Celebrating Solomon {Early}

Solomon’s Gotcha Day is coming up in a few weeks and sadly our family won’t be all together in the same place for the two weeks surrounding his special day.  We decided we would need to do some early celebrating while were all together.  Each year on his Gotcha Day we let Sol pick something special for us to all do together as a family.  Since he was old enough to pick, age 3, he’s chosen the Chattanooga Aquarium, then an Atlanta Braves game and this year he wanted to do another baseball game.  This is the last year our local Nashville Sounds will be in the old Greer Stadium so we decided to spend Friday night together celebrating Sol and celebrating our family at the ballpark.  It was perfect.

Sol chose pizza for dinner…eating in the actual pizza place…we got fancy.  Then we headed off to the ballpark and enjoyed sunflower seeds, M&Ms and ice cream in baseball hats.  Solomon was in heaven.  He is absolutely in love with baseball…he plays every single day…so being at a big ballpark and watching the big guys play made his heart happy.

There were even fireworks afterwards, the kids got to run the bases (those 3 little blurs our Kelley kids running super fast) and Harper was given two foul balls which she kindly gave to Sol and Huddy.  She’s a good sister.

Amon hung with us for the whole game, but while we waited for the kids to run the bases he gave into his tiredness.

We were some of the very last people in the stadium which was really cool and special for our family.  Everyone was exhausted, but we all agreed Sol’s choice for celebrating an amazing day in our family’s history was just perfectly perfect.

And what a special kid Solomon is…what an important role he plays in our family as son, little brother and big brother.  He’s simply amazing.

Happy Monday!

Oh Hey There.

Well I didn’t mean to take a couple of days off.  Life has just been…well…life.  And we just so happen to be going pretty hard and there was some allergy/sinus sickness going on accompanied by doctors appointments and lots of random sleeping, not only by just Amon and baseball and I’m really really tired.  Oh, and then I up and decided to paint all of our kitchen cabinets and walls while we had an extra sweet baby girl for the day…and her momma found dried paint on her…and 3 days later I finally finished.  And life…isn’t it wild and crazy sometimes.

We have been looking for a house for well over a year now…closing in on two actually.  There is always something new we want to do to our current home, but we just keep thinking we’ll find something.  Turns out there just isn’t a lot out there in our price range.  Soooooo, we keep waiting. And not making the changes we want to our house.  And I finally had had it up the here {insert stern parental stare}.  I was just incredibly tired of living like I thought we belonged somewhere else, when really I needed to be embracing exactly where God has us now.  So I bought paint and got busy.

I didn’t take any good before pictures…you can kind of see our kitchen in the background of this picture…brown cabinets & green walls.

And this is when I had taken all the top cabinet doors off.  I may have manually removed all of the top cabinet doors along with every last stitch of hardware with a little hand screw driver.  Then as I watched Josh Kelley later that day remove all the bottom cabinet doors and hardware with his cordless drill and I cursed.  #sometimesIjustdonotthink

Then over the course of three days I got to painting.  And painting and painting and painting.  And today I finished.  And I’m a bit smitten.  Just a bit.  I wish the lighting was better, but the sun was going down when I snapped these.

I am sooooooo glad it’s over.  And now I’m laying on the couch and can barely keep my eyes open to finish this post.  It’s quite redonkulous.  I’m off to bed.

Happy Friday night!

Happy Weekend!!

Hey Batter Batter

Baseball is kind of a big deal in our house.  Josh has played his entire life, still plays and does a baseball ministry called Full Count.  You should most definitely check them out.  I grew up on baseball and softball as well.  We kind of totally still dig a good wiffle ball game.  And I won’t lie, it sometimes gets intense.

And now Hudson and Solomon are playing their first year of baseball…and it may be the most fun ever.  There first game was Sunday and then they played again Monday night.  It’s seriously the cutest and funniest thing ever.  All the kids are just super fun to watch.

I’m a cheerer.  I like to cheer them on.  And every other kid.  Even on the other team.  You can’t help but want every single kid out on the field to do awesome and to feel good and encouraged.  I found myself crying about another kid who hit a “home run”…aka…a ball to the outfield.  He was so proud and he was good…like real good.  I wanted to find his parents and give them a hug.  The first game I may have been a tad way over emotional, but for real, cutest stinkin’ thing ever.  Like ever ever.

And those flat bills…don’t even get me started.

I want them to be good.  Josh and I both love athletics and played sports and each have a pretty competitive streak in us.  And what parent doesn’t want their kid to be good at something they love to do?!?!  So we’ll practice and give it our all, but more than anything…more than being good or winning or playing their hardest or all of that combined…I want them to know how flippin’ proud I am of them and how far a good attitude, sportsmanship and heart will go.  I want them to know that even if they never hit the ball or make a play, that I totally dig them and I’ll always be the loudest one cheering them on.  Even if their team never wins a game, it will be alright, because I am so proud of them for doing something they love to do…and doing it with such sweet dispositions…for cheering on their teammates and one another and respecting their coaches.

Last night they both got hits and I wish I had some how recored their conversation on the way home.  These two…Hudson and Solomon Kelley…their love for each other is fierce and bold and ridiculously grand.  They were both so proud of the other one.  And congratulated each other on the dark car ride home with a mystery airhead in hand.

I have a feeling I will get to be a baseball mom for quite some time.  I have a feeling the love of the game and the ballpark is just in their blood.  And I really like that.

Happy Tuesday.

Baseball, Bikes & The Drive-In

How was your weekend?  Ours was good.  I took like 2 naps this weekend.  We kind of ran ragged, but in a good way.  There were baseball festivities and anniversary celebrations that contained double desserts and bike riding and drive in movies and swimming.  Good, good times.

Josh plays baseball for the Full Count Ministry.  I cannot tell you how much I adore watching these guys play.  I’ve been watching Josh Kelley play ball since we were 12…that’s a lot of baseball.  I sincerely enjoy it.  It’s one of my most favorite things.  And now that Full Count is involved it’s even better.  Love these men and their families.  Love their hearts.  Love the ministry.  I’ll keep the wee Kelleys out 4 hours past their bedtime just to see the end of their games.  Yep, I like it just that much.

Those blurs are fast base running Kelleys.

Amon is a pro at dirt eating.  At this moment he’s realized how terrible the dirt is and is trying to scrape his tongue clean.

Before hitting the mountain bike trails I’m starting to get acquainted with my new bike.  We rode this weekend and it was super fun.  The boys got a bit crazy and bold going down some steep little ditches.  I definitely forsee some thrill seeking in their boyish futures.

By the way…bike helmets make me look manly.  Not a fan.

We really need one of those little bike seats for Amon.  Can you imagine how stinkin’ cute he would be in a baby bike helmet.  Oh my goodness.

We also went to the drive-in movies for the first time ever this weekend.  Like all of our first times.  Josh and I have never been.  We went to the Franklin, KY drive-in and were totally unsure of what to expect or plan for. Facebook friends rocked tons of tips and tricks and recommendations that were really helpful.  I think we could officially be drive-in movie goers/junkies.  It was crazy fun and we ate enough junk food to kill a small family.  We saw Monsters University and it was so cute and funny.  I love good movies.

These are our kids.  They’re nuts.  And safety tip #32 Never stand in a camping chair.

Amon’s favorite part of the movie was the banana.

The movie and the rocks were a huge hit all around.  A total recommendation for all you locals.  We will definitely be going back.

It was a grand weekend.  And now Monday is here.  Let the week begin.  I’m thinking about being responsible today.  I have a list going.  Have already added to it as I wrote this post.  Being an adult sucks sometimes.  Responsibility is for the birds.

I can’t believe July is here.  Still running my way through the year.  A new month means it’s time to decide on a monthly mileage goal or do I just keep a running total like I did for June?!?  Decisions, decisions.  It was kind of fun to just add all month long.  I’m not big on complicated math.

Last full month of summer.  Crazy it’s here.  Time to really live it up.  Let the real fun begin.  Hope you have an amazing week.  Happy Monday.