Baseball Time

Brother is playing coach pitch baseball this year. This means that the coach pitches to each batter. If the batter doesn't get a hit after about four pitches, they bring out the tee for the batter to use. It's how they transition the players from tee-ball to regular baseball. They still don't have strikes, outs, or keep score.

We really had to work with Brother with this transition. He always does really well batting at home with the whiffle balls, but it never occurred to me that a baseball goes much faster than a whiffle ball. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if Brother hadn't be so determined to hit from the pitches rather than the tee. The first couple games, he really would get upset when the tee was brought out. Fortunately, he's gotten much better about it.

Today, we really lucked out with good weather. I say we lucked out, because it rained the hour before and after our game, but we enjoyed sunshine during the game.

Here's Brother at bat the first inning. He wasn't able to hit the coach pitches, so he hit a great one off the tee. He's running to second base.
Brother was able to get the bat and the ball to connect at his second at bat, but it was a foul ball.Out came the tee and Brother was able to get a good hit off it.

Brother running home.Then, during his at bat in the third and final inning, he finally was able to get a hit off the pitch!!!He was so excited! Here's Brother with one of his friends from preschool who is also on his team.

Brother's team lined up for the Base Race after the game.

Happy Mother's Day

On Mother's Day we started the morning with cards and gifts. The cards the kids and my dh gave me were so sweet.Sister made me a beautiful plate for my china cabinet. She even picked out the perfect place for it to go. Baby Bear did some vacuuming for me.
After a wonderful pancake breakfast made by Daddy, we headed off to mass with Memere and Papa. Papa even gave Memere and me corsages. He's so thoughtful!Grandma and Grandpa came down to spend the afternoon with us. Uncle B came too, yippee!!! We all went out to dinner with Memere and Papa too.

What a blessed Mother's Day.

BTW, Sister received her birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa that day too...a new bike. Fancy, eh? (=

Mystery Bag

Brother had the mystery bag for preschool last week. He was so excited. Starting this spring, each week (or so) one of the students brings home "The Mystery Bag". They are to put one item into it and come up with three clues to guess what it is. Mom or Dad write those clues down, just in case the child forgets when he/she gets up in front of class. Then, the class tries to guess what the item is. Brother did a great job coming up with his clues all on his own and remembered all of them in order. No one in his class (or Daddy) guessed what they were until the last clue.

See if you can guess. (Scroll slowly so you can think about it).

1. You use a key to open them.

2. They are silver.

3. Policemen use them on bad guys.

Are you ready?

HANDCUFFS!

Did you get it right?

As you can see, he also has a lot of fun playing with them in the car. No, I do not handcuff him while we're in the van, though it'd probably make my life easier sometimes if I did. (;

May Crowning

"Immaculate Mary, thy praises we sing;

Who reignest in splendor with Jesus our King.

Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!"

May is the month of Mary and Sister's school always starts it off with a May Crowning of Mary followed by a maypole dance. Sister's class was part of the festivities this year. They wore their first communion attire and processed in with the eighth graders (who will be graduating to high school this June).

Here is Sister's class.
Just the girls. Aren't there a lot of them! Lots of female leadership in that class as her teacher kindly says.

Now, the boys minus one who was home sick.

Here comes Sister determinedly down the aisle to place flowers at the feet of the Blessed Mary statue in front of the altar.

There she goes.

"In heaven, the blessed thy glory proclaim;

On earth we, thy children, invoke thy fair name.

Ave, ave, ave, Maria! Ave, ave, Maria!"

Mother's Day Tea

Brother's preschool class hosted a Mother's Day Tea. His teacher does a wonderful job making sure all of us moms feel very special. The kids had several surprises for us. The first were the yummy cupcakes they decorated especially for us. The second was the special book that each child made for his/her mom. Next, they sung an adorable song to the tune of BINGO. "There is someone who loves me so and Mommy is her name-o. MOMMY...." It was really cute.

They didn't quite get the clapping right, but they sure loved doing it. I think some of them thought they were just supposed to be clapping in applause for us. Which is okay too.

We each went home with a really special gift. Brother to open gifts for me, so I've already received my beautiful mug.

What a wonderful start to my Mother's Day celebrations. Sister has plans for Sunday. I'll let you know what she comes up with.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!!!

Top at Tours

Our Moms' group enjoyed a field trip with the kids to a local supermarket. Baby Bear had a wonderful time. It all started with each child getting his/her own bag. He loved carrying his bag.Next, the kids were given samples in every section of the store. Apple chips in the produce, cheese bites in the deli, water bottles in the drink aisle, yogurt covered raisins in the bulk section, and cookies in the bakery. Baby Bear lives to eat and couldn't get enough of the samples. He soon handed his bag over to me because it was too difficult to eat while holding his bag. I think he went back for thirds of the cheese sample. I had to drag him away from the sever kicking and screaming.In the cooking area they have a screen on which instore chefs show how to make things. The kids got a kick out of being on television. The tour concluded in the garden department where they filled coffee cups with soil and put sunflower seeds in them for each of the kids. Amy, our tour guide was extremely good with the kids. She really understood how to keep them interested and involved. She'd tell them to stand on the black rectangle and ask them to find the number 2 and such.

Top Foods is definitely TOPS at giving preschool tours. Thanks!!!

Welcome to the Table of the Lord!

On Saturday, April 17, 2010 Sister celebrated her First Holy Communion.

Welcome to the Table of the Lord, my sweet girl!My parents, her godparents, walked her down the aisle in the procession and joined her as she received her first Eucharist.Memere and Papa gave her this beautiful saint bracelet (along with a Mother Mary rosary holder for her patron saint rosary they gave her for her First Reconciliation last November). A friend of mine from high school, who was not able to attend the ceremony, made her this beautiful white bracelet with her name and a silver cross.Here we are (almost eleven years after we were married in this same church) with our beautiful first born. What an amazing day! She honored me by wearing my wedding veil (sans the blusher). As you can see, she insisted on wearing heels (since now she is a young lady) and also that she have a white purse to carry her gloves in when she went up to communion.We never did get a photo of the five of us looking at the camera and smiling all at the same time. Here's the best we could do. Here's one of my favorite photos. All four grandparents with Sister. We're so blessed by our wonderful parents who support us and love our children dearly.Here's a shot of Sister with some of her friends from school. They split the group up into two ceremonies, so some of the kids from her class celebrated their FHC the next afternoon.Here's Sister with her first and second grade teachers and her principal. They came to help the kids celebrate. What a blessed teaching staff we have!Here is most of Sister's FHC small group.

Many of our family and friends joined us for the ceremony and/or the luncheon afterwards. We're so thankful to all of them!!!Sister with the Thompson clan (we missed you Aunt Sarah).Sister with the Zittel family.Sister with the cousins.Sister with the Ensigns.May God's love nourish Elizabeth's soul and sustain her all of her life.

A Taste of Summer

Brother Bear asked the other day, "Is it summer now since Spring Break is over?" Not yet, Brother, but we sure got a taste of summer during our week of fun. The weather wasn't all that nice until the end of the week. Fortunately, we were able to get out and enjoy it about on a local trail. Look at snazzy Sister in her cool shades and Brother is ready for his training wheels to be removed.Baby Bear gave up on his tricycle before we'd even gotten to the trail, but had fun alternating between running alongside me and being carried.I signed the two big kids up for SPLASH week at our local YMCA. It was swim lessons every morning Monday thru Thursday. They had a blast! We don't really have time to take weekly lessons during the school year, so this was a wonderful opportunity for them to remember all they'd learned the summer before, and both improved immensely as well.Brother likes to chat with his instructors, but he did do well blowing bubbles and kicking as well.Look what a wonderful back float he is doing now!His favorite time was the last 5 minutes of the 45 minute lesson when they played in the pool with noodles and sang songs.Sister is working on side breathing. This is such a big step for her from a couple years ago when she wouldn't even put her face under water.She can even do a crawl stroke across the pool on her own. (She is the second girl from the right swimming towards the camera).Her lessons ended with the Fireman's Pole. This is where the instructor holds the pole in the deeper end of the pool and the kids climb down it to the bottom.After a busy week of swim lessons and very few sunny days, the kids and my dh headed up to Grandma K and Grandpa L's house to enjoy a beautiful, sunny weekend. They even went to a skate park to show off their awesome skills. Brother on his Razor scooter and Sister on her skates. They've yet to stop talking about going down all the cool hills. I guess we'll need to brave all the mopey teens and check out our local skate parks this summer.
Baby Bear had fun running around with Uncle B.
Baby Bear also enjoyed the kids' tradition of "playing" Grandma's piano. It looks much cuter than it sounds, trust me. (=