Sporty Spring

April and May FLEW by! Ella and Carter enjoyed their evenings and Saturdays at some sort of field. They both played baseball and soccer. Here are some shots of their teams. It amazing to see how they progress and grow as a team in just 6 short weeks. Soccer ended and we still have one week left of baseball/softball! We have been blessed with two wonderful teams Ella is on the "Red Flames" and Carter plays with the "Sharks"! They are both playing machine pitch which has been a new and fun challenge.

 Our spring has been filled with outdoors fun! We have been at some field (soccer or baseball) every night of the week but Friday. Saturday mornings were spent at two soccer games and Carter's baseball practices. It has been a fun-filled few weeks. Here are a few pictures of our little soccer stars.

 Ella is on the Dolphins team. She is speedy and can steal the ball quickly!

 She has made so many friendships on and off the field it has been fun to see her play with the same girls this spring. Her coaches have been great about encouraging her to grow in her skills and understanding of the game while balancing the "fun-factor" that is so important for this age!

 Little man just shuffles from game to game. He is generally a good sport about it and loves all the teammates!

                                                                         The Dolphins

                                                                 The Dragon Bees

 Carter got drafted to the yellow Dragon Bees (his coach from the fall couldn't return for the Spring stint) so he met some new buddies. They had more than enough energy to play the game! WOW!

 I am one spoiled MOMMA, that's for sure. The family made a delicious brunch for me. And showered me with gifts and a relaxing afternoon. I even got a little sunburn from sitting on the deck and enjoying my book for such an extended period! I am so blessed to have 3 amazing and special kids and a supportive and wonderful hubby!

 We had a little photo-op after church! How did they get so big? Time flies and we sure are having fun!

Stay tuned for more pictures. Soccer season is wrapping up and baseball/softball begins this week! Carter has his Kindergarten Music program AND Evan and Heather are getting married this weekend! Whew! We should be in picture perfect condition all dressed to the hilt in their tuxes and our pink gowns! We can't wait to celebrate their special day with them.

Sand, Sun, and SMILES!

Here are some shots from our time at the beach. We had tons of fun and made many, many memories! Carter was constantly in or near the water. He had some excellent waves to enjoy. We called him a dolphin because he would watch for them to come in and then dive head first in them! We ended up getting a boogie board and tube to help in our exploration of the waves! How fun.

Pure JOY!

Grandma and Ella made memories while walking on the beach, collecting shells.

The boys and I

Here Grandpa and I are out catching the waves with the kids. The waves were HUGE. We loved every minute of it!

Catching a quick nap on the beach so he could enjoy the nightlife with us.

Ready to go out to dinner and Pier Park

Pier Park was full of entertainment. There were shops, restaurants, and rides!

Little Dude checking out the fountains.

Christian took a ride on the train

Ella and Carter attempted the Bungee trampolines. Carter launched into the air just once and quickly decided his stomach wasn't up for it. {Exit ride immediately}

Ella on the other hand LOVED it. She was flying high above our heads and even doing double backflips in the air.

Carter decided he would ride the Ferris Wheel with Grandma.

Of course, we couldn't miss going to the Fro-Yo make your own shop. Everyone came up with their own creation. It was a great way to end the day.

Florida's Calling Me.....

"Come back here, where your children were entertained, there was no schedule, the tough decisions of the day were pool or beach? Restraunt or delivery? and the children fell asleep once their heads hit the pillow."

ahhhh! Heaven!

Well, we are NOT here. We are back to reality and reality has slapped me in the face. We came home to a flooded basement. Ugh! We had a team of people here ripping up the carpet, putting all our "stuff" in boxes and moving all the furniture and belongings in to the storage room, garage and back deck! Ella and Carter won't be able to be back in their rooms for at least another 5-6 days. Therefore, we have turned our bedroom into a hotel room (while it sounds cozy...it.is.NOT)! A wise woman has told me (many times recently) "This too shall pass!"{Thanks Mom!} For now I will specialize in the "grin and bear it" until we can get back to normal...whatever that means! Just to notch things up Elle and Carter start spring sports this week...baseball, softball, and soccer. We will be living at some field 5-6 days a week. Guess I shouldn't worry about the house being a disaster zone since we won't really be here that much! Happy Sunday Eve!

Gulf World

Our family had fallen in love with the DolphinTale movie prior to coming to Florida, so we knew we couldn't miss the Marine center just down the road from our hotel. We spent the morning there before we headed for home. Gulf World was full of a variety of animals. We got what felt like a "front row" pass to all the exhibits. The lines weren't long at all and we were able to get SO close to everything. The kids loved the Sting Ray Petting area.

We saw sea lions, penguins, alligators, crocodiles......

and TWO dolphin shows. We stood in line to shake fins with the dolphins and it started to rain. The kids were so determined to shake their fins that they didn't mind the rain. Christian was a bit crabby at this point...I was thinking lack of sleep but come to find out, he had an ear infection. (Thanks be to after-hours ENTs and technology to get a Rx called in to a Walgreens in Alabama!) He was feeling better before we got to Nashville.) Anywho- the kids were OVER the MOON to shake fins with the dolphins. Of course, the camera battery died but we paid for the 5x7s of the shot. We happened to be the 2nd last family in line and they let us stay right by the tank and talk to the trainer. She was feeding the dolphins, dolphin "ice cream"= fish flavored ice cubes. The kids were able to ask questions and study the dolphins up SUPER close. The trainer even asked if the kids wanted to get the dolphins to sing??? Of course?!?! So she showed them how to make the hand signal for it and viola! The dolphin serenaded us! WOW! That wouldn't happen at Sea World. :) It was amazing.


The Sea Turtle was very interested in Ella and Carter. They followed each other back and forth. How cool?>?!
We saw some scary snakes, lizards, and creatures along with some pretty amazing tropical birds.
We LOVED Gulf World and would highly recommend it to other families. We hope to go back to visit another year!

Our Boy's are another year older!

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We are in celebration mode here at the Moorlag house! Christian just turned 4 and Carter turned 6 this past week. We sure are loving the great weather and our trip to Florida was a blast (more pictures to come). We are gearing up for a very busy spring with Ella and Carter both playing 2 sports...I should be at either a soccer field or baseball diamond almost everyday of the week! Here are a few pictures of our fun celebrations for the boys. How is is possible our baby is FOUR??!! Carter is looking so BIG to me lately. He is definitely our Water DUDE. We can't keep him dry. He was in his glory celebrating his birthday in the sand and waves of the Gulf of Mexico. The weather was picture perfect. Here are a few shots!