Colorful Weekend

Easter Saturday included an egg hunt and paint-ball party.

Amber had some friends come over for an egg hunt at our house and we tried out some new ways to dye eggs; called Catholic Frosting (I didn't make up the name), that involves an egg carton, shaving cream and neon food dye.  Both went rather well I think.

The boys (including Chris) were invited to a Paint-ball birthday party.  

Resurrection Sunday was in a word "Beautiful", so long since we got to dress-up for church on Sunday with friends.  So thankful for our Pastor's discernment and our church community.

 

Seeing Double

You're not seeing double but the kids are definitely beside themselves.  Titus' first crazy cart stopped working.  Razor tried to trouble shoot over the phone and sent some replacement parts but nothing got it working again.  They then suggested taking it to a repair shop but the local shop was closed, so they decided to just send us a new cart.  Pretty awesome customer service if you ask me.  They didn't want the old cart back, so we let Titus loose on it to see if he could fix it.  He took it all apart and found out it was a wire from the motor that was pinched and severed.  He removed the motor brought the part and wire to lance to solder back together, re-engineered the wire location so it didn't get severed again and poof we now have two working crazy carts.  This is definitely twice the fun!

Thankfully, the crazy carts (or anything else) wasn't in the court when this 95 ft tree (kids measured it) suddenly fell into the court.  Chris and I were just coming home from our walk when it fell in front of us.   It is truly miraculous it didn't hurt anything but a mailbox, even the FedEx truck was a few feet from making the turn in the cul-du-sac and could have been under the tree.  Needless to say this threw off our school groove for a bit that day, especially when the tree removal service came.  I mean who doesn't want to touch the top of a really tall tree?

With the focus thrown off we went ahead and went to our favorite baseball shop (where Lance gets all his mitts) and found him a new catcher mitt.  Rob (who runs the place) saw us coming and put off lunch to help us out.  He's used to me after all these years and before I could ask, he said "Will this price work?".  He knows I never pay full price, its fun to dicker.  Now he sort-of has two broken mitts, one old and truly broken and one new and not broken in yet.  However, he's stronger than he was when he got the last one six years ago so the break-in process should go quicker.

 

Lance, Titus and his friend Carson became real "Rail Fans" today.  I dropped them off near the local CSX depot and they went to work.  The boys were thrilled to see three separate trains work the area that day.  The crews working the trains enjoyed seeing the excited boys as well.  This gentlemen even stopped for a short talk and wished them a good day.  They even brought home some old rail spikes as souvenirs.

 

Perfect Game

Jared's archery competition was about 30 min north of where Lance and Chris were for his Perfect Game.  I cringed and watched the radar as some nasty storms came through the area rattling the roof of the hockey stadium.  Thankfully they'd stayed mainly north by us and didn't hinder Lance's play too much.

Chris and Lance headed out Friday to stay in a hotel as he was due on the field at 7:30am Saturday.  He's not a morning person (AT ALL!), so trying to leave the house at 5am would have been bad idea if we wanted him to perform his best (and of course we did).

He went to the event because Perfect Game are the premier scouting events for MLB and college, we wanted him to have profile there as well as with Canes.  Here was his schedule for the weekend:

Saturday
07:30 - Check-in @ Truist Stadium
08:30 - 60 yard dash, Position Evaluation (Outfield throws and Catcher throws)
10:40 - Batting Evaluation
11:00 - Shagging batting practice
11:30 - Athletic Testing (hand/eye coordination and flexibility testing)
12:00 - Diamond Kinetics (high tech swing metrics)
14:50 - Game @ McCrary Stadium
Sunday
09:00 - Game @ Truist Stadium 

The reality was a little different due to the volume of players that showed up.  There were over 200 kids from all over the country (OH, MN, CO, MD, VA, SC, etc and of course a few NC) and it was face friendly (yay!).

Here are Lance's highlights from the weekend:

After I finally woke up and ate breakfast, Dad and I drove to the field; arriving promptly at 7:30 to check in. I ended up matching perfectly with the grey jersey (I wore grey pants and had grey and black catchers gear) and felt confident as we started the workouts. My team bonded quickly and we were soon laughing like little boys playing a game. I'm super proud of my 7.18sec 60yard dash; especially being that I haven't done sprint training in over a year due to shin splints, stress fractures, and now a soft tissue injury. Outfield throws went very well with all my throws being very accurate and at a high velocity. Catcher pops could have gone better but for having a broken mitt and the sun in my eyes I did extraordinary! Hitting went very well with me hitting as far if not further than the big fellows, and sporting a smooth and efficient swing. During the Athletic Testing I greatly impressed all the coaches with my squatting ability but found out something unfortunate. One of the tests was image recognition and I did well on the one that was a green dot you had to hit as soon at you saw it but the other one was a bunch of the same shape and you had to recognize the one with the most red. I figured out I am partially color blind! Half of them I just tapped one hoping it was the right one. The game on Saturday went well until the rain came, resulting in a 45min delay and only pitchers and batters. The game on Sunday went very well for my team. I got two singles, a stolen Base (Third!), and almost threw out a runner but the second baseman didn't get to the base in time. The wind was blowing so hard that when I played right field for 5 out of the 10 innings I was actually positioned in right center because any pop up on the foul line would have blown all the way to me! My proudest moment though was when I got the entire team after every hit to shout "That had both direction, AND MAGNITUDE, OH YES!" just like Vector from Despicable Me. We got along so well as a team both playing and interacting that we were all bummed when we found out half the kids were from out of state or we would have made our own travel team. The game ended slightly early so Dad and I were able to meet the rest of the family at church fellowship and hang out with friends for a while.

Here's the link for his profile: Perfect Game

I hope that the scouts that were huddled together under their tent were not just watching what was going on the field but also in the dugout.  Lance's contagious charisma would certainly gain my notice as the kind of player I would want on my team.  He has the kind of positive energy that would be an asset in the dugout and off the field for PR.  Skills can be taught (to a degree) but character is part of who a person is and Lance has that skill down pat.

Five Gold kills the Nemesis

The Stupid continues to mess up our lives and we continue to adapt.  Back in the stone ages (it seems but it was only last year), the archery season always ended the weekend before baseball season started; it was a beautiful balance.  Since The Stupid, balance went out the window and now we have had six weeks of overlap, which was hectic to say the least, but we worked through it.  Actually, at this point we are happy the USA Archery State/National combined tournament was even able to happen, finding a venue was a big challenge.  Notice I said "State AND National".  State is usually in January(one day) and National in February (two to three days, to spread JOAD and Regular out, Jared always shoots in both categories). As a result, Jared had to shoot 120 arrows in one day (plus practice arrows).  Jared decided it was better to shoot everything back to back rather than have a gap and ice himself.  That decision meant we didn't have to get to Winton-Salem till 11:30, so we didn't need to stay over-night to compete in the 7:30am line (its a two hour drive from our house).   This choice allowed us to have a normal morning.  We left the house on time, dropped Titus and Amber off at the T Family for the day and started our journey.  Half way there the Beast started to act up, but thinking we had extra time, we drafted behind a moving van most of the way and thought we made it with time to spare.  We were wrong, we had made it just by the skin of our teeth, I had missed an email about the times moving up 30 min.  Thankfully, Jared doesn't like to warm up much, it wears him out for the competition, so the three warm-up ends were fine.  Thankfully also, Jared doesn't not get easily rattled anymore either so it was no big deal for him.

My job for the day was to keep Jared hydrated and fueled up shuttling back and forth to the car to bring in contraband (We actually had an exemption and were allowed to bring in food but it was easier for me to carry things a couple at a time vs bringing in the big cooler).  I like my job as butler/score-keeper/fan.  Jared made an instant friend with his bale mate (only one instead of three this year) and he had his own seat next to the wall so it was easy to hand "contraband" down to him. 

Jared had a great day!  State was first and he did awesome.  Apparently, Jared's thespian nature even comes out on the archery field.  I couldn't go down on the floor to take pictures so I asked his coach to take a couple for me.  Jared loved the paparazzi and shot his first Perfect End (3 Xs)!  I told his coach he needed to run around him shooting the rest of the day, he laughed and said he's thought about getting cut outs of himself to place beside the team because all the kids shoot better when he stands next to them.  Next he almost had a Six Gold, he got at Five Gold instead (that's 5 10s in a row); he'd never shot more than two in a row before.  His first round for State was 263 (his evil nemesis), but second round was a big jump to 274 (which is the first time he had broke 270 in USA).  For JOAD, he scored a 264 (killed the nemesis) and a 261 (was running a little out of steam but still never scored below 260 which was a new record for him).  

Jared's goal was to break the Top Ten this year.  His hard work paid off and he placed 7th in State (Nationals is TBD).  I must admit to being sad this archery season is at an end.  Jared and I had so much fun talking and jamming the last couple weeks, I'm sorry its done for a bit.  But I'm looking forward to him doing even better next season as he grows in his talents and we'll be jamming again soon.

Not only was it a great day for Jared it was a great day for the team.  Look at all the medal they pulled in.

We didn't get home till after 9pm.  It was a super long day, thankfully our friends were understanding about keeping their kids up late.  Amber and Titus had so much fun they couldn't stop telling us all the great parts of their day on the ride home.

Twice the Fun!

Here's a quick re-cap of what's been going on since Lance's birthday....

Amber and Kimberly had a great playdate enjoying the new Spring weather and making beautiful bouquets from the emerging flowers.

Thursday was Chapel and the park.  Friday was Friend Friday at the T House.

Then Titus was trying out a new hat.....

The chicks are getting big quick.

Lance had fun visiting a friend of Dill's layout; getting new ideas for his own and making new friends.

Jared and I spent a lot of time in the car back and forth to archery practice; having fun sampling music.

Art took a unique twist recently as well.

Lance asked permission to skip tonight's game since he and Chris needed to head out tonight for his Perfect game event tomorrow in Greensboro.  This gave us a bit more breathing room today; we got the chicks outside for the first time, then we could pack and have dinner as a family before they headed out.

It also gave Titus time to practice patience; as Chris observed from his office window...

Lance the Turtle, Dance, Dance, Dance!

 

There is no way to thank all the people who came together to make Lance's 18th Birthday so special; from the cards, to the gifts, to simply being there to celebrate with him, we are so thankful for you all.

For weeks, Lance has been lamenting that he did not want to turn 18, he wanted to stay 15.  He said 15 is the perfect age because you can do everything but you're not an adult.  He also kept lamenting that in "X" days I will finally be the age people have thought I was since we last went to Boston.

Lance's Twitter handle is @LancetheTurtle an ironic inside joke from Veggie Tales.  When he was little he hated the song but as he grew he learned to love it and to love dancing.

In the fall of 2019 he (under duress), Jared and a bunch of friends took ballroom classes for a semester.  By the end of the semester they were all hooked.  They were hoping to convince the teacher to keep running the classes when the crazy began.  Thankfully, our new church loves to dance.  They enjoy the old fashion community dances: Virginia Reel, Post Jig, circle dances, etc. At the church dance back in November we all had fun learning these dances.

In addition to lamenting about growing up, Lance lamented about wanting to go dancing.  He doesn't lament often about much of anything, so when he does I take notice.  It was clear that somehow we needed to have a dance for his birthday.

It took a lot of finagling but in the end we pulled off the ultimate birthday dance party.

We arranged for a caller, to call the dances and play the music.  Our church allowed us to use their barn space and our wonderful friends filled it with fun, love and dairy-free/gluten free deserts.

 

At the end of the night many of his friends were danced out but Lance was ready to literally dance all night long.  He was a very happy boy.  My precious "baby boy" he will always be, no matter how old he may technically become.

I sit hear at my computer trying to figure out what to say next, how do I talk about how he's grown the last 18 years,  how creative with his trains, how talented in baseball, how well he uses his leadership skills, how much I enjoy his company, how pleased I am of the thoughtful man he has grown into and how excited I am about the future ahead of him....but I guess that will have to do for now. 

I'll finish with the verse I sneaked into his baseball bag when he went to play in away in Virginia last year:  

May the Lord Bless you and keep you; May the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.  The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

For today and always, just like our love for him.

If you want to see more pictures of the dance you can find them at this link:  Photo Gallery

Where you can see this pic of Chris and his new girlfriend :-) Since I completely forgot to get a family photo at the beginning of the night, despite dressing everyone to match LOL.

Amber and Titus take the floor (Titus is the first couple, Amber is in purple in second). Then the Richard Petty Look-alike is Jared.

 

Sewing Not Sueing - (Dude Looks Like a Lady)

My kids have always gotten those too words confused :-)

This week was fairly routine.  They were charging for the Lance's Baseball Away game this week, so Jared stayed home with Amber and Titus.   Since I got in free as "Manager" I took a chance and came along, so glad I did.  I was ready to keep my distance along the 3rd base line but we got there and it was another normal game (Despite email threats of goofiness, we're four for four of people acting rationally).  The weather was perfect again, his team was not, they lost 3-7 but it was baseball and friends so it was still a great night.  Season is now 3-1.

Amber's friend Kathryn has a neighbor that wants to teach the two of them how to sew.  I had my friend Katie (who knows about sewing unlike me) keep an eye out for a used machine.  She said the old ones are much better, "you don't really want the junk they make today".  Well, she found one and after some negotiation Amber and I picked it up.  Amber is so excited.  I got another friends daughter to come over and show us the basics in how to use it because Amber was about to explode otherwise.  I'm really excited about all the possibilities of having a sewing machine and obviously so is Amber.  

Titus and I were hanging out in the Florida Room on Sunday.  Titus was playing with the chicks, everyone else was away.  Suddenly we hear the weakest, quietest, most-pathetic cockle.  I sat up and asked Titus "Did you hear that?".  Then he stood up.  When it happened a second time, I pointed to the chicken and said "Go catch it!".  This was a command my eager barefoot Titus was quick to execute.  The chicken juked him a couple of times but eventually he brought the chicken up to me on the back stairs.  We looked at its legs and sure enough, the chicken had spurs, which means it was not a chicken but in fact a rooster.  This is particularly strange for a couple reasons: 1) Comets are suppose to be sex-linked, which means the males and females are different colors at birth making it fool-proof to distinguish 2) We have had this chicken for over a year and it had never made a sound.  Roosters usually reach sexual maturity by four months.  The world keeps getting wackier each day.

*Update: Since none of our hens are broody and he hasn't made a sound since free ranging last week and that sound was quieter than the hens we've decided to keep him for now.  I'm tempted to breed him with our Sapphire Gems and see if we can "make" the perfect chicken, but that will take some research.

Play Ball! Shoot Straight!

The rain finally stopped, the ground dried up just enough and the sun made a glorious appearance.  This formula lead to the Storm having their first baseball game of the season on Thursday.

It was such a beautiful day, the game was at a safe park, so Amber and Titus came and played the whole time on the adjoining playground with a couple dozen other kids all excited to be outside in the sun.  The team we played was rational, so there was no stress.  It was like we had gone back in time, back when people were allowed to live their lives as they saw fit.  Jared was the official game keeper, "the grandparents" showed up to watch; they had a great time, frankly everyone did.  At the end of the game the boys, on their own, even shook hands.  The final score was 7-0 Storm but the real win was having a "normal" day of baseball to forget the crazy.

Friday, was playdates and chickens.  We picked up our 12 new ISA Brown chicks in the morning.  Amber and her friend Kathryn came with, while everyone else played with Kathryn's siblings at her house.  The girls were so cute, day old chicks peeping between them and their tongues rattling in tune.  We got a new type of brooder heater, a stand they can scoot under when cold instead of a hot heater lamp.  The lamps were hard to adjust and a fire hazard, this fixed both those concerns and being under something seems to keep them much calmer.  

Saturday, we were split into three groups.  Amber and Titus stayed home with Holly.  Chris and Lance went down to Wilmington for a double header.  We had concern there would be some stupid at these games but were thrilled it was all reasonable, meaning a second great day of baseball and two more wins as a bonus.  The Storm season is now 3-0.  The team is really young (lots of Freshman) so we weren't expecting much out of the season, so this is an awesome, though slightly surprising, start. 

Jared and I spent the next two days at the NFAA State and Sectional Archery Tournament.  Saturday he had two new personal bests:  First Round Vegas Score 286 and NFAA Round Score of 289.  Sunday, as he put it, "I fell off the rails".  However, there was a lot playing into his Sunday results.   In addition to shooting so many rounds in a short period, he was also dealing with allergies in a world that finds them a capital offense if you show them.  I think he did great!  If the world was normal, I think he would have broken even more records.  Most importantly, as you can see, he had a great time till the end.  **Update he ended up 4th in State.   He and the third place guy tied in numerical score but he was beat by "Xs", which is a note they keep of arrows not just in the center ring but also touching the X to break numerical ties.

 

Sun Inside and Out

The sun finally found its way out for a few days this week, we much enjoyed the visit.

Titus popped a tire on the Crazy Cart, so it was temporarily out of commission until the new tire arrived.  This spurred Amber and Titus to complete another project they had started a few weeks ago.  Reinstalling the Slacker Slack line.  I was really impressed with their initiative, team work and hard effort.  Unfortunately, though they did a great job installing the posts, the post holders and the screws that came with them couldn't handle the tension of the ropes and bent in on them.

However, they were undaunted.  The next day they went out with the measuring wheel to find two trees that were under 50 feet apart, on fairly level ground and not over the swamp.  Success.  It just required a little hole in the chicken fence.  They have truly been enjoying their new fitness/adventure activity.

On Thursday after Chapel we all couldn't help but stay outside.  After playing around the chapel property, we went to a local park and stayed outside for hours!  Long enough for us all to actually get some sun, how novel.  The day wasn't over though, our friends the M Family came to dinner; Titus had wanted to show his crazy cart off to his friend and we all wanted to get together.  We adults enjoyed great conversation in the Florida room.  The rest enjoyed food and fellowship everywhere else, including a long game of "Bang" a new card game they all enjoy.

While Jared and I went to archery on Friday, Titus did some art and of course Lance did some baseball with Chris. Amber sported her newly updated/fixed gown the oldest M child had fixed for her.

Saturday, we celebrated GM Mary's birthday with some Bison Pasta and Spice Cake.  Luckily I had made the Spice Cake earlier in the day because Chris had to make the Bison Pasta all by himself, as I was still painting.  Chris had helped me prep the half bath for painting in early in the morning.

We got down the first coat fine, but it didn't dry as quickly as I hoped and I was just finishing the second coat as they were arriving for dinner.  However, despite the chaos of the application, the end result was just like I wanted.  It's so much cozier, finished, and frankly us.

The only thing I may still change is the picture above the toilet.  I'm going to look for a frame, similar to the others, to put more family pictures in sometime in the future.

Sunday was Fellowship Meal at church and a wonderful guest speaker who reminded us all to look from above for understanding, as the Psalmist explained in Psalm 77.  Our time with the church community is the best time of each week for all of us.  As usual, we were there to the end closing down the church, helping and socializing.