Lady Vols softball

So to prove that you can never have enough softball in your life, we and several other families from Megan's team showed up on Sunday at the Lady Vols softball game. We watched them beat Illinois St. 8-4.





We took a picture of the All Americans roll because Megan's hitting instructor, Sarah Fekete, is listed. She's a real celebrity!








The girls had fun.





Nicholas got cold.










And after a fruitless wait for the players to come out, they resorted to signing each others t-shirts and called it a day!

First Softball Tournament of the Season, Chattanooga, TN

After a long, cold winter, softball season is back! We had a bright, sunny day for our first tournament in Chattanooga. It was cool, but pleasant in the sun. The girls were excited to get back out on the field and test out some of the many things they have been working on since January.

The girls relax before heading to the ballfield.

The coaches can't stop talking strategy.

One last text before hitting the dirt!

A few cobwebs were evident at her first at-bat.

This one ended better!

Megan hit well all day, and played some very effective defense both at shortstop and in centerfield. She tagged out 3 runners trying to steal, including one time coming in from centerfield to cover second.














The girls took a moment between at bats for a photo op. Haley doesn't like cameras, but Ashley does!


The little brothers and sisters found ways to keep busy. And warm!











By the time the sun went down, the temperature was heading in the same direction. But our diehard fans weren't going to miss a second. Hats, gloves, blankets, even a sleeping bag!






















Not everyone was so sensitive to the cold, though. Here's Coach Mike sporting his shorts well after sundown. We don't recommend trying this at home :)

Kitchen backsplash

Way back in June of last year, we had our countertops replaced and some additional cabinets built. We stripped the walls in our kitchen of wallpaper and painted it green. The one thing left to do was the back splash. I knew I wanted tile, but that was as far as I had gotten. Do you know how many types of tile there are? Various sizes, shapes, colors, textures.... how to choose? And about the time I was narrowing down my choices, my dad suggests a pattern. A PATTERN?? Then you need MORE than one type of tile, not to mention designing the pattern itself. Holy cow. I was doomed.

But finally, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth (and many visits to Lowe's, Home Depot and Stovers) we came to a decision and purchased the tile. It took nearly as long to mesh the schedule of my brother-in-law with our own schedule so that he could come and start the work (Thanks, Drew!). And then, Drew and I both learned something about tile. Turning tile up on it's end, diagonally, makes things much more complicated. (That's what Drew learned.) And the the lovely diagram that was made on the computer was NOT exactly a perfect fit for the real life space (That's what I learned. Oh, and also to consider outlets when planning a design.)

So, some on the fly rework of the design, and a lot of patient, hard work from Drew, brought us this beautiful backsplash behind our sink. (The under cabinet lights are new too!)









Luckily, on the other side of the kitchen, both Drew and I applied our hard-won knowledge, and things went much more smoothly. I carefully measured the space and marked it out on the floor in the living room. Then using the tile itself, I worked the design (allowing space for the grout, thank you very much!) And don't forget to consider the outlets! You don't want your lovely decorative pieces cut in half to allow you to plug in your mixer.


Here's the mock up on the floor in the living room.

And here's the actual backsplash, all finished and looking beautiful!

Last basketball game

Nicholas had his last basketball game of the season Saturday, which I unfortunately missed because I was sick. Luckily David got some good pictures of the fun!


Now this is a rare occurance: Nicholas with the ball!










Intimidation!








Trash talking









The "silly" version of the team picture with their medals.

Real snow in Knoxville!

About a month after we drove to Maryland to play in the snow, we actually got what I would consider a "real" snowfall in Knoxville. I mean, all of the grass was completely covered! And, because the temperature didn't shoot up immediately, the snow actually stayed around for a few days.

Nicholas got to wear his snow pants and boots again, here he is playing with our neighbor, Benji.










This is our front yard.









View out the back.












The birds were very appreciative that Megan filled the feeders before it snowed. Isn't this a handsome red-bellied woodpecker?

Sleeping partners

I found Nicholas sleeping in my bed tonight. Kisses recognizes an opportunity when she sees it!









Later, when I came back, Grace had joined them.







Don't they look cozy?

Riley's "new" boots

OK, I know I post a lot of pictures of Riley, who is my niece and not my daughter, BUT she is my goddaughter AND she's awfully cute, plus she spends the day with me each Thursday so the photo ops are frequent.

On this visit, we dug out some of Megan's old rain boots which made her VERY happy. Apparently she wore them the next day in the house with her pajamas :)




Good splash, Riley!












This is the mud she had all over her pants and face after she fell. Running in rain boots is not recommended :(.