Baseball 2016

I have a "Seven Year Old Update" in the works for Seth and Sam, but in the mean time, I wanted to post their baseball pictures before we get too far removed from the season.

This year the boys were able to play "pitching machine" baseball, which is a step between minor leagues and t-ball. It was wonderful. They had a group of really great dads coaching them and the entire team really improved throughout the year. There was also an awesome group of kids that the boys really enjoyed being around. It's so comforting to see our "homeschooled" kids fitting in with the team, having fun, and making friends.

Sam and Seth were some of the youngest on the team, so they really had a lot to learn throughout the season. One of the things we were most proud of them was that one of the coaches told Ben that the boys were "very coach-able...and smart! They catch on to things really quickly because they listen." What a great thing to hear as a parent!

By the end of the year both boys were consistently hitting the ball off of a pretty quick pitching machine. Sam got a couple ground balls and threw them to first to get an out. And Seth's got a great arm on him!

One of my greatest memories of the season came while Ben practicing with the boys' batting at home one evening. Seth was really struggling to hit the ball (he really tends to be "on" or "completely off"). Now the policy for pitching machine is that the kids get about 5-8 pitches off the machine, and then if they don't hit those, the coach tosses a few short underhand pitches to them. If they can't hit the underhand pitches, then the coach says, "He's running no matter what!" throws a pitch, and if the kid misses, the coach throws the ball out to the field and the player runs to first. So, on that particular evening, Seth had missed about 15 pitches in a row from Ben. Finally, Seth cheerfully called out, "On this one: I'm running no matter what!" And sure enough, he missed, but ran around the bases anyways. It was so funny and so indicative of Seth's attitude the whole season: he really wasn't competitive minded and never seemed to get flustered if he couldn't hit the ball. 

Another funny memory I have of the season is that each time it was cold or rainy on a game night, Sam would ask me if I had gotten them their baseball pants yet. Each time, I would gently remind him that I had no intentions of buying him baseball pants. But then a cold day would roll around and Sam would pester, "Mom, it's cold! And you haven't gotten us our baseball pants yet!" By the end of the season my reply was no longer gentle; it was more like, "Sam, you have no pants because I am not going to buy you baseball pants. It is not because I haven't had time, or haven't gone to the right store, it is because I'm not going to!" (Lucky for him--and me--we happened to go to a store closing sale today and they had baseball pants for $7 each, so I couldn't resist a good deal!)

We also have great memories of people coming to watch the boys like Chris and Jackie, Tani and Glenn, and Grandpa Deedo and Grandma Di Di. 

Here's a few pictures of Seth batting. He's got a great swing:

And Sammy: 

 The was one of the outs Sam got during a game:

(Somehow I got way more pictures of Sam than Seth...my bad!)

And here are super fans Daddy and Josh:

 This was Josh's best smile for me 

 Here's Sam with one of their buddies Will Kessi. Will's dad, Pat was the main coach and was so amazing!

 And here's the team! I may or may not have bribed everyone with cupcakes to get this picture taken. I also may or may not have needed to get this picture because I just plain forgot about picture day. In my defense it was at 8:30 on a Saturday morning. Still, my bad!

 Here's our substitute individual pictures. Not bad. Maybe it's a good thing I saved the 30 bucks.

Twins 7 year old birthday!

Almost a month ago my twins turned seven. Seven! How is this possible?

We had a pretty low key birthday for them: no big party this year. They requested Mickey Mouse waffles for breakfast, Mississippi Pizza for lunch, and pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. That night they had a baseball game, so we brought baseball cupcakes to share with the team.

I know I write this every birthday, but we are so blessed and amazed by the amount of love and support from friends and family for Seth and Sam. Three different neighborhood families had birthday presents for the boys. Isn't that amazing!? Chris and Jackie bought them ladder golf and some bubble gum tape, Ed and Leslie gave them super soakers, and we were able to go bowling with the Declerque family where they brought the boys gifts of water balloons and Frisbee golf. I'm so thankful for the neighborhood the Lord put us in.

Family support for the boys is absolutely amazing as well. Although my parents couldn't make it up for the boys' birthday, they had Blazer jersey's in the mail for them to open on their special day. Uncle Tom and Aunt Julie are always so faithful in having gifts in the mail for the boys and they are amazing gift givers. This year they had wallets for the boys that have their names on them! Seth and Sam thought this was the best and have been very grown-up with their own special money holders. Jeff and Diane bought the boys new fishing poles and took them on a little river adventure to try them out. Aunt Katie and girls met us in Wilsonville for a splash park day and brought the boys a gift of a Spirograph. And we even had another little birthday event for the boys with their Morris cousins in Estacada: a swim party! Seth and Sam couldn't grow up with a better community around them!

Mickey Mouse waffles are more difficult than meets the eye. My bad. (Sam, Seth)

Ben took half the day off from worked and met us at Mississippi Pizza for lunch. We let Sam and Seth open their gifts from Papa and Titi, and Uncle Tom and Aunt Julie here. 

We then took the boys to Sky High Jump for the afternoon. It was so fun!  

 Big seven year old boys sporting their new Lillard jerseys (Seth, Sam)

 It was fun to have a baseball game on their birthday,so that we could share cupcakes with the team. 

Sam, Seth

 They opened gifts from Ben and I at the end of the night.

 We got them a really cool Lego chess set from a store in downtown Disney

 And the game, Castle Panic, that they had really been wanting

Here's a few pictures from their Estacada pool party. Poor Josh capsized in his boat a little after his picture and would have nothing to do with the water after that!

 Aunt Kasie and family got the boys these blow up floaties. They were a big hit with the kids as they tried to jump into the pool while holding onto them. 

Seth, Sam

 All the cousins minus my stubborn Joshua.  Ten kids, with Seth and Sam being the oldest!

Trying out some new squirt guns:

 The birthday boys. Titus turned 4 on May 31st, the twins 7 on May 26, and Judah 6 on May 25.

Here's a couple from their fishing trip with Grandpa Deedo. Sam caught a bass

And Seth helped reel in a fish for Deedo:

That's it for the birthday festivities. I hope to have a seven year old update written soon!