8 is GREAT!

Agent P turned 8!!!

I can't express enough what a special kid this one is! He is silly and crazy and sometimes downright annoying. He is smart and inquisitive and loves to read and learn.  He is active and is a great swimmer and is amazing on the soccer field and is trying to keep up with A-Dog in the baseball arena! He is lovable and sweet, and full of attitude at times. 

For his birthday I was all set to make him a homemade chocolate cake (because I didn't have a cake mix of any sort here at home and it is 10 miles to the grocery store). Of course, he announces that morning that he would like the lemon cake "that Grandpa likes for his birthday".  That's lovely. I'm pretty sure there are 3 people in our family who like that cake. Grandpa, Agent P and some other person - but I wouldn't know who, I just didn't want to exclude them.

Of course that meant I had to 1. get a recipe. 2. go to the store. 

Not on my agenda, but did it anyway.

We celebrated at a local pizza place that has games.  We didn't invite friends because there are always kids there and if he needed to he could call them party guests...I just didn't have enough tokens for them. Haha!

So, 7 is gone and 8 is here!  Happy Birthday Agent P, we love you beyond words!

Cheers!

T-Ball comes to an end...

and I think 12 games is just plenty. We've played 11 and have exactly ONE MORE!!!!!

Not that the season hasn't been pure entertainment, because it has. The fact that the game is over in 1 hour is absolutely a big positive for me.

We have learned that you have to be VERY SPECIFIC with Mini P. She is a rule follower and will typically do as she is asked, EXACTLY as she is asked. (By others. Not always her parents. Let's be clear, at home she will do what she is asked if it is what she wants to do.)

Case in point #1:  Her coach told her (while she was playing shortstop) to "tag the runner!!!"  Which she diligently did...seven times...without the ball. She just reached out and 'tagged' them on the arm as they ran from 2nd to 3rd and went about her business. She did it with confidence, happy to be doing what the coach told her to do. She's played a game of Tag or two you know! The other team however was slightly confused.

Case in point #2:  A few weeks later, she was playing 1st base. One time, the ball was hit to her, she caught it and her coach told her to "tag the base!!!".  She didn't really know what he meant, and coach #2 told her to go over and step on the base. Got it. Next 5 balls that were hit, she trotted over to 1st base and tapped her foot on the base and turned around ready for next batter. However, not once did she have the ball, so, ya know..the runner was safe each time. That, and the other kids were trying to throw her the ball and she wasn't really paying attention to them.

Just Mini P in the field...getting ready

SO, lesson learned - BE SPECIFIC!

We also learned that Monkey can bat left or right. I use the term "can" loosely. He can do either way...does he excel on one side or the other? No. We just let him do whatever he wants to do. Even his coach has learned he will just decide as he's walking up to the plate. Usually he switches every at bat. Obviously Monkey takes the sport very seriously is is determined to hone his switch hitting skills at an early age. That or he just has NO CLUE what he is doing. Hard to say.

A couple things I will not miss about T-Ball however.

1. I will not miss the kid who laid on the bench and subsequently scooted himself across the bench until every water bottle, glove, had and other items were all crashed to the ground. Won't miss that a bit.

2. I won't miss that same kid who decided whilst laying on said bench and scooting...that he would LICK the water bottles before they went crashing to the ground. 

3. I won't miss the kid who cried at about half the games, one time from centerfield - wailing louder and louder because he figured no one could hear him.  I'd file that in the "pure entertainment" section as well because it wasn't one of my kids...

4.  I without a doubt will NOT miss trying to get Monkey ready to go.  I will say that it is easier than soccer...he doesn't hate the feel of the shirt, so that goes on easy. But Monkey has exactly 2 speeds. Slow. Slower.  He is not rushed. He doesn't have a "hurry" button. He dawdles, delays, procrastinates, gets distracted, did I mention dawdles? Not just getting ready for baseball...for EVERYTHING.

I guess I will miss the improvisions for getting outs. When all else fails, just throw the ball at the runner. If they are going to run out of the baseline to avoid a tag, it will be easier to just beam them with the ball.

Above all, I will miss the total cuteness :)

Cheers!

What to title this? Baseball season?

I am probably in the minority, but I happen to enjoy my teenager.

There I admitted it.

He is responsible, funny, moody, hungry, smart, takes initiative, loves the foods I love, has a dry sense of humor and thinks I'm funny, makes good decisions, loves God, values friends, is sensitive, kind, oh my list is endless.

He is almost done with his freshman year in highschool and I am beside myself at how quickly it is going. We work hard to savor all the times we have with our kids. To enjoy everything they do.  To cherish the time we are given with them.

This spring has been totally chaotic with 4 kids in baseball.  The month of April brought us 27 games in 4 weeks. Luckily, we only needed to hire additional parents to help us out three times. Not bad. We will not discuss our diet or dining out budget. Both are shot.  Back on track this month for sure!

But spending the spring watching A-Dog play baseball was just sweet. 

He has always loved baseball. From the time he was 2 he could hit the ball. He would spend HOURS playing wiffle ball with grandma and grandpa. 

Age 4.5

He just loves the game and I am pretty sure we have logged at least 250 games thus far in his career.

You had a great season Bud!  Proud is a word people throw around loosely, but we are proud of you, and above all, you played with integrity, heart and soul and pure sportsmanship.  You a a quality teammate that anyone would be lucky to have! 

Cheers!

Bullying is fun!

During breakfast recently, a commercial about Bullying had just ended. Ya know "stop the bullying, bullying is bad" etc.

Then Monkey says emphatically "I LOVE Bullying!!!"

Agent P and I (shocked) told him bullying wasn't nice and no one should bully others.

Monkey smiles and says "But bullying is FUN!!!"

So, the homeschooling mom I am, took this opportunity to explain why we should treat others nicely and how bullying others isn't nice. My 5 minute detailed explanation was done with love and compassion in hopes that he won't turn into the house bully.

I then asked him what he thought was fun about bullying.

He told me "It's fun when you take the ball, and throw it down and it hits the pins and knocks them all over the place".

OOOOHHHH....BOWLING! Not BULLYING. BOWLING.

That turned into a different conversation.

Monkey's brain turns some words into other words...

Semi Truck was Simon Truck
Hawaii was Wahai-yee

We just repeat the right word and move on because he thinks he is saying it correctly...just something his brain has to work out apparently because eventually he gets them right.

My hope is now he understands BOWLING and BULLYING are 2 different words.

So we went BOWLING.

Monkey

Mini P

Mini P is very competitive.  This is how the first game went:

Then game 2 got all crazy. 

I'm good for 1 game then I get tired of trying to not throw gutter ball. You know, like when you ride a bike...you see a big rock and you say to yourself "stay away from the rock...stay away from the rock" and then you end up hitting the rock? I'm like that with the gutters. I think I threw about 10 gutterballs my 2nd game...out of 20 throws. Impressive right?

The kids played with gutter guards and mostly had bank shots, except Mini P who was determined to make a career of bowling that Sunday afternoon.

Then my sweet husband, had to turn it up a notch because he is competitive and apparently didn't like losing to a 5 year old. Me? I could care less...Haha!

Game 2 final score...

It was nice to be able to go bowling with the kids and not have to help them bowl (specifically the twins). They can pick up the ball and hurl it down the lane as well as they need to.  

You can see on the scoreboard that the m.p.h remained with my sweet husband, but it was actually the last ball thrown by Mini P. 3.9 m.p.h..  Not a record low. There was one thrown that was 2.4 m.p.h.

Cheers, and remember - BOWLING is fun, not bullying.

How to succeed in T-ball

There are some things you need to know before venturing out on the T-Ball field. 

First of all, you need to take the game seriously. This is no joking matter and winning is a must. Case in point:

Get your game face on!

OK, now that you are in the right frame of mind, let's get on with the basics of succeeding in T-Ball.


#1: Always be in READY position. Glove down, head up ready for the ball to come to you!

#2:  Make sure your shadow is at the game with you. You can always use the extra help.

#3: Get rid of the weeds!  The field must be free and clear of all debris.

#4: Keep your eye on the runner. You never know what shenanigans those 5 year olds will pull. This can still be done while in the 'ready position'. 

#5: Always use TWO HANDS when fielding the ball. This will ensure that you NEVER miss the ball. Ever.

#6: Focus. Focus. Focus.

#7: Perform a successful "I've arrived" pose when you arrive at the base. It must be announced with flare!

#8: When all else fails...stare 'em down, because nothing scream intimidation like a good stare down.

#9: Last, but definitely not least important, look cute playing. Your skill will never define you as a ball player, only how good you wear the uniform (and perhaps your ability to actually look at the camera)!

Cheers!

I got snubbed

So, let's begin this conversation (one sided as it may be) with the fact that I believe that at some point in the road of youth sports, kids are TOO OLD for the parents to be bringing an "after game snack". For those of you who don't know what the "after game snack" is, I will explain.

The definition of "after game snack" is a drink and 'snack' to be had after a game of baseball, soccer, softball, tennis, golf or what have you.

In our current case it is baseball.

In this specific case, it is for a team of 8-10 year olds. While Agent P is only 7, he is nearly 8 and so I lumped him into 8-10 because he is the only 7 year old on the team.

My point is, I think THIS team is too old to be expecting an "after game snack".  

SO.

The first problem: I was on-deck for "after game snack". That means, game 1 was on Wed and game 2 was on Thurs. On Tues, I was informed that I was in charge of game 2. Thus, on-deck, get it?? Baseball pun...(that was for you Aunt Laurel).

Being prepared as usual, I made a run to the store on Thursday morning.

Second problem: I have been cutting out most packaged processed snacks in our house. We don't have bags of much of anything laying around. I had no idea what I was supposed to get. Cut up fruit? Likely not.

So, in the name of trying to not load them up with sugar at 7:30pm I purchased a box of Cheez-its and a bag of pretzels and made them into snack baggies for each player. At my house this is a HUGE treat as we don't have either of those.

I should add here - I was also told to bring snack and drinks for the 3 coaches. Righty-O, 10-4. 13 kids, 3 coaches. 16 snacks and 16 drinks.

I also purchased a juice box (*GASP*), but had no added sugar.  We will go ahead and mark this "problem three" for the sake of listing problems.  Problem four will be noted as: I bought gator@de for the coaches (not kids).

After the game I diligently shuffled my sweet husband and twins off and headed for home (took 2 vehicles) and I stood with the beloved "after game snack" to hand out. 

I mildly paid attention to the comings and goings of the kids, they grabbed, they pushed in, they looked, they passed, they rolled their eyes... 

I gave the coaches their gator@des and 'snack' and they looked at me like I was nuts. I assured them I was following the rules and request stipulated by the "Team Mom". She said to bring for coaches. They hesitantly accepted.

Then it came. The final snub.

I had a coach's kid come to me and ask for HIS gator@de.  I said "oh, I'm sorry, I just brought them for the coaches".  I watched him walk back to tell his mom what I said and she looked at her coach/husband and rolled her eyes and harrumphed at me.

Yup. Harrumphed and snubbed. 

It is likely that I will not be asked back to deliver the "after game snack". I came home with 9 baggies of snack and 6 juice boxes. 3 snack baggies were forced upon coaches...so do the math - 4 kids took a snack.  7 took drinks.

Which is fine.

Cuz next time I was going to bring carrots and apples in a baggie with a water bottle :)

Cheers!

Conversations

The other night we were eating dinner at a local restaurant that sits above an auto shop.  I know that sounds pretty ridiculous, but my theory on it is that a few guys wanted to be able to just work on their race cars, motorcycles, random vehicles without their wives nagging them about how expensive that little hobby was. SO, these said fellas opened their little auto shop and put a restaurant  above it so they could make a little money. Plus have a place to eat lunch.

It's pretty sweet, one entire wall is just glass overlooking the shop and you can see what they are working on.

Anyway.

We ate there the other night.

Monkey LOVES to just smash his face on the glass (sorry to whomever has to clean that...) and look at the vehicles down below.

We were seated pretty close to the window and the restaurant was pretty empty, so when Monkey asked if he could go over and look at the vehicles, I said "yes".

Then, Mini P says "can I go over there too".

"Sure" I said.

"well, I don't really want to" she says and continues on with her coloring.

Lovely. Not sure why she asked. But that gives you a glimpse into one of many conversations we have at this house :).

Cheers!