Wee Ball. 2012

.....

Reid's second season of "Wee Ball" has came and gone. This year instead of playing in Seminole, we played with the Shawnee YMCA. Reid was much more "into the game" this year. He couldn't wait each week for game day and took his baseball very seriously. Jeb and Reid would practice almost every evening in the backyard. He'd much rather practice his hitting, but every now and then Jeb would get him to squeeze in some grounders. We didn't know any of the other kids on Reid's team, which actually turned out to be a good thing. Because he didn't know any of the kids, he didn't have anyone that he could tackle on the field or "fight" over the ball. It also helped him to stay a little more focused on the actual game.

.....

Each time Reid would get on base, he would give us a "thumbs up." He is really good at hitting the ball, although he still prefers for Jeb to throw the ball to him instead of hitting off of the tee. We told him that he still had a couple more years before he would be able to play coach pitch!

.....

Each time he would run to a base he would have to "hop" onto it! It was really cute!

.....

.....

.....

.....

.....

Little Miss dressed herself for this game! She wanted to wear tall socks like her brother's baseball socks, and I thought these lace ones were just adorable!

.....

Posing with Papa

.....

Fielding still isn't our best skill, but he definitely has improved since last year! He's great at throwing the ball - and with accuracy - but sometimes getting the ball into his glove is quite the challenge!

.....

At least he looks like he knows what he's doing!

.....

I tried to take a picture of the two of them together after his first game and this was the best that I could get!

.....

The best part about baseball games...SNACKS!

.....

.....

One of Reid's favorite things to do was to slide home. He practiced, and practiced, and finally he got the hang of it.

.....

.....

Kisses for his sissy!

.....

.....

Jeb helped coach the team. Jeb is so great at working with kids. He has an incredible amount of patience and has a special way of making "buddies" with all of the little ones.

.....

FACE OFF - After I took this picture I realized that these two had been sticking their tongues out at each other!

.....

sweet little cheerleader

.....

His little face gets so red...just like his daddy's!

.....

My beautiful brown-eyed boy!

.....

.....

.....

Getting his medal from daddy! What a GREAT season!!

.....

.....

YMCA Cardinals - 2012

 .....

Weeball 2011

.....

Weeball 2012

These are a few of my favorite things.

.....

Yes, here they are....a few of my favorite things. Two precious, wonderful, silly, beautiful, healthy, spirited, kind-hearted, blonde-haired children. My children. My light, my hope, my love...MY WORLD. My cup runneth over. 

.....

Here are few of Reid's favorite things.

Reid Jackson Rollins - Age 4

• Food: pickles, chicken & dumplings, beef jerky, Cheez-Its, banana nut bread, plums
• TV Shows: Curious George, River Monsters, Power Rangers
• Movies: The Sandlot, Cars 2
• Sayings: "Heck ya!" "So awesome!" "It's not fair!"
• Characters: superheroes - Spiderman, Batman
• Clothing: athletic wear and flip flops (with no straps) - basketball shorts/Nike & Under Armor gear, "cool stuff"
• Activities: FISHING (especially at the lake), swimming (diving to the bottom for things), tubing at the lake, going to work with daddy, practicing baseball with daddy (especially hitting), riding your 4-wheeler at Nana & Papa's, riding your bike, playing basketball, dressing up as superheroes, playing the iPad (mostly fishing games)
• Books: fishing books, books about K.D. or basketball, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, Dr. Suess books
• Games: Hide & Seek, Candyland, playing cowboys with daddy
• Songs: "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber, "Gummy Bear" on the iPad/YouTube

Favorite summer memory: Watching Reid learn to wakeboard, tubing with Jeb and Reid at the lake and going cool tricks/making pyramids

.....

Here are a few of LilliAnn's favorite things.

LilliAnn McKenzie Rollins - Age 2

• Food: hamburger meat, cheese, green beans, strawberries, oranges, cupcakes, Milk Duds, M&Ms
• TV Shows: Dora the Explorer
• Movies: Leapfrog Letter Factory, Dora Ballet Adventure, The Little Mermaid, Tinkerbell
• Sayings: "I promise" "I wuv you to the moon" 
• Characters: Tinkerbell, Cinderella, Dora, "princesses," Ariel, Minnie Mouse, My Little Ponies
• Clothing: leggings, "panties," Tinkerbell or Cinderella t-shirt, dresses, light-up shoes
• Activities: singing and dancing in the living room, riding Reid's red power-wheels 4-wheeler, playing baby dolls, playing mommy's iPhone, coloring & drawing, finger painting, playing with her kitchen at the lake
• Books: Where's My Mommy, The Ugly Duckling, Mother Goose nursery rhymes/poems/songs
• Games: Candyland
• Songs: ABC Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Little Mermaid: "Part of Your World"
• Lovies: "Ivy" the baby doll, pink softie blankie

Favorite summer memory: Lil doing tricks on her pink 4-wheeler at the lake - riding with one leg and standing up on the seat, singing "Part of Your World" in the bath tub at the lake, playing baby dolls before going to sleep at night

.....

 .....

 .....

 .....

 .....

 .....

Reid's words.

While lying in bed this morning, first thing Reid says when he wakes up...
"I need to give mama some lovin'"

Reid's 4th Birthday: Thunder Up

The big F*O*U*R!

.....

Reid's 4th birthday was nothing short of AMAZING! We celebrated turning four for an entire week! I started the week by bringing Batman and Spiderman cupcakes to Reid's "school" (Mother's Day Out). Reid was so surprised, and thought it was very cool that he got to have a birthday party with his class. The parents, however, probably didn't think the red and blue icing was too cool! All of his friends at school sang 'Happy Birthday' to him and then we passed out Spiderman goody bags. 

.....

.....

The next day we had Thunder cupcakes and had a small family party at our house so Reid could open some of his presents (since it would be hard for us to take them to his big party). My kids LOVE to blow out candles, so we had to sing to him several times and re-light the candles so he could keep blowing them out. My grandparents got Reid three superhero costumes...Batman, Spiderman, and the red Power Ranger. He insisted on wearing the Power Ranger costume to blow out his candles. That was the only thing that he wanted for his birthday! And let me tell you, he's worn it almost every day since! Jeb and I got him a few small toys that go with his Batman cave and a couple of water toys. We also are going to get him a trampoline, but decided we would wait and buy that when it cools off a little. Plus, after seeing the Power Ranger costume, he really didn't care about opening any more presents! 

 

.....

The big surprise was on Wednesday, April 25th...Reid's actual birthday. Since we have courtside season tickets to the Thunder games, and our entire family absolutely LOVES the OKC Thunder... especially Reid...I thought it was be so fun to have a party at the Thunder game. And...it just so happened that the last home game of the season was on Reid's actual birthday! I worked with Janaki, a Thunder  sales and group representative, and she helped us set up a birthday package and plan everything! We bought 35 tickets for friends and family, then reserved a suite where we could eat and celebrate Reid's birthday. Reid knew that he was going to a Thunder game for his birthday, but had no idea that all his friends would be there! He was so excited when he saw Jett and Wyatt outside the arena!

.....

Jett Rollins, Wyatt Adams, Reid Rollins, & Cason Hays

.....

My friend, Amanda, brought her little girl, Paisley, and they even made a birthday sign for Reid! It was perfect!!

.....

This was the inside of the suite! It was all set up for Reid's party! The kids received foam fingers and pom pons... and Reid got a birthday bag with Thunder player decals, a signed Rumble poster, and a t-shirt! We had the suite the entire game so we were able to come and go as we please.  

.....

....

I had picked out our dinner menu ahead of time. We had an all-you can eat, kid-friendly (although not the most healthy), buffet complete with fried mac & cheese, chicken strips, chips, candy bars, and mini corndogs! We also had a stocked mini fridge and a waitress for the entire game! We weren't allowed to bring any food into the arena, so the arena caterers had to make the cake. I was a little unsure of how it would turn out, but let me tell you...it was SOOOOO GOOOD! It was chocolate with a cream cheese icing and absolutely delicious! I thought it was pretty cute too!

.....

....

We were arrived at the game, Reid got an even bigger surprise! Janaki informed us that Reid and his crew would get to stand on the court during the pre-game festivities and would get to high-five the players as they were getting introduced!! While we were waiting to go out on the court, the kids had to stand in a straight line and be very still. Janaki said she had never had a group this young, but she said they acted better than some of her older age groups! I was such a proud mom.

.....

I didn't take my big camera onto the court, and we couldn't use a flash, so these pictures aren't the greatest. We what an AWESOME experience!

.....

He was LOVING IT!

.....

How cool is this?

.....

Reid had already met all of the players and taken pictures with them at the VIP Meet & Greet, but getting to high-five them on the court - while they were wearing their uniforms - was so much better...especially for a four year-old!

.....

"Oh my, this is too much."

.....

.....

Grayson was getting into it!

.....

.....

.....

Jeb's cousin, Anna, from 'Bling it on Baby' made this adorable tutu outfit! It said 'I love Thunder' on the front of the shirt. LilliAnn looked super cute, but unfortunately she was overwhelmed by all the people and wasn't feeling well so I didn't get many smiles that night. 

.....

.....

He thought he was BIG STUFF!

.....

.....

Opening presents (they had to be in a sack that security could look in - no wrapping paper!)

.....

Spiderman blanket!

.....

Mommy and her birthday boy!

.....

.....

.....

.....

1, 2, 3...4

.....

The kids thought the cake was yummy too!

.....

.....

sweet cousins.

.....

All of the kids that attended Reid's Thunder birthday party

Aspyn, Carson, Jett, Reid, LilliAnn, Paisley, Turner, Cason, Wyatt, Cash, Emma, & Grayson

.....

Thunder is #1

.....

This was up on the jumbotron at halftime...I missed the big birthday cake that said 'Happy Birthday Reid.'

.....

Reid's biggest fans - Emma, Aspyn, & Paisley

.....

fun times in the suite at halftime

.....

One of my favorite pics of the night! This will be great in their senior slideshow one day!

.....

beautiful Thunder girl!

.....

After the game, we finally get a smile (maybe it's because we took the big bow off!).

.....

We even got to take a picture with Rumble down on the court after the game! Thankfully, it was a THUNDER WIN!!!

.....

Reid with his Papa Jeff

.....

When we were getting our stuff from the suite after the game, Jeb was like "wonder if they'd mind if I took this?" Just kidding!

.....

I love these two babies!

.....

The best (and only!) family pic we got that night! 

.....

It was a birthday party that we will all remember forever! The party could not have gone more smoothly and could not have been more fun!! The Thunder organization is so great to work with and we have always had the BEST experience with all things Thunder! Everyone... from the arena staff, to the waitresses, to the account representatives... goes above and beyond to be nice and helpful. We've already booked the suite and a group package for next season, so I can't wait to do it again! With a rockstar party like this, Reid may want to do this every year...which would be fine with me :)