Fifth grade day, baseball, baseball, and more baseball!

So anyone who’s been anywhere near me for the past few weeks knows that I have been a little absorbed by the fifth grade slide show. It played yesterday without any major glitches. I was able to sit in the middle of the kids while they watched it & it was WONDERFUL to hear their reactions. I absolutely cannot believe that Ryan is old enough to be moving on to middle school. Fifth grade is such an interesting place – still kids but growing up really, really fast. Ryan is the kid on the back row with scruffy hair. We haven’t had time for a haircut because of over-much baseball.

Ryan’s team is still in the tournament. His hand is still a little sore sometimes but it is holding up well. They have played A LOT of baseball this week – Monday practice, Tuesday game, Thursday game, Friday game, & Saturday game. It has definitely been an interesting tournament – our coach is the one that everybody hates. When the kids were ahead 12-2 today, he was still having kids steal bases almost every time. Just as one season is ending, the All-Star season is beginning. We don’t fully understand what this means but soon.

Last night Scott’s company went to a Greenville Drive game. Ryan & I missed the first few minutes but we all had a great time. During the eighth inning the park always sings “Sweet Caroline”. This picture includes some of the Barlows – Mimi, Ken, Tommy, Will, (Ryan), & Spencer. Chris is on the row behind in the striped shirt.

Freedom Weekend Aloft

This is the first year since moving to South Carolina that we have not been in Florida for Memorial Day weekend. Subsequently, we were able to go to Simpsonville last night & see that hot air balloons. The oven was preheated (450) & the fish was ready to bake, but the excitement was not to be deterred. We hopped in the van & drove towards the balloons. We were able to follow them to a neighborhood about 20" from our house & see them land! It was very exciting for the kids (& mom). When we got back home a while later, the oven re-preheated & the lightly breaded tilapia fillets baked for 10" on the first side & 3" on the second side. Utter perfection.

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Broken

We finally had Ryan’s hand x-rayed today & found that he had a boxer’s fracture. (This is the same fracture that I had a few years ago.) We were told by the doctor to not let him play baseball… and a six week recovery. Bummer, huh? He played tonight & was very careful. They would have forfeited the game without him.

Update: After Ryan's game on Monday, I took him to the SHIFT clinic. It's so cool - it's a walk-in clinic for our favorite orthopedic clinic. We met a fellow BYU-graduate & walked right in. They x-rayed his hand again, said that they could see where it had been broken, but that it had mended very well. I jokingly asked, "So, can he play baseball?" and the doctor happily agreed. Ryan was especially excited for this because it means that he can play on the all-star team this year.

It’s all Hollee’s fault…

I got a few pieces of furniture for Mother’s Day…

 

The desk is a lovely piece that I found on sale at the Pottery Barn outlet on Tuesday night. I had to drive back the next morning to pick it up because… it was calling my name. I have it in a quiet room in the basement where I can sit & work on the computer without any distractions. The room is vacant except for the desk & the chair.

The hutch was an accidental find on Craig’s List. I visited Hollee & learned that she got beautiful pieces from Craig’s List. I did find my sectional sofa there last year, but generally I just see a lot of icky stuff.

Exhibit A:

Lovely floral print sofa in great condition. $200

After buying the desk, I was resting from the drive & looked on Craig’s List. There was a beautiful hutch. I love the hutch – it’s real wood, matches my cabinetry & has space for my ceramic bowls & my china. While trying to get the glass out, the previous owner dropped one piece of tempered glass onto the lower piece, scratching one & shattering the other. Otherwise, it’s a lovely piece, fits the wall perfectly, & I’m delighted. I will change out the hardware because it’s outdated but that’s easy. Which would I rather have – the hutch or the lovely floral print sofa? I will take the hutch.