Play ball!

We have two ball players in the family this spring - a tballer and a softballer.

Brett started playing tball for the first time and seems to really be enjoying it. His team is called the Naturals. Their first game was today and it was hilarious! I'd forgotten how funny these little ones are when they don't have any idea how to play. The batting team was trying to field their own balls, even after just batting. But Brett did great! Hit the ball and even made it to first with no problem. He got to play first base and short stop today. He didn't play in the dirt too bad either - always a plus. Here are some shots from todays game.

Watching & waiting for his game to start

Ready to play

up to bat

Kate is playing machine/coach pitch for the first time this year. Her former coach, Connie, isn't coaching this year, but she got us hooked up with some good ones. Coach Kelly has really taken an interest in Katelyn and has been working with her to learn to catch - her favorite! We haven't had any games yet, but looking forward to watching them play!

Coach Kelly giving her some instruction

down and ready

Let's Play Ball!!

It's a Jungle Out There

Katelyn's school musical was tonight. She's been so waiting for this moment since last fall when we went to see the 4th graders perform their musical. She's knows all the songs, all the moves and everyone's lines. Brett and I are pretty familiar with all the songs too - whether we want to be or not. This was a combination of 2nd & 3rd grades, so most of the speaking parts went to 3rd graders. It was a hit! The kids did so well. Mr. Kindle, the new music teacher, has really done a great job this year with the kids and the musicals. They are entertaining & only last about 30 minutes - perfect!

CoCo & Poppa made it to the big performance too

and one more with a cute little brother

Camping Out

Our Brownie troop was invited to go camping this weekend. About half of my girls were able to go, so we met out at Camp Prairie Schooner for a night of fun (hopefully). As the girls arrived, they were assigned chore groups. They got to help build the fire, cook and clean up. Since this was our first official camp out, I was learning also. One of my Brownie moms is the leader of a junior troop & they were the ones doing the teaching/mentoring. We started with some games and soon got the fire going. Katelyn's team was in charge of fire building first.

There were a lot of songs sung, dances danced and laughs laughed.

We even got to go Spider Sniffing. I can't tell you about that though. It's a secret society. Next time we are camping, I can take you though and get you inducted into the society also. The girls did great, had fun and slept well through a very loud thunderstorm. Thank goodness for lodges and the wiseness of a leader to plan it there for our first - thanks Tiffany! We had one mishap. A leader of the other troop fell off the stoop & sprained her ankle. Of course it was a Friday night about 10:30pm when I had to take her to the ER, at Truman Med Center East of all places. I'll just say, it is a very, very interesting place to people watch! Saw my first "Tweeker" - cool! The next morning we got up bright and early to start cooking breakfast -

the worst part of camping in my opinion. It takes so long to do and you are so hungry by the time it finishes and it never tastes very good.

We moved on to build edible fires - fun

make gorp - tasty - and go on a hike.

The camp had a neat treehouse the girls stopped in on the hike to eat their gorp.

Brett's Spring Program

Brett's preschool put on a Spring Program last night. Each class sang a song or two. They also had the cutest little slide show for each grade level. Brett has really enjoyed preK since switching into his new class. There are only 9 kids and they all really get along and like each other.

He has two best buddies in his class - Isaac

and Dylan

and a girl friend, Sophia. He says he just wants to be her friend, but she told him he had to be her boyfriend or nothing. So, according to him, he's pretending - to be her boyfriend - so they can be friends. Too funny!

Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Potter!

Around here, that's all we talk about, watch, play, dream. Brett is obsessed! Over spring break, ABCFamily had the first 5 movies on. I DVR'd them so he could watch. Of course, I thought we would watch them once or twice. I was so very wrong. We have watched them all (all 5 of them) at least 4 times. We have to watch at least one every day. At this point, I'm thinking I should just go buy the ones we don't already own or I'll never have enough DVR space again.

We now own a LEGO Harry Potter Quidditch set - bought with his own birthday money. So we play that while watching Harry Potter.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing. I love Harry Potter. Love the books. Love the movies. Love the imagination and creativity it took to create this wonderful world of Wizards & Hogwarts. And I love that I get to share it with my little Harry.

My only concern came today when he told me (in complete seriousness), "Mommy, I need a new wand - a REAL one - so I can do real spells and make things float and stuff." Will he be crushed when he figures out that's not possible?

Big day for my Big Boy

It was 5 year old shots day for Brett today. I wasn't sure how much warning to give him. I mentioned something last night, very casually, making light of the whole thing. He asked a little bit. We moved on. This morning we trooped off to the doctor. Dr. G, of course, was impressed by our little Mr. Personality. But then again, why wouldn't he be? Brett took deep breaths, walked heel-toe, ran "super fast" down the hall - did all the tricks he needed to do. Then it was time. He was very brave. Had to have a finger stick for blood. Handled that well. Talked to the nurse the whole time. Dropped his pants for the shot in the thigh. Only said no & covered his thigh with his hand once. Took that one like a little man too. Quick shot to the arm, watching the whole time. Not a whimper or an ouch, nothing. The nurse left us a pee cup, papers and walked out of the room. That's when it started. A pout of the lip. A quiver of the lip. A big crocodile tear sliding down his cheek. When I asked him what hurt, his leg or arm. He shook his head and said through tears, "My Finger". Awww, my poor, sweet baby :(

Do you have the fever?

Overheard from other room today:

K:Brett, do you have Bieber Fever?
B:What?
K:Do you have Bieber Fever?(with more emphasis)
B:Do you? What is it?
K:(frustrated) Yes! Do you like Justin Bieber?
B:(simply) I like his music, but I don't like him.
K:Why don't you like him?
B:I don't know. I just don't like him.
K:Cause he gets all the girls. (giggle)
B:What?
K:Never mind. (giggle) Have you ever met Justin Bieber?
B:No.
K:Then how do you know you don't like him?
B:I don't know. Have you met Justin Bieber? (innocent & highly inquistive)
K:No.
B:Then how do you know you do? (again, simply stated, no saracsm)
K:(exasperated) I just do! I have Bieber Fever!
B:Oh, then I do too.