Memorial Day

Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet!! or in our case....Baseball, hot dogs, buttermilk pie and Dodge!
God Bless America and all who have served or are currently serving. I just watched part of the National Memorial Day Concert on TV and it will tug at your heart strings! We went to see it live a few years ago and it was very neat and moving. This year we are spending 6 hours a day at the ball park in a Memorial Day Tournament. Preston's team is 3-1 and will play possibly two more games on Monday. Preston is playing very well. He has too many RBI's to count and his defense has been excellent as well. You can see in the picture his war wound from Saturday. He caught the throw down from the catcher and tagged a guy out trying to steal 2nd! The guys metal spikes cut right through Preston's sock and sliced his ankle a bit. We thought he was jumping around because he was excited to get the guy out. I look a bit like a ripe cherry but it is fun watching them play.
The other picture is of the Twilight Tattoo that Dennis and I went to last Wednesday. We went to Gen Rowe's reception and then to the event. It was really neat and something that I have wanted to see since we got here. We have never gone b/c the boys are always playing ball. This year I thought I was in the clear until they added 2 make up games! So I had to farm all the boys out to different friends but it all worked out. That same day Houdini dog (Sport) got out again but we found him rather quickly with the calls of some nice strangers!
Life is busy as ever here but we are almost out of school for the summer so hopefully it will calm down just a bit. Hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and maybe I will have some more pictures to post if Preston's team win the tourney.

Memorial Day Weekend

Twilight Tatoo @ Ft Mcnair

Preston's battle wound...he won!

Mother's Day weekend

Happy Mother's Day to all you hard working mother's out there. We had a nice relaxing weekend with no baseball or rain! We have gotten over 3 inches this week and have not played at all. Saturday was gorgeous. We went to the American Market at the National Harbor. They have vendors selling flowers, vegetables and crafts. Not as many as I thought but it was nice. I also wanted to see the statue The Awakening. It has been in the DC area for years and was moved to the National Harbor. It is really cool. It looks like a giant man coming up out of the sand. The boys had a great time climbing on it. The National Harbor is made up of several hotels, restaurants and clubs with more opening each month. They have sunset concerts and other events as well. Some of the teachers went to a cool piano bar one night. The new Gaylord hotel and conference center is really nice. I like hotels so you know I had to check it out. Really nice location right on the Potomac. We also had great gelato! Then we went to Andrews for haircuts...normally a harrowing experience but this time went well. When we got back I went with my friend Carey to get our toes done.....finally!
Sunday Morning Ryan made heart shaped pancakes for me and I got the Special Plate :) Dennis was his sous chef but Ryan does really well in the kitchen. He had also decorated the kitchen and set out all my Mother's Day cards and gifts. Ryan and Grant still make cards and gifts in school but they also got me a nice card and CD from the 3 of them. After church I had one of the best meals ever at Carrabas...with enough left over so I did not have to cook tonight. I read my book outside and played games with the boys (Dennis jetted off to Dallas for the night later in the afternoon). I did have to do some laundry but all in all it was a great weekend. I hope all mother's had a great one too.
Please pray for my friend and colleague Gabby, who's daughter is gravely ill and needed a liver transplant on Friday. She is in the 2nd grade at our school.

Mother's Day Weekend

With my boys at the National Harbor

Preston "saving" Grant from the giant's mouth

Ryan hanging on by a toe

Look out!!

Grant gets hand

The rest of the story....

The prodigal dog DID return...on his own...loudly at 4:20 am! They have both been pretty well behaved but we have kept them on a "short leash"

We DO have orders for Ft Rucker but are working on dates...lots of "Army" issues. But we will be there in some form for the boys to start school in early August.

We NEED to sell this house. It is a GREAT house. If you know anyone who is moving this way, let them know about our wonderful house.

I am now the mother of a teenager! Preston turned 13!! Hard to believe. Dennis did get home in time for the last half of his bowling party. They all had a great time. It is a small bowling alley so we were the only ones there. I put the younger kids on one lane and all of Preston's friends on two lanes. They played music and had disco lights flashing. It was really cool but you can't tell in all the pictures. Preston wanted a cell phone so we got him 13 presents instead!! he seemed to like it (and Grant has already mentioned about his 13 gifts when he turns 13 so I may have started another tradition). Some were small things like Snicker bars, pop tarts, socks....some were better things like a Braves hat and Capitals hockey shirt etc. We also got him a nice Teen study Bible to get him through these tough teenage years.

So far, except for a warped sense of humor sometimes and a cracking voice, he is weathering 13 well. We will keep you updated.
ALL 3 boys made STRAIGHT A's last quarter so we have some really good kids. We will keep them for the time being.
More updates soon.

Preston is a TEENAGER

The "sibling" Lane: Younger Griffin's and Rohrbaugh's

A break from Bowling..all the soda you want for "free"

A few of his 13 presents....he's so cool!

Many cupcakes....an easy treat for a bowling party

Look at that form (preston is on the right)

Our tradition... a candle in your breakfast on your birthday

(The breakfast of champions....Chocolate pop tarts!)

Crazy Dogs

Look at my two cute dogs. Doesn't it look like they love each other and are happy? Our backyard is just mud and all our fences have been reinforced...we have an electric fence and shock collars and our little diggers escaped...AGAIN! Sometime Saturday night or Sunday Morning! We got a call from someone who found Sport (the Brittany) several neighborhoods away Sunday afternoon. He came home smelly and full of ticks. I had to bathe him in the tub! He is so tired and not himself...seems scared.
Ozzy (the golden) is still "out there". I am sure someone will call right when I have to be at work on Monday. I might say, Just keep him! I am going to call the Dog Whisperer! We need help.
Baseball on Saturday was great. Weather was perfect and the boys both won. Preston is now playing with the big boys on the big field and did great! I was very impressed. Everyone was shocked at his voice (changing) and how tall he is. Great to see all my baseball friends too. His team won 18-3. He had 2 great hits, walked once and struck out once...played shortstop. Ryan's team won 9-8 in a close one...lots of hitting. Ryan hit twice and struck out once. He played many positions. He is playing machine pitch again this year. Next games are on Tuesday...same time different locations (of course). Dennis is in Germany on his way to Africa and Afghanistan. He will be back Saturday evening. No new news on that front yet. That's the Army! AND he will miss Preston's 13th birthday and party! More news later...hopefully good news (dog, baseball and moving)