noah's party I asked him what he wanted to do and he asked to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. So, we took the party stuff home and got ready to head back to the movies. Before the movie started Noah told me he has some sharp pains in his side that were coming and going. He ate all his popcorn and seemed ok during the movie, just a little tired. He seemed better once we got home, ate supper and slept all night.

Sunday was Noah's actual birthday! He woke up extra early and opened his gifts. I still could tell he wasn't feeling great, but he insisted he felt fine. He didn't have a fever and ate breakfast so after gifts we went to church. After church we took off for Little Rock to go to Dave & Busters and Toys R Us - a little birthday tradition we have. Unfortunately about 15 miles down the road I had a bad feeling and looked at Noah and he asked for the trashcan and got sick. I just KNEW he was sick, moms just know that sort of thing. But, I was really hoping I was just being paranoid. So, we had to turn around and head home. Noah was pretty upset, and I am not going to lie, I was too. I hate having to cancel plans at all, but something that fun on your birthday that you have been looking forward to is so upsetting! Noah ended up spending the rest of his birthday in his room. Luckily he had lots of new toys and movies to play with from his birthday so that helped pass the time. He played outside a little too. He never felt sick again after that and never ran a fever, so at least he wasn't miserable.

Noah's elf Huckleberry brought him a birthday gift :)

We got Noah all 4 ninja turtles dressed as WWE Superstars :)

And all 145 original Power Ranger episodes!

Birthday boy playing in his room since he was sick :(

We have a very busy week so Monday was the only day we could possibly reschedule our birthday trip to Little Rock. So, as soon as Noah was out of school we took off! Our first stop was Toys R Us so Noah could spend his birthday money from my dad and I always let him pick out one thing from us. He ended up picking out some Lego toys and some new video games.

Our next stop was Dave & Busters. I am not going to lie - we love Dave & Busters probably just as much as the kids do! Actually, we are even planning on going back for my birthday next month :) We didn't even spend half the money we put on the cards and Noah won enough tickets to get the game he was wanting so we decided to save the rest for next time.

I cannot believe we already have a 7 year old! The past 7 years have been the best, fastest, most entertaining, full of love and laughter years of my life. Noah is so kind-hearted and smart and is going to do great things in this world and I am so glad I get to be a part of it.

Mother's Day Weekend

Our Saturday was very busy even after we had to pass on a few things we were invited to - this is just a busy time of year with sports, graduations and birthdays! Nathan had a golf tournament on Saturday morning while the kids and I got ready for Noah's ballgame. We met up at the game at noon. Noah wasn't catcher that day because we were missing a few players so he was needed on the field. He did ok, but is definitely more distracted out on the field than at catcher.

After the game the kids and I went to lunch while Nathan finished up at the golf course. Then it was off the the 10th Annual Crawfish Boil at the Porter's house. This is only our second year to attend, but we have had a great time both years. The kids love the bounce houses and playing with other kids. The kids and I went home early - they were begging for a water balloon fight so I gave in. Then it was dinner and movie night featuring Ratatouille.

Sunday was one of my favorite days - Mother's Day! After dealing with infertility for years before we were blessed with Noah I always hold this day special in my heart. We started our day at Church then went to the park with my family for lunch.

My mom and I started a new tradition last year of going to the movies - just her and I - on Mother's Day. This year we saw Snatched. It was a good movie - lots of funny stuff and about a mother/daughter relationship so it was perfect for the occasion! After the movie I met Nathan and the kids out at the Country Club where he was golfing. The kids love running around and playing at the golf course and I love watching them have fun. Watching Nathan golf is easy on the eyes too ;)

Once we were home, Nathan's mom came over and we gave her a Mother's Day gift and then had quick dinner and baths and we were off to bed - we were all exhausted from the busy weekend. Now we have Noah's last full week of 1st grade (and in the Primary School at all), Ryan's t-ball game, family dinner night, ballet class, Diary of a Whimpy Kid movie date, then a weekend full of celebrating Noah turning 7!

Field Trip, Recital and Disney on Ice!

Thursday I was able to go on Noah's end of the year field trip to Lake Dardanelle State Park. The weather wasn't ideal - it was cloudy, windy and cold, but they were able to adapt the activities indoor until it warmed up enough the kids could play at the park. They played butterfly bingo, looked at nature artifacts and fish, learned about spiders and went on a walk. The kids had a great time and it is so fun to watch Noah play with his classmates.

Ryan had her Spring recital on Friday night. She did so good and had a great time. She said she loves being on stage and wishes there were more recitals than practices :) I loved their tap and ballet outfits this time and she was one of the 101 Dalmatians also.

Saturday Noah had a ballgame. He was catcher again and did not have his best game in that position - he kept moving out of the way of the ball. We still have to get him to not be so scared of the ball - getting hit in practice Thursday didn't help with that I am sure. His first time at bat he got his first ever real hit off the pitching machine! He has foul tipped it twice in practice and that was it - this was an actual hit! It shocked him so he forgot to run but luckily still made it to first before getting thrown out. After he scored he ran to the fence and said "Momma I hit it! I just closed my eyes and swung and I hit it!" - not exactly how it was supposed to go but he was way to excited to ruin it for him :)

Months ago I bought tickets for Monster Trucks (which we went to 2 weekends ago) and Disney on Ice - one was in April and one was in May, I didn't really pay attention that one was the last weekend of April and the other was the first weekend in May so they were only a week apart. So, we headed back to Little Rock for Disney on Ice this weekend. I bought tickets for us last year but my dad had a heart attack the day of the show so I was not able to go. It looked really fun so I was excited to get to go with the kids this year. The show included Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Cars and Frozen. It was so good and I really hope it comes back again next year. Ryan danced and screamed non-stop and Noah really enjoyed it too.

Disney on Ice wore him out :)

Sunday we went to church and then went to the park for some extra ball practice for Noah. Baseball is not coming easy to him at all - he is having to work really hard to get it. So, we spent 2 hours working on throwing and catching, being catcher and hitting. Once again, there were lots of tears and frustration - it is so hard watching him try to learn this sport - he gets so upset. Hopefully all this extra practice will pay off someday.

Racing after practice :)

Now for another week of ballgames, new ballet classes, and getting ready for Mother's Day!

Monster Trucks and a Parenting Realization

Friday night Ryan had another ballgame and then we decided to try out the new Domino's (or Donimos as my kids call it). It was pretty busy but the service was fast and friendly and our pizza was great!

Noah was supposed to have his first ballgame on Saturday but they called them off due to the rain that was supposed to be coming in the area. The rain actually held off, so we could have had it, but used the extra time to clean house :) That evening we had tickets to see Monster Trucks in Little Rock. Months ago I got an email about the event and invited all of Nathans side of the family to go with us. We all met at TGI Fridays for dinner, then onto Monster Jam! The kids loved it and had a great time - plus there was snocones and popcorn so they were in heaven! I was afraid the loud trucks might bother the kids but the ear muffs worked great! I bought myself some and while they worked great, as soon as I would put them on they would make me nauseous - it was the strangest thing! I guess they were putting pressure on something in my ear that was causing me to feel sick, but as soon as I took them off I was fine. Luckily I brought ear plugs too and they worked fine for me.

The drive home was quite a ride! I have never drove in rain that hard - I seriously could not see at all many times and could not see very clearly the rest. Lots of cars were in the ditches from hydroplaning. I did pull over one time under an overpass because I could not see anything at all and I needed a break. Our max speed was 50, and that was rare! I was so glad to finally be home! Luckily, my kids are not scared of storms and did not even notice anything was going on!

Sunday morning we went to church and then to Cracker Barrel for lunch. After that it was time for private ball lessons! Noah wants to be the catcher for his baseball team so we are trying to help him learn the position. This is a good year for him to learn because his age group does not require a catcher so he can use it as a learning year. It was freezing cold and very windy but we managed to get hitting and catching practice in before we froze to death on the last day of April - crazy Arkansas weather!

I have to admit something about parenting I did not see coming. We have always asked the kids if they want to play a sport. They have always said yes, even if they complain about playing during the season, they still want to play the next year. This year it was no different with Noah playing baseball. Then Noah had to learn to hit off a pitching machine and wanted to learn to be catcher - two things new to him. He gets so upset when he cannot do something and of course I hate seeing him upset, especially when it is something that is elective such as a sport. So, last week when Nathan said we were not going to leave the ball field until Noah got a hit off the machine and we had been there almost 3 hours and it was dark, cold, we were hungry (maybe a little hangry) and I was tired from loading the pitching machine and my son is crying but still standing there trying to hit the ball - it was so hard not to quit. In my head I was ready to quit baseball altogether. Why would I want him to do anything that caused him to be that upset? Once it was over and I told him that he didn't have to play next year - thinking he would be happy  - he had the opposite reaction, he cried "No, I want to play!" So, watching him be frustrated and learn to do something hard is a lot harder on me than him - and trust me, if you could see him you would see how hard this is on him (even though some of it is the extra drama he brings to it). Watching him get hit by the ball over and over last night while catching as he learned to move his glove was hard, but watching him get mad and catch the next pitch was awesome! So, I will just continue to be his biggest fan and watch him learn and support him along the way, even if I quit on the inside ;)

Coming up: this week we are super busy with t-ball pictures, 2 t-ball games, ballet pictures, FBLA interviews, family dinner, a field trip, ballet recital rehearsal, baseball practice game, ballet recital, a wedding, baseball game and Disney on Ice!