Chaney Crew

Well, my oldest baby is really not a baby any more. I cannot believe how the time has flown by. Gavin is now old enough to play Summer T-ball for the first time! They had their first practice last night. I am so excited and sad at the same time. His cousin Coleton is on his team and they had a "ball!" They both did really well batting, Gavin is going to have to work on batting and running the bases. He wants to bat then get his glove and go field again. I am so proud of you, Gaivn and your cousin, Coleton for a job well done. More after the next practice on Thursday evening! Also, thanks to Aunt Heather for watching Baby Gage while I and Uncle Chris helped the boys!

Practicing in the Park

We went to the park over the weekend with the Haight's to brush up on the boys t-ball skills. They did really well. I think that the big boys got a better work out than the little boys. It really showed today with Gavin in t-ball practice. I cannot wait to see the games. It is going to be so cute!

Coleton stayed the night with Gavin twice this last week. First the night that Brooke was born and then on Saturday night. Gavin loves for Coleton to come over all the time/any time. We thought that we would offer to take Coleton so maybe the new parents could just adjust to Baby Brooke. Here are some pics from the sleepovers. We love having Coleton over!

The first game will be on...

Gavin's first t-ball game will be on Tuesday, May 9th at 6:15 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club in Malvern on field 1. I just wanted to let everyone know. I hope to get some really cute pictures of Gavin and Coleton to post on the blog.

Gavin's very 1st T-Ball Game!

Tuesday, May 9th was Gavin's first t-ball. We did not know what in the world to expect but everything came out pretty nicely! Coleton is on his team, of course, and they really did well. The game was 2 innings long and consisted of no score. (They do not keep score in T-Ball.) Each team let EVERY player bat AND run the bases! It was very cute! Let's just say that T-Ball is not for four year olds!!! But they were cute! The next game is Tuesday, May 16th at 6:15 p.m. at the Malvern Boys and Girls Club.

Gavin graduated or transitioned from preschool on Monday, May 22, 2006. It is called a transition because Gavin has another year of preschool left before he starts kindergarten. Do you think Gavin looks dressed up for graduation? Well... there is a funny story behind that! Gavin went in plaid shorts, that you see, and a white polo shirt. We NEVER send him in nice clothes because they get too dirty. Well I thought, that is the key word, since that was the day of Graduation and Graduation was at 1:00 in the afternoon, they would keep him clean. BOY, was I ever WRONG!!! Ray saw Gavin before I did and he told me that the shirt he was wearing was now brown. I thought he meant a few spots. On no, he meant brown! Gavin looked like he had rolled around in the dirt for 5 hours! I was upset. So his teachers dug around found an old Nike shirt for Gavin to put on! So for his preschool graduation poor Gav looked a little grungy! He was still the cutest one there!

How precious!

Gavin, you have been so proud of your bubba. Since Mommy ad you have been out of school, we have gotten to be at home with Gage and you just adore him! It is so sweet to see you two together. You are very protective and tell all of the family that Gage is not old enough yet. You also helped Nana and Mommy do some things the other day and Gage went to the sitters. You asked for him all day long and demanded that we go get him! I am so proud of both of you! I cannot wait for the years to come!

Gavin's first T-ball season was officially over on the June 12th. They had one last game to make up due to a rain-out. I thought that Gavin did really well considering that he and everyone else on the team are around 4 years of age. Remember 4 year olds have no sense of team playing! HA! Needless to say the season was full of laughs and wonderful times. Best of all Gavin had Coleton there through it all! Thanks boys for all of the memories!!!!

Okay, here is Gavin's room. His room is completed - completely. If that makes any sense to you. What I mean is that I will say Gage's room is finished but it is really not because I am still deciding about the walls. On the other hand everything is up in Gavin's room. I painted his canvases (sp?) last year. The numbers on the canvas are is birthday - Feb. 26, 2002. We got his dresser from Cajun Brothers in Conway. We are really proud about the way his room turned out. By the way, Do you see Gavin in any of these pictures?

Gavin started his first day of school. He was so excited. He is attending the Preschool where I am teaching. Ray went in to work late so he could be there with us for Gavin riding the bus for the first time. He was so cute in my classroom, I wanted a picture with him and he said no mom you need to hold the marker and act like you are writing on the board! I had to do what he said because it was so cute! Here are some pictures! Enjoy!

Gavin rides the bus everyday to the preschool and then back to me in afternoon. He loves it. There are 3 other boys that ride with him. Here are a few things that the bus driver said about Gavin:
-He was saying "school bus, school bus" trying to get the bus driver's attention! HA!
-He kept saying "Look the stop sign keeps going in and out, in and out!"
-The bus had to stop for a while and wait on some students and he asked the driver what they were doing and she told him waiting for students and watching the other buses stop and drop kids off. Well after a few buses went through and stopped and bus came through and did not stop. He went crazy "school bus, school bus that bus did NOT stop. He will be in trouble." (over and over)
The bus driver said she loved it! Can you imagine?

This was a great Christmas for you, Gavin. You were so into Santa and understood that being good meant Santa would bring you gifts. You loved the lights outside the house and looking at other houses. You were very into opening presents a few lead to wanting to open many. You also vocied opinions about not liking something, which at first we were disappointed in you about that but on the other hand we totally understand! ;) We are just going to have to concentrate on having you keep your voice down.

Christmas started with a family reunion on Ba's side of the family on the morning of Sat. the 23rd, then off to the Haight's. We made cookies and decorating gingerbread men! You all had fun opening presents, you got a remote control Hummer. Christmas Eve we stayed around the house until we went to Granny and Papa's we had a great time there. The family is huge. We added THREE new babies to the family since last Christmas. The house was packed FULL! We came home and Mawmaw stayed the night with you guys! We opened a few presents and of course you wanted more. Santa had cookies and milk left for him. You wanted to see HOHO so bad that you had to sleep on your top bunk, which you never do, and look out the window the entire night for HOHO! It was so cute. You did not go to bed until about midnight! Santa came and left in a hurry because he left a mess with the cookies and milk! He left you great presents! You got a bike, bb gun, clothes, Spiderman backpack, and other great things. You opened all your gifts from Mawmaw and Mom & Dad. THEN, Nana, Ba, Aunt Kassy, Uncle BJ, and Mema came over for Chirstmas breakfast and gifts. We started this your first Christmas so everyone could see your Santa gifts. The food was wonderful! Mema made homemade biscuits-Yummy! You got a portable DVD player, a savings bond, clothes, and the movie Cars! You loved everything! Bubba needed help so you opened most of his gifts also! It was great! We ended the day by having your daddy's side of the family over for Christmas! Family and food are great ingridents but add Christmas cheer and lots of love and you have a great gathering! The evening went better than mommy and daddy could have ever imagined! You got more presents and played with Coleton and Kayleigh!

Thanks Gavin for a very memmorable Christmas! It was precious and priceless! I hope to never forget it!! Love you Mom and Dad

:)

Gavin has had his first major mildstone, his 5th birthday. He wanted it to be at Chuck E. Cheese, however we opted for something a little closer to the house and less expensive. The Benton McDonald's was the best alternative. This McD's caters to birthdays. They have a special party room and a huge indoor play area. They had everything set up when we arrived and Gavin immediately went to play. He had tons of friends and family there: Lucas, Chad,and Jacob came from school. Cousins Megan, Coleton, and Brooke were there. Friends Malaki, Levi, and Savanna. Ba, Uncle BJ, Aunt Kassy, Laura, Misti, Mema, Mawmaw, Bob, Gram, Pa, Sara, Gary, Clint, TT, Mark , Nikki, Uncle Chris, and Aunt Heather were among the guests there. The kids had happy meals then went and played. Then we opened gifts and had cake and ice cream. Gavin was really into Cars, so Lightning McQueen was everywhere. His cake was really cute. Gavin got so much cool stuff and he loves every bit of it! Thanks to everyone that helped and came to share Gavin's special day! We Love You, Gavin. You have grown up too fast!

Second Year

T-ball is under way for the spring/summer. It is amazing what one year can do. Instead of Gavin running all over with the rest of the team, they actually catch and throw the ball where it is suppose to go. Amazing!! Gavin played last year and it was like a joke. This year is a different story we have really good coaches!! That is a major plus. Also daddy is home from work to attend and help with practices. I think that you really like having mommy and daddy there helping you. Gage has been doing very well at the games and practices. Cousin Coleton is playing with you again this year. You guys have a ball together!! Can't wait until next game. Malaki is playing on another team. I would like to see him play. Also Austin is playing and will play against each other later in the year. Thanks for the memories!! Love you!!

The end is FINALLY here. I know, what kind of parent am I? The kind that is ready for the longest t-ball season to be over. We had a great year and I think that Gavin had fun. They had a pizza party at Pizza Hut this last Saturday. Gavin was so proud of his trophy! Ray even got a trophy for helping coach. I thought that was pretty cool. Here are a few pics of everyone.

Gavin goes to school

Gavin you have been in school for two years now. But this is where is really starts - Kindergarten. No naps, grades on papers, big boy!! You did well the first little bit of school. You were having some trouble adjusting to the fact that kindergarten is serious. We had a chat with your teacher and the principal and you seemed to understand what school was all about at that point. You have been EXCELLENT ever since. Trouble means ticketing pulling and you hardly pull any tickets. Always coming home on green! We are so proud of the young man that you have become! You are just precious and perfect and smart! We are so blessed to have you as a son. Do well through out school Gavin and you will succeed in anything in life!

Love you!

Ray went with Gavin's kindergarten class to the pumpkin patch. They had a blast! The really funny thing is that the pumpkins were TINY!!! We will go again and take Gage and get BIG ones. :)

Gavin begs us EVERYDAY to play with Grady and George. Well today we let him loose. This is what happened!!

Extra about Gavin. This was the 1st time that Gavin has really gotten into Halloween. He would go through the motions before but this year was different. This is funny because Gage loved it and seemed almost more into "Halloween" than Gavin! Gavin was a teenage mutant ninja turtle. He was super cute. The face painting was great! We had a great time!

What Gavin got...
Santa - Trampoline, "T" wrecks, book, Shrek 3, cars.
Mom & Dad - clothes, transformers, batman socks and underwear, new PJ's
Nana & Ba - scooter, transformers, books, flashlight, puzzles, & savings bond
Mema - money & animal
Aunt Kassy - Cars blanket & Nike shoes
Uncle BJ & Jenni - Power Ranger shirt & Spiderman hat & gloves
Mawmaw - space dome, Spiderman couch, & Fun carnival playhouse
Gram & Pa - $20
Uncle Ron - Transformer
Aunt Bev & Uncle Darrell - bag of goodies
Sara & Gary - Memory game & Guess Who?
Bazzell's - Cars tray
Granny & Papa - $10
Parish - batman toy & gloves

My baby turned 6 today! 6 years has went by so fast! He is so grown up and so not my baby anymore! He went to school today and had a great day! He said he got birthday spankings. :) We went to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. The boys had a blast! We got a ton of tokens and played until dinner came and then rushed through eating to play some more. It was a blast and the time went by so fast! I could not believe how late it had gotten. His party will be on Saturday, so I will post pics of that later.

We had Gavin's birthday party at the bowling alley this past weekend! It was so much fun! Crazy but fun! There were a ton of his little frinends there and Gavin enjoyed every minute of it! It was well worth the money and Gavin's excitement! It is the first birthday that Gavin has really been into and really knew the meaning to everything. He was into the presents and the bowling. He listened pretty good and so did all the kids! It was a great afternoon! Thanks to everyone that helped make the party a success! Sara took pics and Sis for videoing! Thanks to everyone that came!

Gavin went home for the first time after school with a friend! He is his best buddy at school, and his mom sent a note for me to call her. They had the best time! He rode the bus to his house, and they had pizza that night. Then, on Saturday he was gone until 5:00!!! They went to Little Rock to ride go carts and play baseball! He is already asking when he gets to go back! I missed him so much and worried the whole time about him! He told Ray and me all about it when he came home! It was so cute! Ray and I both agreed that moment was a very "grown-up" moment! I cannot believe that my baby is growing up so fast! We are going to ask his little friend to come and stay with us next! It will be interesting to see how the friendship goes over the years!

I need to catch up on a few major things in Gavin's life. He had his big end of the year field trip to the zoo. I took off and went with him. It was so much fun! He loved being there with his little friends. We had a blast roaming all over to see everything. Every time we came to something new Gavin would say mom read the thing. Then he would repeat what I said. He is growing up so fast, and he is so smart! He is also a good little photographer. Wonder where he gets that? He took the picture of the little boy with the snake and the car one.

Gavin is also playing t-ball this year. This is his third year to play. He really loves it! He finally understands what is going on... He plays pitcher a lot and then 1st and 2nd. He loves to play pitcher! He is really good; however, he is all over the place. He is a very active little guy! :) I hope to get some better pics, but here are a few. Ray helps with the team, so I have Gage. It is hard to get a good pic trying to keep up with little dude.

Gavin also lost his first tooth on May 1st! He came home that day from school and it was loose. He had worked it all day and evening. Finally, after his ballgame that night he and daddy worked it out! I could not believe it! He came home one day with it loose and by bedtime we had something for the toothfairy! He received $5 for his first tooth and was so excited! We took his money to Wal-Mart where I tried to talk him into buying certain things, but he wanted candy. This is what he told me "Mom, I have too many toys. Remember what you said! I don't need any. I want to buy candy!" How can you argue with that?

Also Gavin lost a friend at school. The boy was in his PreK class last year and was in another kindergarten class this year. He died in a car wreck with his mother and sister on Mother's Day. Gavin is doing better, but it has been tough. I took him to the visitation, and I believe that it was the hardest thing that I will ever have to do as a mom. Please keep Gavin in your thoughts as well as the family and the rest of the kindergarters.

Gavin lost another tooth. The other front bottom... How cute is that smile?

T-ball is winding down... (thank goodness!) School is over... (really thank goodness!!) YEAH!!!!!!!! Can you tell I need a break!!!!!!!

Oh, this is Gage's little love hate relationship girlfriend! They are so mean to each other, but darn if it is not cute!

as in really over...

My baby will never play t-ball again! He has played for three years now, and three years ago I never saw myself where we are now! I guess I thought that he would stay little forever?!? (it may have been wishful thinking!) He is moving in the first grade and the pitching machine. da da da... Here are a few pics that I got tonight at his last game. He has done so well! He played first base a made two really good catches for outs and also got a grounder for an out! We are so proud of you Gavin! The last pic is of Gage running the bases one last time... :)

Gavin got the chance to snap a few shots while we were out. This is what he came up with... He is actually a VERY good photographer. I wonder where he gets it? ;)

I looked back through Gavin's entries and found one with him and the dogs. There were some great pics with him playing with Grady and George. If you don't remember what Grady looked like, you can go back and look. :(

Gavin and I had great first weeks of school! Gavin's teacher is wonderful! He is so excited! He had a few warnings this week, but did great! He did not loose any of his recess time which is great! His papers were really good. I can really see improvement and progression in him! I was so sad that my baby was starting the first grade, but I have come to realize that it is all a part of being an adult and growing up! Gage will be starting kindergarten before I know it!!! Way to go Gavin! Daddy and I are so proud of you!!!

Gavin has his own computer set up in the living room. It has internet and his games. He can turn it on, login, and go to town. He is just like his daddy! He is electronic! YEAH! The other day he starting taking the PC apart to work on it. He knows more than I do!! One day he will make me some good money! lol I caught him tired the other day! He did not want to lay down to take a nap, so he rested his head at the computer!! I thought you are your daddy's boy! He has grown up so much and is doing so good in the 1st grade! We love you Gavin!

third one

Gavin lost a top tooth today! He and Ray have been working on it for a few days. I cannot stand it! I just listened to the pep talk from the other room. Gavin kept saying "let me do it!" and "they are my teeth; pull your own - get lost!" and "I know what you are going to do daddy - trick me! I have done it to you a hundred times!" The last one is my personal favorite! Ray finally got a hold on it, and there was no turning back! That sucker popped right out! Gage was even trying to get in on the action! Ray told him that he was not old enough to lose a tooth yet! ;)

Who would have thought that basketball and teeth go together? Well, besides getting one knocked out... No, that did not happen to Gavin. He did pull his other front tooth at his game the other night. He was sitting on the bench with four fouls... (I will explain...) and he ran across the court and said, "Here Mom!" We were in shock! He got a drink and ran back over there. This is the first tooth Gavin got without the help of his daddy. He was pretty proud!

On the other note... He was being pretty aggressive on defense. While Ray and I were telling him to quit tackling the other team, his coach was telling him good job and giving high fives! Apparently, he was the only played that would stop the fast little guy from the other team. The coach told us to leave him alone! It was hilarious!

Gavin's basketball team won the chamionship! They went undeated this year! It was a fun (and funny) season! He only scored one point all season which won a ballgame! We are just glad that Gavin had fun! He really learned a lot about the game. Hopefully he will play next year if he is interested! Right now, he loves it! He is even having a basketball party! Love you Gavin! You make us laugh! ;)

Gavin was so excited to turn 7 this year! I was not as excited as he! :( I just cannot believe that my baby is 7! We rented the boys and girls club where Gavin played in the basketball league this winter. It was so nice and well worth the money! We had the basketball courts and a rock wall for the kids to play on! I got to use the kitchen which was great for the ice cream and food! He had several friends there and of course our family! We did have several calls later to wish him and happy birthday and sorry they missed the fun! The cake was delicious and so cute too! The decorations were small, but the kids got basketball wristbands, b-ball pencils, Beavers cup, and candy from the pinata! The babies got little basketballs! We love you, Gavin! Happy B-day!

We have moved up to Little League! They had opening ceremony Saturday the 4th. Gavin and his team walked in the parade. Gage and I watched from the street until Gage decided that he wanted to walk too and ran out to Ray! (Little Stinker!) Then we had our first game to play. It is amazing how much they learn over the years. I can think back to that first t-ball game. WOW! is all I can say! HA! Gavin is doing great! He is trying really hard and listening. He is playing outfield and really backing up the bases awesome! He hits the ball every time he gets up to bat too! It is so much fun to watch! I think we got some video at the last game. I will try to upload that soon.

Oh Yeah and Ray is helping coach! :)

HOME RUN!

Gavin's season is over; however, we are having to play some make up ballgames. They played a double header on Saturday morning. It was so hot, but we are glad for the sun! Gavin has been doing really awesome! He has been hitting good all season, but here at the end he is really hitting. Of course he had several RBIs. He hits those atleast once a game. BUT the last game Saturday Gav hit a HOME RUN! He was so excited, and Ray said it just made the season for him! It was really great! I got a few pics to share! Also check out Gav's batting stance. It is pretty good form!

Well this is the last official entry for Gavin's baseball for the summer... unless he makes all-stars... we will see though... Coach Prichard got the team tickets to see the Travelers! The new field in NLR is so awesome! The heat was a little unbearable, but it was so much fun! Gavin was bummed about not catching a fly ball, but as we were walking out early, Gavin and Ray found two foul balls that were hit out of the park! It was a nice day out on the town...

This year was a major step. For the past three years (prek-1st grade) Ray and I have walked Gavin to class, and this year Gavin did not want us to walk with him! :( Ray went on to work, and Gavin went with me to school. Thank goodness he let me take a picture of him! I stopped in to see him at lunch, and he did give me a hug! After school he told me the best thing was his teacher was nice! :) I am not sure what it is, but 2nd grade has made my baby seem grown! We love you Gavin!

Gage is at his last year at Miss Lissa's house. Of course he loves it! He is the BABY! :) Hopefully he can attend prek next year at school with Gavin and me.

** Side note this is my fourth year of teaching, and my first day went great! Ray even surprised me with flowers! I know... he is a keeper! Love you honey!

Gavin and I have had the best time gathering and making costumes for red ribbon week. Monday the theme was "Choose a book and not drugs." Gavin was the mouse from The Tale of Despereaux, and I was Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. Tuesday was "Make drugs History." (Dress as your favorite time period in history or person from history.) Gavin chose Pres. Barack Obama, and I chose Abraham Lincoln. Here are a few pics for your enjoyment. :)

Gavin decided to play basketball again this year at the boys and girls club. One of his best buddies Evan is on his team, and he has been super excited about it. Some of his other buddies are on opposing teams! (You can imagine how that goes.) He got a basketball goal for Christmas and wants to shoot all the time. We can really see improvement in him. He is really good on defense - a great rebounder, not really an offensive threat although he has made a few points. We are proud of you Gavin!

Gavin played basketball at our local boys and girls club again this year. He ended up on the same team as last year, well half the team was the same and the coach. He did so much better this year. I could tell that he had really learned some fundamentals. He actually had to figure out how to dribble to get the ball up the court. Not saying that he always dribbled, but he did learn. :) His team went undefeated again this year during the season, and they won the tournament! It was very exciting! It was even more special this year because his buddy Evan was on his team, and Aunt Sara, Uncle Gary, and Teralee were there for the big win! Thanks to Aunt Kassy, Nana, Ba, Crissy, and Mema for coming to support Gavin this year. He was proud to have everyone there!

February 26, 2010

Gavin is definitely growing up, and I just want to cry! He chose to have a sleepover instead of a huge party, so we had a family dinner and a sleepover.

Gavin's favorite meal is spaghetti, so we had spaghetti, salad, and bread for dinner. The guests were Nana, Ba, Mema, Gram, Aunt Kassy, Uncle Scotty, Jacob, Anna, Uncle Gary, Aunt Sara, Teralee, Aunt Sandy, and Uncle Terry. I made him a wrestling cake with twizzlers for the rope of the ring and little thumb wrestling heads for the fighters. He is really into wrestling right now, so he wore his wrestling shirt and loved the cake! He got a ton of money and bought a wrestling Wii game that he really wanted, plus he bought four books at the book fair at school. He was super excited about Anna and Jacob coming in, so we had them stay the night. It was fun getting to play aunt and uncle for Ray and me too.

Last night Gavin had four friends come home with him from school for his sleepover. We had a silly string war, played basketball, and jumped on the trampoline all before dinner! Then we went to Larry's pizza and ate a ton of pizza, and the kiddos played games for a long time! They cashed in their tickets, and we came home to continue the fun. They played the Wii, DS, and watched movies. We got everyone settled on a couch or on blankets in the floor and popped some popcorn. They watched Mall Cop, ate popcorn, and laughed and laughed! I had to go walk a 5K this morning (and they were up when I started my coffee at 6:30 a.m.), so Ray took over the reins. They went on the four wheeler and played outside some more. Gavin said it was the best, and that is all that matters!

Thanks everyone that made Gavin's birthday special! We love you Gavin and cannot believe that our baby is eight years old. It just seems like a pretty big milestone for him and Ray and I!

Gavin really was not ready to quit basketball to play baseball, but life goes on. So here we are opening day of season and some other games. I am really late on posting this. Our little team is going pretty good on the pitching machine. We have a young team, so they have had to get to know each other and work together. Gavin plays shortstop mostly. He has made some really good throws to first for outs. He likes playing pitcher too. Heck, I think he would like to play anywhere on the field. He is always ready to go.

Gavin has been a busy little bee this summer attending baseball and basketball camps plus he made All-Stars in his baseball league this year! He did very good at his camps. He did not win any awards at the baseball camp, but we could see a tremendous growth in him. At the basketball camp, he won two ribbons. One for placing second in the free throw competition and the other for placing third in the hot shot competition! I was beaming from ear to ear! He is a small little squirt so placing in the elem. (2nd - 4th) division was really good. He is going to be an offensive threat! :)

All-Stars has taken up A LOT of the summer. Practices three nights a week for several hours... So we were thrilled to place second at district (in Parker's Chapel) after getting beat in the first round and having to fight our way out of the loser's bracket to make it back to the championship game! Then we went on to state (in Arkadelphia) and lost one, won one, then lost again after being tied 13-13 and playing almost 9 innings!! (We won't discuss the bad call on the ump's part!) We were very proud of Gavin and his team. He played second base and was a defensive maniac! Ray was also chosen to coach!

A special shout out to Aunt Kass and Uncle Dub for letting us crash at their place for four days to play in a tournament down south! Also to Nana and Ba for never missing a game! And to Uncle B and Aunt Jenni for spending some of their visit at the ballpark! Love you all!