Big Now

So, Noah is almost 13. He's in seventh grade this year, that means the JUNIOR HIGH. I know it's supposed to be sad when your child gets older and no longer wants you around, but can I just pause to enjoy the numerous great things that come with him being a teen?


1. Noah, Connor, and I all drink the same Crystal Light. Peach tea, if you must know. Can I just tell you how awesome it is when I go into the refrigerator and the pitcher is full, even though I know it was dangerously close to being empty a couple of hours earlier....and it wasn't me that remade it?


2. No more begging/demanding for him to shower. He just does it.


3. Being able to go to Quick Trip in my pajamas with no make-up on to pick up milk because I am just going to send him in anyway......priceless.



4. We moved him downstairs into the HUGE bedroom. We swapped his room upstairs with the guest room downstairs. Noah and I moved every single thing out of that guest room down there together and hauled it upstairs, including the king-sized bed. Then we moved a couch (yes, there was a couch in that room down there besides the king bed, I told you it is huge), and gun cabinet to the old toy room down there. So nice to be able to have that done before Mike even got home from work!


5. Mowing the lawn has never been so easy.


6. Being able to go out to eat with Mike without the kids needing a sitter makes for many more dates with the husband! Heck, a run to Target without the kids feels like a date and we do it all the time!



7. Never having to personally find a single item for his baseball uniform has its perks.


8. He makes his own lunch! A lot!


9. Taking the money usually spent on a birthday party for 5-8 friends and spending it all on the birthday kid is more pleasurable for everyone.



10. Having intelligent conversations with your kid is pretty spectacular and usually quite comical.


So, what am I looking forward to? Is there anything left?

Yes. Driving. I can't wait for him to run my errands and take his brother to all his events. Woo Hoo!

The Wee One Plays Too.....

Another successful season of baseball is in the books for Connor.

It was his first year of machine-pitch. Surprisingly, the game goes quickly when every pitch is a strike! I think he got up to bat at least a dozen times every game.

Connor thinks nothing of diving for a catch or leaping for a ball. And luckily doesn't take it too seriously when he misses.....

He played in some HOT weather this year. July was brutal.  Someone needs to come up with a new uniform for boys baseball......you know, something not made of polyester and involving multiple layers (under those lovely pants are full length THICK polyester socks).

 

 

He's excited to start REAL baseball. Baseball that involves three outs, kids pitching, and stealing bases.

I am not sure Connor has a favorite position yet. He tends to run to an infield position when given a choice, but he's great at judging a ball too.

Soon both boys will be traveling for baseball. I think I will enjoy two more years of this one being little, even though he doesn't look so little....

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As a side note...I went flower shopping back in May when my BFF was in town. I took a Monday off from work and enjoyed a nice "friend" day. She helped me pick out my flowers for my pots. I think she did a great job.......

Even with this incredible heat, they have done great all summer. I even cut them back as they were getting so huge and they grew back thicker and with more blooms, every one of them. The purplish-white ones in the center are called Nemsia. Here is a close-up taken from the Internet....

It smells like lilacs! And because it's right outside my front door... the smell wafts into my living room while I sit in my recliner. It's amazing. I will buy this every year, and it will always remind me of my sweet friend.

Happy Last Days of Summer.....

LB



State Baseball

Another baseball season is in the books! Noah had a great time on the AA team this year, and although they didn't place at state, they played great ball.


I learned some things this season. Some good, some not so good, and some well....just odd.


Let's start with the good. I learned that there is a benefit to your child playing every position, even at this level. Last year, Noah stuck with about three positions that he rotated around. This year, he pretty much played every one. Even at state.

Here he is playing outfield. Left field to be exact. It was hot that weekend.....

Here he is playing third base......

Pitching....

Short stop.....

And lastly, CATCHING! He ended up doing this for the first time all season at state because he volunteered. He liked it more than I would have liked. His knees bother him a lot with his Osgood Schlotters and he doesn't need this wear-and-tear on those joints. He caught a pop-up though and I think it felt pretty good.  He wouldn't even had known he liked this position had he not been given the opportunity to try it.

Some ugly stuff I learned is some parents/coaches are complete butt-heads when it comes to their kids and sports. It's so nasty to listen to parents harass the umps, yell angrily at their kids, and just be all-around jerks. It wrecks the game for me.  It takes the fun out of it. And these kids are only 12! I can only imagine what happens at the high school level.

All I can think is, these are volunteer coaches and poorly paid umps. The coaches are probably missing another child's event to be there, they probably had to take vacation time from their jobs, and they certainly put in hours each week between practices, games, and tournaments away from home. It would never even cross my mind to criticize and complain, and yet it happens all the time.


Some parents need to get a grip. Get a life. Get a clue.


One odd revelation happened while I was editing the pictures from this tournament. Notice anything?

I had no idea no idea Noah stuck out his tongue when pitching! Ha! Connor does it all the time when concentrating....

I am not even sure he knows he does it! One thing I do know, Noah throws hard.....

I am thankful for people willing to spend so much time to make my child a better player...in all facets of the game. I know Noah and his teammates had a blast...

Until next year boys....

Smooches,
LB

Chicago 2012

My last trip of the summer came and went and we had THE BEST time! I felt like we packed 1000 things into two very short days. We went with my friend from college, Donna, and her husband Jeff. We had never traveled with them before, however I think after this trip.....we just might find ourselves traveling more together!

This is year number 5 for me doing this summer trip to Chicago and even though I have been there that many times, there is still so much to see that I have never seen.

I forgot to take my camera. I regretted it. As much as I hate hauling that thing around, I hate it more when I get home and have nothing to edit and post. So, all pictures were stolen from Donna's cell phone!

We flew out late morning on Spirit airlines. This is a new airline and I didn't quite know what to expect. I can tell you, expect lighter luggage (they only allow 40 lbs as opposed to 50 lbs on the other airlines) and we had quite the turbulent flight on the way down. Still, it was fun to fly with each other. We are used to meeting friends when we get there.

We stayed at the Millennium Knickerbocker hotel. We pick the hotel based on where we get the best deal off of a website that sends us updates weekly about the greatest deals around the country. There always seems to be some deal on a hotel in Chicago. We liked the hotel a lot. Super comfortable and good location. I always like a hotel with a nice lounge so we can come back and sit in some comfy couches and visit with a cocktail. This lounge was huge.

Jeff and Mike

We had dinner that night at J Alexanders. I had canceled a reservation at an Italian restaurant I had because I had read some recent bad reviews. I made this new reservation and hoped for the best.  The place was huge and there wasn't anyone eating when we got there so I was a little nervous. We all had good food though. Mike and Jeff both ordered prime rib and had excellent meals. I ordered margarita pizza and Donna had chicken. The cocktails were flowing and a good time was had by all!

Then we headed to the play Rock of Ages. We ALL loved this play. With it's 80s rock music, it was perfect! I am anxious to see the movie now because I have heard people really liked that too.

Donna and I sneaking an illegal picture

That night after the play we hung out in the comfy couches and talked and talked until a late hour! So nice to relax and hang out without worrying about time, kids, or getting up early!

The next day we headed out and explored the city. You can't do Chicago without a visit to Navy Pier. We browsed, bought souvenirs, and snagged a bag of Garrett's popcorn. I had woken up with some vertigo that morning, so I needed to take it nice and slow. I tried not to let it wreck our trip and it lasted the whole rest of the time (and still this week) so it was pretty exhausting.

It rained some that day and we got stuck in it when we stopped at Sprinkles cupcakes to partake in a few treats!

That night we were supposed to go on a progressive dinner. Mike and I had done with the year before with our other friends and had such a great time, we wanted to do it again. However, two days before leaving I got a call that it was canceled. Not enough people. After frantically searching for plan B, we decided on a dinner cruise with fireworks!

Again, we had a great time! The food was good, there was dancing, and of course who doesn't love fireworks!

I was glad we tried this as it was something I had wanted to do. Although I didn't love it as much as the progressive dinner, it was still a nice evening!

The next day we took a later flight so we were able to check out, leave our luggage at the hotel, and have some lunch and explore some more. Jeff and Mike took a little tour at the John Hancock Observatory and were able to check out the city from up high. I guess Chicago's own David Schwimmer from the TV show Friends does the narration and you can see everything from the 360 degree views.

Donna and I chose to shop! We walked around and got sucked into a cosmetic spiel from some 20 year old trying to make us look like teens. It was cute, but the $300 price tag was a little too much for us.

Then it was home again, home again jiggity jig! A short trip but packed with lots of stuff.

Until next year Chicago.......

Smooches,

LB