Two "Firsts" & a Weekend Update

Whewwww . . . we had a busy weekend! (But still not NEAR as busy as softball season weekends, which make me realize just how dang busy we were for four months of the year. Now, I can actually say I have a busy weekend, but still actually mean that I had a fun weekend and still had time to watch a movie, sit down and eat a meal with my family, go on a leisurely shopping trip, go to church, etc.) So--it was a GOOD Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is what I'm trying to say. LOL!

First off, gotta share two "firsts" that happened this weekend--

1-- Sydney went to the potty for the first time!!! YAy!! Woo hoo!!! Now, I have to clarify this statement though, even though I'm very excited about it still! On Saturday morning, I was changing her out of her pajamas and she was naked. She decided to start peeing right there on her bedroom rug, so I rushed her into the bathroom and sat her on her Winnie the Pooh potty. She sat there and cried and cried that she didn't want to do it, but she did actually finish going to the bathroom in the potty. So, it's KINDA, SORT Of a potty accomplishment. We're treating it like a real one, though! I told her I was so proud of her, etc., etc. and that she was a big girl (obviously, she doesn't want to be a big girl, since she told me so!). She is so stubborn (think I've said this before!); she knows EXACTLY when and how to go, just doesn't WANT to. I'm hoping I can build on this, though, and it won't be long until she's doing it on her own.

2-- Delaney rode a roller coaster for the first time!! Delaney went to Alabama Adventures (aka Visionland) with her friend Katie on Saturday (thanks Christy--who took four kids to the park ALL day long, from 9:30 am to closing at 10 pm!!). Delaney had said before that she was not riding a roller coaster and she WASN'T letting anyone talk her into it! LOL Well, she called me that afternoon squealing with excitement. She'd ridden the Rampage, a HUGE wooden roller coaster and she LOVED it!! (that's a picture of it above, and it really doesn't do its size justice. It's really high and rated one of the top 10 wooden coasters in the country!) And she rode the Zoomerang, a steel coaster that goes upside down and backwards and said she did NOT love that one. But, she told me excitedly, that she was just proud of herself for trying it! I really couldn't believe it! I'm deathly (no really, DEATHLY) afraid of heights so I don't do roller coasters at all. Gary and McKenna love them (will ride the highest, fastest, scariest ones out there) and I didn't want Delaney to inherit my fear of them.
So, that was so cool .. .
(yikes, now is there is NO way I'd get on the Zoomerang! but she did!)

Also this weekend . . .

We had a Last Hurrah for our Havoc travel team. Decided to go swimming and the girls all had a BLAST! We swam from 1 until almost 5 o'clock and everyone had so much fun! We won't ever be together again as this team, because about half of them are moving up to a 12 and under team. And we sure will miss those that are leaving! Hopefully, some of the girls will be back with us in the Fall!

(they're athletes, but they're also cuties! Ashley, Mary Sullivan, Nikki, Callie, Delaney, and Katie!)



(in the midle of the afternoon, a downpour hit hard!! It was a HUGE deluge that kept the girls out of the water for 45 minutes! We need the rain, though! And, no, I didn't take this pic to get a pic of the lifeguard. Honest, I'm taking it of the rain! LOL)

We then headed to our first night of Vacation Bible School at church. We had an opening session and then an ice cream gathering. Yum!!! Our theme this year is "Fiesta" and I think it's gonna be really good (I'm a leader in the Chadder Theatre--where watch a video, then talk about it together!)
(Syd with her name tag on and ready to go! how BIG does she look?)

I was SO tired tonight, though, that I didn't even go to the session. I just couldn't get the energy up to sing the songs. So bad, I know . . .

Instead, I decided to watch out and wait for McKenna's group to arrive back from their mission trip, which they did about 7 o'clock. All I can say is McKenna looked absolutely WIPED OUT!! She wouldn't even let me take her picture!! LOL

McKenna said they had a really good trip! They were able to teach VBS to a good group of kids and even had a lot of fun time at the beach. She said there was DRAMA of course (always is, with a bunch of teenagers!) but that there were also lots of good, meaningful times!

Now we have to get McKenna ready for her trip to DC. She has one day to rest and she flies out tomorrow at 10:3o from Birmingham. So, today is all about washing clothes, packing suitcases, getting any last minute things needed, and getting geared up for another trip. (We're sure gonna miss her being her for ANOTHER week! but this trip is another once-in-a-lifetime things. She gets to go inside the Supreme Court chambers, attend a National Press Club dinner, tour the Washington monuments at twilight, go on a private tour of the Smithsonian, and meet with many business and governmental leaders. Should be awesome and I'm so excited for her!

Off to take a shower, let the kids sleep another 30 minutes, then Up-and-At-Em!