UGA baby!

I am SO THRILLED that Courtney got accepted to the University of Georgia. I am a huge Corey Smith fan. I think this song is just awesome and I thought of it the second I got the call from CJ! She has a big decision ahead, Clemson or UGA. Both schools are great and they both will be lucky to have her.

I dont have a picture of her with her acceptance letter so this will have to do!( it is her first ticket!)

I will never forget CJ moving me into my dorm freshman year at Columbia College. She was way to small to be in all that mess but she wanted to be there. She was adorable helping unpack but I have one memory that stands out. As my family was driving away, Courtney popped her head out of the back of the Suburban and waved good bye to me. She was adorable with her blonde hair and sweet smile wishing me well as I started a new chapter of my life.

Courtney, I know either school you choose, you will be successful! I love you and can't wait to see all the amazing things you do in this next phase of life!

They make me melt

Mason has loved his big brother Nolan from the second they laid eyes on each other. Mason wants to be just like Nolan. When he crawled, he crawled after Nolan. When he toddled, he toddled after Nolan. And when he learned to walk, he was always on Nolans heels. One thing Mason said from the moment he could talk was that he wanted to play baseball just like Nolan. This year playing tball there is something about Mason that just stands out. First, he is the ONLY 4 year old that wears a cup on the field. Why does a 4 year old wear a cup, because he 12 year old brother does. Mason knows how to hold the bat just right, because Nolan showed him how. Mason wears a blue armband, because Mark got one for everyone and Nolan has always shared his armbands. Mason carries his own batbag because Nolan never asks us to carry his.

 Nolan is awesome and he melts my heart. He has laid the foundation for Mason to grow into an amazing young man like his big brother. I can never thank Nolan enough for being the kind of brother Mason can look up to. Mason melts my heart with his love of everything. He is so thankful of everything and excited about everything. I give credit to Nolan for so much of that. These two boys have such a special bond and I feel lucky to get the chance to watch it grow.

She is all grown up.....Almost!

I am so lucky to have so many siblings. I love them all and have different realationships with each of them. Courtney is the second to last sister. I was so happy to have her visit yesterday.

My sweet CJ. Wow, I don't even know how to explain her to everyone. I will never forget the day she was born, she won't either becuase I remind her every year on her birthday. I had on black shorts and a black and white shirt. She was the cutest conehead you ever did see! She cried when you put her down, maybe becuase being 15, I never wanted to put her down.

She followed me everywhere when she was little. Her third birthday I dressed up like Barney and scared the snot out of her and all her friends. When I took the costume off and rejoined her party, she told me all about how cool it was Barney was there....yet she screamed and ran for the hills.

When dates would come over, she would want to go. I dated the same guy for a good while and when we broke up the first boy I brought over, Courtney said,  "You  aren't Buddy!" She was so fun to have to get ready with and dress up with!

When Kaelyn was born, she was a great big sister and she loved having a sister closer to her age. It has been fun to watch them grow up together and become such good friends. I hate I am not closer to them but I love that they have each other.

Seeing Courtney on her field trips to Columbia has been a treat for the boys and myself! She is always so fun to catch up with and watch her preform. I love her cheerleading and chorus events. I love seeing her as the awesome young lady she has become, not just a little tiny sister.

It makes me feel so old thinking she was just three when she came to move me into college my freshman year. She is now a senior in high school. Next year I will have a three year old when she moves into college. I hope she stays secure in who she is. I hope she had learned from our mistakes and she conquers everything college throws at her. I hope she meets friends that challenge her and love her. I hope she finds what she wants to do and falls in love with her life as a strong woman. I hope she visits and remembers how loved she is. I hope she never forgets the day she was born. That her big sister loved holding her, playing with her, watching her grow, and having her as a friend too.

 More than anything I hope she knows that it has killed me not to be able to be at every event for her. I think the Internet was invented so I could have pictures, emails, and videos of their preformances. I have watched from a far her become the strong indepent woman she is. I have loved the late night phone calls, silly conversations, great Wii dance offs, picture opportunities,first tickets, college applications, and everything else she has been so wonderful to let me be apart of. I can't believe my little CJ is almost all grown up. She will forever be that tiny baby I loved from the second she was born.  I can't wait to see her conquer the world. I love you Court.

Support

My children never sit still. Sometimes, very few and far between, I will catch them sitting still watching each other and supporting each other. It makes my heart smile.

As you can see, we REALLY do live at the ballpark. I love how each of the kiddos support each other. It makes for great days at our new home away from home.

Sunday dinner

In an effort to make something different this week I tried this new dinner idea:

Four frozen chicken breast
1 Cup of water
1 package of low sodium tace powder mix stuff

put in your crock pot on low all day long! When you get home, shred the heck out of the chicken.

Put some chicken on a spinach wrap with some shredded lettuce and some low fat shredded cheese and wrap it up all yummy like they do at Moes. I think some corn and black beans or even some rice would be yummy too. These were great on the go for baseball and super easy to make.

Baseball in FULL SWING

Well, the Burdette family  has literally lived at the ballpark for the past two weeks. Our afternoons are like this:
 3:00 Nolan and Gracie get home
4:00 Dinner is served
5:00 Leave for the ball park
9:00 baths and bedtime

FOR REAL, this is our life right now and we are loving it, although we are very tired and Mark is going from sun up to sun down.

In the past two weeks: Gracie got the game ball for her first game.

Gracie showed the best effort and had an wonderful game. We are so proud of her!

Mason had his second season game. He was just as excited for game two as he was opening day. It is so much fun watching him become a baseball player like Nolan and Mark. Nolan was his "Brother Coach" and they both loved that.

Kade has not been forgotten this season. He loves cheering on everyone. He is the BEST fan at the park!

Nolan is enjoying getting to watch the little ones play this year. He is also still playing both league ball and travel ball. This weekend he played with the Carolina Swampcats. I was not too happy when I saw they were wearing garnet Carolina shirts with black hats. Not a Clemson fans dream uniform but Nolan made it look good. He played very well and as always I love his attitude when he plays. The little kids are going to learn so much from their big brother.

So as you can see, this is our life, literally in FULL SWING! If you want to visit with us or need us we can be found at the ballpark. I am thinking we might even forward our mail there for awhile! I hope everyone is enjoying whatever season their life is in. I know that even when I want to pull my hair out because we are never home, I wouldn't trade these days for anything. 





Opening Day

At our house, I run off a schedule. It drives Mark nuts but I think deep down he is super thankful for how well thought out every second of our lives are. Opening Day was no different; in fact I think my planning was even more over the top.

Friday we got our teams uniforms in, so I carefully packed all 12 t ball uniforms for our team in their cute brown bags. I wrote the names on each bag and “Go Rangers”! We delivered and had all of the uniforms picked up by 7:00!

For dinner I made pizza, ok I defrosted pizza. But we all sat around the table together and talked about Mason and Gracie’s first games and the fact that Nolan was going to pitch! Everyone was excited….I think Mark and I were the MOST excited! After dinner everyone had their baths and brought me their uniforms. I laid them out on the dining room table in the order they would put them on. Their hats and wrist bands were in front of their uniforms. Then it was off to bed! After everyone was tucked in I went and looked at the table and realized how our family was growing. Not in numbers but in experience. Everyone is getting older. No more babies in this house!

By 6:30 am on Saturday, everyone was up and EXCITED! Donuts for breakfast and then came getting four children ready and out the door within an hour! Nolan and Mason have a routine of how a baseball player gets dressed! I am so thankful for Nolan teaching Mason how to get everything on, tucked, and situated! Gracie was awesome getting herself ready and then letting me get her ponytail just right. In true Kari form, pictures followed before we could leave!

Opening ceremony was awesome. The teams all looked amazing, but I was partial to ours! As a team mom, I received a yellow rose from the boys. It was so sweet. Grandma and Grandpa Nowell even came to watch three Burdette’s play on the same day. We enjoyed whole morning supporting Nolan, Gracie, and Mason.

Mason and Nolan played at the same time. This was a first for us. For the past few years the whole family has supported Nolan. Mark has never missed a practice or a game. This was the first game he had to miss part of. Mason’s game was so much fun. Four and five year olds are just adorable on the baseball field! Mason hit the ball without using the tee! It was so cool to watch him play! It was also nice to have Grandma remember Kade! She brought him a bat and ball so he would have something to keep him happy!

 The second Mason’s game was over, we ran to watch the second half of Nolan’s game. He pitched! He did great at bat and is a pretty impressive batter! He is the tallest player on the field so there is no missing him! Nolan’s girlfriends mom was at the park (Mason played against her brother Buzz…they are now good buddies!) Well she came over after the tball game and sat with us and cheered Nolan on. I don’t know if Mark is ready for the girlfriend thing but it was awesome for her to get to cheer Nolan on!

As soon as Nolan’s game was over, you guessed it, we ran to Gracie’s game! She can hit! She looked amazing on the field. She was confident at the plate and has an arm too! She had the most amazing throw from the pitcher’s mound to first base. I think she liked having so many people cheering her on as she showed off her mad skills!

I have to admit I was one of the most proud moms at the ball park! It was great to have Mark coach and the three big kids shine! Having Grandma and Grandpa Nowell there was icing on the cake! Nolan also introduced the family to his girlfriend Stewart. Overall it was a great family day!

Irmo Little League put together a day that we will remember! It is fun to be a part of such a neat organization where we can hang out with our friends and family and enjoy our favorite sport.

I am not going to lie; I was worn slap out by the time we finally left the ballpark. It was a long day but all of the preparation was worth it. The day was truly perfect: perfect weather, perfect playing, and perfect time together.