Swim Team Pictures

It's swim team time again!  One of our favorite summer activities!  When picture day rolled around, Watts was off at baseball camp, so although he was an integral member of the team this year, and even took away honors as most improved six and under boy, he missed out on the photo op...

I love this sweet one...if only Cille's strap wasn't twisted!

And this last one is probably my favorite....

Many thanks to Kesley Bourgeois Photography for capturing our little Dolphins!

Pine Cove

One of the highlights of the past few summers for the big girls has been Pine Cove Camp in the City, so they were stoked to kick summer off with another week at Pine Cove...

During their week at camp we learned that Stella has some major hops...

Make new friends, but keep the old!  Stella and Molly have been together since birth, but camp gave Stella a chance to form friendships with several new friends, some who even attend her school this year...

The girls had an absolute blast at camp!  And at the end of the week, these were the character qualities that stood out to their counselors....

How cool that God has given both our girls the spiritual gift of encouragement!  We are so proud of the young ladies Stella and Cille have grown to be and thankful for a camp where they can have a blast and learn more about God's word at the same time!  

Watts' Baseball Pictures

We like to call the baseball season of 2018 "the season that wasn't," mostly because Watts broke his arm the day before his first game and was sidelined for the rest of the season.  Dad had volunteered to be head coach, and seriously thought about throwing in the towel, but God convicted him about ministry opportunities, so he hung in there sans his little buddy.  At least we got a super handsome photo in the uniform...the one and only time it was ever worn...

Baseball is Watts' happy place...

The Blue Jays and some of the best coaching staff around, in mom's humble opinion...

Blue Bayou Fun

School's out for summer!  Time to hit the waterpark! 

We're looking forward to lots more fun in the sun this summer!

Splash Day, End of School, and Family Field Trip

Watts and his buddy had an awesome time at the early childhood division's end of year splash day...

We can't say enough good things about our sweet Mrs. Everett.  Back when she was still Miss Chelette she was Stella's kindergarten teacher and laid a great foundation for academic excellence.  This year she took a shy and immature Wattsy-boy and made a man out of him.  He adores her and would probably stay in her class forever if they would let him...

What better was to celebrate the last day of school than with one more field trip?  But this time it was a family field trip!  I am a history nerd and I love to show the kids things that are historically significant.  Maybe one day they will actually start looking forward to these activities, or even enjoying them.  Who knows?  I am a cock-eyed optimist on the topic.  Though we have lived in Baton Rouge for 6 years now, we had never visited the Old State Capitol, so we remedied that situation....

Did you know that inside this building was where Louisiana legislators voted to secede from the Union?

Plus it's a castle right in the middle of downtown Baton Rouge, so that's cool...

One of the exhibits taught us about English as a second language.  Long ago many kids in South Louisiana reached school age without knowing a word of English, and one of them was Damon's grandfather.  Since only English was allowed in school, every time the poor guy opened his mouth he got punished.  Who could punish a face this cute?

Cille practicing for her future as Governor...

Baby Huey...

The stained glass in this rotunda is gorgeous...

Cille hanging out with our peeps...

While we were touring the Old State Capitol we watched the Ghost in the Castle movie.  The kids enjoyed it, although Watts was a little scared.  We had a great time playing tourist in our hometown and learning more about the history of our great state.

Awards Day Chapel

Ah, awards day chapel, that time of year when every parent waits with anxiety to see if they will receive an email invitation.  Yes, our kids' school is so big and the church sanctuary where they have chapel is so small that they give you a heads up before the ceremony if your kiddo will be receiving an honor in order to make sure there's enough space to accommodate all the parents.  The problem is, they don't tell you what award your child might be receiving, or even which child it is.  Since we have two in the elementary division, receiving one email caused us to have a pretty serious talk with the girls on the way to school about being happy for your sibling even if you did not get an award, being humble if you did, etc.  

But all that worry was for nothing because both girls were awarded Eagle of the Year by their teachers!  You could have knocked us over with a feather.  We were shocked.  As a matter of fact, after Stella got her award, I told Cille that she definitely would not get anything because she got Eagle of the Year last year, so they must have just sent us the invitation for Stella.  Then she won, too!

We could not be more proud of our little Eagles.  There are lots of moments in parenting when you feel like you are doing it wrong and your kids will probably need a lifetime of therapy to get over you, so it is nice to have a few moments when someone other than you who has spent time getting to know your child recognizes something special in them and celebrates it.  Our prayer is that these two continue to grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.  We are so thankful for the nurturing family atmosphere of their school which facilitates that kind of growth.