Baseball excitement

So another season of baseball is under way. 

This season Pierce is playing for the A's, that's him in the red backpack.

Last season was a rough one, but this one is already off to a better start.

I told Pierce last night, even if you guys didn't win another game you've already won more than you did last season!

He is definitely pumped about it all.

And of course Hope is doing what she does best...

Hanging out with her buddies.

These two together are a mess!

But probably the biggest mess of all of us was me on Saturday.

I stepped away to check on Hope for a few minutes and when I walked back I saw Pierce standing on the pitchers mound.

I looked around like, WHAT THE WHAT?

And then I virtually turned into Madea.

Pierce has never pitched.

He's practiced once.

But there he was, about to pitch.

Paul only let me take pictures while he was warming up, because his nerves were very obvious. Once he got going though he did really well, and told me after the game he really enjoyed it. So who knows, maybe a little more pitching in his future.

But the highlight of his little baseball career so far was last night. Of course it was the night I decided not to take any pictures or anything, I was just sitting back and taking in the moment.

Bases loaded, Pierce gets up to bat, and whap, it went flying. At first I thought maybe a triple, but they just kept going and going. I was jumping up and down screaming, and Paul was yelling, and well it happened! A GRAND SLAM! Pierce was beside his self with excitement! All the boys were jumping up and down, and of course you know I was jumping up and down. It was just so exciting!

After all that excitement we decided a little ice cream was in order.

A hit like that is something I think most little boys dream of, so I must say I put a very happy little boy to bed tonight.

Let's go A's!

A week of carrying on

In unrelated news to anything, I am continuing to transform into an elderly woman. Last week I started feeling really wonky, and just awful. I assumed of course, it was a disease. Tracey also came down with shingles around the same time, so we mutually began to plan a joint funeral. 

We both may have been overreacting. 

Did you know that part of having a bad thyroid is a bad memory? Uh yeah. Turns out I just THOUGHT I had taken my meds, but in fact was forgetting. So all those wonky symptoms all were because I wasn't taking my medication. 

So now one of these beauties sits next to my side of the bed. 

I think Jimmy Fallon describes them best.

And when I'm wonky, I certainly don't feel like blogging. So here I am, still blogging about Hope's birthday. I might be behind, but I want her to have all these things written down so one day she can read about it, so here goes....



When the kids wake up on their birthdays, I always give them a donut with a candle.

I looked for a cute little single candle but all I could find was a tealight.

Kinda goofy I guess, but it put out really good light!

I also always go have lunch with them at school on their special day.

I really miss doing this on the regular.

And no birthday is complete without a crown

OR a Skype call from Meemaw and Grandpa.

They always sing and we have a nice chat.

Hope loved showing them the outfits they gave her for American Girl dolls.

SUCH cute outfits!

And to end the celebrating, we had a special day with Hope's best friend Emerson.

Okay, that was almost the end of the celebrating, and definitely where Hope wished the celebrating stopped. A group of us went out for Mexican last Sunday after church, and we decided it was time to initiate Hope into the Mexican birthday spectacle!

I don't think she even knew they did such a thing, so when they plopped a hat on her head and sang really loudly? SHE WAS MORTIFIED. Then the whipped stuff on the face and up the nose? Well she told me she didn't want to talk to me the rest of the day. Ha!

We always have such a fun week carrying on! So here's to news ways I can think of traumatizing her at NINE!

It's not Easter, until the kids run away from me

Like most of our holidays we were in Indiana on Easter. 

We always make the kids wait in anticipation for their baskets.

Once they spy a basket full of sugar they always react how I would if it were a Michael Kors bag.

 After baskets we stepped outside for the traditional egg hunt.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

Thankfully both of them still enjoy looking for eggs.

I'll be a sad mess when Pierce decides he's too old for all this.

But for now, he's still just young enough...

We celebrate the resurrection of Christ, we give baskets, we hunt eggs, we eat until our pants need to be unbuttoned.  And then of course there are the pictures.

Those pictures of our babies all dressed up, those don't just magically happen. And I will be honest about the whole thing, it's usually painful.

Okay kids, stand here....

 No wait, let's try it here.

But you know it might look better over here, let's just go see.

Kids? What are you doing?

Hope?

I THOUGHT WE WERE HAVING FUN? NO?

Pierce....Pierce?

And based on previous Easter moments, I guess taking pictures until the kids run away is a tradition I can add to the list.

Eight!

Hope Elizabeth,

You are now officially EIGHT! Well, at 2:12 this afternoon to be exact.

Baby girl, you have changed so much this last year.

Probably the most obvious change to me is your physical appearance. You've really "shot up" as I say, and you've lost that baby look.

But besides your looks changing a lot, you've emotionally changed.

You went to your first friend sleepover this year and when I walked in to pick you up, you burst into tears because I was there. I think you would have stayed for days if I would have let you!

I remember when we could never be apart, but now you want your independence. With a little mommy on the side.

Your opinion on clothing slays me. 

Sometimes we have words about all that, because you are sure I don't know what looks best. 

I'm learning to let some things go, I guess we will keep figuring it out together.

You are still my avid reader. Many times I won't see you and once I go looking for you I will find you hiding out with a book. Then you will tell me all about how Junie B Jones got herself into trouble again!

You are still my sidekick. Even if I'm just running to Kroger to grab some groceries, you always ask to tag along.

I think it's pretty sweet how you will play almost any game your brother asks, just so you can play with him. X-box, basketball, whatever it may be, you give it a go. Yes, you usually end up in a fight, but I know you really just want to be his buddy.

And that's the thing about you, you just want friendships. You are a relational person and I think that's such a great quality.

But that's just it, your daddy and I think you are full of so many great qualities. You are our Hopie-poo, our daughter, our joy.

I'm grateful for another year with you, and I can't wait to see how year EIGHT unfolds.

Love you,

Momma

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17