The day was finally here...

Now I know I can't put too much pressure on the kid, and can't impose my likes, but I've sure always loved everything about the game of baseball. I've always dreamed of seeing my child, dressed in his uniform and hat, standing out there in that field with a glove he doesn't have a clue what to do with. And today, Caleb had his kickoff for his PeeWee Tee Ball league (God's Little League). He's on the yellow team, the Disciples, which I know sounds kinda cheesy, but we were thrilled to find a nice non-competitive league to try this out in. And yes, I know he's going to be a space cadet. And yes, I know he'll be the one picking flowers in the outfield. But, at least he'll look adorable doing it!!! And he does seem to enjoy the game. He has had an almost uncanny knack for throwing and hitting since he was 1. Ha, we'll see. He will have games twice a week for the month of June. Sounds doable, doesn't it?
Now isn't that the cutest thing you've ever seen?



Aidan really wanted to be a big kid and play too, but you have to be 3. After awhile though, he gave up dreaming and just rolled in the grass.

Catchin' Fireflies...

Last Sunday night, after youth group, we noticed tons of fireflies out, so we decided it was a good night to keep Caleb and Aidan up a bit late and try to catch some! They were very excited, and it felt great to be outside, but wouldn't you know the "tons" seem to evaporate into thin air once we got to searchin'. We ended up with about 5 after 30 minutes... But it was still lots of fun. Caleb caught the very first one. I think the firefly felt sorry for him, with the way he was wildly flinging his net around, and flew into it on purpose. :) (P.S. it was 80's night at youth group, so that's why Caleb has on acid washed tapered jeans and a funky shirt...)

Top Moments of My Day

I was just reading an article that reminded me to appreciate the many sweet moments in a day rather than fretting over the tough ones. That, in addition to the the overwhelming way my heart is grieving for Steven Curtis Chapman and his family, made me want to stop for a minute, and be truly thankful.

* Snuggling with Caleb and Aidan on the couch for about 30 minutes while watching a Franklin movie, which we rented for free.
* Hearing/watching Caleb sound out some words. He is beginning the journey of reading!
*Talking with Caleb before we both fell asleep at nap time today, about rhymes, opposites, synoymns. His mind is a sponge, and he can be so cleverly funny!
*Taking a nap!
*Playing on the floor with Kellan and Ethan and just soaking in their synchronized giggles.
*The intense book time that began with me by myself by the bookshelf attempting to straighten it up, and ended with all 4 boys climbing on and around me begging for book after book and leaving an even bigger mess than we started with.
*The satisfaction of watching all 4 boys DEVOUR something somewhat healthy for lunch today; sweet potato fries!
* Hearing my husband tell me I'm beautiful. (at least to him, phew...)
* Actually getting up early enough to have breakfast by myself and spend a little time with God.
* (this is from yesterday, but it still had to make the list) Hearing Caleb sing (off-tune)a sweet praise song that he had stuck in his head all day, "God you are my God, and I will ever praise you."

Our little swimmer!

Aidan finished up his swim lessons this week, and my, did he have the time of his life. He talked about it constantly, and just continued to get more and more brave! By the end he was LOVING going down the slide, going underwater (even by himself), and jumping off the diving board, totally unassisted. He was pretty amazing!

Helpers

It started with a question at dinner one night, "Daddy, is there a room in the new house for me to paint?". For the next week, Caleb was locked onto the idea of helping to paint. Even his bus driver mentioned how much he had been talking about it. While Grandpa Alan and Aunt Robin were here, working on the house, he was getting even more anxious to go "work on the house" himself. So finally, on Monday night, we brought the boys over there and let him and Aidan give painting a whirl. (Of course it was just primer, over the bright orange stripes in what will be the twins' room). They did so good! I was surprised with just how serious they took it, and how long it kept their attention! And the worst of the mess was just a little paint Aidan ended up with on his arm, and in his ear...

mud puddles

Caleb and Aidan got to play out in the rain today with their cute new rainboots and umbrellas (courtesy of Granny B). They stomped and splashed and explored. They got pretty messy and wet, but it was worth it to see the expressions on their faces. The voice in my head that kept going on about how much extra work this was creating for me (after already a yucky morning that began with a toilet overflowing which led to a huge leak in the kitchen ceiling, at the duplex) was slightly drowned out by the voice that kept expressing what a great photo opportunity this was! Enjoy!

Minor League Baseball

We've had a lot of fun over the past few years taking in an occasional Rancho Cucamonga Quakes game at the Epicenter, and we were excited to find that there are minor league teams not too far from Galesburg. So last night, even though we probably should have been working on the house (but we'd had this on the calendar for a long time, and I just couldn't cancel it!), we took Caleb and Aidan to see the Peoria Chiefs play. They wore their hats. They took their gloves. They cheered. They learned to crack peanuts. They sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". It was SO much fun to see them take in the 'experience' of the game! Mommy, the baseball enthusiast, was of course tickled pink to spend an evening with the boys like this. But even Daddy, the baseball not-so-enthusiast, admitted it was an incredibly fun evening, and worth every penny. Special thanks to the Darlings who watched the twins for us! I think next year even they will be big enough to really enjoy the experience also!


and yes, isn't my husband incredibly sweet, and clever, to sneak in that last post? :) Here's a pic of me and the boys from Mother's Day... And the best gift that day? We ALL took a long nap...

Mother's Day

This is from Weston, just to surprise you with a little Mother's Day greeting for you.

"Happy Mother's Day. I Love you"

-The Boys

Touch-a-Truck

The city does a cool event each year called "Touch a Truck". Many different kinds of trucks (vehicles in general, really) gather together down at Lake Storey and the kids get to explore (climb into, toot horns, etc.) them. They also hand out a bunch of free goodies (i.e. Hostess goodies from the Hostess truch). There were bunches of children there, but it was still very fun. Enjoy the pics! (The one in which Aidan is crying is right after he skinned his knee...)

"Jo Jo and The Ghost"

Caleb brought home a little handmade book from school yesterday. He had written many many letters in it and was SO proud of the book he wrote himself. He read it to daddy, and to mommy, and then here to the camera (although you got the condensed version for some reason). Its not a super entertaining story, but it is awfully cute.

Weston finally admits to missing something about So Cal.

(Some thing, of course he misses many people)

What is it? Well, we've been watching the Laker Playoff games on the computer (usually at least a day after the fact, so please don't tell us the outcome of a game too early...), and have been loving seeing our team do so well. After watching them win Game 4 and sweep the Nuggets last night, Weston commented, "Man, I sure miss seeing all those Laker car flags on the freeway during playoff time."

Caleb's "Art Show"

Caleb had his Open House for preschool. They called it an "art show". It was so very cute. We all trooped in his classroom, and right by the door was his "section of the wall"; with a life size tracing of him, and lots of colorful art work. She's such a sap, but Mommy had to choke back the tears. We looked all around the room, Aidan liked the play phone and the cookies the best. After we left, we introduced the tradition of going out for ice cream after open house... So very fun, and Aidan even had his first ice cream cone all too himself. He didn't even make that big of a mess.
We're so very proud of Caleb!!!!

Aidan's Turn

It's Aidan's turn for swim lessons... He was a bit hesitant the first night, but tonight, was SO into it; jumping in, being thrown high in the air, going underwater. It's very fun to watch him do something that is just for him. He's loving the special attention.