T-Ball

Arden is playing T-ball this Spring at the Y.  She is on the Oakland A's team.  T-ball is hilarious.  I've really enjoyed going to the games and watching the 3 and 4 year-olds play ball. 

The rules of the game are very lax at the Y...understandably so since the players have no idea what they're doing.  Basically it's just an introduction to the game so the players get an idea of batting, base-running, fielding, teamwork, and sportsmanship. 

Here's the basics of the game: 
1 .There are no strikes, outs, or scoring.  Being big advocates of a winning/losing system, Brian and I didn't like this at first.  But honestly, the kids don't understand the game enough at this age for it to even make a difference; their attention spans are 3.5 seconds. 
2. Every player bats and runs the bases. 
3. If a player catches the ball then he/she automatically throws it to first base. 
4. There are usually three+ players standing on the pitcher's mound because that is where most of the balls are hit to.
5. There are parents or coaches standing at each base to direct the clueless runners to the next base.  

This team had four first basemen :)

Some funny moments:

Arden got lost between second and third base during the first game.  She ran from second base to the next field over.

The smallest player on Arden's team was the coach's son.  Instead of running, he did more of a powerwalking maneuver.  So stinkin' funny to watch.

One kid hit the ball off of the tee.  Instead of running to first base, he rushed towards the pitcher and caught his own ball.  He then threw it to first base, thereby getting himself out (if they had outs, that is.)

After batting one time, the power walker began going toward first base.  Half way to first, he turned around and went back to the dugout area to pick up his Teddy Graham crackers.  He then continued on toward first.  I guess he needed a snack on his trip around the bases. 

One little boy with a good arm and swing would squat like a catcher while on the field.  Arden liked this and began squatting, too.

By game 5, the previously mentioned squatter turned into the team's cartwheeler.  He did a cartwheel after every ball he caught.

Every game Arden would abandon her position out on the field to come inform me that she was "hot and sweaty and ready for a drink." 

 

 

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Arden's prayer.  First she does a traditional children's prayer:

"Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take.  God bless Mommy, Daddy, Halle, Jack, my family, and the whole wide world.  In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

Then she also says an unscripted prayer where she tells Jesus she loves Him, thanks Him for loving her, and asks for forgiveness of sins.

Arden's confessions: They crack me up because some are so random.

"I'm sorry for being mean to Jack.
I'm sorry for Jack again.
And please forgive me for shutting the door on Jack." Apparently Jack gets the brunt of her transgressions.
"I'm sorry for pushing Gracie down on the swing.
I'm sorry for being mean to Myleigh on the swing."
Me: "Arden, you already asked for forgiveness for that one last week.  Jesus remembers and forgives you.  You don't have to keep asking for forgiveness." Arden, " No, I didn't say that one." (I guess it happened again.) 
"And please forgive me for not staying in my bed...and for touching the bottom of the pool." (she was standing in the pool rather than treading water during her swim lesson. She really didn't get in trouble for it, but I guess she felt guilty.) 

Amen.

Sushi, S'mores, and More

I was born on Mother's Day, so my birthday always falls within a few days of it every year.  That makes the second weekend of May my favorite weekend out of the year! 

Originally we wanted to head out of town to Fredericksburg for a bed and breakfast getaway.  It was raining all over Texas, though, so we decided to stay local.  Sarah and Adam were brave enough to watch the kids so Brian and I could have time to ourselves.

Brian took off of work on Friday to spend the day with me.  We started out at the gym (I didn't want to feel guilty about having birthday dessert!) Friday morning.  We then had pedicures at a local nail salon.  Brian has had a pedicure before, but this was his first time at a typical Vietnamese owned salon.  He really enjoyed it.  He loved the massage chair, the foot jets, and the hot stone massage.  There were several other men there so Brian didn't feel too out of place.

Brian is pretending to not like the pedicure.  :)

poor lady had her work cut out

I sat next to him and texted him pictures

We then headed to Perry's for lunch for their porkchop special.  It was fabulous.  Later that evening we had dinner at Vintage Park and then went to a painting class at Vino Artino.  This was Brian's first painting class and he had a great time.  I've been several times and love it. 

painting a picture called "Wine Mixer"

We ended the night at Papa's on the lake with Nik and Crystal.  We listened to Josh Fuller and Dirt and Diesel play. 

Crystal and I at Papas on the Lake

The next day we watched Halle at her swim meet where she kicked butt!  She got first place on three of her five events.  The other two she came in a very close second.

Brian then took me to the mall for a shopping spree! I racked up some clothes, shoes, purses, and accessories. 

That night we had friends over for a get-together.  We rolled our own sushi and drank Skinny Margaritas.  Crystal Light makes a skinny margarita mix.  Just add tequila and some salt, and voila!  70 calories for a skinny rita is much better than the 300 plus calories in a traditional margarita.  We had a lot of fun rolling the sushi!  It makes for a fun adult party. 

Nik talking in his Japanese man voice as he's rolling.

The Sushi Spread.  Everything you need for a Shaggy Dog Roll or NYC roll or your own specialty roll!



the Bobbie Roll
 

We made kid sushi too!  They also had octopus.

PBJ sushi, Ham and cheese sushi, and string cheese and hotdog octopus
 

Since we had freakishly cool weather for May, we hung out around the fire pit and roasted marshmallows for s'mores!

Mother's Day was the next day.  My husband took care of the kids and let me sleep until noon!  Having uniterrupted sleep is the best Mother's Day present I could ask for.  He then brought me coffee and brunch in bed.  I'm lucky to have such a great hubby.

That evening I took a trip to see my mom, and then the girls and I enjoyed frozen yogurt at Berri Swirl. 

I got some great cards from Brian and the kids, along with some really awesome presents from my friends.  It was a fantastic weekend.  With the exception of getting older, I wish it was my birthday every weekend!


Toothfairy Fail Part 2

Last year I blogged about how bad of a toothfairy I was.  I was hoping to get better at it.  I didn't.  Halle has lost 7 teeth in the past year, and I've forgotten to give her money every. single. time. 

I end up just giving her money when I have it.  Sometimes it's a dollar.  Other times I'll get cash back while checking out at the grocery store.  "Here Halle, here's 20 bucks.  Sorry it's so late." And I may or may not have stolen money out of Arden's piggy bank to pay Halle at some point. 

I feel bad because she is always disappointed the next morning after a lost tooth.  I have good intentions the night before, but by 1:00 am I'm sleeping soundly without a tooth in mind.  

I'm the world's worst toothfairy. 

 

Halle and Basketball

Earlier this year Halle participated in the Champion Forest Baptist Church basketball league.  This was her first time ever to participate in a contact sport.  She has done gymnastics, dance, cheer, swimming, and rock climbing, but basketball was a new experience altogether.

Halle learned a whole lot about basketball.  She was clueless when she first started, but by the end she was a lot more knowledgeable on the rules, basketball drills, and strategies.  Basketball was a challenge for Halle because she is not aggressive.  She is competitive, but she shys away from offensive tactics.  This is one of the reasons why we urged her to try basketball.  We felt like the game's need for aggressive moves would help her come out of her shell; it would also help her be more confident and bold.  I could definitely see a difference by the end of the season.   

Halle with the ball

The thing that cracked me up the most at her first game was when she told me after the game that she was confused as to which basketball hoop she was suppose to throw the ball; because it kept changing.  Haha!  She also didn't understand when she was considered offense and when she was defense.  I can laugh at her because I was clueless about a lot of the rules, too.  She ended up getting the hang of it and had some really good plays.

She says she really liked basketball so she is going to attend a basketball camp in the summer and will do basketball again next year.  Being almost five foot tall at ten years old means she definitely has a height advantage for the game.  She gets that from me, you know.  ;)

 

Basketball players need cute hair too :)

 

 

Yellow Car

Yellow Car is a game that Halle and Arden have made up and been playing for the last few weeks while riding in my car. 

This is how to play.  Listen carefully so you get the rules down.
Look for a yellow car on the road.
When you see a yellow car, you shout at the top of your lungs, "Yellow Car!"

That's it.  Sounds really fun, huh?  So I have probably heard "Yellow Car!" a thousand times this past month.  Actually, "Lellow Car" from Arden since she has trouble pronouncing it correctly. 

Debates have also erupted as to whether school buses and bulldozers count as yellow cars.  We're divided as a family on this one.  What do you think?  Should they count? ;)

First Blogiversary

April 25th marked the one year of this family blog!  I am so proud of myself for sticking with it.  In the beginning I wasn't sure if blogging was for me.  I'm not a scrapbooker and although I take a lot of pictures I'm bad about putting them in albums.  I get behind and end up with boxes of pictures jumbled all together.  Well it turns out that blogging is perfect for me!  It helps me keep track of the kids' milestones and fun family moments.  I am able to stay on top of all of the phone pictures that I snap along with the major occurences in our family.  Blogging has been great for us. 

In honor of the Blogiversary I ordered my blog in book form.  I used the blog2print.com website.  It was super easy!  I tried several other websites but this one is the most compatible with "Blogger" in my opinion.  It gave me options for the layout and colors. It also allowed me to delete certain posts if I wanted. It literally took me 5 minutes to make.

front cover

dedication page

table of contents

 

example of the posts.  Fun to think about...I took phone pictures of published phone pictures that I blogged about previously and am now posting and blogging about those said pictures.  This makes my head spin. 

back cover

 I want my kids to be able to look back and have the stories to go along with all of the pictures.  My intention is to remain the family historian and make a blog book for each year.... like a family yearbook.  Having the published book inspires me to continue. Wish me luck that I'm able to stay on top of it!

Jack's first haircut

On April 22nd Jack got his first haircut....without me.  I'm not going to lie... I was furious!  Brian cut it in the bathroom while I was cleaning up after dinnertime.  I had no idea that Jack was getting a shaved head until they came back into the living room afterwards.  My poor baby.  Good thing he's cute because his haircut WAS NOT!  Brian used a #1 to buzz Jack's hair with so it was super short.  It was also patchy and still had some long wispies.  I almost cried. 

I wanted to take Jack to Hargrave's Barber Shop which is an old-fashioned barber shop owned by a distant relative.  I wanted to take pictures.  I wanted to be there to experience my only son's one and only first haircut.  I wanted to see his reaction to the buzzing of the clippers.  I wanted it to be cut just a little to shape it up.  I did not want him to be taken to Hargrave's Butcher Shop! 

Oh well.  Brian and Jack had a father/son moment.  If nothing else it was definitely MEMORABLE!

Mom, look what Dad did to me!

ALL of his hair.  Where's the superglue so I can put it back???

Paw Paw and Granny's house

My dad lives in New Waverly, TX, along with my grandmother (Granny.)  New Waverly is a small town close to Huntsville, and is where I used to spend my summers growing up as a kid.  The house is on two acres of land, has a small pond, and is surrounded by lots of nature.  Even now my dad has his own water well, there's no trash service, the cell phone towers are too far to get good reception, and you can't get cable TV/internet on his land.  It's funny to think how primitive it still is considering the town is only an hour from Houston.  I had to use my imagination to keep myself entertained all of those summers that I spent there.  I drew lots of pictures, made mudpies in the dirt, rode my bike, swung on a swingset that my Dad built, and played with my granny's numerous dogs and cats. 

Now my kids love going to PawPaw and Granny's house.  They get to swing on the same swingset, make mudpies in the dirt, and play with Maggie, their little dog. 

Jack, Brian, and Maggie

My dad has taken up several hobbies over the years.  He is excellent at woodworking, can build practically anything, and is very meticulous.  Besides his favorite pasttimes, hunting and fishing, he has made intricately detailed model airplanes, built wood furniture, made bottles and bottles of wine, brewed his own beers, and built a smokehouse for smoking meats and making sausages.  One of his current hobbies is gardening.  He has turned a large portion of the backyard into a garden full of many fruits and veggies.

We visited him not too long ago and helped him plant some fruits and vegetables. 

Country Boy

PawPaw and Jack talking to each other



Arden and Brian planting seeds

My dad always send us home with homemade sausage, newly brewed beer, and lots and lots of produce!