A Great Day in Mudville

Baseball season has begun.  Sometimes we take the little ones, sometimes just Cooper to watch Boston play.  The games can get started kind of late for a schoolnight, sometimes not until 8:45 PM or so if the previous game goes over, which seems to happen almost always.  The earlier games we have had family picnics because Mark comes straight from work. 

Luke is a bit of a handful because although he sort of likes to peek through the chain link fence at the action (usually right behind the catcher with his vulnerable little fingers poking through the fence), he mostly wants to run around or climb on the grandstands (the kind you can fall through if you're a little guy.)  So, we've been letting Macy (who is also bored) take him on short walks around the light posts, etc.  He likes to race ahead and when he passes whoever he is walking with, he turns his head and yells over his shoulder, "SUCKER!"  You can totally tell he has brothers.

Here's what happens when Mom is watching son numero uno instead of the baby, and the baby is not looking where he is running.  (I've tried this week to get Luke to say that he is a big boy and he won't.  He insists that he's is Lukey Baby.  Fine.)

At Monday's game Boston hit a double (sort of, he forced the runner off of second and we're not convinced that the base coach told him to run.  Boston interpreted whatever the coach said as, "Hit the Road!" but we kind of think he just decided to keep on truckin' of his own accord.  Anyway, he was right, they weren't anywhere close to getting the ball where it needed to go.)  Another teammate batted him home, and he had his first slide into home plate.  I grabbed the camera right after he slid and was going to take a picture of his first "dirt" but he'd already brushed it off and you can't really see it in this picture.

  

Last week we went to check on the progress of our house.  We took the kids and let them climb into the basement.  It was pretty exciting.  On the way back to the van things got even more exciting because Luke slipped in the mud--again!  His shoes were just barely dry from earlier that week.

Doesn't he just look thrilled to be, well, a 2-year old boy?

Leslie in the garage.

I though it was pretty chilly that evening, but you can see how excited the boys are for their rockin' basement.

Macy has been busy all week catching ladybugs in our backyard with friends.  They catch them, I let them go later, they catch them again.  Hardy little bugs!  I don't know why we have SOOO many this year, maybe one of the neighbors bought some for their garden or something.

I have been busy going to dentists.  I figure that over the last two months I have taken children or gone myself to dentist, orthodontist, cleft palate specialist, x-ray tech at Primary's, endodontist, oral surgeon, and hygenist, for a total of about TWENTY visits. (Luke doesn't even go yet.  And Mark took himself.) That's a lot of mom hours. Thank goodness for my babysitting co-op here that I will greatly miss.  Macy and I are the biggest culprits.  I had oral surgery that didn't really help and then I decided to have the tooth pulled.  Not fun.  Sounded like tree branches breaking as it was getting yanked.  Macy had six cavities, and they couldn't all get filled at once.  Still have three-four visits to go before we move (as far as I know!) because Boston needs a filling and Leslie needs a cleaning and orthodontist stuff.  We're thinking she is almost done and hopefully gets them off next month.

At least I get some credit.  Mother's Day was nice.  Boston handed me the little card he made at church along with a candy necklace.  I was a little mystified why the necklace wasn't all just chocolate candies since I knew they could choose and my motto is, "If it's not chocolate, it's not worth it!"  Then I read the card.  "Happy Mother's Day!  You are the best cook in the whole world.  PS. Can I have your Hi-Chews?"  I thought that was pretty funny and typical of Boston (always thinking ahead).  Then Macy sat down next to me, handed me her version of the candy necklace and a card.  "Mom", she whispered, "Can I have your Hi-Chews?"  Cooper was home sick so I don't know if his mind would have been on the same track or not.

The reason I was at church when Cooper and Luke were home with colds (Leslie took a shift) was because Mark got released from the Bishopric since we will be moving next month.  Bittersweet.  I know he has really really loved serving and helping the people with their needs and especially his brotherhood with Bishop Peterson and Bro. Erich Seal.  They were all teary.  I was teary, especially when he got to come off the stand to sit with us and Boston about dived into his arms.  Those boys need their dad to sit with for awhile to straighten them back up!

Apparently Daddy's influence carries a lot of weight around here.  Luke has taken to arguing with us with, "'Daddy SAID!"  (or sometimes, "Cause Mommy SAID" if Mark is the one asking the questions.  Example.  I'll say, "Luke, no more shows.  Turn off the TV." 
He'll respond.  "No!  Daddy SAID!"  (Of course, if I threated to turn it off myself, he hops right up because pushing buttons is an important event.  Buttons=Power.)

He also has picked up this endearing apology.  If, for example, he punches Macy in the back as hard as he can (this happens every day.  Kind of a physical kid), I tell him "No-no, tell Macy you are SORRY!"  Sometimes he'll say sorry but usually he registers that she is crying, goes up to her, and tickles her under the chin or on the tummy, "Tickletickletickle!"  And makes silly faces trying to cheer her up.  SUCH a fifth child!  The only reason he does this is because that is what all the kids do to him to try to get him to stop crying when he is mad. They learn by example FOR SURE.

Here's a shoutout to my nephew Jaxon, up in Montana.  Jaxon, this is what Cooper said, out of the blue, at the dinner table the other night, kind of in a grumpy voice.

"Mom, why don't we ever get to listen to Neil Diamond?"

(REACHING OUT, TOUCHING YOU!)