it's an honor

Carly receiving her Scholar-Athlete award -

for those who maintained a 3.5 and above while participating in at least one sport,

as well as having excellent conduct and sportsmanship.

.

Carly also received a certificate for making Achievement Roll (3.5 and above).

She was disappointed that she didn't make Honor Roll.

In all the pictures of her getting her certificate, it looks like her dog died.

Even though she has known since January, that she made a B in Math for the 2nd nine weeks.

(To make Honor Roll you have to have a 4.0 at the end of each 9 weeks)

After Christmas when she found out she made a B, she set a new goal for herself to have a final A average.

She did. She has a 4.0 for the whole year.

{ proud parents}

.

Notice that she is only showing off her Scholar Athlete Award.

{ even MamMam and Aunt Kacey are proud}

.

Mom is the tallest out of all of us and she managed to get blocked?

{as Kenny said "lots of brain power in this group"}

Five Minute Friday

START.

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Mother Nature has been busy this spring. I'd be wishing for summer, but I'm a little concerned about what hurricane season will look like! I wanted to say thanks again for everyone who has been thinking and praying for us.

.

The water has receded enough to get out of the lake house. There is a big, well more like huge, mess but upon first look the structure looks ok. They are going in by boat to start a long process of clean up.

.

My parents dodged a bullet and water didn't make it to their house. A lot of water made it all around them and many people lost everything. The water is still really high behind the levees, way above flood stage, but so far the levees are doing their job.

.

My grandmother moved back to her nursing home yesterday. This might have been the most stressful situation of all but she is settled back in.

.

We are tired, really tired, of tornadoes. We are thankful, really thankful, that there has only been potential for severe weather here (way too much time in the bathroom - aka the storm shelter). But, we are sad, really sad, about all the destruction that has happened all around us. Keep praying for all those whose worlds have been turned upside down. And maybe look into making a donation to the Red Cross because they have to be stretched thin right about now.

.

STOP.

the library - one of my favorite places

Don't you love that you can browse around picking up books throughout

on this topic and that topic, anything that catches your interest.

And walk right out, for free!

wordless wednesday :: mum

just when I am worried she is growing up too fast

field day

Today was field day. It was a gorgeous morning to spend outside.

By 5th grade most of these kids have participated in 4 previous field days.

It is a well organized event.

Sometimes I wish there was a little bit more chaos.

There are times I can't tell if anyone is having fun.

The fun seems to be in the stands.

The games are what they put up with so they can spend the morning hanging outside?

There were games

Carly was on her class's tug-of-war team

and she participated in the ball throw.

There were ribbons.

Carly won first in ball throw

and her tug-of-war team won second.

But mostly there were friends.

and more friends and lots more friends!

bulldog baseball

Kenny and Carly had a date night this week. Mississippi State was in Memphis to play the Tigers.

Even more fun was that they played at AutoZone park down town.

They had a wonderful night at the ball park. They ran into friends, ate lots of junk {first time for chicken-on-a-stick}, enjoyed some baseball, even took a couple of pictures {for mom}

and cheered on the bulldogs to a win!

{couple more snaps from friends}

wordless wednesday :: magnolia

because Kenny said

every good Southern photographer has railroad shots

back to court

Carly missed spring tennis with her regular group because of softball.

With the softball season over, Carly was able to squeeze in the last couple of sessions.

She's was excited that she was able to get back on the court.

wordless wednesday :: brushes

seemed perfectly normal to me

my mother's day outing to the cemetery in como, ms established in 1876

for some quiet time with my new camera

because they know me {and love me}

water, water everywhere

Carly and I on the roof of the Madison Hotel

overlooking the Mississippi River

I40 bridge from Memphis

to Arkansas

north end of Mud Island under water

looking south at the I55 bridge over the Mississippi River

Tom Lee Park and Riverside Drive on the left mostly under water

Looking over the Mud Island Amphitheater I40 bridge into Arkansas the River typically stops at the first tree line all the water after that is in Arkansas but still inside the levee

{the paper reported that the river here is typically 1/2 mile wide and it has swollen to over 3 miles wide}

south end of Mud Island Park nearly under water Water as far as you can see!

Sunday, May 8th the River stage in Memphis was 47 feet

and is forecasted to crest Tuesday at 48 feet.

The record is 48.7 feet in 1937.

what a start!

Kenny and Carly showered me with Mother's Day cards and gifts.

They gave me this Peter's Pottery duck soup tureen and Carly painted me a beautiful painting based on one of my photographs.

Carly's snapping away with my camera and says

"I gotta have one of these"

I told her she better stick with the one she has

that mine is tad bit out of her price range!

master chef

Carly made us breakfast this morning...biscuits, grits and cantaloupe.

When I woke up the grits were made and the biscuits were in the oven.

Now, if she would only enjoy cleaning up the kitchen

as much as she enjoys cooking in it!

a whole lot of ROCK and roll

Carly's class took a field trip to a gravel mine.

We had perfect spring day.

So glad we got to enjoy it!

rocks, heavy equipment, machinery, and cool orange hard hats listening to the geologist that gave the tour {kudos to him for putting on an interesting,

well organized, and kid friendly tour)

watching work in progress Then for what might have been the highlight of the trip.

Climbing up this huge pile of rocks.

or maybe it was sliding down to the bottom?

Either way, they did it over and over again.

.

They gave them a big plastic bag and let them rock hunt.

Carly brought home a few but some kids had filled up that bag

and couldn't even carry them to the car!

I took 5 pictures of them sitting here (supposedly) posing.

This is the best one!

the whole gang - 5th grade 2011

hot, dirty, and tired from rocking and rolling!

Five Minute Friday

START.

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Water. Lots of Water. Flooding in fact. That is what is going on here. Last week we had unprecedented storms. Thankfully my family, my friends, my community were spared from the destructive tornadoes that plowed through Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Others were not so lucky. There was damage that I can't describe with words and many people lost loved ones. In fact there are people still unaccounted for. But we did get rain. Lots and lots of rain. That's when the flooding started. Flash flooding. Rivers and streams and city drainage could not handle it. There was so much of it and so fast that there is no where else for it to go. A farmer friend jokingly {because that's all you can do} said no row crops this year, he was going to raise catfish.

.

Then comes the mighty Mississippi. Already above flood level. Spilling out of its banks and pushing water with no where for it to go. {insert worry}Now my in laws lake house has a foot of water in it and rising. They're hoping it doesn't end up in New Orleans. {insert more worry}My parents have some concern that backwater from the Yazoo River will push its way up stream to their house. {insert more worry}Yesterday, we found out that they are evacuating the nursing home that my grandmother is in. {insert big worry} We all have our homes, businesses, livelihood, way of life, future tied to man made levees that are trying to harness mother nature.

.

Pray.

.

STOP.

finally ... a beautiful [ballfield] day