Jordan's Graduation Party

Our good friends' oldest daughter, Jordan, graduated from high school today.  They had a great party for her, and after having been in Richmond watching soccer all day, we all relaxed and enjoyed it.  Lots of friends were there, great food was served, and the kids had a blast in the pool.  It's hard to imagine Jordan going off to college, though.  There goes another babysitter!  

In addition to the picture of Jordan and her cake, we see Jordan with Granddaddy Bob (whom we love; he visits often with his wife, Dot, and usually comes over to our house, too; he also killed a snake for me once, but that's a story for another day), Jordan's sister, Kelsey, with smileyhead Baby Olivia (remember her from Bible Study?) and Jordan with her folks, Tracy and Kevin.

Soccer in Richmond

Bailey's team played in a soccer tournament in Richmond.  The competition wasn't too stiff for the first three games, so Bailey didn't get much of a workout at goalie.  I think we won 6-0, 8-1 and (no one in the family can remember this one, but it wasn't too close)    The final game was much closer, and we were behind 0-1 with only about 10 minutes remaining in the game.  They did pull through and win 4-1,  which meant they won the entire tournament, Sun Cup Champions!   Bailey recently tried out for Challenge soccer, the level she plays now for which you tryout every year.  She had the option of trying out for the travel team.  This Richmond tournament was a nice reminder for us that a travel team is really not an option for us.  Dragging the whole family to Richmond twice in two days was not popular with the group and consumed the entire weekend. 

AJ and her class to Kate's House

AJ's friend Kate and her family invited the entire class over to their home for a pool party today.  Seventeen children rode the school bus, and quite a few parents came, too.  Kate's mom served us a delicious lunch (the kids packed their own).   The pool is enclosed in a screened cabana, so no sunscreen worries at all!  One corner of the pool has a hot tub, and the second and third shots are the kids crowded around the hot tub waiting for the go ahead to swim after lunch.  That's Kate in the inner tube, and AJ is posing with her friend Paige. 

Orange Crush Trophies

The Orange Crush, Mark's lacrosse team of girls in 3rd - 5th grades, received their trophies tonight.  No group shot, but here's Mark with Syd and Bailey.

Breakfast at Tip Top

Now this is something we have NEVER done before.  We got up at 6am to be out the door by 645am to go out to breakfast on a school day!  It was fun, and guess what?  No crowds!

Our own little Mountain Trekker

Cal is part of a group at school called the Mountain Trekkers.  They had a try-out in the fall when a group of sixth graders hiked up Humpback Rock to weed out the whiners, the racers, the stragglers and those who simply couldn't follow directions (i.e. don't bring food, leave all electronic devices at home).  They ended up with about 30 kids who, accompanied by three teachers, set out for Spruce Knob in W. Virginia for 4 days of hiking and exploring caves.  Cal returned tired and scraped, but he had a great time.  He's ready to sign up for next year's trip to Wallops Island.

DI Global Finals in Knoxville

Bailey and I went to Knoxville for the Destination Imagination Global Finals. I was really surprised by the size of this event. We were there Wednesday-Sunday, and we stayed in the dorms at the University of Tennessee. Over 18,000 people took part, including teams from 12 foreign countries. Our team performed well and finished in the middle of the pack (there were 78 teams in the elementary "Hit or Myth" category). These photos show the team after their Instant Challenge event, Bailey in our dorm room, the team at the "downtown mall" area where we had lunch after their Team Challenge on the last day, and a view of the basketball arena during the closing ceremonies.  I regret that I didn't get a good shot of the pin trading that was constantly happening.  The kids were really into it - I'd guess it was their favorite part.  We all had a great time, and I hope we get to go back next year!

Jack's First Birthday

Cousin Jack is one year old !  We couldn't get to RI to be a part of this special day, but Aunt Emily sent some great photos to make up for it.  We can't wait to see them in late July!

Tigers Get Their Trophies

Lacrosse season this year involved two groups of girls. The Tigers were girls in Kindergarten to third grade, and the Orange Crush were girls in 3rd-5th grade. This was the Tigers' end-of-season celebration at the home of one of the players.

Calvin and the Chess Tournament

Calvin participated in the middle school chess tournament Tuesday afternoon May 20.

More Favorite Photos from May 4

Church Tea Party and Fashion Show

Our church tried something new this year with our First Annual Intergenerational Tea Party and Fashion Show. Our church operates a Thrift Shop next door, and the clothes in the fashion show were all from there and for sale that day. You were also supposed to wear a hat and bring your own tea cup. There were two kids' hat categories (which I can't seem to remember), and the two adult categories were Most Sophisticated and Most Original. Baby Ella won one of the kids' prizes, and I won Most Sophisticated Hat (thanks Keri-Lyn!). Over 100 women came, and the whole thing was a huge success.

Busy Day for Bailey

After playing the entire game at goalie for her soccer team against an undefeated opponent, and then playing 35 of 40 minutes in the Orange Crush's closest lacrosse game of the year, Bailey went to Summer's house for a birthday party and sleepover Saturday night.

Soccer led 4-1, before finishing in a 4-4 tie.

Lacrosse trailed 1-0, and 4-3 . . . and the score was tied at 6 and 7 in the 3rd quarter . . . before we finally won 11-9.
The birthday party had 16-18 kids I think . . . ten (plus the 2 that lived there) spent the night . . . [Saturday May 17]

AJ and the Frog

AJ found a frog in the driveway as we were loading up Saturday morning for the lacrosse games. [Saturday May 17]

AJ and the Great American Yellow Deer(e)

The elephant exhibit is closed while being remodeled. You can still see in though through the fence, though. There are approximately 12-15 Great American Yellow Deere(s) moving the dirt all around.