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Saturday, June 8, 2013

T-Ball Spring 2013

Six weeks ago was the start of t-ball season.  Christian asks year round when I'm going to sign him up for it.  His big night was last night.  He was jumping up and down with his glove on saying this, "This day is so special!"  He paid attention well and had some good hits and it already looking forward to next Wednesday.  He has two buddies on his team this time and couldn't be any happier!

Victoria asked to be on t-ball this year.  Unfortunately, because of their (whopping) age difference they are on different nights.  Therefore, back to back nights we head to t-ball.  Her first night, tonight, landed on the last night of swimming.  Victoria has gotten to be a good swimmer and didn't want to miss her last night of swimming.  I was fine with that.  However, the first night of t-ball is picture night.  That means she wouldn't get or be in the team picture.  We talked it over and she went back and forth and back and forth.  Finally I told her she'd have to sleep on it.  She asked what that meant and I tried to explain it to her and she cocked her head and said, "What kind of human do you think I am?  I can't think and figure things out in my sleep!"  Low and behold she woke this morning with the decision happily made: T-ball.

I picked her up a pink glove while she was at school and off we went to t-ball.  Unfortunately, due to bad weather both games were played inside in the gym that week.  Victoria was nervous, having never played before.  But she got up there and swung and nailed it the first time.  For some reason her coach separated the boys from the girls.  The girls batted first and did great and then the boys were up.  The coach walked up to the girls in the 'outfield' and spread his arms out and said, "Back up girls.  The boys can hit better than you."  Not kidding.  He said that.  I was stunned.  I looked at Mark with my mouth open and he shook his head.  I heard a couple other parents whispering about it.  Then the first boy swung and missed four times.  I was glad.  I wanted to yell, "Scoot up girls.  These boys suck!"  But I bit my tongue.

Despite the bad weather just about every Wednesday and Thursday we all had a great time.  They had many fans come and cheer them on.  They learned an hour and fifteen minutes is a long time to pay attention.  And they learned being on a team feels good.  We've decided to take the summer off from all organized activities.  Ok, I decided that and have yet to break the news.

Another successful season!

Christian's Team


First at bat





Wrapped up and cuddled.
We had one nice night out of 11 nights of t-ball.


Liv came to be Christian's fan in the rain and cuddled Brecken almost the entire time.


Mama and Papa showed up the game in the rain too!



Mrs. Linn is always a fan!


The one nice night we did have Papa snuggled and loved Brecken up for the full hour and a half.


Christian's at bat.
I certainly could have gone around the fence...



Uncle John and Aunt Tegan came to cheer Christian on.
He loves his fans.
This was the only game he was nervous for.


Mama and Papa again.
Most Dedicated Fans Spring 2013


Auntie Sandy came out for a game too!


Field 2 has a huge hill.
It's not fun to push the stroller up it.
But the kids love to run and roll down it.


Our lil' slugger up to bat.




Lil' Bro just hanging out waiting for the big kids to get done playing.



Mama and Papa on Victoria's night.


We always had less fans on Thursdays - 
so that earns her more At Bat Pictures.







Daddy relaxing with his two sons.
(Gosh, I love saying two sons!)


My boys!


Looking forward to next season.

Hoping for much nicer weather.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

I'll Give You an 8.5

Yesterday Brecken was awake much more than usual and ate much more than usual, I'm sure to make up for eating less the night before.  He was also happy just to hang out.  Him and Christian played tummy time for nearly half an hour.  He hung out in his swing and bouncer.  He cuddled with me smiling up at me.

He began to get fussy at Christian's t-ball game so Victoria, Brecken and I left early (plus it was 57 degrees and sprinkling).  I gave him his usual bath and nursed him and he fell asleep at 8:40.  I laid him down and within minutes he was screaming.  Not an I can't fall asleep or a I want my mommy to hold me cry but a Something is wrong - Come get me scream.  Mark went and got him and I nursed him again.  He fell right to sleep.  I was wondering if the previous night had been a fluke.  I laid him back down just before 9:00.  This time he was completely peaceful.  He slept without making a sound until 5:30am!!  

That's eight and a half hours of straight sleep!

I slept more than 6 straight.  He was really hungry this morning, ate a good breakfast and feel right back to sleep.  I think he's trying to win the Best Baby of 2013 award!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Give Me an Eight

I laid Brecken down last night just before 8:30.  We didn't hear a peep out of him.  Then
HE SLEPT EIGHT STRAIGHT HOURS!!!!!
I even slept six straight hours and woke just before he did.  I am amazed what a great baby he is!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Reach Out

Today was the last day of high school for my very first set of students.  What a sweet and memorable day.

However, it was over shadowed by the fact that I had to attend the wake for a 16 year old boy who walked in room 214 when he was just seven years old.  He was on the shy side.  He was a very hard worker.  He could be silly with his friends but he never got into trouble.  I remember how much he loved gym days and his little cheeks would always be flushed when I picked up the class because he worked so hard.  I remember his smile the most.  Sometimes he would try to hide his smile and it would be more of a smirk.  I remember he'd often share stories about his little sister who was just a year younger than him.

I tried to keep extra busy all day to avoid facing my feelings today.  30 minutes before I had to leave I sat down with the sympathy card for the family and I looked at the blank left side and I felt sick.  By the time I had written four sentences I was sweating.  I kept whispering to myself, I can't do this, I can't do this.  I am an overly emotional person on a daily basis, so when it comes to something this emotional it's so hard to keep it together.  Plus when I'm somewhere as a teacher, rather just a mom, wife or crazy lady crying for some reason, it's important to me to stay professional.  I finished the card, dropped the kids of at Mama Jeanne's and picked up two friends and I drove over to the same church that had just held Christian's preschool graduation just a couple weeks ago.  We arrived just 15 minutes after the start time and already people were out the door.

As we finally stepped foot into the church I could barely breath.  There was a poster board with his baby pictures just three steps away.  I was clenching my Kleenexes like they were going to give me strength.  We got up the steps and there was a table with his brand new year book on it, some rubber bracelets his teammates had made and a Mother's Day book he wrote when he was in second grade.  I gasped when I saw it.  I whispered to Amanda, "Oh my God, he made that book in my class," and I started crying.  I held that book and turned to the very last page where I knew it was the About The Author page.  I read what he wrote about himself eight years ago while sitting in my class.  There was a tiny school picture of him glued to the top of the page.  Right about that time his grandma approached the three of us and she said, "You look so familiar, I know you face."  I introduced myself and she said, "Yes, yes, he just loved you."  I couldn't speak and I put my head down and began to cry.  I whispered how sorry I was for her loss and stepped out of the way so she could talk to my friends.

Next I saw his sister.  She was holding her one year old baby sister who was sleeping in her arms with a Nuk in her mouth.  I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her and she started crying.  All I could whisper was, "Oh, sweetie."

We waited in line for nearly an hour more passing more tables and poster boards with more memories.  There were many team pictures and ribbons from elementary track n field days and pictures of him and his siblings. There was a set of his little painted hand prints that were cut out and tied together with a red piece of string from just a decade ago.  I ran my finger along one of the ribbons and Amanda said, "This is all his mom has left."  His letterman jacket hung there with his last name on it.  His basketball friends roamed around with their eyes swollen and red.  Huge bouquets of white and orange flowers in vases made out of basketballs were fragrantly sitting on stands.  Music played from the slide show that was going in the sanctuary.

Finally, we were approaching his family.  I was watching how other people acted and what they said.  I wasn't sure what to say.  I didn't know if they'd recognize me.  As soon as I got close his dad was so kind and happy to see me.  He said he heard I just had a baby and how happy he was for us.  He said there with a picture of me and his son and a friend who was also in my class on one of the boards.  We hugged and I thought how I was so amazed at his strength.  When he let me go I looked at his mom and the poor woman was standing there completely sobbing.  She held her arms out and I immediately hugged her.  We both cried and held on to that hug.  She said, "You were always his favorite teacher."  I pulled back and had my head down and she said, "Really, even as he got older he still always said you were his favorite teacher.  You really touched his life."  I was sobbing and wiping my eyes and she continued, "We requested you to be (his sister's) teacher.  It had to be you."  It was so moving.  I was so touched.

As a teacher you always hope you reach students and, really, you never know.  They will never know how much they reach me too.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Where's My Stuff

How would you feel if you left for work today and while you were gone someone entered your space and threw out a substantial amount of your stuff then rearranged what was left?

Well, that's exactly what happened to Victoria today.  She is a classic little seven year old hoarder.  A rock.  Keep it!  A sticker.  Gotta have it!  A plastic ring.  A treasure!  A plastic frog.  A happiness!  140+ stuffies.  GOLD!

She can't throw a thing out.  Not a single thing!  Not. a. single. thing.

Her little room was so cluttered walking was tricky.  She had her stuffies lined up around the perimeter and she thought her room looked great.  We had Girls Night Out last week and bought her a bunch of new 'big kid' books so I wanted to go through her books and reorganize them for her.  While I was at it I cleared of the shelves and dusted and one pile turned into a bag full of excess turned into two bags turned into a completely cleaned and organized room.  I cleaned her hermit crabs cage.  I taped a few new pictures near her little headboard.  I moved the clock so she can see it better.  I kept a good amount of her little goodies in ONE gallon ziploc bag.  My idea was then she could keep the bag in the car and those little things would provide her endless amounts of entertainment in the car this summer.

I was so excited to pick her up this afternoon, but I was a bit nervous too because I didn't want her to be sad so much was gone.  I pumped her up about a surprised on the way home.  We started walking down the steps to the basement and she said, "Let me guess...You cleaned the basement."  She rounded the corner, nope!  She walked into her room and said, "Oh my gosh Mommy! I love it!  Oh look how clean everything is!  LOOK AT MY TURTLES!!  I love it!!!"  Then a slight hesitation..... "But, where's all my stuff."  "That's the exciting part," I said.  I pulled out the shoe box with Victoria's Special Treasures written on it all fancily and she opened it to find many many many treasures in that bag.

In the end she was thrilled and we spend almost an hour looking at her new books.  She read a 4th grade story to me tonight and talked about if she pushes herself to read more difficult books this summer she will be invited to Bookworms again in 2nd grade.

In the end she is thrilled with the results.

Now Christian wants me to 'do' his room too.  Bet, he doesn't know what he's asking for!