Weekend getaway with Miss Peggy

Last weekend we had the chance to slip out of town for a little camping adventure with Miss Peggy.  

 We left later than we wanted to and had to deal with a storm and nightfall as we approached the campground.

 That's actually Patrick's bike attached to a hitch on the front of the truck, since we were towing Miss Peggy in the back.  I'm thankful for amazing friends who were willing to stand in the rain to help Patrick back up and set up the site while we waited in the truck.  Good friends, I tell ya...good friends.

Anyway, we actually camped at a private campground at a resort.  We had never done that before since we usually stay at state or county parks.  This resort included many outdoor activities like horseback riding, air boat rides, and swamp buggy rides.  While we didn't do any of those activities, we did venture over to the petting farm.  The kids had a blast.

 Havi loved trying to feed the ponies and even got right up in their faces.

 We went swimming every day, and boy was that necessary.  It was hot as blazes out there, and cooling off was a must.  One of the oldest kids in our 11 kid camping crew celebrated his birthday.  So all the kids got to enjoy some delicious cupcakes.

 There was a little catch and release pond to fish at.  So we slathered on the sunscreen and stayed out there long enough to justify the sunscreen application.  Then we headed back to our campsites, taking the scenic route and checking out some of the longhorns on the ranch.

 Saturday night at the ranch is a good old fashioned rodeo.  All the locals descend on the place.  As a child I had been to several rodeos, so it was not new to me.  However, it was the first rodeo for all the dumplings.  Caleb really enjoyed it.  Madeline couldn't wait to leave.

 We're such a large group (11 kids and 6 grown ups) that we had to spread out over several rows of bleachers to sit near each other.

 I think it's safe to say that the bull riding was our favorite event.  Caleb was impressed that two of the cowgirls that had entered the rodeo were only eight and eleven years old.  Impressive indeed.

Our last day we kept things low key as we had to pack up and head home.  The kids had a blast playing with the bubbles, in addition to riding their bikes around the camp loop.

 Then it was one last trip to the petting farm.

 Upon our return home, we had a new "family member" waiting for us.  Meet "Charlie", Peggy's main squeeze.  Patrick likes to say that Peggy married up because he's a motorhome, and Peggy is not.  We knew that it was just a matter of time, though, before something like Charlie came rolling into our lives. 

 Later that evening I stepped outside to admire the setting sun in all its glory.  Havi joined me, sans clothes. 

 I made Caleb and Madeline come outside to watch the sun set, even if it was just for a few moments.  I had wanted to snap a quick photo of all three of them with Charlie, to make him feel welcomed, you know.  But Havi wasn't interested.  She was too busy capturing the sunset.

 We had a great weekend camping.  In fact, the next few camping trips are already being planned!  We love being outdoors and enjoy just hanging out with our friends.  And the kids really enjoy each other too.  It's such a blessing.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July.  

We have some exciting things planned with some very special out of town visitors!

He got to be a ball kid!

We have a nice tennis facility not far from where we live that hosts USTA Pro Circuit tournaments for both men and women.  Caleb has played there a few times and will actually be participating in their intensive junior competitive program this summer, which he's really excited about.  Anyway, the mom of his buddy Scott (who trains there) was able to get him in on the ball kid action during a recent tournament.  (You will notice that I have taken the liberty of blurring out all of the tournament sponsors in order to avoid disclosing our location.  I apologize if it's over the top or annoying.)

He got to participate as a ball kid during one of the doubles matches.
He was so cute out there.  I was so proud of him.

He had such a great time at the tournament.  If he wasn't being a ball kid, he was watching or playing.  Madeline and Havi really did well this particular day too, considering Havi didn't have a nap, and the girls don't have the same stamina that Caleb does for live tennis. lol

Well, yesterday we were rained on all day, which meant that Caleb's own tennis matches were postponed until today.  So this mama will be enjoying some more tennis today (along with Havi.)  I hope your weekend hasn't been so rain soaked as ours has been!

Tennis, friends, and a fun night out

Like last month, I thought I would try to consolidate an update on Caleb's tennis playing into a single post rather than inundate the blog with all things tennis.  So here it goes... I mentioned earlier this month about an opportunity Caleb had to play just kids his age (9 years old) with a regulation ball, as opposed to the slightly slower green dot ball.  Unfortunately, it wasn't a large draw.  So he only had two matches. Two minor injuries in his first match got the better of him, and he wasn't able to pull off a win.  But he came back strong in his second match and won it.  

The nice thing about this tournament was that we got to see a family we met at a previous tournament.  Their girl Gracie hit it off with Madeline and Havi the last time.  So she was quite happy to hang out with the girls again.  It was also very cute to hear her cheer on Caleb in his second match.  Hopefully, we'll get to see them again in July.

It's so funny how after the boys reported the score, the "support staff" came around to get in on the action.  Havi and Madeline are never far behind their brother when he's at the tournament desk.

This young boy that Caleb played actually lives not too far from us.  They have been playing against each other in several tournaments.  Caleb has beaten him in all their matches.  Yet the boy's father is always asking what tournaments Caleb is playing in next.  I like that his father is willing to have his son continue to play Caleb despite the lack of success for him.  Tennis isn't always about winning; it's about improving as a player.

This past weekend Caleb played in a local Grand Prix tournament.  He has always played green dot for this tournament.  But lately we have felt, and Caleb agreed, that the level of competition just wasn't there.  He was easily beating his opponents but wasn't challenged in the least.  So since he's been playing in the middle school league on Friday nights, we thought, and he agreed, that he should give yellow ball (the regulation ball) a try.  He was so excited about it all week.

Both of his opponents are 11 years old and have been playing a while.  And Caleb took second place!  We are so proud of him.  And in case you were wondering what he was holding in those two photos above, that was a cooling towel.  When I went to edit the images, I chuckled when I noticed he was holding the towel like a trophy. lol  Precious boy.

Well, after the tournament on Saturday, Patrick wanted to take the family to a special dinner at the Polynesian Resort in the Walt Disney World Resort.  So we headed that way.  The dinner was perfect for the dumplings.  They served all their favorite foods family style- salad (for us), dumplings, wings, noodles, steak (for Madeline and me) and shrimp (for the boys.)  Caleb declared it the best dinner ever.  He said, "They served all my favorite foods!"  After dinner, we took a quick walk around the resort.  The sun had already set.  So I missed that.  Boo.  Also, before you wonder what happened to Havi's right eye, let me tell you that she got bit by an ant the day before.  It was pretty swollen and looked bad, and it was uncomfortable for her.  Poor girl.  But it's better now. 

Well, we are gearing up for another big tennis tournament this weekend.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.  I think it will be just me going with Caleb and Havi.  Patrick has to work and will hang out with Madeline.  We are really enjoying our "lite school"/summer schedule for homeschooling.  Yes, I know it's only April, but we finished up our core year a few weeks ago. So now we are taking it easy, doing some Shakespeare and hands-on science in addition to the 3 R's.  Caleb continues to practice his tennis every day, and now Madeline is going to start a little beginner tennis clinic.  She's excited about it, as are we.  And Caleb couldn't be more thrilled to have yet another excuse to hit the courts! lol