Big Playah

After 3.5 years of sitting on the sidelines cheering for Coley, it's finally my turn to take the field!  I am definitely NOT a big fan of my coach's two hour t-ball practices (neither is Mom), but I've learned the ladies love a baseball player so I take full advantage of that!

I also do a LOT of hat adjusting.

I must be pretty important because there is almost always one coach devoted just to me. Mom says they're trying to keep me from getting hit in the head with a ball because I'm staring off into la la land, but I think they know I'm a pretty big deal.

I'm very good at running after the ball when it rolls right past me. I like to grab it and hold onto it until ALL the fans are watching me and my glove is on just right and my hat is on just right.  Then and only then do I give the fans the picture perfect throw/pose.

I guess I didn't realize how much standing around in the hot sand baseball involved...

The hardest part of the game is to pay attention to the NOTHING that's happening. I didn't think anyone would mind if I took a little snooze.

WATER BREAK!  The highlight of the game!!

I get to bat twice per game.  These are my big moments.

My personal "player placer" is always on hand to ensure I am standing on the right side of the base, facing the right direction.

Then I stand there until the ball is somewhere in the general vicinity of the plate and give er a BIG swing! I do this about 20 times until they bring the tee out. 

Then I smack that ball and drag my feet so as to maximize the amount of sand in the air while I head towards first.

Today I played pitcher's helper too.  I told Dad "I look ridiculous" when he put all the gear on me, but Mom insisted it was necessary for a kid who gets hurts as often as I do.

My personal "player placer" was right there with me.

He sure does like to move me around a lot!

They're pretty picky about facing forward and standing up in baseball.

It takes as many coaches and helpers as players, but t-ball is totally worth it.
Here's to finally getting in the game!

Best Friends No Matter What

The hardest part of switching schools was leaving my best buddy behind. We have both been really really sad about being apart. Mom and I went to Levi's on Sunday and he begged her to please let me come back. Mom said no, but promised that we would always be best friends. I think we've all shed a lot of tears over this one. No tears today though because Levi spent the night just like old times!

In the morning, we decided we were brothers and we tried to fool everyone at Levi's game. We even practiced talking like each other!  Levi memorized a few random state trivia facts, and I worked on saying some obscure animal facts really quickly like Levi would.  We sure did get a lot of laughs!
I guess the Moms were right about us staying best buds even though we don't see each other everyday. When you're this much alike, you don't grow apart easily.
 

Meet Rowan!

Look who Mom and B brought home today! We met this handsome fellow last Saturday at Riley Park Dog Fest and we fell in love with him.  Mom had to work pretty hard to track him down afterwards, but we found him and brought him home to see if he might fit into our family. Unfortunately, the poor guy came with a raging case of diarrhea and a sliced eyelid. Don't worry bud, Mom had him straight over to the vet and on the mend in no time.

Now that we have a fence for him, Rowan is living the life he deserves - complete with a little boy who loves him to bits and pieces.  The first thing I do when I wake up is take him out to play.  We go straight back out again when I get home from school.  Rowan is teaching me to be assertive and I am teaching him to drop the ball, shake and stay down.

He's a world champion fetch player and a really smart guy. He is trying so hard to learn the rules after living the first two years of his life in a cage.

Dad and I weren't all that fond of the idea of a dog, but guess who likes him best of all now?!  You got it, Dad and I :) 

We are so lucky to have found the perfect dog for our family. He's quiet, gently, smart and SUPER active.  He'll be Mom's running partner, my best bud, B's protector and Daddy's lawn fertilizer.
Welcome Home Rowan!

Mathopoly

Since I changed schools, I realized that I need to work hard to catch up on math. I'm no longer at the top of my class because I didn't learn multiplication, division or advanced subtraction like the other kids did.  Mom and I did learn multiplication and division a bit this summer, but she wanted me to do more worksheets and that just wasn't fun. So.... I invented a new game! It's called Mathopoly and you just role the dice, pick two cards and apply the math skill shown on the board.
MUCH better than lame-oh worksheets!

First Day of Pre-K

I started "big kid preschool" today! I decided I needed to look as much like my big brother as possible, so I wore his old backpack, his old uniform shirt and my "Coley glasses." I think it worked because I was treated like a king :)  Thanks for paving the way for me big bro! I can't wait until next year when I get to ride on the bus with you!

The BEST Surprise Visit!

What a treat! We got to meet more Canadians!  This time it was Mom's favorite Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Harold. They were on their way to meet their new grandbaby in Boston and decided to stop in to meet/see us.

It's near impossible not to love Uncle Harold. We were instant buds.

and of course, Aunty Eleanor just feels like family the instant you meet her.  She is love and sunshine through and through.

We showed them around a little bit. Here Dad and Uncle Harold are waiting outside the Tesla store while we ride the escalator (which is the ONLY ride we like).

As I said, we were instant buds.

Uncle Harold just knows what's cool. He played video games with us and pool with Daddy.

and he was super impressed with our LEGO base!  We were so sad to see them leave and hope to see them again very soon.
Thanks for coming!

You Are What You Eat

Mom is always telling me "you are what you eat." Well today I tried a few bites of mystery IKEA chocolate at the neighbor's house and Whoa... 

We are not sure what's in that chocolate, but now that I'm a swollen red mess from head to butt, I'd say it contained something pretty funky.  No more mystery chocolate for me!

Mom & B

Now that Coley is back in school, I get Mom all to myself! I'm not going to pretend I'm too cool to be a Mama's boy.  I love my Mom and would like nothing better than to stay connected to her for the rest of my life.
Lately she's been telling me to stop growing so fast. I think maybe me with a mustache was a little too much for her to handle because this look didn't last very long.
Don't worry Mom. I plan to stick to your side as long as possible!

First Day of a New School

After learning how far behind we were, Mom and Dad decided to switch me from Zion over to Sugar Creek Elementary school.  I wasn't thrilled with the idea of being away from my friends, but I put on a brave face and went off to my first day with a semi smile. Luckily, I had friends waiting in my class for me!  It's not the same, but it's still great to be making new friends and Mom promises to make sure we keep the old.

Here's to Third Grade and a whole new adventure!

B's Best Buds

As the summer winds down, we're squeezing in as much time as we can with our besties. Here are Aiden and I at the pool.

Jonah and I plotting.

Our awesome fort.  Summer is so much better when you share it with friends!

Grand Finale Part 2

We couldn't say goodbye to summer with just one Grande Finale!  No no...  This summer deserved two.
So we left Papa and Nana's and headed over to another party house - Grandma and Buggas!
I got right to work "teaching" Bugga to play Chess.

B made Grandma a birthday cake.

We swam in Aunty Marianne's pool.

Hit the Zoo

Rode a turtle

Hung out with our man Ota!

and... (drumroll please).....  Grandma taught me how to ride a bike!  After years and years of refusing to try, it took me about 10 minutes to master. Well, it took 10 minutes and Grandma :)

Then just before Mom and Dad arrived to pick us up, B put a hole in his head.  It was fine until Uncle Rick got a little nutty with the squirt guns and this happened. 
Oh B.  It's always B...
Thanks for a great end to our summer Bugga and Grandma!