Friday, July 22, 2016

Funny Faces

we are probably the last people on the planet to download snapchat, but we've been having some fun with the feature that makes you look ridiculous...

you can swap faces with other people and i just so happened to have the dos equis man in my pictures, so this is roman with the most interesting man's face...

don't i look cute?  i especially love my eyeshadow...

pirates...argh!

the kids got a kick out of using it on our drive up north...




and i might have done it at work...:)

Friday, July 15, 2016

States

this past weekend, we headed to florence, sc to participate in the Dixie Youth Baseball South Carolina State Tournament.  our bluffton boys were one of 12 teams that have proven they are the best!  this was our first time participating in something like this, and boy, oh boy, did we learn a lot.

it was hot, it was fun, and we sure did have a good time.  

here are the boys being introduced and heading onto the field with the other teams.  

roman and bradley would be participating in the the home run derby that evening as well.  go big hitters!
 

roman did not know that mommom and poppop would be there to cheer him on.  what a fun surprise!


before their first game on saturday, the boys were trying to stay cool and focused.

but, they couldn't help but get a little pumped!


the players from each team were introduced and ran out to their position on the field, shook their opponents hand and got ready to play. 

roman was taking some practice swings, waiting for his first turn at bat. 

the machine was coming in faster than the boys were used to, so it took some adjustment time, but he was able to get a good swing in and connect with the ball.  

after the game, we headed to the hotel pool to cool off and have some fun.  gianna and gracie had the pool to themselves until the rest of the team showed up!

this was basically our whole team plus a few extra...

after the coaches grilled out and we all had full bellies, some of the boys took over the game room in the hotel and made it their own personal playground. 

time for game 2! roman got a couple of nice hits in this game and even a double play (which i did not get on video).  but, my favorite part of the videos is hearing everyone cheering him on.  we have such a great group of kids, parents and supporters that make this so much fun to be a part of. 


we didn't end up winning, but i sure am grateful for this experience.  both for roman and for us as a family.  he learned so much, had so much fun and showed incredible sportsmanship.  we were able to spend time with family and "bamily" (baseball family, as our head coach puts it) and make memories to last a lifetime. 

poppop colella drove down to support us too...see that crazy guy? 


so, that's the end of our 2016 baseball season...do i have to start cooking dinner again? 

Friday, July 8, 2016

All-Stars

have i mentioned once or 753 times that roman's been playing a little baseball?  

well, he's been a on a couple of teams this year.  
1.  rec ball (Phillies)
2.  travel team (Waves)
3.  all-stars (the best players from rec, most of which played on his travel team)

so, it seems that when the waves travel season ended, the all-stars picked right up where they left off.  and, it's been great to have these boys playing together for a few months already.  

the all-star tournament was father's day weekend, and was a double elimination tournament.  these pictures are not all in completely accurate chronological order because i honestly can't remember what team they played first!

here's a few pictures and videos from the tournament...





 





















to bring you up to speed...they lost one game to Hilton Head and so that meant that they now had to beat them twice to win the championship (double elimination, remember?), so we played HH at 6pm for the championship.  if they won, we were out.  if we won, we had to play them again and win again to win the district championship.  

6pm game - we win, 12-11 (7 innings)  !!!!
7:30 game - we win 12-11 (6 innings)  !!!!! 

we couldn't believe it!  it was so awesome!  






happy father's day, poppa!  i don't think we could have bought you a better present!




now the boys are headed to the South Carolina state tournament!!

this video is from the waves (travel team) end of season party.  this is what roman's coach had to say about him. 
i think proud is not a big enough word that i have to describe my feelings for this...

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

gianna's friend, emma, came over one evening to hang out with us while her parents went to a work dinner. 
how cute are they?

then, after dinner, we headed up to the ballfield and found some more friends to hang out with!
the work dinner ran pretty late, so the girls got their pjs on and snuggled in bed for a movie on the ipad and some goldfish!
our friends, sherri and greg, got married!  so, it was nice to get a little dressed up and have a fun night out with our friends.  don't you love how the theme colors seemed to be coral and blue?  we didn't even plan that!
gianna and gracie seem to always be stuck at the ballfields while big brothers play.  so, we make do.  and by make do, i mean they find a comfy spot and chill.  is a wagon comfy?  can you really chill when it's 100 degrees with 90% humidity? 

and this is what two sweet girls look like after spending the whole day in the heat and humidity, but finally get to head inside to enjoy some AC and some food that doesn't come from a concession stand!

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Gianna's Recital

this was gianna's second year in ballet, and this year, they added tap to the rotation too.   for the spring recital, her class was dancing to the song "You're never fully dressed without a smile" from Annie.  

you may recall that last year's recital was iffy, since her pictures ended with her crying into her hands and me wondering if i would ever find my sanity again.  

this year?  whole different story!  she was excited to be on stage, dancing for all to see!  

a few pics of our tiny dancer before we left the house. 

and then, it was their turn.  she's third from the left. 
making those tap shoes make some noise!
when it was all over, we were so happy to see her smiling.  she loved being on stage and we loved watching her. 


her bff emma was in the show too!
and, here are her class pictures...so much better than last year!


we are so proud of her!