Let's do this ONE more time.

My sweet Luke. 

Ever the happy helper and never minds that his main source of clothing is from what his brother has outgrown.

Right around Thanksgiving (and both boys birthdays!), we'll be feeling extra thankful when a little GIRL joins the family!

Tahoe

With busy season behind us once again we headed up to the cabin for a week.  The Armstrongs came from San Jose to join us, and we had a fanstastic time together.  The boys loved playing with Adalyn and I could have snuggled that sweet baby Lucy all day.

I forgot my camera, which I think ended up being a good thing.  We just focused on relaxing, napping, and laying around a whole lot instead of taking pictures.  But Marissa and I did manage to snap a few of the kids as we went out for some fun.

 We took the Arctic Cat out and the kids especially had a fun time.  All of them like to go fast.

The beavers are back so the river is running high again in the backyard.  That means enough water to kayak, which the kids also loved.

 

 Nate and Andy cooked dinner every night, which Marissa and I couldn't have been happier about.  But they did take a night off for pizza.

 

 Oh it was just nice to get away!  I wouldn't mind if this becomes an annual post busy season tradition!

Getting the Game Ball

Just like lots of little league teams do, Coach Michael gives the game ball to one player who did an especially exceptional job that game.  Oh, we were all rejoicing when Noah's turn came around last night!

That face says it all.  

He sat on the bench waiting, listening, and anticipating.  Maybe, just maybe, this would be his game.

 And, oh boy, my mama heart swelled with happiness as this sweet boy's name was called. 

The great part was that he really and truly did have an exceptional game: he fielded six hits in the outfield in the first inning (and outfield is rarely busy at all!), had three strong hits, and played shortstop really well in the third. 

If ever a game ball was deserved it was this game for this kid!

Spring Break & Easter Fun

Spring Break this year was filled with cousins and Easter fun.  We were excited to have the Biron cousins here from Bakersfield and spent every day together.  One day I took them and the boys to the zoo and to ride the train.

 I laughed as people looked at my darling group of five and asked, "Are they all yours?"  Oh, I wanted to say yes, because I love those girls like my own. 

I'm not sure I could take five kids with me everywhere so easily, but the zoo and train were a breeze.  It was just completely a good time and could hardly be considered any work at all.

 Grandma, Annie and the girls put together an Easter egg hunt for all of the cousins. Just missing Brennan there.  They don't look excited at all, do they?

The day before Easter we went over to the Ruggles annual egg hunt with Nana.

 

Oh, what a good time this is! 

Noah got to go in the back yard with the bigger kids, and I stayed with Luke.  He was a kid with a goal and filled that basket up quite nicely.  

 

 We loved that Kate and Kristina joined us this year too!

Just Like Buster Posey

Noah has been patiently waiting for his turn as catcher to come around, and Saturday was the day.

Oh, he was all smiles after getting that cumbersome gear on!

 This four year old of mine is a kid who likes a job and staying busy, so catcher is totally his thing. 

We just loved how he'd go after the ball when it was thrown into home plate, and then, in all of his armor, carefully place the ball on the tee.

 We've only had three games so far, but I'm also loving how Noah really is giving this t-ball thing his best effort. 

 He's keeping his eye on the ball,

staying focused,

 and having loads of fun (especially when it comes to running the bases).

He RIDES!

We've tried to help Noah ride a bike without training wheels on and off since his got his bike for Christmas.  He doesn't like the wobbly feeling, and I can't really blame him.  He's also not one to be pushed into something he's not ready for (potty training taught me that for sure).

So, we took a little break.  But with just a tiny bit of coaxing tonight, he got on that bike and RODE.  He just took off, and for the first time, got his feet on the pedals and just kept going.  Oh, it made my mama heart so darn proud!  We were taking video like crazy to show Nate, who was working late.  I'm so proud of this guy for doing a 'hard thing' and getting on that bike tonight!

Opening Day!

I've said for a while that I'm holding off for as long as possible when it comes to sports or just about anything else that is scheduled.  This is the only time in my entire life as a parent where I create the schedule, I get my kids practically all the time, and I am not looking forward to that changing when things like kindergarten come along.  And, yet, somehow, one night in January, there I was, signing Noah up for t-ball.


Is it weird to say it just felt right?  But then as it came closer to meeting the team and practices, it didn't feel quite so right anymore.  Noah didn't want to practice with us.  He didn't care much about baseball AT ALL, except that his team name was the Pirates.  That definitely won him over.

Noah did great the first couple of practices because he's obedient.  He did everything his coach asked, but he still had some frustrations.  He's a kid who notices that someone else can hit the ball harder or throw it better.  Not being the best was a difficult pill to swallow at first.

He likes Buster Posey, so we use Buster as an example of even the best making mistakes a LOT.  Buster Posey swings and misses, Buster Posey misses a catch or has a bad throw.  Thank goodness for Buster.  

We had hyped Opening Day as much as possible.  Noah was truly excited, while Nate and I were a bit on the nervous side.  Correction: Nate was maybe more than a bit on the nervous side. :-)

The unknown.  You just don't know how it's going to go.  And while struggling is key to learning and growing in life, it's hard as a parent to watch your kid go through something hard...even if it's just four year old t-ball.  Noah and I had a few talks about how a great day is when you try your best and have fun.  That's all he needed to do.

The good news:  Why did we even stress??? Noah had a fantastic day from beginning to end.

We arrived at the park where every team was decorating a truck for the parade.  Riding in a truck while wearing pirate accessories was a huge hit for the kids.

Noah's got some pretty decent pirate faces.

And while they were waiting the Chick-fil-a cow stopped by to keep the kids company.  Noah got huge laughs out of that.

Noah's team is filled with great kids and awesome parents.  Only one kid on the team has an older sibling.  The rest are the oldest, which means all of us are also totally new to t-ball.

 Noah has become buddies with Kylie, the one and only girl on our team.

 Our town sure does things right: fire trucks, police cars, people lining the streets -- all just to cheer on a bunch of cute kids who are starting baseball season.  It was awesome.

All of the teams were announced and brought on the field and, after some announcements, the kids were told to "Play ball!"

Luke would have given just about anything to get out there and be a Pirate too.  But he settled for his own 'uniform' shirt and cheered Noah on. 

We came back to the park a few hours later for Noah's game.  It was HOT.  Oh, March, why have you already turned into June?  But this little boy didn't let the heat get to him too much.

 My favorite part of the game was when Noah played first base.  He talked to every kid from the other team when they got on base.  Oh, I wish I had a microphone to hear what he was talking about.  One time I saw him look at the back of a kid's jersey and then the boy did the same to him.  It must have been something like, "Hey, you're number 6.  Did you look at my shirt? I'm number 3."  It was just darling to see Noah chat with every kid and not be the least bit shy.

I love the focus he has on the ball in this picture.

 Three innings was a little long for these kids in the heat.  I loved looking out at the field and seeing Noah in ready position and two of his teammates rolling around in the grass behind him. 

That's t-ball.

Hot weather aside, it was one memorable, fun day for our family!  After a handful of practices and two games I can already see what a great experience this season is going to be for Noah and all of us as we cheer him on.