{Going Home}

last weekend, gianna and i headed home to maryland with sunny and jj for sami's bridal shower.  girls trip!

it didn't take too long for the girls to zonk out!

when i see the bay bridge, i feel like i am home.   this is the gateway to the eastern shore of maryland, where i consider {home}. 

sami looked beautiful on her special day and so did blaire and aunt joyce.  pretty girls.

these cousins had a blast playing together during the shower.

"Families are like branches on a tree.  Our branches grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one."

I love these girls so much.  There are years and distance between us, but we are always home when we are together. 

mommom and poppop are opening a new antique store soon, so we went to go see where it will be.

gianna made herself right at home. 

the business owners!

we had lots of time with the girls and they play so well together. 

doesn't my hair look great?

everybody got into a really intense game of "pass the balloon". 😂

this is the view from mommom and poppop's front door.  a nest of baby birds on the porch and the cows across the road. 

after a long day in the car, we were finally happy to be {home}. 

Final 9U Tourney

so, travel season is done for 2017, and here are some pics from our final 9U tournament.  we played in walterboro for 2 days and it was hot!!

it's hard to keep the boys settled down and chill in between games, but we try. 

they just plop themselves in the sun and watch the game that is going on before their next game.  trying to figure out who they are gonna play and where the weaknesses are.  such strategists. 

i don't know how they do it, but wearing the catcher's gear in that heat has got to be tough!  my #8 never complains, though.

and sister is great too.  she doesn't complain (too much) and keeps herself busy with toys, friends, the concession stand and her iPad. 

and sometimes, she steals my chair...little stinker!

they made it to the championship game and came up a little short.  second place ain't too shabby and these boys are all smiles!

high fives from coach/dad.

looks like we tuckered her completely out!

Last Day of School 2017

and just like that...they are done another year!  gianna had a great first year at st. gregory and roman had a wonderful year too.  he ended up with straight As again!  i'm so proud of both of them!

Good Times, Great Friends

our friends, sherri and greg, invited us over for a memorial day cookout at their new house.  they've got a bit of land in the woods, which makes for a fun time for the boys running all over.  the only requirement was that they bring their own nerf gun.  😁

bonus!  the girls got to hang out too!

look at this crew of boys!!

Macee Graduates

i can't believe she is a high school graduate!  we are so proud of her and all she has accomplished. 

she is attending Presbyterian College in the fall on a full basketball scholarship. 

good luck to you, Macee!

oh, these two.  they are like twins separated at birth (9 years apart!). 

New Ride

with some help from his little sister, toby picked out a new ride. 

and look at this...we all fit! 

Baseball for Both

this baseball season has been different because gianna has been playing too.  her games were always on saturday mornings, so we have missed a lot of roman's first games on tournament days, but that is okay.  gianna loved to play and she was sad that this was her last game.  but, also happy that she was going to get a trophy.  i'm so proud of how far she has come this season.  she can hit really well (her goal is always to hit it past the coach) and she can field and throw better than the beginning of the season.  she was willing to play any position, even catcher.  i hope her love for the game grows, just like roman's did.  

    

                                

she loved her coaches!

this was her cheering section for her last game.  i am so grateful for our friends and family that always show their support. 

later that day, we headed to charleston to watch roman and his team in a tournament.   gianna and molly always have a good time on the sidelines. 

roman got a walk off to win their second game of the day. 

and then, it was time to hang with his friends and have a quick meeting with the coach. 

next day...time to fuel up for games 3 and 4. 

we are ready to cheer!

i think this is cheering?

they won game 3 and went to the championship game, but lost that one...so 2nd place will do!  the boys had a great time and played well. 

and that, my friends, is what a "normal" weekend looks like for us! 

Mother's Day

for mother's day this year, we headed to church and then to brunch with our friends.  it was such a beautiful day on the water and i enjoyed it thoroughly. 

this pic of jake and roman reminds me of a boy band album cover.  what should their boy band name be?

gianna was worried she would fall in the water, but big brother was not going to let that happen. 

later, we went to the pool and gianna got to play with her friend, isabella.