10.29.2016

Two baseball boys


This fall was the beginning of a crazier schedule for us. We have always just had one kid involved in sports but this year Griffin got to play, too! We kept asking him in the spring if he wanted to try soccer or baseball & we were actually surprised when he kept saying baseball. He never seemed interested in Grayson's games but we gave it a whirl!
Griffin played in the 4/5 year old league and was on the Threshers. Our league doesn't start off with tee ball; it is a combo of coach pitch and tee ball. The kids always get 5 pitches and then they use the tee if they have not gotten a hit. Griffin only used the tee a couple of time this season--I was so impressed!
This season was so great for his confidence. He had a great time (which is the most important part) but I loved watching him play & seeing how excited he was every time he made a good play or got a hit. He was so proud!

The Threshers favorite part of every game was ending with a snack!

Griffin finished the season strong & got the game ball after his last game! He is already talking about playing again in the spring. I love his enthusiasm!
Grayson moved up to the 7 year old league this fall & played on the Sea Dogs. They didn't keep score in the fall but they did start doing outs. It was a big learning year for him!
Grayson learned so much this season. He struck out for the first time (and handled it way better than I imagined) AND he hit his first homerun! He is so determined to improve & I just love his drive! He is asking Santa for a batting cage--we are baseball obsessed over here.

This was the sweetest group of boys! They got along so well & I really hope most of them can be together again in the spring. As hectic as life was during baseball season, we sure do miss playing!


10.17.2016

Menu Monday

Well, I haven't quite gotten my blogging groove back, but it is getting a little better. Right? sigh. I'm trying! I am doing something different this week in hopes of making my hectic Sundays a little easier: Wal-Mart grocery pickup! If you know me at all, you know that I would rather stick hot needles in my eye than shop at Wal-Mart. Grayson has called it "Dirty Target" since he was 2 and he couldn't be more spot on. BUT, if the Wal-Mart people want to shop for me, who am I to say no?! I am hoping it is the greatest thing ever.  Here is what the Mays are eating this week!


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Monday: Marlboro Man Pasta w/ garlic bread

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Tuesday: Tamale Pie

chicken zucchini casserole 2
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Wednesday: Chicken Zucchini Casserole

Bang Bang Chicken - Amazingly crisp chicken bites drizzled with sweet chili mayo - so good, you'll want to double or triple the recipe!
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Thursday: Bang Bang Chicken with jasmine rice

Taco-Filled Pasta Shells Recipe
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Friday: Taco Stuffed Shells

10.03.2016

Disney World {Days 5 & 6}

Our 5th day was spent at Hollywood Studios. I was excited for the boys to go there because they are currently loving all things Star Wars.

Right when the park opened we headed back to the Pixar area. We had fast passes for the Toy Story ride & we wanted to meet Buzz & Woody.
I really loved the Photo Pass people. This was first time we had used Memory Maker & I am so glad I got so many family pictures!
I was a little worried that Cheney would be afraid of Buzz & Woody because they are huge. But, in typical Cheney fashion, she loved them and gave them hugs!

We had breakfast (or really brunch) reservations at Hollywood & Vine at 9:45 that morning. They do a great Disney Junior character breakfast!
 we met Jake!
 ..and Handy Manny!
 Griffin was enthralled with Sophia the First just like when he was a toddler;)

and Cheney met her very favorite, Doc McStuffins!

They have a good breakfast buffet & the characters are so fun. We are big fans of Hollywood & Vine!


We met Olaf after breakfast & gave him a nice, warm hug. He still loves summer:)


Grayson & I rode the Star Wars ride together & he loved it. Griffin was about an inch too short...I hate when that happens! BUT, Griffin did get to watch a Jedi fight Darth Vader (who he calls Darth Mader) and he was obsessed. He also loved that Storm Troopers just walked around the park frequently! Everything is so magical to him right now. I love it!
 Our live for the thrill 6 year old was obsessed with Tower of Terror. He rode it twice!

While he rode with Mimi & Ben, the rest of us went to the Little Mermaid show. It was nice and cold (hooray!) inside and the show was great. Griffin loved it!
He was also really bummed that he was a couple inches too short for Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster. Ben, being the clown that he is, nailed his rollercoaster picture. Again. That one was really fun!

The last thing we did that day was meet Chewbacca! He is ENORMOUS. He also doesn't sign autograph books. hmph. This made their day! Poor Cheney girl fell asleep in the line so she didn't get to see him.

We left the park at 4:00 and hopped on a bus to Disney Springs. We had reservations that night at the T-Rex restaurant! We walked through there last time we went to Disney World & with Griffin's current dinosaur obsession, knew we had to try and get reservations! It is the craziest place. Huge (some lifesize) dinosaurs everywhere that move and make noise. Every 20 minutes there is also a "meteor shower" & it gets really dark & really loud. The boys thought this was awesome; Cheney kept saying "no like that. too loud!"
 We sat right by this lifesize Triceratops. It was pretty cool!
We ended our night celebrating Grayson again! They brought out a volcano of dry ice and a really good dessert! Hooray for birthdays at Disney World!

Our LAST (boohoo) day was spent at Magic Kingdom again. I don't think I could end a trip at any other park! 3 Magic Kingdom days was perfect.

 G had to rock that birthday pin one last time!

The little ones rode the rockets first thing that morning while Ben, Mimi, & G rode Space Mountain. Cheney thought that was super fun! I even got a real smile!
 She also rode Dumbo with me:) I love her little Snow White outfit!
We met Chip & Dale in the carnival area & they were hilarious! They spent a few minutes making the kids laugh.
 we also finally met Daisy!
who was with her best pal, Minnie. Cheney loves her some Minnie Mouse!

We rode the Teacups one last time & I want to bottle up these sweet, magical faces forever!
 We rode Buzz Lightyear several times because the boys were trying to max out the score--this is seriously their favorite!
 Sweet Cheney took a hot & sweaty stroller nap. The City Mini is the best because it reclines all the way back!



Grayson & Ben did more posing on Space Mountain...I need to make a collage of all their roller coaster pictures. Haha!
The one thing Griff was so excited about was "doing the rollercoaster I can do!" He loved the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train & his face lit up when he found out he got to ride it twice that day! He was such a good sport about G getting to ride more things than him & the joy he got from this ride was the best.  Look at that face!
 One last picture before we left Magical Kingdom! Put a fork in us...we were done!

We ended our trip at the House of Blues restaurant in Disney Springs. The food is great & we sat right on the water. It was a beautiful night!

Disney World, you were magical & so much fun. If I had a money tree, we would go every single year!

Here are my tips from our trip:
-rent a stroller!!!! We used Apple Rental Company & they were fine. The first stroller we had was hard to fold up and they replaced it immediately once we called.
-bring a misting fan. I forgot ours and ended up with the $25 Disney one.
-bring at least one Brita water bottle. The water tastes funky & that filters it out and makes it taste normal. You can also get free cups of ice water all over the park to refill your own bottle.
-Do the Memory Maker package! We did not do this for our first trip & I wish we had. The pictures they took at each character experience are so great. We have almost 400 pictures just from them! So worth the money!
-Here is the planner we used. Jami Hill is awesome & has been doing this a long time! She is FREE and so helpful!