The end of baseball

The boys baseball season this year lasted nearly 12 weeks.  They started in the Spring, when it was so bitterly cold we wore hats and gloves and coats and scarves to each of the games, with hand and feet warmers on standby.  The middle of the season was wrought with rainstorms and rain outs.  I think, just guessing, overall that we probably had, between both boys, nearly 10 games that had to be rescheduled because of rain.  Then of course, the season ended last week in the sweltering heat.  Wyatt's game last Friday clocked in at 102 degrees at 5:15 pm - start time.

Elliott's team lost two games in the regular season and tied for first place overall.  They handily won their first tournament game, but faced an angry foe in their second...the team they had beaten twice during the season that was not only out for blood, but they thought they were playing in the world series.  It was an unfortunate scenario, that of course, ended ugly.  The coaches on each team, so desperate to fulfill their season long agendas, argued every single play; every single batter.  At the end of our 90 minutes of regulation, the boys had only played 3 innings, when they usually get six.  Elliott's team lost an ugly battle 3-0.  The boys were sad.  My boy was sad.  I was however, ready for baseball to end.  I really didn't like Elliott's coaches this year, one angry bully in particular, and was happy for my boy to have a little bit of free time on his hands.



I always tell my boys that no matter the outcome, they need to end a game knowing that they did their absolute best.  That they were ready to play and came out swinging.  Well, my boy, in that star crossed game, was THE ONLY kid on his team to get a hit at bat, and he got two.  Every other kid struck out or walked.  No one scored.

Wyatt's team however held on until the end.  They took second in their league and after a tough loss in the first game of their tournament they rallied to take second in the consolation bracket and work their way through three more teams.  They played on their home field, and played great.  Their next game, his team was stood up - the opposing team let the league know the night before that they would not be showing up to play, but in true "baseball is run by ding dong" fashion, no one bothered to communicate that to the coaches on Wyatt's team until five minutes after it was time to start and there wasn't a team to play.  All the dads who were present however stepped in, and the kids had a great batting practice.

Wyatt's last game was last Friday.  They lost by 4 runs, but played a great game.  Especially in spite of the horrendous heat on a field where they were facing the sun and there wasn't shade for miles.  Wyatt got a trophy and his picture taken a bunch of times.  And we went to Habit burger after the game.  AND, the Waffle Love truck was parked at the park by our house so we got waffles to boot.  He was happy.



I know that my boys learn so much from participating in sports - things that as their parent, I just really cannot teach them.  There will always be things about organized sports, especially for the 12 and under set, that really bug me, even make me angry at times, but I wouldn't trade it out.  Elliott especially, grew a lot this season.  He became a better and stronger kid, and a very good first baseman.  Wyatt learned that you don't cry and you try hard and you run fast and you shake hands at the end of the game.  Those are important lessons for a 6 year old.

Until next season...whatever that season may hold.

Week in Review

The week was busy.  As usual.  Busy is exhausting sometimes, but I'd rather be busy than have nothing to do.

Most of our week was spent sitting at home, waiting  for repair men.  Our oven has been broken for 5 weeks.  Every time Dave comes to try and fix it, he either finds something new wrong with it, or something that was repaired has broken again.  He's supposed to come on Wednesday.  Cross your fingers.  Of all the things that were/are wrong with it, the worst is that the igniter burned a hole through the pan in the bottom oven. Our oven is gas.  We could have blown ourselves up.

We've also been waiting for our wood floors to finally be finished.  There is a spot in front of the fridge where the boards buckled a bit.  After an entire week of waiting, the kid who did our floors showed up to meticulously sand and re-stain the boards.  Now, were just sitting and waiting for someone else to come and apply the varnish.  Until then, we have a taped off area of the floor that we cannot walk on.  In front of the fridge.  The boys are being so careful, which is great.  But it's inconvenient none-the-less.

The rest of our week was pretty typical.  Baseball and more baseball.  Missed cub scouts (because of baseball).  Mutual and scouts, errands and shopping and all that Jazz.

I've been sewing a lot lately, without a real goal in mind, just sewing.  It's relaxing.  I did though in the last two weeks make several skirts and aprons for some girls in my neighborhood going on trek.  The pattern was so cute and easy, that I made myself a skirt, too...just not as "pioneery" as the others.

We started the first of a summer filled of Wednesday night barbeque's and swimming at my grandpa's house.  The food and company are always good and even though the pool was bitter cold, the boys had a great time swimming.  Quinn is a brave little fish, and absolutely loves the water.

Elliott and Wyatt's teams both made the playoffs.  Elliott's team won on Tuesday night and they play again this Tuesday, but play the toughest team in their league.  Wyatt's team got blown out on a far away field by tiny little munchkin children.  He has another game on Wednesday.  Both boys played well and have had a great baseball season.  This baseball mama however, is ready for them both to loose their games so we can get on with our lives.  Baseball is in it's 11th week.  It's time for a change of sport.

Saturday was a super busy day, wrapping up a busy week.  We had a day full of errands and housework and yard work.  I spent some time volunteering at the sign-in/registration table at a charity 5k.  We wrapped up the night watching West Fest fireworks from my parents church park.

Sunday was father's day.  I have really good fathers in my life, all of whom I'm very grateful for.  Ross and I hosted dinner on Sunday and minus Jack throwing up minutes after the prayer was said, it was a good meal with tasty desserts.  I guess having a broken oven has it's advantages.  I found a new bakery, so I'd say it was a win.

waiting for summer

Today is Friday, June 19.  Wyatt and Quinn and I just finished a nutritious lunch of microwave popcorn.  The boys are now settled into their respective corners watching Nickelodeon.  I'm really tired.  Ross' brother came through this past weekend with antibiotics for us, and after 4 days on amoxicillan, we are finally coming out of the sick fog that surrounded us for nearly three weeks.

Ross was up at 6:00 am today.  It's moving day.  He's been in a temporary office space downtown since December and his new office space was cleared yesterday for move in.  I'm excited to see the space, and excited for him to not wake up so early, having a slightly shorter commute.

You see, I have to be up and in the shower at 6:30 am.  Yes, lots of people get up that early.  Yes, I used to do it all the time.  Just last year I was getting up at 5:30 am to go to the gym.  But, I don't want to do it anymore.  I am tired.  So insanely tired that I cannot even figure out how to stop being tired.

But, I'm up, and dressed and ready for the day by 7:00 am.  I don't dry my hair anymore.  It's long enough that I just let it go all morning and figure out what to do with it later in the day.  I wear hardly any make-up, because I'm lazy.  Lately, it's more of a tinted moisturizer, a little bronzer to hide my pale, and some mascara.  I gave in and bought really expensive (for me) mascara.  It's amazing.  It's the only thing that makes me look even half away.

The boys start waking up.  Wyatt is usually up first, between 6:30-7:15, followed by me blasting Elliott out of bed at 7:30, and Quinn?  He wakes up when he wakes up.  His schedule is a little nutty these days and I'm too lazy to worry about it.  #thirdkid

Once we are all up, it's time to make beds and get dressed and brush teeth and eat breakfast and pack lunches and snacks and review homework or spelling words.  If there is time, the boys play mine craft, watch a tv show, and sometimes stand at the fridge and eat a second breakfast.

We leave at 8:40 in the morning to get the boys to school.  Wyatt is done at Noon, 11:00 am on Fridays.  Elliott finishes at 4:00, 2:00 on Fridays.  Then, a couple days a week we rush home and Elliott changes into his baseball gear while I fix him a snack because he has baseball practice at 4:30.  We rush out the door just in time to get him there.  It's a challenge.  Our goal is to beat a kid named Tacoma.  When he comes, he's always last.  We just don't want to be last.

Why share this schedule on the blog?  Well, because it's June 19th.  My kids still have 9 days of school left.  Then, a very gracious 3 whole weeks off before they start the new school year and new grades on Monday, July 27th.  But, lest you feel bad for our abbreviated summer, the boys only go to school for 3 weeks and then, true to the most horrible schedule of all four year round tracks, they are off again for three weeks, and we have summer number two.

Summer number two is sort of like dinner number two.  Remember that episode of "The Office" where Kevin at two lunches and two dinners?  Well, it's like that.  It's leftovers.  We miss out on cousins and group activities because summer #2 finds everyone back in school mode.  It does leave museums and splash pads and swimming pools empty, which is nice, but it's not summer.

It's summer number two.

Year round school is for the birds.  Particularly, with my children being in a dual immersion Spanish language program, year round school, with it's random breaks in the schedule makes learning Spanish very difficult.  I suppose a lot of people like it, but having two boys who love to be in school makes it a challenge.  It also makes the adjustment to being home for 2 - 4 weeks at a time a challenge as well.  It's June 19 and I am already dreading the month of  November.  My boys don't go to school the entire month of November.

And bedtimes.  Last night, at 9:00 pm, we were desperately trying to get the big boys to bed.  "But its not dark outside" said Wyatt.  "I don't have to go to bed if it's not dark outside", both boys said, almost in unison, mocking their exhausted parents.  Those boys got chased up the stairs with threats of wet willies and wedgies, their teeth brushed and their butts in bed.  Elliott, as per usual was out lie a light.  He does that.  He plays hard all day and crashes.  Wyatt, as often happens, has a harder time falling asleep and needed his dad to hold his hand and sing him a song.  Quinn?  He was watching Scooby Doo in his room because bed time doesn't apply to a kid who wakes up from a random late nap at 6:00 in the evening.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Our school district has announced that they will be phasing out year round school.  Oh, I hope that it happens for us first.  I hope that it happens when my kids are young enough to want to do stuff with me, and not just find friends to ride their bikes around aimlessly with all day.  I hope it happens in the next two years.

There is a chance.

A small chance.

Until then, we will impatiently be waiting for summer.

Me waiting more impatiently than everyone else.

In a nutshell....

Last week was busy.  The busy was compounded by the fact that Ross and I have been sick.  Him for 11 days and me for 17, but whose counting.  Oh wait, I am!  We seem to have some sort of allergy driven cold/flu/bronchitis type thing.  Life is really hard with three kids when both parents are sick.  And exhausted.  But, we managed to pull another week out of our Mary Poppins carpet bag in spite of it all.




Wyatt had the week off of school for "kindergarten testing".  That's a rant of a post on it's own, but I'll just avoid it for now.  I had big plans to keep him busy, but being a sick parent with a lazy couch potato has it's advantages.  Staying home and watching tv is one of them.

Haley and the kids came over to jump on the trampoline, watch bugs and eat lunch.

We waited for the floor guy to come and fix a bad spot on the floor.  He never showed.  We waited for the oven repair man to come back for the 4th time to finally figure out why our oven doesn't work.  The igniter burned a hole through the base.  We could have blown ourselves up.  Good times.

I made two pioneer trek skirts and a trek apron for a neighbor's daughter.  I made three fanny packs and a purse for my sister.  I let my house become a total disaster.  I still haven't put my living and dining rooms back together because the baseboards need to be caulked and painted.

The boys had four baseball games: Elliott on Tuesday and Thursday and Wyatt on Wednesday and Friday.  Both boys played well.  Both boys went 2-0.  Both boys finished their regular season with error free games.  Both boys teams are in the playoffs starting this week.

We attended cousin Luke's baptism.  While at the church, Jack and Quinn were wearing the same outfits and Quinn saw a picture of Jesus holding a lamb on his lap.  He turned to us and said, "Look at Jesus holding that cute puppy."  It was pretty funny.



Ross finally got around to taking Wyatt shopping for his birthday present, a new bike, a month late.  He's got to learn to ride it without training wheels, and after a few attempts on Saturday afternoon, he may be 12 before he can figure it out.



We ended Saturday with our first trip to the splash pad.  My boys seem, at times, incapable of just "playing" and they spent all their splash pad time lying on the concrete instead of actually playing in the water.  Oh well.  And Quinn fell asleep.  7:00 pm naps are where it's at...only if the kid wakes up long enough to get his pajamas on and go back to bed.  Those are pretty sweet nights.



Here's to another LONG week of baseball and school and hopefully not being too sick anymore.  I'm getting tired of blowing bright pink brain matter out of my nose, while feeling like a small elephant is sitting on my chest.

Coming Home from Vacation

wood arrives for new hardwood floors.

we wait.

hardwood is installed.....s l o w l y...

installer runs out of wood and leaves.

new wood arrives.

no one comes to install.

Oven breaks.

 

The day we needed to leave on our vacation:

Annie has an early AM blood draw

Annie goes to her cousin Emily's temple sealing

Ross home with boys, mowing the lawn.

The floor guy comes to finish installing and start sanding

The oven guy comes.  He finds the problem, but doesn't have the part.

The house is chaos.

I arrive home, we hurry and pack up and leave so the floor guy can finish.

Commence vacation.

Arrive home with new, beautiful floors.  New rugs.  Kitchen in the family room.

Spend 45 minutes upon arrival trying to set up the new kitchen rug under the table.

Baseboards haven't been put back on.

Guy comes to fix the oven.  Under diagnosed the problem, need more parts.  Starting week 4 with no oven.

No baseboards.  Call Steve the floor guy repeatedly to find out why.  He doesn't know.

Baseball rain out

No baseboards another day.  Call Steve.  He tells us that we aren't supposed to put rugs or big furniture on the floor for 30 days.  Oops.  Thirty days is a LONG time.  We decide that the rug doesn't work under the kitchen table anyway, and pull it out.

Annie gets sick. (and is still sick 10 days later)

Baseball game.

We got to the zoo for our last off track activity.

Ross is supposed to go to scout camp.

Boys have 5 baseball games in less than 24 hour period (One on Friday and 4 on Saturday all at the same times); Ross decides not to go to scout camp.

Guy comes to nail baseboards back on.  doesn't caulk or cover nail holes.  We thought he should.  He says he doesn't and leaves.

All the furniture is still in the garage.

The fridge breaks on Saturday night.

Sunday morning, we take everything that can be saved and put it in the fridge in the garage.

Monday morning the boys go back to school.  The fridge also gets fixed.

Tuesday the oven gets fixed, finally, at 7:30 in the morning.  We should have baked cookies, but we didn't.

The week home from a vacation is always a little rough, isn't it.