I'm still here....

I don't know if anyone is even looking at this blog anymore. It's been so long since my last update. Honestly, right now my life is nearly consummed by TAKS and Teeball. TAKS will be over on Thursday (please, God.... let them all pass!). Teeball is SO much fun to watch - WAY more fun than TAKS!


I promise to catch up on things, including very belated Easter photos, after TAKS is over. In the meantime, if anybody is still out there, here are picture of our bull terrier (not at ALL like nor related to a pit bull - she' like the Target dog). Her name is Abbey. She is sporting Donovan's star sunglasses as she lounges in the sun on Easter day. Isn't she awesome! She's a great dog and loves the boys. She let's them do anything to her. She's even been dressed up like a baby.

Teeball

Donovan had his first ever teeball game on Saturday. Those of you who have experienced 5 and 6 year olds playing baseball know just how awesomely (is that a word?) fun it is to watch these little guys.

We are not sure exactly where Donovan picked up on this, but when he went out to bat, he would extend the bat over his head and behind his back to "stretch" like a big leaguer. Hysterical!

He came up to bat 3 times, made a hit 3 out of 3 of those times and ended up scoring each of those 3 times as well. No.... we're not proud at all!!!! :) Each of the 3 times that Donovan crossed home plate, he stopped on the plate and looked at the audience of parents and just smiled. Everyone thought he was so cute and funny. They were right, of course. He obviously wanted to be sure that everyone recognized the fact that he had just added a point for his team - the Rangers.

When playing defense, the coach would move Donovan around to different positions. But it was always easy to find him. He was the one crouched down like a frog with his glove on the ground ready for action! It's amazing how seriously he is taking the game. Our attitude is very casual - as long as he is having fun, it's all good. We are not imposing thoughts of baseball as a career choice nor seeking major endorsements and sponsorships for him yet. I'm not quite sure I can say that for all teeball parents.

Donovan's team is really great. He has a terrific coach and the other parents have been really wonderful too. Most have a year of experience and have taken us under their wings to show us the ropes about participating in Little League. We're looking forward to the rest of the season.

Go RANGERS!!!!

Spring Break

Last week was Spring Break - no school and time for the first fun of Spring. The weather was great nearly the entire week. We decided to take the boys to San Antonio for a few days on our first real family vacation trip. While we were there, we went to the San Antonio Zoo (loved it!) and also Fiesta Texas. There were plenty of rides for both boys and we all had a great time. If you've never been to Fiesta Texas, it is much more like Disney World than Astroworld. I never really liked Astroworld. Fiesta Texas is REALLY nice! After we came back home, we were able to have some fun in the sun in our own backyard, too. It was a great first Spring Break together as a family. :)









Donovan at the San Antonio Zoo













Donovan showing off his athletic abilities in the backyard (a skateboarding move?)

Jonathan and Abbey sharing the love

My superhero! Jonathan won the cape at Fiesta Texas (with a little help from Mommy) and took the shoes from Daddy's closet. He had just gotten up from his afternoon nap. Too cute!

Boys sharing a snack at the hotel

Jonathan brushing a goat at the Zoo

Daddy and Jonathan talking about the Lion at the zoo (the lion roared several times for us. It was AWESOME!)

Boys and Puppies

Much to my amazement, my mom decided to get another dog. I was certain that after Brinx died (and shortly thereafter her cat had the equivalent of a kitty heart attack and died, too), my mom would certainly not be willing to get another dog or cat. Boy was I WRONG! Not only did she get a dog, it's an 8 week old puppy! And even more than that.... she drove to Dallas to get him.

After picking up her new pet (a Bichon Frise) and spending some time getting a good read on his personality, she said "He's a real piece of work." Based on that, she named him Picasso. So a few days ago she brought Picasso over so we could meet him. It was love at first sight for Donovan. I think the feeling was mutual for Picasso. They played and laughed in our playroom for well over an hour. Jonathan enjoyed Picasso, too. But Donovan called dibs on the puppy pretty much the second he saw him and Jonathan didn't stand much of a chance after that. There is not much that is cuter than watching little boys and a new puppy!!!

Babysitting

On Thursday last week, I took Donovan to t-ball practice with Jonathan in tow. It was windy, which made it feel much colder than it actually was. And Jonathan spend most of his time fussing because he could not play t-ball. I decided that for Friday's practice, I would ask my brother to watch Jonathan at home. Jonathan loves his Uncle Ric because Uncle Ric is just a kid in a grown up body.

So, I'm sitting with the other t-ball mom's watching Donovan practice. My cell phone rings. Here is the conversation.

Ric: "I have a problem."
Me: "Okay, what is it?"
Ric: "Well, Jonathan had an accident."
Me: "What kind of an accident."
Ric: "In his pants."
Me: "So.... change him."
Ric: "I don't know where his stuff is."
Me: "It's in the cute green box on his dresser."
Ric: "Ok."

A little later when we get home.....

Me: "So, how did it go changing Jonathan's pull up?"
Ric: "Well, I asked him and he said he didn't need to be changed."
Me: "Oh...you know, you can't really ask a 3 year old if he needs to be changed, you have to just check and change him anyway. He'll always say no."

So I go and check Jonathan's pants - actually his Batman pajamas because it was pajama day at his school. Inside, the seam of his pull up had torn and the whole thing was hanging down inside the black pajama bottoms. The bottoms were soaked, and even his socks were wet. Of course, since they are black, none of this is visible. I don't want to hurt my brothers feelings because he was so nice to come and help out, so here is how it goes:

Me: "Yes, he's wet. Definitely needs a change. I'll take care of it."
Ric: "I don't think I'm very good with really little kids."
Me: All I can do at this point is laugh. He was SO serious when he said it. But I also know that he was completely clueless. I'm sure he was relieved when Jonathan said he didn't need to be changed.

He's still good help though. I'll just need to remember that he does a better job with children who are already potty trained. I can't wait until we get to that point. I think we are getting close. :)

Visible Changes Company Conference

On Monday, Visible Changes had it annual company conference. It's a black tie awards ceremony and a HUGE deal every year. It was also Kevin's birthday. He decided that he wanted Donovan to attend the conference with us. Jonathan is still too little, so he spent some extra time with Grandma and focused on playing with a tape measure. He wants his own now and asks for one constantly.

Donovan was SO good all day - and it is a long day when you are 5 years old. He had perfect behavior. And, he had fun! We dressed him up in a little suit and tie. He loves being dressed up - must get that from Daddy.

It was the first time that many of the people in Kevin's company actually saw Donovan in person. He was flooded with compliments about how cute he is. And he just eats that up - but who wouldn't?! Of course, he charmed everyone who met him too. That boy can work a room!!! Kevin introduced him to one of our friends (a female) and on his own, Donovan took her hand and kissed it. She absolutely swooned. That's our boy.

Donovan even got to go up on stage with Daddy to accept one of his awards. The next day when he saw the trophy, he said "Mommy, thank you for having Daddy get that trophy for me." I had to gently tell him that the trophy was not actually his, but Daddy's trophy for all of the hard work that he does for our family. He's decided that Daddy will share it with him. I'm sure that is true. The two of them have formed their own mutual admiration society - they are both SO proud of the other. I have three amazing boys - 1 big and 2 small.

Always start with the basics

So, Donovan's first t-ball practice is over. It all went really well I think. Kevin was there to help, which was great. The coach had a couple of assistant coaches and they put the boys through several activities to see what they could do. They would throw, catch, bat and run the bases during different activities. Many of the boys on this team are already 6 years old and played last year. Donovan just turned 5, so he looks really small compared to most of his teammates.

During hitting practice, Donovan did really well. That kid can hit a ball. But then they set up in playing formation - kids in each of the in-field and outfield positions - and they took turns batting, running, catching and throwing in more of a game-like manner. It's Donovan's turn to bat. He smashes the ball like he always does and the coach yells "RUN!" So Donovan ran.... The coach needed to be more specific with a barely 5 year old who has never been on a basefall field. Perhaps "RUN to first base!" would have been better. Donovan ran, alright. In a straight line to 2nd base. After all, it was what he was facing when he hit the ball. Makes perfect sense to me.

It seems the coach forgot to start with the basics. Such as... this is a base. This is where you want to run when you hit the ball. Needless to say, we have now purchased a little backyard t-ball "starter kit". Kevin has some t-ball tutoring to do to get our kid up to speed with those experienced 6 year olds.

3 practices this week - Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Kevin is booked at work and can't take off any of the 3 days. The weather is supposed to be ugly on Tuesday. I'm praying we get rained out, but please don't tell Donovan or the coach.

3 nights per week?!

Donovan begins t-ball tomorrow evening. This first "practice" is really a parent meet n' greet. But the coach already called and said that they will practice 3 nights each week....what?!?!?!?! And even more than that...the practice and game schedule is not set on a consistent night-per-week basis. It's going to change from week-to-week. This is not good for Kevin since he needs advance notice to be able to arrange his work schedule. And he really wants to be there for Donovan - he such an awesome Daddy!!

Yes, I do know that I live in Texas where sports are some kind of insane obsession with some people. I expect that some parents will be more into this than we will. But for Donovan, we want the experience of being part of a team - something greater than himself, where the parts contribute to a whole. We also like the idea of Donovan developing athletic skill and coordination since he seems to have natural abilities in this area - and plenty of energy, too. :) But we also want him to just have fun.

I really do not understand the practice-3-times-per-week thing. Maybe I'm missing something. In my non-athletic mind (since I am challenged by even walking) I believe I could understand it more if the ball was being thrown at my child by the skilled arm of a 7 or 8 year old pitcher (yes, a bit of exaggeration). But it's sitting still on top of a stick!! AND, they don't even keep score or stats in t-ball. It's an everybody wins kind of thing.

Maybe I'm completely missing the boat on this. Is this just how it works? Have I been living under a big rock completely ignorant about the time commitment necessary for a 5 year old to play t-ball?

The ignorance is possible. We received an email from the coach about the position of "team mom". He stated that he believed many of the mother's would be fighting for this position. I say, let them fight. I'm more than willing to let anyone else have this position if they want it. I have no clue what a team mom is or what she does. And based on my overall knowledge of the whole t-ball experience thus far, I'm guessing I would completely underestimate this commitment as well. But you know what they say about ignorance.... it's bliss.

I believe this year t-ball is going to be a learning experience for all of us. If Donovan is really great at t-ball and if he loves it, then we'll know what to expect next time. If not, then he doesn't have to play. Soccer and basketball will be just around the corner and he can try those next. It really is all about having fun..............isn't it?!

I figured it out

Finally had some time today to learn how to post videos to my blog without having to make them publicly available on YouTube. Check out the updated post about Jonathan and his ABC's.

He's such a cutie.

A Donovan video will now have to follow soon.

Bittersweet...

Today was the funeral of Emma Elizabeth Dunnam. It was such a beautiful service - we laughed, we cried, we reminisced and we had to stop and think - evaluate our lives. But, knowing Kelvin and Christy, I would not have expected anything else. Emma would have been so proud of her parents and her brother and sisters. The Dunnams have a knack for making everything special - even an occasion such as this. And best of all, they have a definite gift for pointing everything in their lives back to God, which is the way it is supposed to be. I admire them SO much. I feel humbled and blessed to call them my friends.... and not just friends, but very dear friends.

Kelvin prepared the most amazing tribute to Emma. I hope that he will post it on their blog. I think I'll ask him if he will consider doing that. It was so incredible. And Christy recorded a beautiful song for Emma, too. I love to hear Christy sing. Her voice is definitely a gift from God.

If you don't know about Emma, please take time to click on the link on the right side of this page and read about her. The second annual Bayou Bash is coming up in March. If you didn't go last year, you really missed out. Please plan to go this year. You will have a fabulous time!!!!