Raiders on the Plains

Right this very minute Bethany is walking the grounds of my alma mater.  The Loveliest Village on the Plains.  Heaven on Earth.  God's country. You get the picture.  She was up at 4:30 this morning getting ready to board a bus on her way to UCA cheer camp at Auburn.  I love that she texts me the minute she gets on campus wanting the scoop on the dorm she's staying in.  She always wants to know what sorority it houses...well, I take that back.  I should say the sorority it used to house being that they're so fancy with actual houses now.  Oh to be a student on that campus again!  I live vicariously through her and I'm fine with that.  I always ask a hundred questions about the Greek girls she sees while she's there and such.  But back to the real reason she's there...to cheer her heart out!  Late yesterday afternoon we all gathered at Decatur High to check out the JV and Varsity home pom routines.  It's pretty major to get thirty something cheerleaders to make the same moves at the exact same time.  They were great!  And not to mention fun to watch.  I wanted to raise my hand and ask if they could do it four or five more times because I couldn't catch everything by watching it once.  It's that good.  Last year they won, and even though they have more competition this year I just know they're going to be amazing.

Here's the video of their home pom...

If we weren't having to stay home because of the dance camp I'm teaching this week, we'd be in Auburn this very minute watching the big event!  Afterwards, the JV squad did their stunts...

This sort of makes my heart do a little flip every time...

She's an old pro by now, but it doesn't make it any easier to watch!
I might be a tad bit biased, but she's pretty cute in her D High uniform...

Right in the middle of it all, Towns pulled her own tooth...

We've been working on it for several days, but it just wouldn't turn loose.  Until, of course, we're in the middle of the exhibition and she screams, "I GOT IT, I PULLED MY TOOTH!" as loud as she possibly could.  Then as if nothing else was going on, Cate wanted to make sure she in fact did pull her tooth out and that it wasn't a trick...

She didn't skip a beat when she said, "Townsy, you a good toof pulla (tooth puller)."
Towns was absolutely sure that instead of another golden dollar the tooth fairy would leave $5 under her pillow.  Apparently she thought she deserved more since she pulled it herself.  The funny part is that she's such a wild sleeper that this morning when she looked under her pillow there was nothing there.  Her five dollar bills were scattered under the covers, behind the headboard, and on the floor. After I convinced her that the tooth fairy hadn't forgotten about her, she thought the hunt was fun!

That's a lot of Raider love in one picture...

Speaking of love, Towns got busy in the kitchen to bake her Bebby blueberry bread to take to camp with her...

Little did she know I was watching her lick the bowl a time or two.
I caught her in action and she laughed it off...

We'll have to work on baking etiquette minus the germ sharing!

This morning when the girls got up they didn't quite know what to think about Bebs not being here.  The only possible solution was to gather the tooth fairy money and head to the mall...

Towns was so sweet and insisted on using her money for two carousel tokens...

 With Bethany getting to go to cheer camp and Towns losing a tooth, this little love was feeling left out...

She keeps asking why her toofs aren't loose yet...and even more, why we can't pull them out regardless.
Bless her!

Have a fabulous time in Auburn, Bebby!
We miss you already and are so proud of you, you little cheer rock star!!