What A Day...

Saturday was Opening Day for the fall baseball league that the boys are playing on. This is Connor's very first team ever. Boy is he excited about that!  Our morning began by being at the park at 7:30 for Connor's team pictures.  Then his game was at 8:15. No sleeping in that day!

 He kept rolling all over the grass. I was trying to keep him clean for his pictures. I kept wondering who in their right mind would put these kids in WHITE shirts.... oh well, nobody asked me I guess.

 Isn't that a cute little t-ball team??

 I just love how he carries his bag. It is so big but only contains a glove, bat, water bottle and some batting gloves. He is so funny!  (He truly thinks he is a real dbacks player too!)

 

The usual fan club assembling before the game.

 Connor's first time at bat.  Yay, he got a hit!

 Run, run, run!

 Oops... he actually ran all the way to second and had to come back. Another person was already on that base. I think his coach was patting his head so he would stay put. I love how he stands right on the base each and every time.

 For years he has seen Travis get a snack after his games.  FINALLY he has reached the big time and gets a snack all of his own! (It's the little things you know...)

 After Connor's game was the parade and opening ceremonies.  We left the park around 10:15 only to return at 11:15 for Travis' team pictures.  Thankfully we got a break until we had to be back at 4:30 for Travis' game.  His games are more intense than t-ball. I just love watching him and his team play.

 First at bat and he gets hit by a wild pitch.  Take your base!

 So serious and focused....

 This league lets you lead off, steal bases (even home) and you can get picked off.  This is new, Travis loves it. Daryle is skeptical since he is more accustomed to official Little League rules.  (I say let the kids have fun.  But who listens to me??)

 He gets really dirty now with all of the leading off, etc.

 Finally, he made it to second base. They were really trying hard to get him out.

 I was hoping for a dramatic slide into home... no such luck. He just ran across the plate.

 This was actually a few weeks ago before Connor's first t-ball practice.  My little baseball players. They are so cute, if I do say so myself!

It's going to be a fun season.  I have a feeling my housework is going to suffer for the next few months since my Saturdays are now jam packed with baseball! It's ok, I wouldn't have it any other way.



It Takes A Village

Before I became a mom I had heard the expression "It takes a village to raise a child" and I always knew there was some truth to it.  However, now that I am a mom with two very busy and active boys I have a new appreciation for that expression.  I honestly do not know what I would do if we did not have such wonderful grandparents who lived so close to help out.  I know that if I need somebody picked up from school or help getting people to sports practices or games or if I have a sick child that all I need to do is pick up the phone and help will be on the way.  Being a working mom has its challenges at times and they help make it so much easier.

 

Last Sunday was Grandparent's Day so of course we had to celebrate and thank our grandparents for all of their love and support.  The boys are so lucky to have grandparents who love them so much and would do anything for them.  I think all kids need to have grandparents who think they personally "hung the moon".  They are also so very lucky that 3 of their 4 grandparents live super close. Close enough to attend every single game for both boys.  Close enough to attend any school function that requires an audience.  (And one grandpa even attends every single practice too!) I guess you could say they are "grandparent spoiled". I think that's ok (considering the alternative life they were born into before we all found each other.)  I think in the end it all works out. 

And even though one grandma lives in California she still is always in our minds and in our hearts!  She gets all of her spoils in when we visit every summer. This year she gets a bonus... we are coming for a quick visit in October this year too!

I thank my lucky stars every day for our parents.  My boys are so lucky to have such a special relationship with each one of them.  Happy Grandparent's Day to all of you and here's to many, many more!  XOXOXOXO



Security Kid

Evidently Season Ticket holders are eligible for some fun little perks during the Diamondback's games.  This year Daryle found out that Travis could have a chance to be a Security Kid for a game.  We were given free tickets for some awesome seats so that we could watch Travis do his job.  We ended up giving those tickets to my parents.  (Earlier in the season we tried sitting in some of these seats with Connor and let's just say we weren't able to stay there the whole time.)  So Connor and I took a pass on this one.  We could have gone but we would not have been able to watch Travis anyway so I didn't quite see the point. I knew Daryle would take pictures so it would *almost* be like I was there.  Here is Travis on the field between innings with the real Security Officer.

 I can only imagine the amount of questions Travis must have been asking him. (He has a minimum of 20 questions per thought in his head these days!)

 This is where Travis got to watch the game.  They gave him a helmet "just in case".  Phew!

This is one picture Daryle took... just to remember this was how close he was to the players.  I guess they could even hear the umpire, catchers and batters all talking to each other. I am not sure who was more excited about all of this, Travis or Daryle.  lol

 Travis was looking to see who was on the Jumbo tron. Nope, it wasn't him this time!

 During the Legends Race this was where Travis got to watch them.  From what I heard he was also getting tons of high fives from the Padres players during the game. What a lucky, lucky kid!!

This just happened to also be a Sunday game.  On Sunday's kids get to run the bases after the game. Well, if you are the Security Kid you get to lead all of the kids running the bases.



 Oh, did I mention it was also Bark in the Park Day? (In other words, bring your dog to the game day.)  Travis always loves this day since he is such a dog lover.  I have been told that next year we will be bringing  Petey to this game.  Umm, ok.

I think the day was a success!



Siblings

Growing up it was just my brother Robby and I.  We have tons of cousins and extended family, but there is still that special bond between siblings that is different from any other bond with anybody else. It wasn't until I was older, probably in my 20's, when I had an Ah-ha moment about my brother. He was the only one in the world who grew up the exact same way as I did. We have many of the same memories.  I can say to him, "Remember that house we lived in (insert city) when (whatever) happened?"  And he remembers it too. Or, "Rember when (insert family member) came to visit (or in some cases, came to live with us)?"  Or even, "Remember (insert name of teacher) at (insert name of school)?" Even though it was just the two of us and we were 4 years apart I think we still managed to have a bond and a closeness that is important for siblings to have.  This bond my brother and I have is one of the biggest reasons that I really wanted Travis to have a sibling too.  Although we don't talk every day, or even every week, we do manage to catch each other on the phone often enough that we know what is going on with the other one.  It is a good feeling to know he is always there if I need him and vice versa.  It is hard being that we are in Arizona and he is in Washington State.    Here is Robby (or Rob as he likes to be called now) when he was 5.  In my mind, I still think of him like this sometimes!

 Anyway, fast forward to this past Thursday morning. I was with Connor at PCH getting ready for another laser treatment when my cell phone rang.  This was about 7 in the morning and I could see it was from Rob. The nurse was in the room so I quickly muted the phone and finished up with the nurse. After she left I quickly texted my brother to ask what he needed. His question was, "What did it feel like when you had appendicitis??"  Uh-oh. That did not sound good!  After texting for a few hours the end result was that he had gone to the closest emergency room.  They admitted him and started ruling everything out.  He was funny though. One text said, "Well, they have my blood, they have my urine, now I just sit and wait."  Followed closely by, "Great, they just did an ultrasound. Good news is I am NOT pregnant!!"  Good grief!  At least I could tell he was in good spirits.  By that evening he was having his appendix taken out.  We were worried because the doctors weren't positive it was the appendix and were going in for exploratory surgery.  Good news is that once they got in there it was the appendix so no need to explore any further.  I know from experience that it is no fun being sick with that!  Lucky for him he has a wonderful support group of friends that have been there to help him out.  They are actually more like family to him, they all have been close since their college days.  Yesterday he got to go home and he is resting and taking it easy.  I am sure he is going to make a full and speedy recovery.

Get well soon "little brother"!  We love you and hope to get to see you again sometime soon. 

Rest up!

 

Is it just me... or is it kinda wierd that we both had our appendix taken out... and it happend to each of us in August??  Hmmm... lol

Unexpected E-mail

While we were anxiously awaiting Travis to come home I had subscribed to the magazine Adoptive Families. Over the years I have sometimes renewed my subscription and sometimes I have not. A few years ago I found that they have an online community so that is where I have been reading articles and looking at pictures.  Also, they are always having photo contests. I have entered a few pictures but never has anything come of it.  Well, that changed just two weeks ago. I got an email from somebody at the magazine asking to use one of my pictures of the boys for an upcoming issue of their magazine!  Wow!  The funny part is that the picture was from last year. (Oh well! Who cares? My boys are going to be in a magazine!!)  It is for their back to school issue coming out in September. So, if you subscribe to the magazine and see this picture in there that would be my boys!  (Not like I am proud or anything... haha!!)

The funny part is that when I look at this I can really see how much they grew in just one year! I sure wish time would stand still sometimes!

Another Gotcha Day?!

I can hardly believe that August 2004 was 8 entire years ago. In some ways it feels like a lifetime ago.  In other ways it seems like yesterday. Then I look at Travis today and realize just how far he has come. And I realize how much farther he still has to go! 

Here we are in Blago, the first day we actually met him and got to hold him.  Can you believe we didn't even have a digital camera in "those days"? Hard to believe, I know.

I still love this one of Travis and Daryle. I just love how they are looking at each other.

Fast forward to 2012. Is this really the same child?!  He is 9 years old.  He is in Third Grade.  He plays any sport, but is passionate about both baseball and soccer.  He is funny, silly, crazy, athletic, loving, generous and an all around great little boy who is turning into a young man before our very eyes.  He is starting to become "fashion conscious".  He likes to pick out his clothing, and pays special attention to the accessories.  He really enjoys styling his hair every morning. He really likes using hair gel.  And LOTS of it.  He now clears the dinner table every night. He takes the plates, rinses them off and promptly puts them in the dishwasher.  Without being asked.  Wow!  He is also a wonderful big brother to Connor.  Don't get me wrong. I have plenty of days where I want to tear my hair out.  But, in the end I couldn't have asked for a more perfect child for our family.  Tonight we finally went out for our Gotcha Day Dinner with the grandparents.  Thursday was his "real" Gotcha Day but he was sick (as usual) and it would have been just too rushed for a school night.  We went out tonight and then even had time for ice cream afterwards.  It was much more relaxed this way. 

Of course Grammy and Grandpa were there ....

... along with Red Truck Grandpa.

And of course Connor was there too!  We were a little squished at our table, which made it hard for a family photo.

I have to laugh. According to Travis the new way to wear your hat is with a "flat bill" as opposed to a "curved bill" on your baseball hat.  This is evidenced by the hats I see in the stores. This flat bill thing drives Grandpa nuts.  Here he is making his hat into a flat bill hat... Travis was cracking up!!

After dinner we went out for some ice cream.  Where did that tongue come from??  (Can you tell that *someone* wants to be like his big brother and also is wearing hats now?)

This picture just cracks me up. I don't know what is funnier, the look on Travis face with his ears sticking out or my mom eating her ice cream. (I hope she doesn't kill me for posting this picture!)

My boys.  I love this picture. I think it might be one of my new favs.

And there you have it.  Tonight we also watched Travis' Russia video.  It starts with Daryle and I in Moscow, then we are in Blago meeting him, and finally we are back in Moscow with Travis. Then almost every year after that we have video of Travis talking.  He sure is growing up. Not that I needed a video to tell me that, I can see it on a daily basis!  Watching a few minutes of each year right in a row like that really seems to speed the whole thing up!

Sometimes I just sit back and look at my family in awe. I think. I reflect. It always comes back to this basic thought.

Adoption is a  pretty amazing gift. 

Families are also an amazing gift.   

I am so happy that my family was made through adoption.

I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Happy 8th Gotcha Day Travis!  

We love you so very, very much.

XOXOXOXO

What Is Going On At Our House?

After much thought and consideration we decided to sign both boys up for fall baseball. We had considered doing soccer but when we found out Connor could play T-ball we decided on baseball.  Connor is SOOOO excited! He has been walking around the house carrying this bat (of course he always has his batting gloves on AND his cleats!) and saying, "Dad, I am ready to play baseball!!"

I told Daryle he has created a little monster!  Yesterday Connor got a new bat just for him as well as his very own baseball bag. He carries it around talking about how he is ready to play ball. I can hear him talking about all of the home runs he is going to hit and how he has big plans to "hit the ball out of the park." He is quite the little character!  For the past two weeks Daryle has been taking the boys down to our local school to practice on the ball fields after dinner. Daryle took these the other night when they went out to play.

I love this picture and decided I need to have Daryle take more pictures around here.

 Here is Connor's "baseball stare". Would you want to him to pitch you a ball??

 Daryle sometimes has Travis hit off the tee to work on leveling out his swing. 

 Connor is preparing for his home run derby....

Sometimes it is so hot we need to end our evenings with a little ice cream sundae! 

The rest of our time is spent at work and at school. So far so good. Travis is enjoying Third Grade. Connor loves his school and has even made a few new friends.  I am happy because we hired another teacher so by Friday I will go from having 31 kiddos to 23 kiddos.  Phew!  We will be able to get so much more done.  I am thrilled!

Friday night was horrible though. Around 9 pm we realized our air was not working.  I hardly slept a wink.  I actually slept with ice cold gel packs on me!!  Finally it was fixed by noon the next day. Our house got up to 88 degrees inside. That is awful! We usually keep it at 78, so you can only imagine how stifling it was in here!  The good part is that whatever it was that broke was still covered by warranty so it only cost us $100 to fix.  Thank goodness for that!

I can hardly believe August has arrived. It  is already going to be a busy month.  The good part is that we are that much closer to our cooler weather!