Coach Josh

This boy made that man a Father just over 9 years ago. I know he was thrilled to have a son and could not wait to do the things he enjoyed with his Dad when he was a boy. Playing catch is probably highest on that list. Park has been playing baseball since he was six and started in T-Ball. He has diligently kept at it each fall and spring moving up in age groups through "Farm" (machine pitch) and now he has been in the "Minors" for two seasons. 

 With little girls to chase (and me being pregnant back when we started Little League) JP has not really had much chance to help out any of the teams over the last 3 years. Now that we have made it to Minors where the boys are pitching, JP offered to help out at practices this season focusing on pitching. This was a tremendous bonus giving the other Coaches time to work on other fundamentals with the rest of the team. He was given a team hat for his efforts. Coach John quickly realized he had a gem of a helper and by the time the boys showed up for pictures, they had an extra jersey (Youth Large for the record) for him to throw on and get in the picture which included a father/ son photo that is a perk of being a Coach. 

JP became a valuable addition to the team helping to get the pitchers warmed up, providing insight to Coach John about the level of skill and capabilities of each boy, and maintaining order in the dugout during games. It was a great season for both of these boys. A light seemed to have switched on for Park mid-season and he started trying harder  at each game and asking to play catch and hit more at home to put in the extra time that Josh keeps telling him is needed to be really good. I think a lot of that had to do with JP being so involved in the games and process. 

On this Father's Day I cannot help but be so proud of him and what he is doing to help raise an All-Star.

Kindergarten Graduate

Pickle has graduated! She has been counting down the days until June 1st for the last month as they have been practicing and preparing in school for the big night. I think she was more enthused about the performance and being on the stage than actually graduating as when we finally reached the big night she got teary-eyed during the ceremony at the thought of leaving her school. I think she cried more than me!

We have been a part Community Montessori School since December 2006 when Bubba started so Pickle has been a part of the school since she was born. First as just the new baby sister and then as a student herself. The teachers told us from day one that she was made for Montessori as she was engaged in all parts of the day - songs, art, lessons - and would continually find new work to keep her busy throughout the day. She rarely needed reminding to get to work or find something to do while at school. 

Singing was definitely one of her favorite parts of school. Imagine our surprise when she came home from school singing all these neat songs that she had learned in school and most of which they sing daily. We asked her brother if he learned all those songs and he just said - "yea." Singing and painting were not his favorite Montessori activities!


So after three years at her little Montessori school she finally reached that wonderful childhood milestone of Kindergarten Graduation. The school goes all out with a stage and caps and gowns. Each kid presents a project they had written and created. This year's assignment was to pick a science to research. They had to write three reports - one explaining the science, one on the impact of the science, and one on a famous scientist within that field. Pickle chose Geology and initially wanted to write about her Dad as the famous Geologist, but the teachers kindly encouraged her to find another smart and talented individual instead. She ended up learning about John Wesley Powell.

Now she is off to First Grade - to the "big kid" school where her brother goes. What a difference a year makes in terms of educational milestones. Although Pickle has always been smart and showed a lot of promise last spring, the many things she learned this year have been truly amazing. She is doing double digit addition, reading chapter books, and writing reports. I hope she continues to love school and schoolwork!

Haircuts!

The girls both desperately needed some cleaning up and trimming and I was able to convince Pickle that growing her hair as long as Rapunzel's was just not going to work out.

 We probably could still go shorter with New Kid's hair but this was several inches off and it is a marked improvement and feeling healthier and bouncier already. She loves it and points out to everyone that she got a haircut!

Next up will be Big Brother's summer buzz cut . . . just have not been able to pin him down just yet.

Artichoke Blooms

Ever wonder what happens when you don't harvest your artichokes? 

Beautiful blooms!

Two Flags

Two Flags . . . one for my grandfather and one for Josh's. Two Flags . . . one for a firefighter and one for a police officer . . . both killed on the job here in Phoenix this month.

Admittedly I forget what this holiday is all about . . . I am one of the majority that looks at Memorial Day as a day off from work, a chance to hang out with my family, and a time to have ribs because the grocery stores put them on sale. However, I was reminded this week by Pickle that we do have important people in our lives who served proudly in the military. 

At school they were given a lesson on Memorial Day and Pickle brought that lesson home to us with many questions about the military service of our grandfathers. Josh and I are very proud that two of our grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II. Josh lost his grandfather several years ago and mine passed away last year just after Memorial Day. Both lived long productive lives and we are blessed by having had them for so long in our families.

Sadly there were two lives lost in one day here in Phoenix this month. Two very young individuals - a firefighter and a policeman - lost their lives while on the job. The firefighter was only 23 and was married to his high school sweetheart. The police office had served two tours of duty and had a young daughter graduating from kindergarten. With our own kindergarten graduate in our midst, this was especially heartbreaking for me. 

This Memorial Day I am remember all of these men. 

Diaper Free and Proud to Be

In Her Big Girl Bed

On Monday morning New Kid woke JP with the announcement that she still had on her underwear. He was a bit confused since he was sure he had put her in a diaper when getting ready for bed. (She had been getting up each morning and removing her diaper and putting on clean underwear and then her PJs back on so the fact that she had on underwear was not surprising.) She told him that she had changed into her underwear before going to sleep. And voila! We are a diaper-free house!

It is a good thing she made it through that night without an accident because we would have been VERY confused to be awakened to find a wet child and wet bed. The second night we were not lucky enough to make it through dry but at least we were mentally prepared for what would happen. These last two nights have gone smoothly and we are very proud of our big girl!

Happy Birthday New Kid

Dear Sweet Baby Girl,
We really can't call you new kid anymore . . . after 3 years you aren't so new! I just re-read the post I wrote last year for your 2nd birthday predicting milestones that you would hit this year and boy did you hit some big ones this year. Soon after your 2nd birthday we moved you and your sister in together to share a room and in just the last few weeks you have transitioned to your big girl bed. What a great way to roll into your 4th year.

You love to cuddle and are very much a Momma's girl lately. You are kind and sweet to all but have learned to hold your own more and more. Last summer we started calling you Baby Tiger because you look so cute and kind and then you will attack when someone gets too close to you. You are still that way and will lie in wait for someone to get close and then BAM - Baby Tiger!

Talk, talk, talk . . . you love to talk. You tell us everything and take your time doing it. You tell lots of stories; not necessarily true stories but you sound confident when you tell them and we enjoy them. You will talk to anyone nearby whether they are listening or not and your sweet voice will draw them in. One of the cutest things about your stories is your lack of understanding of  time frames. Most stories start with "yesterday, when I was a baby . . . ."

You started school this year and to noon's surprise you have really jumped right in and taken the learning process to heart. All the teachers were excited to have you and you have proven to be a great addition to the school - although a bit bossy at times! You're only a "half-day" kid but you make the most of your busy mornings.

What a big year it has been for you. We are all very excited to celebrate your birthday and know it will be a great day for all of us. You bring joy to our lives every day! 

Much love to you baby girl, Mom