an exciting season

dylan hasn’t played baseball since he was in kindergarten….and at that level it was t-ball through the rec. league. he didn’t express any interest in playing again until this year and needless to say, sean was thrilled!

he wants so much for dylan to like baseball. he has such fond memories of little league growing up. such great memories attached to his childhood experience….he and his friends playing games at the school down the street all summer long, his best buddy’s dad being head of the league for so many years, etc etc etc. and we won’t even start on his love for his boston red sox! he had a hard time letting go of the fact that his son just didn’t have the baseball obsession.

when we signed him up for the pony league (the little league in our town), I was nervous….would all the other boys be so far ahead of him if they had all continued on since kindergarten? it’s very popular in our town and lots of boys are already on select teams.

well, after a rough start, he ended up doing really well and liking it too! he got a hit almost every game and that definitely helped his confidence level.

it was a great learning experience for him. he only knew one other boy on the team and as most of them had played together already, he was definitely the odd-guy-out. and not being the strongest player didn’t help with that either. boy it hurt this mama’s heart to see him sitting all by himself in the dugout….no one talking or cheering for him. he was definitely not used to that coming from soccer and basketball where he is always one of the strongest players.

we had lots of talks about hard work, not quitting, giving it your all, etc. and it really paid off. his catching was amazing by the end (he needed it playing outfield every time!) and he wasn’t quite as scared of the fast pitches coming towards him. it’s amazing how fast some of these 10 year olds throw the ball! he just started sliding the last couple of games after his confidence level increased.

there were a few moments of frustration when he struck out

but luckily sean knew exactly what to say to his son to get him back in the game

and there were lots of smiles

he says he wants to play next year…..so that’s great.

it was an interesting experience for so many reasons. it was a long season and a huge time commitment. we had to be at the field an hour before his game for practice…4:30pm….not easy when he gets off the bus at 3:50. rush home, get his uniform on, eat some dinner, MAYBE get some homework in….and pray that night’s field is only 10 minutes from the house! and adding makena to the mix only made it all that more challenging fun! she did great at the games.  “go D go” she would say from the sidelines.

the assassins placed 3rd after the tournament…..great season!

and now onto the next sport…..our summer is full of soccer and basketball camps to prepare for the fall / winter!

playing catch-up

I honestly don’t know why it has been so hard to keep up with the blog this year. it’s not like I have 5 kids running around making me crazy! good grief! I left off in april right before dylan’s birthday (4/21).

I honestly can’t believe he is 9 years old. Sometimes I look at him and see the little boy he was, just yesterday….and sometimes I see him as the teenager he will be in a blink of an eye.

he is my blessing, this boy. God is teaching me so much about life through him. we are proud of him always.

for his birthday, we invited a bunch of friends to a place called laser quest. perfect for 9 year olds….run around in a dark room shooting each other with laser guns. and perfect for moms….very little planning, cooking or cleanup. we ordered pizza to be delivered, I made cupcakes and Dylan chose an angry birds theme. it was a fun afternoon!

a few weekends later, my family came to one of his baseball games and then back to the house for hamburgers (his favorite) and cake & ice cream to celebrate. he had a hit at his game, so it was very exciting to have them there!

my days have gotten much busier these last couple months. I am still watching makena, and it turned into more than full-time this spring. her mom has been getting her mba these last 2 years, so I would watch makena 2 late nights a week (her mom works full-time with sean) while she is at class.

she decided to take 3 classes this spring to finish up, so makena practically lived here (like 5:30 am to 10 pm!). she just graduated, so we are back to a normal schedule…..a few days a week, but no late nights.  and I’ll be watching 2 other older kids just for the summer as well…3 days a week.  it will be crazy town around here….but fun!

 

up next, the baseball wrap-up.

spring has sprung

we have finally been able to enjoy a few hours outside over the last couple of weeks….and the sun has actually made an appearance or two! it’s been heavenly, and much needed, to say the least.

dylan had spring break last week and the forecast was for an entire week of downpours. all of us moms weren’t sure how we were going to survive it. especially since makena was with us 4 of those days, so that meant we couldn’t get out and do much. suffice it to say, much too much xbox was played by dylan and his friends while makena was napping.

we had a very quiet easter. my parents were down in cali visiting my brother and his family, and we had just seen everyone the week before for my birthday party anyway. plus, we’ll be getting together again in 2 weeks for dylan’s bday…..it’s always that way this time of year! so we went out for nice lunch and enjoyed the sunshine. it did feel weird not to have ham though!

last year we didn’t even color eggs, and I missed it. dylan was excited about it this year and we went old-school with basic, vibrant colors. so pretty and so fun!

he’s still not too old for relaxing with dog-dog on the couch (he comes down with him every morning)

and something we haven’t done since kindergarten / t-ball…..

it’s big time now….he’s doing pretty well considering his teammates have all been playing for a few years. sean is THRILLED he is playing again…..so many happy boyhood memories for him associated with playing ball.

I’m sure these won’t be the last pictures you’ll see. and in a few more days and my little man turns 9….where has the time gone?

did I jinx us?

when I took down the christmas decorations right after the new year, we were still in the fun season of “snow” and “cold”. you know….before the bulbs start thinking they should make an appearance after one warm day.

so I left a few things up around the house for fun…….

well…..it’s not so fun anymore. I’m thinking I might have left them up just a little bit too long…..because this has been out weather pretty much all week….

weird, random snow showers and cold cold cold!

and of course, rain rain rain when it isn’t snowing.

everyone is getting very grumpy. and every year I ask myself…..why don’t we have plans to go somewhere warm for spring break?

and we aren’t the only ones who miss sitting in the sun

I hope it’s warm where you are!

hello march

hello life that just keeps going and going and going

but it’s all good

we started the year by celebrating my beautiful niece sofie turning 7 years old. we all had lunch at red robin and then us girls went on a “shopping spree” at Michael's craft store! her eyes were as big as saucers….she could do crafts all day. a girl after my own heart.

happy birthday to our creative, sensitive, smart girl. we love you!

february was busy with our weekends taking care of the little foster boy we were hoping to eventually adopt. he is such a sweet, nice little boy who seems very unaffected (from what we could tell thus far) by the life he has led in his short 7 years. he and dylan were like 2 peas in a pod….and got along like brothers. he just wanted to be a little boy for once.

unfortunately for us, it wasn’t meant to be.

dylan played on a different league this year for basketball. it was a lot more competitive and difficult….and he of course loved it! they played full court, on 10 ft. regulation nets and he learned and improved so much. maple valley is starting a select league and we’re going to check that out in a few weeks.

baseball started this week and we’ve already had 2 practices so far! (and basketball isn’t even over!) he hasn’t played since kindergarten t-ball and it’s a whole different ballgame now. VERY serious and competitive. we’ll see how he likes it.

he is still really enjoying cub scouts and participated in his second pine wood derby race. and for the second time his car came in first place overall! it was VERY exciting. they do such a great job putting it together…down to the electronic track and scoring!

sean and dylan spent a weekend up at our family cabin with my parents for some snow-filled fun! I enjoyed some much needed quiet time alone at home. I did some deep cleaning (don’t ask me when the last time I cleaned all the blinds was!) and did a little shopping and moving watching. the boys had a great time snowshoeing, skiing and making great forts in the snow!

february was a very busy and emotionally stressful month for me…with the uncertainty of the little foster guy, as well as a busy month watching 2 little ones (I am still watching Makena, but was also watching another baby), I needed the quiet to recharge. I had agreed to watch another little baby a couple days a week, but for various reasons (including the fact we thought J. was going to join our family) I decided to stop watching him.

so, things are back to normal with our family….whatever that means!

instagram love.

december wrap-up

well, here it is, a week into the new year and I’m finally getting around to posting about the holidays. in between the cleaning, organizing, and purging that comes with the first couple weeks of january, I’ve had some time at the computer (now that a certain someone is back in school) to edit my photos.

the holidays were a complete whirlwind! we had so many parties and activities, coupled with the fact that for some reason by the time christmas arrived, I didn’t feel “ready” and was still scrambling to wrap and cook/bake at the last minute. I hated it and had a mini-meltdown on the 23rd while I was wrapping and panicking thinking about having to get ready for a party and I still hadn’t made what I was going to bring or wrap the hostess gift. ugh….why do we moms do this to ourselves?

every year I vow to be more organized and just be able to ENJOY christmas when it does arrive. and it was a lovely month all things considered. we didn’t get sick (except for me on the 26th and I missed shopping with all my girls at the crate and barrel after christmas sale – AGAIN!), there was lots of family time, lots of wonderful time with our dear friends, and waaaay too much delicious food!

dylan was off for over 2 weeks and we did lots of fun activities. more on that later.

our house all decked out for the holidays. I took it during a lull in the light show from next door.  ha ha  When sean saw the photo he is convinced that he needs to put lights on the peaks next year (we have in past years). and I usually put candles in the upstairs window…not sure why I didn’t this year. our neighborhood goes crazy with lights. it’s wonderful!

I love that he still believes…..

he was so in awe of santa

what the boys did while I was baking / wrapping / shopping (next year I WILL be done early so I can enjoy this with them!)… that is noah, a good friend of dylan’s who has been spending lots of time at our house lately….love that!

cards waiting to be mailed (I loved our cards this year….this is the 4th year I designed them myself on photoshop….I love being able to make them look the way I want)

christmas eve / day we spent at my sister’s on vashon island. waiting for the ferry is always part of the trip

it’s hard to be far away from your family….especially at the holidays. we miss sean’s family in boston so much!

lots of presents were opened….

yummy, delicious food

it was warm enough for lots of outside time….no rain or need for coats

and a fun family game of pictionary at the end of the evening

love these kids!

everyone came to our house on christmas day. we had a fun morning just the 3 of us opening presents and having cinnamon rolls. the rest of my family arrived around noon and we had another great afternoon together. and I only took pictures of all the presents being opened!

God Bless You if you are still reading. Happy New Year!