T-Ball 2013

 The spring season of t-ball is underway and my little Twin is already complaining about having to rush through dinner, skip his Power Rangers TV time and cut short our outdoor play. Not that I can blame him on some of these things. It is nice for the first time in eons and he'd much rather be running around the neighborhood than listening to his coach try to teach him to catch, throw and hit a ball. And given that he can't even figure out what to do with his glove (case in point below) we may have to rethink signing him up for the summer session.


A sure sign that spring has sprung - Zander shading his eyes from the sun.



I'm not sure if he is fielding a ball or preparing for a cartwheel. My money, though, is on the cartwheel.



Swing and a miss. We are still working on his form and accuracy.



Thankfully, they get to swing until they connect.





And what would a spring or summer sport be without our good buddy Dalton. He keeps Zander entertained on the field and his mother keeps me entertained on the bleachers. It's a win/win really.



Poor little Graham. He was having a rough night. I have yet to bring Ben along to play (not that they really play together, but it's fun to pretend). Such a sweet little guy though. He's my second favorite almost 2-year-old.

UNI Spring Game

About this time every year Mike starts pining for the start of football season. It's not that he wants the cold weather (we still have that), but he does miss the game and the excuse for spending Sunday (and some of Saturday) on the couch. Since real football is still a ways off we decided to pack up the crew and head to UNI for their spring football game.

The adventure started at McDonalds with Joni, Dalton and Graham.  Dalton is a stairstep between my boys (though he is the same size as Zander) and they love hanging out and playing together. The big boys got to sit at a big table with Mike while the little people (Graham and Ben's birthdays are just days apart) were at another table with us.

That is the remnants of a black eye under Ben's left eye. Nick (accidentally) beaned him with a wiffle ball a few days ago. He's still got a slight cut and the black eye to remind us. 
At UNI the boys, following Dalton's lead, climbed the panther. Dalton's dad work for the university and he's very comfortable on campus. 
As part of the spring game festivities the university offered food (we figured pork sandwiches and chips with five little boys and a windy night wasn't very smart, though it would have been much cheaper), a bouncy house and bean bag game. There weren't very many people outside and the boys pretty much acted like they owned the joint.

Ben would not leave the bouncy house. Even when all the other boys had tired of the basketball hoop and slide he continued to play and flirt with the young girl manning the door. 

When I finally got him out he promptly ran off, dragging his coat behind him. I was trying to get a picture of him throwing it up in the air here, but he stopped just as I got the camera ready. He has so much personality I just can't help but want to squeeze him. All the time. 
Nick quickly tired of everything. He pouted half the time we were outside because he wanted to go in. I tried to explain to him that going inside wasn't going to be any more fun, but he wasn't having any of it. 
Monkey see, monkey do. 
Ben had fun playing with the bean bag game. He would stand directly over the hole and hurl the bean bag through, then look up like he was so proud of making it in. 
Dalton also had his own technique. 
Little did I know that inside the Dome would be quite fun (at least at first), too. Dalton's dad took the boys (and all of us -- that's a lot of stairs) to the press box and suites. This kind old man let the boys use his binoculars to see the players. The boys were ready to sit down and watch from here, but we forced them to keep moving. 

Off to the suite, which really, wasn't that sweet. But, the boys liked it and again begged to sit there for the game. While we probably could have we opted to head back down to the stands to watch from that vantage point instead. 
Here's what they saw. 
 Ben liked it. 
Doesn't he look like he is having a very serious conversation with someone? Love that boy. 
Apparently Dalton got tired. Or Nick got bored and asked for it. Either way, Nick giving Dalton a piggy back ride was a bit comical. Nick really looks like he's struggling here, but I don't think it was actually that bad.

And then we headed down to the stands and my camera had to be put away. Unfortunately most of the boys weren't nearly as interested in the football aspect of the evening as they were in everything else. Mike (and to some extent Nick and Dalton) watched part of the game while Joni and I wrangled anywhere from two (Ben and Graham) to five kids up on the concourse. We left before half-time. And this is why we won't pay to see a sporting event until the kids are much older. Their favorite part of the game is still the snacks (and the concession stands weren't even open for this one).

Back in the pool

 It's that time of year again. We've got the older boys back in swim lessons, and I can honestly say they have come a long way since last year. Zander is an eel, which means he is almost ready for the big pool. He still can't swim, but he is getting close. He isn't afraid of putting his head underwater (at least for a few seconds at a time) and he is finally learning to keep his body up while attempting to swim. Of the kids in his class he is most definitely the least fearful. He will jump in and start "swimming" around while the instructor is still trying to coax the next kid into jumping into the water without being caught.

He also thinks he's pretty cool stuff with his goggles on.



Nick is now a polliwog, which means he is over in the big pool (thankfully the classes are at the same time so we only have to spend an hour at the pool). He too is doing well, but his skills don't yet match up with the others in his group. But, he is trying.



He's a pretty good doggy-paddler. What can I say? He takes after his mama. If he can doggy paddle long enough to keep himself afloat in a dangerous situation then I will be a happy girl. I don't need a competitive swimmer. I need a safe little boy.









Not bad. He can't go far, but he can go. At the end of the class the teacher said he could move into the big pool when we do lessons again! Zander's excited, but I don't think Nick was. Maybe that will be the motivation he needs to get his butt in gear. If that doesn't work the swimming test at the pool this summer might.




This looks really dangerous for the poor instructor in the water. I don't have any pictures of it, but the kids even started to learn how to sit-dive off the edge of the pool. Nick seemed too tall for the exercise. He looked like he was eating his knees every time he tried to dive.

Ben’s first cut

 Worst experience ever. I gave in early with Ben and decided to get his hair cut before it got out of control. When he gets out of the bath it is super cute and curly. When he wakes up in the morning it's matted to his head and definitely not so cute. The front just kind of hangs in this weird old man sort of way. It was time for a change. Apparently Ben wasn't in agreement.

I took him to the same place I have taken all the other boys for their first cuts. They have a television and ride on toys for the kids to sit on while they are getting trimmed up. It was pretty busy back there (thankfully we knew the other family) so I sat Ben down on the one free chair and tried to get him excited.

He was having none of it. He started crying within seconds. I took a deep breath, picked him up and hoped for the best. This was nowhere near the best. He screamed bloody murder the entire time this poor lady tried to cut his hair. The paci didn't work. The sucker didn't work. The movie didn't work. Nick didn't work. The only thing that worked was the stylist walking away, which she did a couple times simply because she was scared he was going to hyperventilate and pass out.

Thankfully, for posterity's sake, my mom and Jamie were there so she could snap a few pictures that I can torment Ben with in the future.



I'm not laughing at Ben, I'm coping.



This woman was a saint. She just kept on cutting while he screamed. She got a big tip.



Nick came along thinking it would be fun. This is his "What the heck did I get myself into?" face. I can't say I blame him.





He does look much better though. Except for the blotchy, cry-face.



And here he is at home. Much happier. And though he has these weird bald spots right above his ears I still think he looks so much better.



Enjoying a pizza picnic after a traumatic afternoon. My baby is growing up.

Conversations with Zander

They are always long interesting. Here’s the latest (I really wish I wrote more of these down).

Zander: When I’m in a good mood, I’m in a happy spirit. When I’m in a bad mood, it’s a bad spirit.

Me: Really? What are you right now?

Zander: I’m a happy spirit.

Me: Good. Who told you about spirits?

Zander: I don’t know. It just kind of popped into my head.

This must be his crazy spirit.

Bonding time

I'm losing this one already. At night, after the older boys go to bed, Ben snuggles up with Mike for a good 20 minutes (or more) of reading the same book(s) over and over again. Mike begs Ben to come sit with me, partly because he knows I don't like playing second fiddle to him this young, and partly because he is tired of reading Eric Carle's Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear; Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See; and From Head to Toe. Listening to them read is one of those moments you live for as a parent, though. Ben may not be able to say all the words, but he's got the cadence of all three books down pat. Adorable. Which is why I had to shoot a video of it. Unfortunately, I had to hide behind a couch to shoot the video otherwise Ben would have stopped to see, but it is still absolutely perfect to me. So without further ado: a dramatic interpretation of (part of) Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See as read by Ben. (The whole video would have been murder to upload)

Obstacle course–Taekwondo style

Nick is still plowing through with the Taekwondo classes. He has good days minutes and bad minutes. His biggest problem is he wants to watch other kids (those who already know what they are doing) instead of practicing his own technique. He learned today that standing still can get you in trouble.

Instead of the traditional instruction the more advanced kids set up an obstacle course for the newbies. They were supposed to do the entire course with their arms up ready to block. Why must they block? Because those blue belts were playing whack-a-mole on their heads, that’s why. And while I thought it looked a bit brutal, the kids, mine included, seemed to have a blast.

This little girl is the teacher’s daughter. She was probably the most into it of all the whackers.

At every bag the kids had to do three moves (punch or a kick)

\

They also had to make their way through those mats, and usually block a whack or two on the way through or find a blue-belt lying in wait just around the corner like this kid.

Then there was the jump.

Nick really thought it was cool when the teacher became part of the obstacle course.

There was also a dummy on the ground where kids could practice their rolling break falls (doing a somersault over the body). Nick really struggles with that one. He has yet to decide if he wants to to this again. He’s already said he’s going to do baseball this summer and I’m not a huge fan of sports during the school year just yet. We already have a hard enough time fitting in dinner, homework and baths most nights.