Another Baseball Star

Andrew has spent a lot of time watching Luke and Will play baseball. Today he decided it was time for him to start practicing.

Another Birthday

One of the many advantages to having a large family is the opportunity to celebrate lots of birthdays. Brian once said he wanted to have a different birthday each month! I don't think we will ever achieve that goal as we have two birthdays in April, June and October. Daniel and Hayley are our April birthdays.

Hayley turned 9 this year. It is hard for me to believe she is only nine. I always feel like she should be a year or two older since she is over 5 feet tall and wears a ladies size 9 shoe! People often think she and Emily are twins.

Hayley chose fajitas and peanut butter pie for her birthday dinner. She received money from Mimi and Pa Pa which she enjoyed spending at Michael's. Grandma and Grandpa sent an assortment of small gifts including Sculpey clay and a stained-glass coloring book. Brian and I gave her a book light and an audio CD of several books. She also received many gifts from her siblings including homemade cards, a hand-crafted ring and a special treasure one of her bothers gave up because he knew it was something she liked.

Daniel- Week Two

Daniel Phillip Joyner

Please join us in thanking God for the safe arrival of our newest blessing. Daniel Phillip Joyner was born Wednesday, April 8th at 3:33 p.m. He weighed 8lbs 4 oz (small by Joyner standards) and was 21.5 inches long. He provided a scary moment for us when he tried to practice being the perfect gentleman by reaching out to shake hands with my nurse! Had my doctor not been able to get his hand back in, I would have needed a c-section. Thankfully Daniel behaved himself and moved his hand back where it needed to be. His arm was bruised at birth but has since returned to normal.

Oh how I love to hold and cuddle him. He looks absolutely perfect to me! :-) I can't believe he is a week old. Time passes too quickly. The week before I was induced seemed to last forever. I felt like time was standing still. Now that he is here, I want to stop the clock and enjoy every moment with him.

Houston Rodeo

Each year Houston hosts the nation's largest rodeo and livestock show. Since Ashley turns 13 this year, she gets to take a "birthday trip." She really enjoys horses and therefore decided she would like to take her trip early to attend the rodeo. Brian took the day off from work to take her. They spent most of their day watching a Palamino horse show. That evening they attended the rodeo. Ashley said she enjoyed watching it so much that she forgot to take pictures. Each evening the rodeo ends with a concert. On this particular evening the entertainer was Clint Black. Ashley said she really enjoyed the day.

Sibling Fun

We have been told that we probably have 1 more month of enjoyable weather. We are enjoying it before the heat and humidity arrive. For the past several nights the children have enjoyed playing in the backyard after dinner. I love to see them all playing together. I've even volunteered to do some of the older girls' kitchen chores so that they can go out and play. It thrills my heart to see the older ones enjoying the younger ones. It is one of the things I enjoy most about our large family.

Little League

Shortly after our arrival in Sugar Land, Brian signed Luke and Will up to play Little League. Luke is playing his first year of machine pitch and Will is playing t-ball for the first time. Both boys have enjoyed their practices and receiving "real" uniforms.

Last Saturday was Opening Day. Each boy marched with his team in a parade to the field where the opening ceremonies were held.

This week the season began. Monday night Will's team (the Tampa Rays) played the New York Yankees. In Will's division they rotate positions every inning. He played pitcher, second base and right field. At pitcher he stopped all the balls that came to him and made nice throws to first. At this age the hard part is catching, so their weren't many outs made. No score was kept but the kids didn't seem to mind. (Although Luke couldn't believe they didn't keep score or make the kids who got out go back to the dugout!) It was a very low-key introduction to the joy of playing the game.

Tuesday night Luke's team (the Cleavland Indians) also opened against the New York Yankees. Their team didn't fare so well, but Luke didn't seem to mind and said he had a good time. He played pitcher, second base and right field. He was 1-2 at the plate. Hopefully the next game will have a better outcome.