OUACHITA STORM'S VICTORY DINNER

WE ALL HEADED TO THIS GREAT RIB PLACE, SINCE WE DIDN'T GET TO CELEBRATE OUR ORIGINAL 4TH OF JULY GRILLING, BUT HEY, THIS WAS A WHOLE LOT MORE FUN DOING THIS WAY, WHY DO THE SAME BORING 4TH OF JULY "GRILL" THING WHEN YOU CAN CELEBRATE WITH A FANTASTIC (LOL) FAMILY OF THE BEST 10 YEAR OLD BASEBALL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD!

1ST GAME: OUACHITA STORM WINS!

CAIDEN'S PLAYS AT 1ST BASE

CAIDEN HAD SOME REALLY GREAT OUTS AT 1ST BASE. HE LOVES PLAYING 1ST BASE, AND REALLY LOVES FOR JERRY TO TEACH HIM NEW TECHNIQUES SO HE CAN IMPROVE ON WHAT HE IS TAUGHT. I LOVE THE FACT THAT CAIDEN RECOGNIZES HIS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESS AND RESPECTS COACHES CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, AND REALLY TRIES HIS BEST!

CAIDEN'S AWESOME HITS

CAIDEN HIT A LOT OF HITS IN THE GAMES!! HE GOT 2 DOUBLES, A WALK OR TWO AND A COUPLE OF SINGLES. ALL IN ALL, HE DID GREAT!! OH, HE ALSO GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WITH A BALL, HEY, THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE HELMETS, RIGHT?!

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER: BEST FRIENDS

THE BOND BETWEEN MOTHER AND DAUGHTER IS SO SPECIAL..WE ARE FREINDS, WHO RELY ON EACH OTHER FOR MORAL SUPPORT, WE ALWAYS CONSIDER EACH OTHERS FEELINGS, BUT MOST OF ALL, WE LOVE EACH OTHER WITH A EVERLASTING LOVE!!

BAILEE AND HER BALLPARK BUDDIES

I LOVE MY BAILEE GRACE SOO MUCH. SHE IS SO SUPPORTIVE OF CAIDEN AND HIS BASEBALL ENDEAVORS. SHE IS ALWAYS THERE, GETTING GATORADE FOR HER DADDY AND HER BROTHER. SHE SITS OUT IN THAT HOT SUN, WATCHING CAIDEN PLAY. AND YES, SOMETIMES SHE COMPLAINS, BUT SHE KNOWS THAT MOMMY,DADDY, AND CAIDEN NEED HER TO "BE" THERE FOR SUPPORT. I LOVE HOW SHE COMES TO ME AND SAYS"MOMMA, YOU NEED ANYTHING, IF NOT, CAN I HAVE SOME MONEY TO BUY A SNOW CONE??" GOD BLESS HER, SHE HAS BEEN A TROOPER. SHE HAS MADE ALOT OF FRIENDS ALONG THE WAY, MOST OF THEM SHE SEES DAILY, SOME EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE, BUT THEY ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME!! I JUST WANT TO SAY "THANKS" TO MY GRACE GIRL, SHE IS AN AMAZING LITTLE GIRL WITH A BIG HEART, AND I KNOW SHE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF HER BROTHER AND EVEN MORE, SHE IS GOING TO BE A GREAT MOTHER, FOR SHE IS LIKE A "MOTHER HEN" TO THESE BASEBALL BOYS!!! LOVE YOU BAILEE!!

A BASEBALL UNIT: ALWAYS TOGETHER

WE ARE A UNIT OF TOGETHERNESS, WE ARE THERE TO SUPPORT, ENCOURAGE, SHOW OPTIMISM, BUT MOST OF ALL WE ARE A UNIT OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

SUPPORTIVE MOMS!!

WHERE WOULD OUR BOYS BE WITHOUT US MOTHERS!! WE ARE THE ONES WHO WASH UNIFORMS, TAKE THEM SWIMMING AFTER GAMES WON, BRING THEM GATORADE IN THE DUGOUT, BUT MOST OF ALL, WE ARE THEIR TO SUPPORT THEM IN EVERYTHING THEY DO!! THANKS, BASEBALL MOMS, WE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING WITH YOU!!

OUACHITA STORM:10 YEAR OLD TRAVEL BASEBALL TEAM

WE HAD A WONDERFUL 1ST EXPERIENCE AT TRAVEL BASEBALL. SOME OF THE BOYS HAD ALREADY DONE THIS BEFORE, BUT THIS WAS OUR TIME!! IT WAS A BLAST!! WE WERE AT THE BALL FIELD ALL DAY!! YES, WE GOT SUNBURNED, BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. WE PLAYED 2 GAMES SATURDAY, AND WON BOTH!! WE ELIMINATED THE SECOND TEAM!! OUR BOYS PLAYED SO GREAT!! CAIDEN DID GREAT AND ALMOST HIT A HOME RUN!! IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OUR FILED AT HOME, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE!! THE FAMILIES GOT ALONG GREAT AND SO DID THEIR SIBLINGS WITH OUR SIBLINGS. WE SWAM, ATE, SHOPPED AND PLAYED MORE BALL!! I HAVE SOO MANY PICS, SO MY POSTS WILL BE ALOT!! WE THEN PLAYED SUNDAY, LOST THE 1ST ONE, BUT WON THE SECOND. WE CAME IN 3RD PLACE!! THAT IS GREAT CONSIDERING IT WAS OUR 1ST TOURNAMENT!!! WE WILL PLAY AGAIN IN 2 WEEKS AT ULM!!

FLAGS REPRESENT FIGHTING SOLIDERS

ON OUR TRIP TO BAKER, WE PASSED THROUGH SEVERAL TOWNS THAT HAD MANY MANY FLAGS OUT. THERE WERE FLAGS EVERYWHERE. BEAR WITH ME, I HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL PICTURES ALONG THIS TRIP, BUT THE HOTEL'S COMPUTER WILL NOT LET ME PUT THEM ON MY BLOG, SO YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT TILL SUNDAY BEFORE YOU CAN SEE THEM!! SORRY, AND I TOOK PICTURES OF THESE FLAG,ETC. WHEN WE PASSED THROUGH JERRY'S FAMILY TOWN OF WINNSBORO, BAILEE TURNED TO ME AND SAID," MOM, YOU KNOW THAT ALL THOSE FLAGS SHOW ALL THE PEOPLE THAT FOUGHT IN THE WAR, AND THAT THEY DIED,IT IS SHOWING RESPECT FOR THEM". WOW, WHAT AN AMAZING LITTLE SHE IS!!! I THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK HER IF SHE KNEW WHAT TODAY REALLY MEANT, AND SHE ANSWERED,"OF COURSE I DO MOMMA, WE ARE CELEBRATING INDEPENDENCE DAY,THE DAY AMERICA WAS FREE". I AM SO GLAD MY CHILDREN CAN REALIZE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR HOLIDAYS!!! I AM SO GLAD I LIVE IN A COUNTRY WERE I HAVE FREEDOM, EVEN MORE FREEDOM FOR MY FAMILY!!

4TH OF JULY FAMILY MEMORIES

WOW, IT IS AMAZING HOW MUCH YOU CAN SEE WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING!! I LOVE FOR MY FAMILY TO TRAVEL TOGETHER. IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO REALLY ENJOY SOME QUALITY TIME TOGETHER. GOD JUST KEEPS ON BLESSING US!! OUR FAMILY HAD SOME REALLY GREAT CONVERSATIONS ON OUR WAY TO BAKER. BUT, WHAT IS REALLY WONDERFUL IS THAT WE WENT THROUGH THE LITTLE TOWN OF WINNSBORO, WHICH IS JERRY'S MOM AND DAD'S HOMETOWN. JERRY THEN PROCEEDED TO TELL OUR CHILDREN HIS 4TH OF JULY CHILD MEMORIES. HE SHOWED CAIDEN AND BAILEE WHERE MIMI'S HOUSE WAS THAT SHE GREW UP IN. JERRY SHARED ALL THE UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES HE HAD WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS, HE THEN SHOWED US WHERE HIS GRANDPA USE TO WORK. CAIDEN AND BAILEE WERE SO INTERESTED IN HIS 4TH OF JULY MEMORIES. WE ALSO PASSED MY HIS AUNTS PLACE, WHERE WE CELEBRATED OUR FIRST 4TH OF JULY AS A WHOLE FAMILY, WHEN WE BECAME OUR FAMOUS FANTASTIC FAMILY OF FOUR. BAILEE WAS JUST 4 MONTHS OLD!! I CAN STILL REMEMBER THAT LITTLE RED,WHITE, AND BLUE DRESS THAT SHE HAD ON!!! CAIDEN GOT TO RIDE HIS VERY FIRST HORSE THERE!!! PAPPAW ELLERMAN TOOK PICTURES OF HIM ON THAT HORSE, AND I STILL HAVE THAT PICTURE FRAMED!! I REMEMBER ALL THE CHILDREN THAT WERE THERE, AND BELIEVE ME, THERE WERE MANY!! ALL OF JERRY'S AUNTS WERE GATHERED AROUND THE TABLE, SHARING FOND MEMORIES OF THEIR DEAR MOTHER, JERRY'S GRANDMOTHER, AND SHARING HER TRADITIONS WITH THE FAMILY!! I WAS A LITTLE SAD ABOUT TRAVELING AND NOT BEING ABLE TO DO "MY" TRADITIONAL 4TH OF JULY, BUT GODS PLANS FOR US THIS 4TH OF JULY WAS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE. MY CHILDREN GOT TO SEE THEIR DADDY'S 4TH OF JULY TRADITIONS AND THEY WERE SO INTERESTED IN KNOWING IT AND HOPEFULLY CARRYING SOME THESE MEMORIES ON WITH THEIR CHILDREN. FAMILY IS SO IMPORTANT TO US AND MY CHILDREN HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE TRIPS LIKE THIS. HAVE A BLESSED HOLIDAY!!