Baseball

(Ethan last year)

A few days after we moved here I hopped on the internet to search for a baseball league for Ethan and Olivia. I found one and started filling out the online worksheet with Ethan's information, but inevitably I got pulled away by something the children were getting into. I don't think I finished it and I know I didn't pay the fee and afterwards I kind of just forgot about the whole thing. 

The past week or so I have been getting emails from the league that I started signing the kids up for, but I didn't think anything of them nor did I read them because I just figured they were advertisements or something since they had my email address.

Then last night I got a voicemail from Ethan's new coach telling me when the first team meeting would be. I was surprised and just thought well maybe it was meant to be.

Then, last night Brian was out front spraying weeds and I could hear him talking to someone, but I didn't think much of it figuring it was one of the many friendly neighborhood walkers.

When he came upstairs he told me he was talking to our neighbor who has a son Ethan's age who plays baseball, and mentioned the particular league I accidentally signed Ethan up for. 

When Brian said the name of the league our neighbor said,

"Oh, that is a really great thing they do for those kids"

After a short pause and a sharp look Brian said, "DANAE, you signed Ethan up for a handicapped league! WHY didn't you read anything about it before signing him up?"

I tried to jumped to my defense while busting out laughing. Thinking back I thought it was weird they asked if he would need a "buddy". PLUS, I didn't even think I fully signed him up.

So, now Ethan is on this team and I don't know what to say. Do I call the coach and say, "Yes, I really am that dumb to actually sign my kid up for the wrong league". Do I call and lie and say we are going to be out of town for all of May and June so we regretfully won't be able to participate? I am at a loss!

But at least I got a great laugh out of it last night, and learned a great lesson. 

Always read the frequently asked questions before signing the kids up for anything!

Kai's "Play Dating" 101

Kai is a very serious play dater. When he finds a friend, usually a girl and usually the cutest one in the class with the blondest hair, he wants to "schedule a play date" right away. I don't know where he gets his shallowness, it must be Brian!

He has wasted no time in our new ward and now that I have figured out who's family the object of his affection is in we scheduled a play date.

He was so excited all day and kept asking "how many more hours, now?"

While he was waiting he got everything in order so it would be just perfect. There ended up being 7 steps to achieve the perfect play date atmosphere.

Step 1: Clean your room, make your bed, and clean under your bed.

Step 2: Shower and get on your best outfit. His included a stylish light blue GapKids polo paired with black and red basketball shorts. Only the best for his ladies!

Step 3: Brush your teeth.

While I was putting on my make up Kai came in to brush his teeth. The conversation went something like this:

Kai: I really need to brush my teeth!

Me: Okay

Kai: Cassidy is going to say did you brush your teeth and I will say yea then she will say oh and I will say yea then she will say good and I will say good.

Me: What?!?!

Kai: Oh mom, sometimes you just really wear me out.

Step 4: Torture older brother and sister for as long as possible telling them they can't play with you and your friend.

Step 5: Make a snack, and we all know a snack isn't complete without oranges and rice crispy treats. Also, they each will need two cups. My guess is they want to be ready if Regis and Kelly call needing a co host.

Step 6: I quick snuggle session 5 minutes prior to your guests arrival. This is my favorite part!

Step 7: Answer the door yourself! What a gentlemen!

Happy Play Dating

Baby Bath Time

Luke loves three things:

Food

Playing Outside

and

Taking Baths

And all the bubbles make him giggle.

The baby smell after the bath full of baby giggles is just the cherry on top!

The Ball The Shoe and The Swamp

It started out like most Saturday's since we have been here. Brian doing yard work, the kids playing outside, and me catching up on my DVR.

At one point during my quite time Brian came in to discuss with me a very important yard issue. Shortly after Brian came in Ethan followed with an issue of his own.

"Dad, my basketball went down into the woods, can I go and get it?"

"Yes, just go and get it and come right back up."

Brian and my conversation went on for a few more minutes, but then he was out the door and I had 30 more minutes of quite time.

About 10 minutes into my 30 minutes I hear Brian say,

"What happened down there?"

The camera was on the console table and I thought I better grab it and see what is going on. As I walked off the deck, Ethan he was walking toward me holding one shoe, one sock, and the other sock still on his foot.

For lack of being more creative I too asked,

"What happened down there?"

He started trying to explain that when he was getting the ball his feet got stuck in a swamp and he couldn't get it out. He finally got one foot out, but the other was still stuck and when he finally broke free he just ran back up the hill.

So, Brian went down to get the ball and the shoe. He found the ball but no shoe was anywhere to be seen. I sent Ethan down to show Brian the exact location of the lost shoe. Olivia followed but was only gone for a few minutes because Brian saw a snake and like a normal lady she was out of there.

They were taking forever down their looking and finally came up empty handed. I took the camera inside because I figured the search was over. Then I saw Brian head back down with a shovel. He was going to find that shoe.

He turned the whole swamp inside out, but still no shoe.

The only conclusion is that we really do have a swamp monster, one who loves shoes but not socks. I think we should call Unsolved Mysteries.

Just one of those days

Ethan, Olivia, and Kai got in trouble the other night, and my bright idea was to hit them where it would hurt. 

No playing outside! 

The Q-Tip picture is just a small sample of the what was happening at our house yesterday.

I guess I just hit myself where it hurt!

In Loving Memory Of......

Billy Cooper West

It has been a solid four weeks of begging for a dog to no avail for the kids to take the pet getting task upon themselves. Today around 11:00am EST Billy Cooper West joined our family. 

He was watched after, fed, and taken on some sort of bizarre walk. He was cheered on by three blissfully happy children as he ate fruit loops and walked around their travel tic-tac-toe game. 

At approximately 12:30pm EST Kai brought Bill up to show me how he looked in his halloween costume. He opened the dinosaurs mouth and there was Bill all curled up and dead. I pronounced him dead on arrival and sent the children with their heads down to burry their friend. 

I heard Ethan say, "I knew we should have used this dinosaur as his costume since it is bigger." Now that's the logical Ethan I know and love.

He now is resting peacefully in a shallow grave next to the third tree on the left side of the back yard. I guess dying from too much love isn't that worst thing that could happen to an ant. 

Well, it was fun while it lasted, and now the kids have a real case for getting a dog. I mean we should be able to keep a dog alive longer than an hour and a half, right?

I Live in New York

Yesterday after I finished Blogging I went into the school room where I found this note from Ethan.

I am finished mom!

Love

Ethan W.

P.S. I want to do reading

P.S. I live in New York.

My first thought was thank goodness he clarified that he was in fact Ethan W. and not some other strange impostor. 

Also, I may have understated yesterday when I said he was only excited to be moving on to third grade material. 

And lastly, that I might be a little overly excited about our upcoming trip to New York. That I might be listening to Jay Z and Alicia Key's song about New York a little to much in all my excitement, and it might be rubbing off on the kids just a little!

Q & A

Almost a whole month has gone by since my last post and our move so I thought I would do a recap type of post, Questions and Answers style!

1) Q: Are you still alive? I thought you might have been mass murdered.

    A: No, dad we haven't, I just miss placed my phone and then it ran out of batteries and since I couldn't call it, well you know how it goes.

2) Q: How do you like it in Pennsylvania?

     A: So far so good. Our first week the weather was hot and perfect but now it has cooled down to high 60's low 70's which is seasonally average this time of year according to Megan aka Zack's mom.

3) Q: What do you think of your new ward? It is big, small? How are the people?

     A: Well since we have only been to our ward twice (General Conference and Stake Conference have made it a fun every-other-week-we-go-to-church game) so far it has been good. The ward is good size about the same as Silverdale 6th Ward. Any EVERYONE is crazy nice, super duper friendly, and inviting.

4) Q: How are you liking the house? The Neighborhood?

     A: We are really loving the house. It is coming together so nicely. Whenever making any purchase decisions I try and channel my inner Katie and I think it is working. The neighborhood is wonderful and there have been plenty of kids for the children to play with. I have to say the thing I love the most about this house is that it isn't just a normal house in a normal neighborhood where every fifth house is the same. (Not that there is anything wrong with that type of neighborhood we loved our Crossridge house which was in a neighborhood like that!) But this house is in a custom neighborhood so all the homes are completely different, which I totally love! It is very charming. The thing I hate the most about the house is the thing I thought I would love the most which is the hardwood floors on the WHOLE main level of the house. They are IMPOSSIBLE to keep clean. EVERY tiny thing shows up on them and I know my new shag rug isn't helping the situation one bit!'

5) Q: How is homeschooling going?

    A: Well, they are going back to school next year that is for sure! No, it is actually going very well. They are all learning a ton and having a great time. IT IS JUST SO MUCH WORK! Planning lessons, thinking of lessons, getting all materials needed together! AAHHHHHH! 

6) Q: How does Brian like the new job?

     A: He actually loves it. Which is a nice change of pace for both of us. Now he doesn't have to be miserable at work, and I don't have to listen to how miserable he was at work that day!

 WIN-WIN-WIN

7) Q: Do you want visitors?

     A: ummmmm, YES! And your right no one really asked that I just wanted to clarify!

Last but not least a question for y'all ( I am just practicing since we are going to Kentucky this summer)

8)Q: Does $87 a month seem crazy for a YMCA and you still have to pay for child care on top of that? 

   A: ?????????????????

Well thats all for today. Reading time with Ethan is calling. He is almost out of the 2nd grade program and onto the 3rd grade program and he's well lets just say, a little excited!

Happy Easter

I normally go crazy over any holiday in which I get to decorate the mantle and eat candy constantly, but today after many Easter egg hunts and hours in the kitchen (doing my favorite thing) cooking, I am pooped. I could go another 3 or 4 years without seeing or stuffing another plastic egg. I couldn't however go another day without those delicious peanut better eggs, YUMMIE.

Well it all started on Friday when Brian had the day off because it was Good Friday, of course. I was shocked but happy to hear he would be home with us until he asked me on Thursday night,

"Danae, what does your priority list look like for this weekend?"

Translation, you will not get to sleep in or act lazy at any point during this long weekend. Since sleep and I have not seen each other since we started homeschool last week, I was understandably crushed.

To which I replied "Brian why don't we just start with what you want to get done."

And that is how it began.

We spent all Friday cleaning out the garage so we could fit the black car in there. Brian bought some and I quote "much needed shelving units" for the garage. The goal or I should say his goal was to have NOTHING in boxes by the end of the weekend. So after a day of slave driving on Friday I decided I would plan my own agenda on Saturday which included leaving the house for most of the morning, and hitting up all the stores that exist in Cranberry. When I arrived home I had plenty of projects I wanted to get done in hand. I started right in putting things where I want them and directing Brian where to put curtains and frames. It took the rest of the day!

Saturday night was spent with the kids doing Easter stuff.

We dyed eggs.

Then I got a brilliant idea, pushed child labor laws to the side, and got out an Easter project I thought I wouldn't get to. Painting paper mache eggs. Then I put the kids to work also pushing to the side the fact it was well past their bed time.

After the painting, off to bed the little ones went, and off to work I went preparing for the Easter Bunny. It was after 1am when I finally got to sleep and it was 6:30am when the kids woke up because "HE DID COME! HE DID COME!"

It was after that, if my very tired memory severs me, that the cooking and baking began and didn't end until around 3pm.

I may or may not have started dozing off at the table when Brian suggested I go up stairs and take a bath then get a nap, and did just that. Which is another reason why I keep him around even though he often kills my dreams of relaxing with "to do" lists.

Happy Easter!!

Dying Easter Eggs

Easter Egg Dying was sort of a last minute thing this year. Since we moved in time is just flying by, and there is so much we want to do that Saturdays sort of feel like a blur. So around 8pm we wrangled up the children and got started. Luke was already in bed.

Ethan spent most of his time this year coloring on the eggs before dying them.

Olivia deliberated about which color to pick for longer then eggs were actually soaking in the color.

And Kai tortured his brother and sister by pretending to eat the eggs!

It was a late night, but a fun night! I love these babies.