Summer fun...

We had lots of fun during the week or two leading up to Charles's last day of school!

After Molly and Ava came home and they and John and Brady all got settled a little, Charles and I went for a visit. I had a wonderful time holding Ava...but I gave Charles a chance to hold her too...
Charles, John and Brady then went outside so that Brady could show Charles his swing set and for some play time...
while Molly and I visited some more. We had a great visit!!

That weekend (Memorial Day weekend), Kristi came home for a visit. She and Cass came up to Molly's to meet Ava, and we all had a great visit...

Charles and I had a nice relaxing Memorial Day. We, of course, cooked out and were very thankful for all those who serve currently and have served in the past in the Armed Forces who make it possible for us to have the freedoms we enjoy.

On Charles's last day of school, on the way to work he saw a turtle on the road and stopped to pick it up. When I got home from work, I found that the Willoughby house had a tortoise and a hare!!

Charles let Toula meet the turtle, and she was very curious about her new friend...

She had to check him out from all angles...

When I got home, I wanted to see her reaction to the turtle and not just from the pictures Charles took, so we put the turtle back in Toula's home. She was just as curious about it this time around. It was funny because Charles and I were both on the floor trying to coax the turtle out of its shell so that I could see him, and Toula, I must say, became just a little jealous. She was so funny though. She kept hopping right up to both Charles and me being all cute and wanting rubbies and attention.

Charles then brought Toula a treat - a peanut, which she just loves - and put the other shell in front of the turtle. Soon, the turtle's feet joined its head in coming out of its shell, and it started turning around. Toula just had to check out what was happening!

After she had checked it out, she decided she needed the other peanut shell more than the turtle did!The next day, Charles took the turtle to a little low traffic area with a stream and pond nearby. We hope the turtle enjoys his new home because he certainly brought some laughter to ours!

Thursday, Charles and I went to the Orpheum to watch The Swiss Family Robinson, one of the summer movie classics playing this year. We both really like that movie, and it was even better on the big screen! Before the movie, they showed a classic cartoon, Little Toot. It was about a little tug boat and was absolutely hilarious! If you have about ten minutes and need a laugh, take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsUJLlXTh74&feature=related. We had the best evening!

We went to the A'fair...

and petted a possum!

Saturday, Charles and I went to the A'fair and had a good time looking at everything the vendors had to offer.

One booth was dedicated to wildlife rescue. We saw an owl...
and a possum...

We were asked if we wanted to pet the possum, so, of course, we did! I expected its fur to be wirey, but it was really soft!

After walking around for a while, we stopped to enjoy some homemade lemonade and funnel cake...

Delicious!!

We also were given a sample of some delicious Come Back Sauce. It was so good, we bought a bottle and enjoyed some for dinner with a fun picnic in our living room!

Charles makes a very good picnic!!The weather for the A'fair was just wonderful. We felt several rain drops, but they dried up quickly. The wonderful weather continued throughout the weekend which was really nice for us since we had some yard work to do. It also inspired some cleaning inside the house!

Welcome, Ava!

Last night, Charles and I went to Memphis to meet Ava, born May 11, 2009. She is such a sweet and beautiful baby!! I had the best time holding her... Thankfully, both she and Mama Molly are doing great!
We also had a great visit with Molly and John. They told us that Ava's big brother Brady had been up earlier to meet her but was a little unsure about the hospital and concerned about his Mama's bo-bo. They said that when he saw Molly he told her to get up and it would be "all better" - that's what they tell him when he falls down and scrapes his knees - how cute is that?
After our visit, Charles and I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Pei Wei. What a wonderful way to spend a Tuesday evening!

Mother's Day Weekend...

We have had a busy but fun Mother's Day Weekend. Thursday evening we went to the Orpheum for Fiddler on the Roof. We were able to watch Topel in his farewell tour. The show was wonderful!

Friday we headed to Jackson. Charles's mom was visiting his brother and his family, so able to spend part of Mother's Day weekend with her. Both boys had a baseball game Friday evening, so we went straight to the ball field. Tatum and Tyler were playing on adjacent fields, so we were able to watch a little of both games. They both did a great job, and we had fun watching both games.

Tatum's game was really fun to watch because he plays with the 5 and 6 year olds. They were all so cute!

We were behind the dugout, so we were able to hear all the funny things they were telling each other between innings!

We were able to watch Tatum bat once...They got three chances to hit a coach pitched ball and then were given a chance with the tee. Tatum hit the pitched ball and made it on base...
He did a great job!

There were several girls playing on his team, and some of them had pink helmets, shoe laces, and/or gloves, but I thought this little girl with her pink helmet with pink bow sticking out was just too cute!!

We walked back and forth between Tatum and Tyler's games. Tyler did a great job too! We were able to watch him bat a couple of times...

We were able to watch him throughout the game as catcher...and during part of the last inning as pitcher...Although his team lost the game, he still played well!

After the games, we went to Matt, LeAnna and Patrick's house. Patrick was still awake, so we were able to play with him for a little while and get lots of tickles from him!

Saturday, we woke up to the sweetest wake-up call from Patrick. Matt, Charles and Patrick went to get doughnuts. On the ride back to the house, Charles was holding the doughnuts and Patrick said "Maybe I can have one of those?" After finishing the first doughnut hole he said, "All done. Can I have another?" He said the funniest and cutest things during our entire visit!

After a yummy breakfast of doughnuts and chocolate milk we all went outside so that Patrick could show us his fun swing set. After showing us the clubhouse underneath... Patrick climbed up to the tower...
He then slid down the slide. However, before sliding, he pointed to Charles exactly where he was supposed to stand to catch him!After Charles got in the right place, Patrick slid down the slide fast...
After a few more slides, it was time to play chase...
and then Hide and Seek. Patrick was so funny at that game. After Charles counted and started searching for him by asking, "Where's Patrick?", Patrick would yell, "Here I am!" After a few rounds of Hide and Seek, it was time for tee ball...
After a few hits off the tee, Charles pitched a few balls to Patrick...I don't know whether Charles or Patrick had more fun!It was a pretty day, so already hot and muggy in the morning, so we all went in to cool down. Patrick then opened his belated birthday gift which included bubbles, so, of course, we all had to go back outside so that we could blow bubbles!We had lots of fun with the bubbles!Mosley, their dog had a fun time chasing the bubbles which Patrick found to be hilarious!

After a while we went back inside. All the morning's fun had worn out Patrick and Charles!

We then headed to Doug and Leslie's for a lunch cookout and to spend some time with Charles's mom. Two of Tyler and Tatum's cousins were at the cookout too. Charles and I had a really good visit with everyone and had lots of fun playing everything from basketball to badminton with all the kids!

We then met Matt, LeAnna, Patrick and Malcolm - Matt's brother for a delicious and fun dinner at Ichiban. It had a little coy fish pond out front which Patrick really enjoyed!

We sat at a table with two other children in addition to Patrick, and our hibachi chef was really good and playful, so it was lots of fun to watch all the kids reactions to everything!

We had a great time in Jackson.

Coming home, we ran into some scary weather, but thankfully, we made it home safely.

Today, Mama came up, and she and I had a girls only lunch to celebrate Mother's Day. We had a good lunch and a great visit!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Mother's Day!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

Thursday evening, Charles and I headed to Autozone Park. The Iowa Cubs were in town to take on the Memphis Redbirds. We arrived a little early and took in warm-ups...The weather was perfect - Spring warm but with a little breeze - for the first pitch...Our seats were perfect! We were seated on the first row behind the Cubs' dugout and right to the side of it, so we were able to lean up and peer right in at the players...Our seats were great for taking in all the action...Unfortunately, it started misting and then raining a little harder which is when I whipped out my umbrella. After just a few minutes under the umbrella, we decided to give up our seats and move to the concourse to watch a little more of the game...

Unfortunately, the Cubs weren't playing their best baseball, so once the rains let up a little, we headed on home...Even though the game's outcome was not what we had hoped and we had to deal with a little rain, we had a really fun time!

Apparently, it was a beautiful day yesterday, although I was couped up in a continuing legal education class, so I missed out on it. The rains moved back in last night and have been here to stay all day. While the rain has put our weekend yard projects on hold, it should be really good for our newly planted plants, including our dogwood which is blooming so prettily right now!