Wednesday Walk ~ Fire Breathing Micah

I had totally forgotten all about a phase of Micah's life that occurred around 3 years of age until I was scanning through old photos and came across this one of him with my friend Aimee. For some reason Micah thought he was a fire breathing dragon and would hiss/roar at anyone and everyone to show off his magic powers. He would then exclaim "I breave fire on you!" If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can still hear him 5 years later. Although I am glad that he eventually outgrew this phase, I do sort of miss it. Love this picture for so many reasons, but mostly because Aimee played along with him. It's no wonder my kids love her so!

Opening Day at the Ballpark

Saturday was Opening Day at the ballpark!

Micah is playing on the Little Caesar's team. This is his first year playing on Coach Pitch and he is stoked! That is a big right of passage from the old T-ball field.

Brian has helped coach Micah's team since he first starting playing ball when he was only 3 years old. Again, I just want to put it in writing and say how thankful I am that my children have such a wonderful Daddy that invests so much time and love into their lives.

I also really like the fact that I always get to capture these 'too cute for words' Father/Son pictures in their matching uniforms! :)

Good thing our team was the very first ones to get their pictures made ~ those pants didn't stay white for long. I think I need to invest in the super industrial sized bottle of Shout stain removal. We got a little spoiled last year with BLACK baseball pants.

Savanna with her sweet friend Arianna.

LOVE those Sheldt boys!

Check out those grins!

Each team is responsible for setting up a booth to raise money. Some have games, others have food, but the FAVORITE booth was the baby bottle Koolaid booth. I know, it's ridiculous right?! But would you believe they sold over 400 of those crazy things!?! My kids had already bought theirs before Opening Ceremonies had even started!

Mr. Artie ~ our ball park president and good buddy~ introduced Brian for prayer during opening ceremony.

Justin did an AWESOME job singing the Star Spangled Banner! I was so proud of him! He didn't miss a note or a word ~ not too shabby for a first grader!

Delaney cracked me up during opening ceremonies. She had a bear that would sing if you squeezed it's hand. She kept turning that silly thing on during the prayer, song, announcements, team introductions, etc... Her mom would turn it back off, and then that little stinker would turn it back on. It was a hilarious battle of wills!

Haley and Harmoni looking too cute in their softball uniforms.

Aaron and Colby pumped and ready for their big games.

Coach Chris is THE MASTER at getting these boys to steal bases! He is the PERFECT third base coach!

Micah made it HOME!

Here's Micah's fan club ~ Grandpa, Grandma, and Dede!

Me and one of my besties, Sonja!

We had as much fun watching our husband's coach as we did watching the little boys play.

Micah on the pitcher's mound and Brandon on third base are "baseball ready".

I always love the "good game, good game..." hand slaps.

And although I know it's not about winning or losing, but how you play the game, it is certainly more fun when you do win ~ which THEY DID!

Way to go Little Caesar's!

Coach Wayne talking with the boys after the game.

Grandpa couldn't wait to congratulate Micah on his first big win in Coach Pitch.

Grandpa even got a little action during the game when a fly ball came soaring in our direction. I hate it that I didn't have my camera ready for Grandpa's big catch.

Two thumbs up for a game well played!

My friend Amanda's four-year-old Tommy was begging for a cupcake. She told him she was NOT buying any more cupcakes. I turned around to catch him LICKING THE ICING right off of one of them!

I quickly informed Amanda that she WAS buying at least one cupcake!

I LOVE the expression on his face when he realized he "won" the cupcake war.

Some of the kids had to get creative to keep themselves occupied while waiting for their games.

It was a long day, and although it was really windy and felt positively cold most of the day, we got SUN BURNED! YIKES! Brian is an official RED NECK! That really made for a lot of fun getting to preach the next day in a collar and tie!

The Pony League challenged the coaches and parents to a game as a grand finale to the day.

I love this picture of Chase and Jackson watching their Daddy hit the ball OUT OF THE PARK!

Way to go Chad!

"Now that's what I'm talkin' bout!!!"

I wish I could have zoomed in and captured the joyous look on Isaac's face as he struck out his Mom! He was a little too happy if you ask me.

Savanna was thrilled to be on Brylee patrol most of the day.

I just had to snag a picture of the back of Micah's jersey.

It was his idea to pick number 68 so his shirt would read

MICAH 6:8

"And what does the Lord require of you, but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with the Lord."

LOVE THAT KID!

Just in case you were wondering...

I have not been intentionally neglecting my blog, but life in the Calhoun household has reached a whole new level of craziness. I told Brian I think we have a sickness of self-sabotage. Just as soon as there is 2 seconds of unscheduled "free time", we think of something ridiculously time consuming to thrust ourselves into.

Would you like to know what our latest genius idea is?

"Let's paint the entire exterior of our TWO STORY house....all by OURSELVES!"

Brilliant, right?

Actually, we really have been enjoying the beautiful Spring weather and the togetherness of the project. It is just taking MUCH longer than we ever anticipated! Between painting the house and Micah's daily baseball practices, there has been little time left for playing on blogger.

Here's a little sneak peak at the makeover process.

The original colors were dark brown siding, dark brown trim, and dark brown doors.

We are painting the siding tan, trim and porch white, and doors black. We are also putting up some black shutters to match the doors. I am hoping and praying that it all comes together and looks the way I think it will in my mind. Because, quite frankly, whatever it ends up looking like is just the way it is going to have to stay for a VERY LONG TIME. We are only crazy enough to do this ONCE.

And yes.... that is yours truly up on the roof painting the chimney.

Can I tell you, it is not nearly as hard to get ON a roof as it is to get OFF a roof.

I seriously thought Brian was going to have to call the fire department to get me down. I really think I may have had my first panic attack trying to maneuver back onto that silly ladder.

Can I also tell all my local friends that are oh so friendly to PLEASE STOP HONKING THEIR HORNS when they drive by while we are on the ladder or roof. We love you all dearly, but
seriously people, are you trying to make us fall?

I will have to post 'before' and 'after' pictures whenever we finally finish our Extreme Makeover. Don't expect those pictures anytime soon though.

Maybe our goal will be Spring 2012.

Handprint Easter Lilies

Easter is around the corner!

I love my bouquet of beautimous handprint Easter lilies that my 'chick a dees' made at church.

He is risen!

Wednesday Walk ~ Siblings

Artwork

Pretty Little Piggy

Isn't this the prettiest little piggy you ever have seen?

Acutally my love for this little girl grew and grew once we emptied her and found out she held over $200!

I couldn't believe it!

We have been stuffing loose change in her for the past few months and have told the kids it is our "fun" money to blow on the extras when we go on vacation this summer. We didn't plan on emptying her out so soon, but she was so full, she really couldn't hold another coin. My mind is spinning thinking of all the fun stuff we can do with the money! It feels like 'free money', like the kind you find tucked in an old coat you haven't worn in months and forgot there was money hiding in the pockets! Oh the possibilities!

I can't wait to start 'feeding' her again and see how quickly we can fill her up!

Race to Win Musical

March is a BIG planning month for me at the church. Trying to schedule, plan, and recruit workers for all of our upcoming summer ministries can be a bit overwhelming to say the least. To help counteract the stress I am already feeling about so much to plan for the summer, I decided to look back at some of the photos from last summer and remind myself why I do what I do. The smiling faces of these precious children remind me of how important it is to give these sweet babies opportunities to learn about and share in God's love while creating life long memories.
We put on several camps at our church each summer. One of my very favorites is the Camp Quarternote ~ Music and Drama Camp. The kids come to camp Monday through Friday and learn the songs, speaking parts, and choreography to an entire play. Then, on Sunday night, they perform it for all of their friends and family. It is a huge undertaking and takes me about 5 months to learn all the songs that the kids learn in less than 5 days! Each year I am biting my nails, worried about whether or not we will be able to 'pull it off'. But each year, the kids totally amaze me and I come to the conclusion that it is TOTALLY worth it in the end!

Last summer, we put on the play "RACE TO WIN". It is a fantastic musical about two race car drivers who are racing in the Freedom 400. Micah's character was obsessed with money and fame and thought he could do anything in his own power. He is humbled and humiliated when his engine explodes. The other race car driver is a strong Christian who offers Hotrod Hansen an extra engine, free of charge, no strings attached. She explains how her offer is similar to the grace we receive through faith in Jesus. Hotrod eventually receives the engine AND the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is a great message and the children did an amazing job presenting it.


Savanna was all smiles as one of my Money Dancers in the song 'Money and Fame'.
Here's my two 'official' children right before the play.

Here's the other 50 'unofficial' children I claim as my own.
This is the most talented group of kiddos you could ever wish for!

Micah and Harmoni were the two race car drivers that competed for the title.

Allison and Haley were the MRO ~ Motor Racing Outreach Team who shared the gospel with Hotrod Hansen.

Samuel was so proud to wave the race flag and get the flag dancers ready to spring into action for the first song.

Mallory, Savanna, Hadley, and Zoe were the "Money and Fame" dancers with a throw back to the 1930's.

Taryn, Alea, Rose, and Ashley did an adorable dance using the steering wheels as props.

Matthew, Evan, Zac, Aaron, and Colby were our mechanics. They loved tinkering around with the real engine that was placed inside Evan's old race car bed!

We even had a smoke machine hidden behind the stage that went off and created a large POOF of smoke when Hotrod's engine exploded!

Wyatt and Tony stole the show with their excited expressions when they got Hotrod Hansen's autograph!

Brandon and Heath were our crash dummies who showed off their gymnastics flips throughout the song "We're Just a Wreck Waiting to Happen". The song preached an awesome message about our natural sin nature, but this was the one song I was so worried that the kids would not learn! The entire cast of kids just sat wide mouthed the first few days of rehearsal. They were in awe of what these two brothers could do with their amazing back flips and handsprings! Fortunately, by the end of the week, they joined in the singing too.

We had our very own boy band of Kindergartners who helped us jam out on "I've Got the Power of God Living in Me"

These were our cheery cheerleaders who rooted for our racers. They were so precious in their pigtails and pompoms.

Morgan, Hannah, and Jenna had big speaking parts as part of the Pit Crew.

Raeleigh, Alexa, and Sarah were Hotrod's Fan Club who had to act like they were mesmerized by Hotrod.

Nick, Brandon, and Taylor were our rappers. Gotta love the god chains, sideways hats, hoodies, and gangsta signs.

Bribes and threats are often my wonderful parenting weapons of choice.

Sad, but true.

Anyway, I had bribed Micah with a true fit hat that he had been wanting for months. We told him if he learned all his lines and did his very best, we would reward him with a new true fit hat from Academy. When we went to pick it up the day after his AMAZING performance, he said "This is like my 'ACADEMY' award....get it, Mom? ACADEMY!"

I don't care who you are, THAT IS FUNNY! Especially coming from a 7 year old!

I couldn't resist and had to get a pic of him under the sign so I could remember his 'funny' for years to come.

I think the Lord sent him to us just so we would laugh more often.