Nathan turns 10

I had zero intentions of having birthday parties for the kids this year. But Nathan begged to have a group of friends over for Pizza and a Nerf battle. It ended up being the easiest party to plan. I just sent out invites. Got some inflatable barriers and let the kids go for it. The inflatable bunkrs came with a set of game cards for different matches. Like limited ammo, or 3 respawns, etc. The boys all had a great time.

 Monday the 20th was his actual birthday and most of the day was spent on the 4th grade field trip to Columbia Historic State park. Columbia is about a 2 1/2 hr bus ride away. I loved being able to chaperone. At the park they got to pan for gold and check out all the shops. Fun places like candle dipping, candy shop, old school house, old dentist, blacksmith,  drug store, and jail.

 4th grade classes getting a lesson in panning for GOLD.

 Blacksmith

 Jail

 School house

 We got back to the school at 5:20 then rushed over to Nathan's baseball game which started at 5:30. By the time Nathan got changed and we drove to the ball fields we ended up being about 20minutes late but just in time for Nathan to make is place in the line up for batting. It was a great game and the team won allowing them to move on to the next game in the tournament. Nathan has had a great time this season with coaches that really work with the kids to improve and grow this season. The season started a bit rough for the kids and they struggled to stay competitive with some of the other teams. But they work hard and by the end of the season they had a few wins under their belt. It was great to see how much they have improved as a team. And to see that growth and improvement in Nathan.For the past 3 years all that Nathan has wanted is for a coach to give him the chance to play in the infield. the look of joy on his face about 6 games ago when he had finally earned a chance and his place in the infield was priceless. Proof that hard work and practice pays off.