Well..... Lance has yet to technically hit a grand slam but today was definitely a Grand Slam kind of day. Today was opening day at West Raleigh, Lance's entrance away from rec ball into the more competitive club ball. Since tryouts Chris has marveled at the incredible differences between the two. It started with the night of draft when Lance's new coach actually called him to welcome him to the team around 8pm that night. What a relief it was to get that call, not many kids who don't play fall ball make it in the spring.
Today was another welcome surprise. After the opening ceremonies the team got together for the quick team picture but also to announce who the team Captains would be for the season. I nearly cried when they announced Lance. What a honor to be picked out from among a group of kids that had only known him a few weeks. Now he'll never be able to deny when I tell him God has gifted him with natural leadership.
We are looking forward to a season of continued excitement as he plays and learns more about this sport he is so passionate about.
I was so excited when I saw my first daffodil this year. I had planted 60 and I wasn't sure any were going to come up. Then one, then two and now I think all 60 actually bloomed.
I got the idea a while back that the daffodils would look best with my beautiful children planted among them. Last night my wonderful husband checked that to-do off the list and here's the results.
After this year, my precious baby boy will not only no longer be a baby but will begin crossing the bridge from boyhood to manhood. He already looks like a man-child and his voice is cracking. However, I'm thankful he still retains the innocence and simple pleasures of boyhood too. He's not too cool to play with any of siblings or their friends, but that is not to say he's immature. He is growing in wisdom and responsibility beautifully. He is beginning to join in conversations with Chris and I after dinner, foregoing watching shows. He has always enjoyed a little alone time and now I think even more so (It can sometimes even be hard for me to find him when he's hiding out for a bit). It's all part of growing up.
He continues to excel at school and I am proud when I see he is popular among his peers. Not that I care about popularity but I'm glad that he has not lost the ability, he had as a baby, to make friends and be a leader. These are great blessings and skills, ones that elude many including myself.
Since the Paray's will be here next week, we didn't do a big celebration today but rather a drawn out celebration over the past week. It started with the Tiger Rescue Trip. Then since Chris had taken the day off we went shopping for new catcher's gear for his gift after the field trip. Over the weekend, Chris set up his new basketball hoop and slowly unwrapped his other gifts from family, one day at a time. Finally, today on his birthday he actually had baseball practice and his coach/team celebrated by having him run the team gauntlet much to his humor.
It has been a joy to see Lance growing up in so many positive ways over the last year. He remains our beautiful boy in every way.
Dear Lance,
May God keep you and bless you always. May you seek him first in all you think and do and may you always walk with joy in the path He has designed for you.
All our LOVE ALWAYS!
Mom, Dad, Jared, Titus and Amber.
Today we went on a field trip to the "North Carolina Tiger Rescue". The name is a bit of a misnomer as they had a great variety of large cats not just tigers; such as cougars, ocelots, and lions to name a few (but no bears).
If it had just been a place to walk around and see big cats in confinement (they aren't really in cages but large paddocks), there wouldn't be much to write about it or recommend it. What made the field trip so interesting was our guide. He was passionate about these cats and had a story to tell about each one, such as how they ended up there (plethora of interesting stories there) or unique behaviors like how some cats lure the vultures into their paddocks to kill them for entertainment.
I was very thankful we went on a cool day, in the heat of summer it would not have been very comfortable. The animals have shade but there isn't much shade on the trails between. The Rescue is really a neat operation, one in which as long as its legal to own these beautiful animals as pets, there will always be a need. Everyone had a really great time. Our guide did an awesome job catering well to all ages including the Amber crowd. Chris and I look forward to going back someday for an adult evening tour, to see the cats in their most active state.
As an optional field trip for my class at SEEK we bought tickets to see "Mozart Live" at the NC Symphony. It is a production based on the series "Classical Kids", that incorporates historical fiction to teach children about different composers, while at the same time exposing them to their music.
We listened to the CD on our way to and from our trip to Florida (the kids obviously liked it). So I thought I knew what to expect, a theatrical live version of the CD. Much to my enjoyment and surprise ,though the two were similar, they most certainly were not the same. The kids sat spell bound as the story unfolded, immersed in the beauty of the music.
I definitely give it two thumbs ups! The perfect timing was just a bonus.
