Mr. Baseball...

Baseball season has started for Jack...for the next two months!! So just thought I would show you a "few" pictures from the first game.


Jack all ready to get in the car and head to the ball park..

Jack's first position was catcher! The poor guy could barely walk with all the equipment he had on! I was laughing so hard (don't worry not my out loud laugh) but I did have tears coming out my eyes....

Due to his helmet, jack had a terrible time trying to find the ball when they threw it to him....

Still looking...

A big smile when walking off the field...what a good sport!

Waving to his fans in the crowd!

In baseball position...

Swing batter swing...can you tell I am getting into the whole vocabulary of baseball!

Towards the end of the game, Jack was a little distracted. He was checking out the bottom of his shoes while the other player ran right by. That's ok, the little guy behind him was practicing his slide!

In true jack form, jack used his bat to help spring himself to the tee...

Run...Jack...Run!!

I love this picture...jack running his little heart out!

Have about 15 more games left of the season...so I will have many more photos! Lucky you!!

Final Preschool Program...

Jack had his last preschool program last week It was all based on nursery rhymes...it was a lot of fun!

"Jack and Jill" heading up the hill!

Jack was on of the children that 'laughed to see such a sight at school" in Mary had a Little Lamb. I love how he is pointing at the lamb!!


Ready for cookies...Jack was one of the last to leave the snack table!

Jack and Aunt...

Jack and Grandma Sharon...

Jack and his two best preschool buddies...

Grandpa, Jack and Nanny...

While writing this, it really it me that Jack's preschool career is done...*sniff*...Oh my baby boy has grown up so fast!!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Reaching out and saying thank you to your Mom is really as simple when you begin with, “Thank you for…” and then filling in the blank. So often in life we attempt to make things much more complicated than they need to be. We get mixed up in the layers of time and hurt and happiness. We forget that a simple thank you can mean so very much.

Here’s what I’d like to thank my Mom for today:

Thank you for teaching me how to make the best french toast on Sundays.

My boys love when I make cinnamon french toast! (just need to work on that homemade macaroni!)

Thank you for sharing some of the challenges you’ve had in your life. For entrusting me with your feelings both happy and sad...

Thank you for instilling in me the importance of naps (and even encouraging some!)

Thank you for being a model of moving forward, even when it was just so hard...

Thanks for catching me when I was falling and others just watched...

Thank you for telling me it was okay to stand up for myself...that I didnt' deserve to sit in the backseat....

Thank you for knowing what I was saying to you, even when I hadn't said a word...

Thank you for having that internal "mother" thing and knowing exactly when I needed you...

Thank you for helping me realize that so many things aren't worth the worry...

Thank you for listening to me share my own challenges as a working Mom and then a stay at home Mom..and supporting me 100% in both journeys..

Thank you for being proud of me and encouraging me to find my own place...

Thank you for loving my children and me and my family so completely and unconditionally...

Thank you for you and everything you are and everything you have brought into my life...

I love you, mom!!

(Loved these Mother's Day Words too...http://wipkits.blogspot.com/2011/05/happy-mothers-day.html)

A Groundbreaking Event...

Ankeny is opening their 9th elementary school in a couple of years and Sam and Jack will attend this new school.So the principal at Sam's current school asked if he would like to participate in the groundbreaking....are you following all that?

A shot of Sam and Jack before the groundbreaking ceremony begins...

Sam "listening" to the speeches....

Off he goes to dig some dirt!

Everyone got their shovels ready?

Still waiting for the "go" signal....

...and DIG!

...and pose (the announcer actually told the kiddos to hold the dirt up until all pictures were taken!) and Sam is not one to break the rules!

...and done!

and the moment when all the kids got ready for a second scoop, but then realized they were done.

Funny story!!
We are heading to the ceremony and i asked Sam if a reporter asks him his thoughts on the new school, what would he say. Sam, in his honest form, replies, "Well, I am not too excited about it and really don't want to go here, because I will have to leave all my friends."
I got the giggles and eventually started laughing out loud. Thank goodness no one asked him for any comments!!!

A Weekend with Esther...

A friend of mine needed to be out of town for the weekend, so we offered to watch her Golden Retriever, Esther. Esther is 8 years old and completely trained...which Sam just loved (as well as I.) She was great to have around...

Jack fell in love with Esther right away...

She followed him everywhere! jack doesn't like to be upstairs by himself, so he would say, "Come on , Esther!" and off they went.

I found Esther sitting with Jack in his bed. he was showing how his Monkey-in-the-box worked...she looks as if she has had enough!

He couldn't pass up the opportunity to introduce all his monkeys to a new friend!

Jack told Esther about all the "outside" things as they looked out the window. I just love this picture...

We went for rides and Esther stuck her head out the window..

...and jack stuck his head out the window.

At night, everyone slept in jack's room. jack on the top bunk and Sam on the bottom bunk (he really enjoyed having her around, too) and Esther on her own little bed...Jack shared a pillow with her. She brought her own stuffed animals!

Now this is the kind of dog that I could get use to having around the house!! (I can't believe I just said that!)

Umm...Jack...

This is a conversation I had with jack on the way home from preschool..which is in a church.

Jack: We made Easter bunny baskets today.
Me: How fun! I can't wait to see yours!
Jack: I made an evil bunny.
Me: What? What do you mean an evil bunny?
Jack: He's got a big mouth.
Me: (What is he talking about?)

We get home and Jack shows me his bunny basket.

Me: Oh. Why an evil bunny?
Jack: I don't know. I just couldn't think of anything else.
Me: Oh. Did the teachers say anything about your bunny?
Jack: Nope. (and off he went...)
Me: (oh my.)


So this is what i saw Easter weekend each time I opened the fridge...

An easter story...

We went to church for Easter, at Hope in West Des Moines. They had quite the "opening." We all stood...there was music playing (they have a band - with guitars, drums, etc.) so it was pretty up beat and loud. The cross was covered with a large white sheet and they dropped the cover...black blinds covered the windows...the blinds were raised and opened wide ...it was great! The music started playing louder and the band starts singing. I look over to the boys to see how they were taking it all in...and Jack was standing right beside my, totally into it, standing tall...
with his hand over his heart like he was ready to say the pledge!!!
It was SO FUNNY!! I almost got the "church giggles" where you giggle, but not out loud, so you end up just shaking...you know what I am talking about!

Yuck...

If you know me, then you know how terribly scared I am of snakes. So this is what i get to look at each time i use the bathroom on our main floor. I can't stand it and I know that there is absolutely nothing i can do about it...can't even cover it up with a rug!!

Doesn't it look as if a snake is coming our from under the floor boards....ick.  I told Jason about it, but hadn't showed him it yet.  He even said, "I found the snake in the bathroom!"

Just wanted to give you a closer look, so you could feel my pain!

A Happy Easter...

I hope that you all had a fun and happy Easter...the boys sure did!

 

We started our at an early 6:25 wake up from Sam and Jack.  They started their inside egg hunt right away...

 

Someone ate a few too many jelly beans while hunting...

Sam was so excited each time he found an egg...

After brunch, my sister was outside and came in and told the boys that they missed TONS of eggs outside...and so they headed out.  Jack was a very intense egg hunter...

Sam loved the funky eggs...

 

And nothing like a little egg dance to celebrate the day!

Happy Easter (yesterday) to you and yours!

The Masters at out House...

The other night, after the boys were asleep, i went downstairs and found Jason playing his new golf game...


He states, "This is me. Check me out...don't you think this guy looks like me!"
He was serious...I didn't know that Jason owned a white belt or white shoes..and this guys pants don't have pleats of cuffs (hee..hee)

"Watch me swing!"
This means nothing to me. I find golf frustrating to watch because I can never see the ball. I wish they would circle it in the air or put a little arrow by it or make it flash, so I could see it going to wherever it is headed. they can do all sorts of "drawings" in football, they should be able to spot a small golf ball.

Then Jason says, "Wait..look at me from the front. Isn't that great!"
I am not sure what he is referring to...but I just go along and say, "Awesome."

"Oh, did you get a picture of my caddie. He has my name on his back,"
Like this is the REAL Masters....though is did find this funny.

So while I was "in the area" of where he was playing his golf game (basically i was near the couch) he started to shoot bad.
He looked at me and said, "i have had three double bogies since you came down here."
Me: "Is that good?"
Jason: "No."
Jas and I have been together long enough that I know what he really is saying, "I was doing awesome and then you come down here and have ruined my good luck streak..time for you to leave."
 (Reminds me of when he watches the vikings games..."the vikes haven't scored since you started watching." )

Anyway, that's ok with me...I have my Russian revolver solitaire game to play upstairs...
AND...
 I am amazed of my super woman powers that I can change a football and golf game just by my mere presence.
THAT... is awesome.