Ball Games

Opening Day is a day much anticipated around here. Stephen and the boys especially are always excited for the MLB season to kick off on April 1st. They're usually less excited for the Little League season to begin, but their enthusiasm begins to mount as they pull out the baseball gloves and cleats again and start throwing around in the yard.

But the games have begun now, and evenings are spent watching them play. The PB&J dinners aren't so great, but it is great fun seeing their skills develop and seeing our "baseball friends". 

Last week both boys had a game on the same night, just across the street from each other. So we were shuffling back and forth trying to catch whoever was batting at the moment. I got a few pictures when I managed to take my eyes off the little girl who was busy stuffing rocks into her pockets (had to make sure she wasn't stuffing them into her mouth!). 

Cade heading for first after a hit

French fries from the Snack Stand sometimes
make for happier spectators

Cade, playing for the Tigers this year

Pickin' posies

Daddy's here!

I think it was a foul ball, but he hit it, anyway.

Luke is warming up. He's playing for the Pirates again this year.

Cade played shortstop.

I was sure she'd end up wet before the end of
the game, but she didn't figure out the handle.

Rocks going in the pockets.

Encouragement from the coach.

I guess Cade was keeping an eye on us, too.

Kicking up the dirt on the way home. He's fast just like his brother!

Catching Up!

This is a catch-up post as I just realized that something like six weeks have passed with out any blogging. Sheesh. It has felt like a long, cold spring, and we have been struggling through cold after cold around here. It feels as though we've hardly gotten out at all, but in looking back through the pictures from the last two months, I was reminded that we did get out and do fun things a few times. :-)

Even getting outside has felt like a big deal, and here the kids were enjoying the roaming neighbor cat Stumper. He's friskier than our old feline friend (Sabrina is nearly 18 years old now!), and the kids all enjoy him when he comes by. 

Even a trip to the library was a big deal when we had been sick and stuck at home for so many days. Everyone loves going to the library, though I must admit that I love it more when I can go without the littlest one tagging along. As you can see, she (and probably ever other almost-two-year-old) loves to push the books through to the other side of the shelf. Fun for her. Not so much fun for Mommy. You might notice the size of our library bags. Yes, that's plural bags-with-an-s. Honestly, we fill them every time. We often have more than 50 books checked out at once. (Yeah, that's no fun when we miss the renewal date. Trust me. I wrote an $80+ check to the library just after Christmas when we were all sick and I missed the email reminding us to renew.) And not all of the books are read before being returned, but Luke especially goes through his in a hurry. Cade's reading is beginning to take off, too, and I'm hopeful that his enthusiasm for books will follow in the footsteps of his brother.

We took a jaunt down to the zoo a few weeks back too. It was chilly in the morning, but we stuck to the indoor exhibits for a while, and it warmed up later on. We enjoyed the new spectacled bear along the American Trail. 

It's so nice to have good helpers!

The lemurs wanted the kids' apples.

We tried our hand at some peanut butter (almond butter for the allergic boy) eggs last week before Easter. That was a first, and I'll make some adjustments to the recipe next year, but they were pretty tasty. 

Little Missy especially liked them, as you can see from the evidence around her mouth.

We've now begun the baseball season, and our evenings are filled with peanut-butter and jelly dinners at the park watching our boys play. Cade had a game last evening, and both boys will play tonight. Elsa doesn't have much interest in watching the game, and Caroline mostly likes to play her version of "Let's See How Far from Mom I Can Wander Before She Comes After Me." I'm seriously considering strapping her into the Ergo or the stroller just so I can take a few pictures without losing her. When I remember the heart-wrenching feeling of losing Elsa at the baseball field a few years back, I am sure I don't want to go through that again! So maybe the Ergo is in order...for safety's sake...or sanity's sake.