Play Ball!

This fall was Lance and Matthew's first baseball season playing in the "Minors".  It was also their first season playing for someone other than the Hippie. 

We were very thankful that the league and particularly Coach Chris A.  was willing to take Lance knowing he would miss the pre-season practices and his first game while we were in Boston.

This season they made a switch from the "Red Sox" to the "Rays".  Which meant a switch from white pants to grey pants, and picking up a few new pieces of attire for the fans. 

BTW Mom note:  I really like grey pants better than white and UnderArmour (all that was available in grey) is worth the price because they clean much better than Easton!

Lance played a lot of positions but really enjoyed and excelled at catcher.  Coaches from other teams paid him numerous compliments such as "He's like a cat behind the plate". 

Matthew played pitcher and 1st base but it is clear 1st base is his favorite.  When he got an official 1st base glove mid-season, he really started sucking the balls up like a vacuum.  His claim to fame however was breaking our wooden bat at the last day of the wooden bat tournament!  Another moment I wish I'd caught on video.

This week they finished up their first three day, six hours a day, baseball camp.  In a word they said it was "Awesome!".  They learned a lot and the coach really enjoyed having them.  Not to be left behind Lance cracked our new wooden bat the last day of camp. I hope they'll be able to do his camp in the summer too.

This is what they, and their pants, looked like at the end of 18 hours of baseball.  Rather clean and fresh considering :-) 

Here's a quick picture of everyone going to walk with NOKLL in the BP Winter Parade.

On an aside, if you're a big baseball fan the movie/documentary "Knuckleball" is worth watching.  Its very well done and kid/family except for one expletive at 50 minutes.  So just set your timer and mute when the bald reporter comes on the screen.  Chris is of the opinion that all kids should learn how to pitch and how to throw a knuckleball.  After watching the movie seems like a valid idea.

Swim - Bike - Run

Summer is a time for swimming, especially for us!  The boys spend three mornings a week swimming with their friends, for fun and fitness, under the capable eye of our friend Coach Hanif.  We parents do our best to watch the children, avoid the sun and chit-chat among our selves.

 

The older boys finished off the year with an unusual "Olympics" in which Lance won the kick board toss...

 

....followed by the Mini-Maniac Triathlon once again.  This year the race was on August 5th and for the first time Lance and Matthew had to participate in separate groups.  Matthew being a bit older pushed him into the next level wherein they run 1 mile instead of a half.

The boys did very well once again.  Lance placed 6th overall in his age group and Matthew placed 12th in his; most importantly they had a wonderful time competing.

Tally- Ho! It's Horse Camp!

A few months ago, Jared started taking horse back riding lessons at Westwood Farms.  I bought a Groupon for three lessons back in November and we finally got around to using them in April.  

I was hopinh that the horse-child bond would be good for Jared, both physically and emotionally.  It could help build his core muscles without aerobic activity. Plus being able to control a thousand pound+ animal has to be good for self confidence.  Since it was a Groupon, I didn't have high hopes for the quality of the farm and the instruction, but I'm happy to say I was pleasantly disappointed for once.

The facility has the most beautiful barn I have ever seen and the horses top notch. All that would be for naught, if it wasn't for the awesome staff.   They have incredible knowledge and patience.  The boys adore them and they really seem to adore the boys.

Notice I said "boys" (plural). After Jared had been riding for a bit, we found out about summer horse camp.  In a moment of insanity, I suggested to Chris the boys should go and to my surprise he immediately said "yes".  I wasn't willing to send Jared to camp alone, so that meant Lance needed to take a few lessons before camp.  And Titus is never left out.  Miss Jane always makes sure Titus knows where the cats are when we arrive.  If they are missing she'll go find them for him. We can also go pet the baby horses and ponies.  The atmosphere at the farm is so relaxed and welcoming, it's a pleasure to go and hang out during their lessons.

Camp, like the lessons, exceeded our expectations.  

The first day of camp we were surprised to see two other homeschooling families there. It's truly a small world and a nice bonus. Out of the other four children, only one was a complete stranger. Jane had said I could hang around as long as I wanted, so we did.  I was only having them do a half day (3 hours) but it was my first time ever leaving Jared.  Eventually, Amber was ready for a nap and we headed home. 

Poor Mr. Titus was very disappointed he couldn't "do camp".  A friend's daughter was holding a summer day camp for three year olds during the same week and I called to see if there were any openings and there were for the Tuesday and Thursday session. Why not I said?!  I was clearly out of my mind already, so I might as well jump ship completely.

When we picked the boys up on Monday the first thing they asked was to stay longer the next day.  Miss Jane was happy to ablige and we agreed to another hour.

On Tuesday, to avoid driving three hours in the car with Amber, I asked Christina if she could drive Lance and Jared to camp, while I took Titus to his camp.  I stayed a little while at Titus' camp stressing the importance of germ avoidance but it was clear he didn't need me there so I left.

Amber then obliged to taking a long nap and for the first time I had the house and my time all to myself.  Very relaxing I must say.

When I picked the boys up from camp on Tuesday they were really excited.  Jared had posted off lead three times around the ring and Lance had trotted off lead too.  This was a big move forward and they were anticipating more advancements in the coming days.  In addition to the lessons they had done - they did crafts, scavenger hunts and learned about horses.  Here they were identifying all the parts of a horse with post-it-notes.

Chris and I joked that we were paying them to use our boys as free labor.  Cleaning horses, stalls, moving them around the pastures, feeding the horses, etc.  It was a dream come true.  We have talked for years about how do you teach children a work ethic living in the city.  Apparently, you send them to horse camp.

Then we had a moment of faith Wednesday morning.  We were just about to leave the house when Jared had an SVT.  I felt horrible for him, he was in tears about missing camp.  I fought my natural tendencies (to hide and protect him from the world) and told him if we could convert him quickly he could still make it to camp.  That was all he needed to hear and he courageously plunged his head into the ice bucket three times and on the third try it worked.  I texted Jane told her we'd be 15 minutes late and we headed out.  Chris was handling all the doctor correspondences and he was surprised and pleased that I was still taking him to camp.

When we got to the stable I informed them about our morning.  One of the trainers had personal experience with SVTs and both instructors knew a little about Jared situation.  Thankfully, this was the morning the Farrier had come to teach the children his trade so I was able to talk to them quietly behind the children.

Kassie then shared with me a story that made my heart melt.  Jared generally rides her horse "Poppy".  Kassie thought she was seeing Poppy adjust himself to help keep Jared's balance when ever Jared faltered.  That is not a normal thing for a horse to do.  Kassie thought maybe she was seeing something, being biased since it was her horse and all, so she asked Steve and Jane to watch.  Much to their surprise they too saw Poppy doing it.  Apparently, somehow Poppy and Jared have truly bonded.  Later that night when I told Chris, he said to tell Kassie she can never sell Poppy and Kassie said she never would.

Needless to say I stayed around for a while on Wednesday.  It was fun to see the Farriers do their work and they were great with the kids.  Jared had a ton of questions and they were patient in answering them all.  However, after a while Amber and Titus needed play time too.  Thankfully, my friend Cecily lives less than a mile from the stables and happens to have a three year old named Corrie that Titus really likes.  With some urging from Chris that it was okay to leave, we headed over to their house for the rest of the morning.  Kassie guessed I was glued to my phone even sent a photo of Jared to ease my worries.  Despite a little apprehension everyone ended up having a really great day.

Cecily was kind enough to have us stay at her house during camp the rest of the week.  Titus was thrilled, he likes Corrie better than his "lake camp".  Amber had a safe place to crawl around.  I was thankful to hang out with a friend.

 

On Friday, they put on a mini-horse show to show off what the children had learned during the week.  The show was at noon, we picked Chris up from work so he too could attend.  Jared was second in the points competition and was awarded the "Most improved Posting Trot" award.  Lance was awarded the "Best Sportsmanship". In addition to their awards they both got to pick out stuffed ponies.  Jared named his pink pony "Beauty" and Lance named his "Corvette".

We were very proud of both the boys.  They had performed exceptionally.  Jane and Kassie sang their praises everyday.  It was nice to hear, especially since they are not the type to flatter.  The week was a success on many levels.  The boys learned about horses and more importantly the gift of work.  I learned to walk in faith a little more.  A lesson that we will too soon need to exercise again.

Final Week of Everything!

This past week was a whirl wind of activity, and a lot of fun to boot.

First on the agenda was the Year-End Cub Scouts banquet on Tuesday.  Lance received a medal for "Best Looks" with his Pinewood Derby Car and then was decorated with a new neckerchief for his promotion to "WeBeLoS".  He's growing up way too fast.

Jared also got a medal for his Pinewood Derby car but his was for Speed!  He is proud to now be a Wolf Cub.

Titus kept busy by running around the room at mach two. Amber fell asleep on the drive and woke up while I was in line for food. Chris and I decided to throw caution to the wind and were rewarded with some of the best tasting pulled pork BBQ sandwiches we have ever had. Our friend Shelly volunteered to carry her around during dinner and give us a chance to eat in relative peace, which was a nice treat.  Shelly's husband also took Lance and Jared home for us allowing them to stay and watch the end of year video. Thankfully, neither of us suffered any real ill effects from our food adventure.

Next on the schedule was a baseball game Wednesday night.  Fortunately/Unfortunately depending on your perspective, the game was rained out.  It turned into a silly game night. I bought "Where's the Water" for the iPads and we all sat on the couch playing together.  This is a great game of deductive reasoning and physics, similar to "Cut the Rope" and "Issac Newton Gravity".

Thursday, we hosted the Year-End Baseball Party for Lance's team, coached by Chris.  This was a huge success with all 15 players and their families attending the event.  

We had a potluck, medals for the kids, pictures for the parents, and gifts for the coaches.   The weather was perfect, allowing the kids to play outside on the playground. The rain kindly held off until we were home and unpacked.  Chris had such a great time coaching this spring and was blessed to have a great group of kids and parents.  In the fall its on to Minors! Oh boy!

Saturday was the final baseball game of the season.  The other team only had seven players, so Chris sent three of his players (including) Lance to the other team, which gave each team 10 players. It was a really fun game for everyone and a great way to end the season.

The week was finished off Saturday evening at a birthday party in which Chris, Lance, and Matthew played Laser Tag and all sorts of other games. The two of them were so exhausted on the drive home, Chris caught them nodding off.


Now its time to start a relaxing summer break of swim lessons, piano lessons, horse back riding lessons/camp and oh yes, can't forget the school work!  Hmmm.... doesn't sound like much of a break does it??? :-)

In the Saddle for the First Time

Today was Jared's first horseback riding lesson at Westwood Farms.  It went great!  The facility was beautiful and clean and the horses were well maintained. 

We arrived a little early so we had time to wander around a bit.  Chris took the morning off work and we brought the entire crew. We said "Hello" to the horses in the stalls and took a little walk on the dock.  From there, we saw a frog sitting on a lily pad and a water snake come up from the deep and eat a minnow.  Our day would normally have been complete at that point, but we had a horse lesson coming!

The first part of Jared's session was spent teaching him how to prepare his horse for riding.  I really like this part, as it teaches many lessons besides riding, including self-control and a work ethic. After they get the hang of it they can come early and do this part themselves and they will have more time for riding, which I think is a great lesson in itself.

The horse he rode was a 25 year old retired racing thoroughbred named "Ripple".  The first thing Jared learned to do was how to brush Ripple down, then how to clean out his hooves. One thing we learned is racing horses have an identification number tattooed inside the upper lip. This number can be used to look up Ripple's information and racing record.

Next Jared learned how to put the saddle and bridle on and Ripple wasn't real fond of this. After 25 years one would think he'd be used to it.

Jared did a great job of listening to instruction and I think it will really motivate him to do his push-ups and build his upper body strength.  Those hooves are heavy.

Now it was time to mount the horse.  I really liked how Steve (his instructor) was patient yet persistent with Jared.  Helping him understand in different ways how to do what he asked instead of doing it for Jared.  

Steve attached a lunge lead to the horse and they began some balance exercises.  In addition to upper body strength, the riding will help him build core strength too.

Now this is where I thought the lesson would stop.  I thought Jared would walk around on the lead for a while and the lesson would eventually end.  I was completely wrong.

Within a few minutes, I heard Steve telling Jared the basics of posting and how to get Ripple to start trotting.  The first time Ripple trotted, Jared bounced around and said "I feel like my insides are in a washing machine" and Steve laughed.  Steve then worked more on the mechanics of posting to counter-act that feeling.  Okay, I thought, that was a surprise but I'm sure this is what they'll work on the rest of the lesson.

Nope wrong again! Much to my surprise he took the lead rope off and told Jared to start walking Ripple around the very large ring (which, by the way, is only fenced in on three sides -- insert images of Jared being swept away on a runaway race horse here....).  I was very surprised, and I realized after I got home that I just stared and forgot to take pictures!  Jared did awesome.  He even managed to turn Ripple when Ripple thought going back into the barn seemed like a nicer idea than staying in the ring.

At the end of the lesson, he learned how to take off the tack, clean and groom his horse and properly put him back in the stall. A job well done.

Steve told them they could give treats to some of the horses in the adjoining paddocks and Lance helped groom Ripple a bit at the end. Jared was tired and rightfully so.

To say the lesson was thorough was an understatement. The lesson far exceeded my expectations and I look forward to continuing and I think Jared does too.  There's a great feeling of accomplishment in learning to control such a large animal and having a chance to bond as you groom him and give him treats.

Five Fireman and a Rainforest

Time sure does fly and this is a "catch up blog" of things I've been meaning to write about but haven't had the chance.

Amber is now FIVE months old.  She is beautiful and so aware.  She turns to her name and her nick name "piggy, piggy, piggy" so we might have to cut back on its use.  She started scooting early in the month, backwards only at first, like her brother Lance.  Now she is rather mobile now, scooting and rolling where she wants to go very quickly.

At Jared's last Cub Scout den meeting, they had the pleasant surprise of finding out they were going on a tour of the new downtown Fire Station that night.  Luckily Chris had decided to bring Titus to the meeting that night.  The two boys were in awe and I'm proud to say, according to their father, extremely well behaved.  Jared and Titus both are fascinated with FIREMEN.  On a related side note, there is a fire pole at our neighborhood playground, and Jared was so relieved to learn how to go down the fire pole at the park this month. Its difficult to coordinate all those long appendages.

For our boys' birthday parties, we prefer small events to create special memories rather than large parties.  This year Lance chose to take on the Advanced RAINFOREST course at ZoomAir this year.  Zoom Air is a ropes course up in the trees at the zoo.  The Rainforest includes some really high and long zip-lines and takes place at least 30 feet up in the air.  Chris, Lance and Matthew tackled the course for two hours together the Sunday after his birthday.  Lance led out the group and the boys never flinched at conquering each new obstacle.  Chris said he was happy to go last (Hee, Hee).  They had an absolute blast!

Smile Mile 2012

The "Smile Mile" was last weekend and as you can see everyone had a great time!

PO River Gang Celebrates!

Coach Hanif is such a great role model and teacher for the kids.

I'm so thankful we found him.

Lance chose to just have a fun run.  

When he decides he's ready to compete he'll blow the field away.

The surprise of the day was Jared deciding to run.  He took off on his own, then Chris joined him to walk and (with permission) cut the route short. 

It was good for him to have a chance compete/ be included and as you can see everyone really supported his effort.

The mighty Titus joined in the "Kids Fun Run".  

When he wants to he can really motor those little legs!

Lance still wants to do the Watermelon 5K in July, so hopefully if Chris' knee gets better soon that will be their next challenge.

This is the first time in six years we were not responsible for photographing this race.  It was a little bitter sweet seeing everyone we had enjoyed working with for so many years.  However, seeing her precious face, and me carrying her with the camera, I realize once again His will is always better than my own.