He likes it a lot

...tennis, that is.  Yes, Caleb likes it.  Well, he more than likes it.  He loves it!!!!  

Yesterday he participated in his first ever Under10 tournament.  Ever since he started lessons in mid July, he's been asking when he can play in a tournament.  So I did some research and located one a short drive from home, in my sister's neck of the woods.

Before I share anymore about yesterday, though, I wanted to share a few photos that I found in the archives, ones that never made it on the blog because I was wrapping up my second photography class last summer and shooting everything in sight.  So these next photos got overlooked.

They were taken in September of last year.  Caleb's coach Stefan had just proposed lessons to the kids.  Caleb wasn't interested in starting lessons, but he said he'd think about it.  So we had to go buy some kid sized racquets.  Stefan just told Caleb to practice juggling the ball on his racquet to develop a feel for controlling the ball.  So he would often do this on our old driveway.

 That last shot cracks us up.  Yep, the ball came down on his head.

Following the purchase of his beginner racquet, Caleb would often hit the ball against a small section of wall on our back lanai.  Sometimes the ball would hit the exterior steel bathroom door, right next to the school room/office where I would be doing work for Patrick.  Man, the sound would startle me. lol

Caleb continued to hit the ball against the wall until we moved out of our old house last December. But that was the extent of his tennis experience prior to starting lessons in July.  Little did we know at the time, but that really helped to develop excellent eye-hand coordination, which gave him a jump start prior to beginning formal tennis instruction.

Now, back to yesterday.

We had to leave the house at 7am so we could arrive with plenty of time before his first match which began at 9am.

We weren't too far from where my sister and crew live.  So they drove over for part of the morning.  Caleb was so excited to have his extended family there to watch him.  Madeline was thrilled to play with Leah and her baby doll.  I was impressed with how well behaved Josh and Havi were.  Not even once did we have to remove them for distracting the players.  Phew!

Caleb played 4 matches- 2 boys and 2 girls.  He finished 2-2.  We are so proud of him!

He had such a great attitude throughout the entire tournament.  He played hard and always wore a smile.  In his second match, when it was match point for his opponent, he hustled so hard across the court and went skidding on his knee.  All the spectators gasped.  He popped right up and said he was fine.  There was no way he was going to sit out his next 2 matches!

Our hearts swelled until they burst yesterday.  We were so happy to see his hard work pay off.  His coach (and his brother who is now playing at the collegiate level) were both impressed with Caleb's performance at his first tournament.  Caleb is 8 years old, and it is the only age at which a player can choose to play either Under 8 or Under 10.  All other players must play in their proper age group, regardless of skill.  Unfortunately there are very few, as in maybe 1 a year, Under 10 tournaments in our area.  So if Caleb is going to pursue tennis, we will be finding ourselves driving a lot on weekends.  Maybe we can coordinate his tournaments with our camping ambitions.  Now that would be a win win!

We love you, Caleb, and are so proud of you!

We went to the park

We love winters in Central Florida because they are so mild.  And this winter has been an exceptionally mild one indeed.  We usually hit up our favorite park by the river quite a bit, but because of our recent move, the dumplings have spent more time playing in the cul-de-sac than at the park.

So when I told them the other day that we were going to head to our favorite park, they lit up!  As we were driving along the river and the park was in sight, they gleefully exclaimed from the back of the van "We missed you!!!!"  Hilarious.  But true.

I always bring my camera to the park, ever since those photography classes I took last summer.  So snapping a few shots of the dumplings was to be expected.  What I wasn't expecting, however, was the early winter sunset.  I just forgot that it sets so early now.  So this was a total plus.

They chased dragon flies and rolled around on the ground while the heron on the dock posed for me.  Of course, when I wanted to snap them having fun, they were done.

I think we need to get back to the park some more.  Sorry new cul-de-sac.  I do love you, just not at this time of day.  I hear the river calling my name.

 

Morning sunshine

Throughout the day, our new kitchen gets a tremendous amount of natural light streaming in.  That's due in large part to a huge, south facing bay window.  Although this bay window doesn't overlook our front yard, like our old house, I love to sit in front of it at the kitchen table and look out as the sun rises.

This week Madeline spent battling a cold.  On this particular morning, I let her watch some TV while I had my coffee.  

I just love capturing sun flare of any kind.  However,controlled sun flare had been alluding me, until now.  I love that rich blue stream and how it looks like it's falling right on Madeline in these images.

Eventually she turned the tube off and decided to work on a "States" puzzle.

She's finally feeling (mostly) better, though her nose is still runny.  Thankfully she hasn't passed this on to me or Patrick.  Caleb was the one who actually gave her the cold, but he, fortunately, wasn't sick for very long at all.

All of this meant that we were in pretty good shape to help Caleb celebrate his birthday this weekend.  I still can't believe he's 8 years old.  It seems like just the other day we were celebrating his first birthday home with us.  It's hard to believe that first birthday home was 5 years ago.  5 years ago!!! Wow. Anyway, I still have to download the photos I snapped of our celebration.  So you'll have to check back for that.  Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

For more great photos, visit Stefanie and Rebecca's blogs.

 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

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With packing up and moving this past month and a half, I had a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn't have enough time to take the dumplings out for a quick photo shoot for our Christmas card this year.  Well, my suspicion was correct; time was not on my side.  But I didn't want that to keep me from sending out cards this year.  The end result? A simple card with images from one of our summer shoots when I was practicing my homework for Ashley Ann's Snapshops class.  I love this series because it truly embodies my photography style.  No fancy clothes.  No dramatic location.  Just every day play clothes, our (old house) front yard, and the playground.

This year Gina taught me that the most important moments in our lives are the ordinary ones, and if you take the time to embrace them, they can make your heart swell.  Ashley Ann's class taught me how to stop and recognize them and to try to capture them in a way that's not so ordinary.  This year has been one of tremendous growth for me, both spiritually and "photographically."  (I can't say professionally because I'm not a professional photographer! lol)  And, well, I'm grateful to the Lord for this growth.

I'm thankful for His birth many moons ago, and I'm thankful for the chance to celebrate His birthday with the family He has so graciously blessed me with.  May your Christmas be filled with lots of love and laughter.  And would you please continue to keep Will and the kids in your prayers. This is their first Christmas without Gina, and her 34th birthday, which would have been on Dec 30th, will also be celebrated without her.

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!!!!

Way to go, Team Gina!!!

Last week, 80 plus members of  Team Gina came out to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure to celebrate Gina and the amazing woman she was.  The race began at 8:00, but we all met up at 7:00am because it can take a while to gather that many people together.  Thankfully, the sun chose to show itself at sunrise because it was a chilly start to the morning!  Okay, maybe the mid 50s isn't chilly for most, but it sure is in our neck of the woods.  It was the coldest morning to date this fall.

Unfortunately, I couldn't take any shots while I was walking because I had to push Madeline in the stroller.  Last year, my sister and Andy took turns pushing both Madeline and Leah in their strollers.  However, Andy carried Josh in his arms because he's bigger now (and they only have one stroller.)  So that left me pushing Madeline the entire walk.

And unfortunately, this was the best Team Gina shot I could get.  I didn't have time to move all the extra strollers out of the shot before the group decided the previous photographer's shot was enough. So everyone started dispersing.

Will and the kids had special shirts made.  Will's said "My wife", and the kid's shirts naturally said "My mommy."

I'm not gonna lie.  It hurt to do that walk without Gina.  My heart was heavy, and no doubt, I was not the only one.  This entire month has been difficult.  She is missed by so many people.  Will and the kids are doing as well as they can.  They are all in counseling, and they now have a nanny living with them, who has been a tremendous help.

We all hung around for a little bit, enjoying the breakfast foods provided, including cupcakes as the evidence below demonstrates.

And this is what happens to your tutu when you sit in your stroller for the entire walk.

Here's a closeup of the back of Lexi's shirt.

Not only did my sister Deb make the girls tutus for the walk, but she also made some for the both of us.

Like last year, I also took a photo of the POPS girls.  Debbie (middle) and Donna (right) also worked with Gina and my sister at the same pediatric outpatient surgery clinic.  It breaks my heart that Gina is not in this photo.

Most of the team headed home after the race, but the POPS peeps headed into Brighthouse Stadium to see all the fun freebies folks were giving away...stickers, pens, paper, cups, scarves, etc.

Then I figured it was about high time I embraced the camera.  That's me on the right with my twin sis on the left.

I love this shot of Madeline with a pen and pad in her hand, sporting her bunched up tutu and the "leggings" I made her. This girl loves to write. So very Madeline, indeed.  And yep, you read that right.  My sister made the girls' tutus, and I made leggings to go underneath.  Since these "leggings" were my first attempt at sewing with knits, I went with an easy interlock, which you're not supposed to use for pants.  And I already knew that, but I wanted "easy".  So I did it anyway.  Well, they don't have as much stretch as leggings typically do.  So they're more like "skinny" knit pants.  But hey, I'm pretty proud of myself for figuring out how to add those cute ruffles on the bottom.  I had to whip out my walking foot for these pants, especially the ruffles.  Knits are not like wovens at all. They are very different.  But I'm eager and willing to learn.  Anyway, I can't wait to make more knit garments because knits are just so comfy to wear.

Well, our little crew finally decided to pack it up and head back to Deb and Andy's place.  The kids played together for a little bit before we headed back home.

It was great to see my sister, Andy, and Leah.  And it was great to see a lot of Team Gina members come out and show their love and support for Gina, her family, and breast cancer research.  I sure do hope a cure can be found soon.  So many ladies are being diagnosed these days and earlier too.  Cancer is a truly horrible disease.  And despite all the ups and downs during Gina's journey, she was like a bright shining star, always full of encouragement.  And it is the goal of her foundation, the Gina McReynolds Foundation, to provide encouragement to other families who also find themselves battling this awful disease.

We love you Gina, Will and family.  We hold you close to our hearts and will continue to lift you up in prayer.