CKZCJ

Christmas certainly pulled a ninja on me this year. It’s here and I’m so far behind and unprepared. Luckily the boys have been reminding me of the daily progress towards the day marked 25 on our calendar. They asked to “camp out” on the living room floor tomorrow night to wait for Santa. I had to remind them he’ll only come if they are sleeping in their own beds. I rushed to send out a few Christmas Cards this year but we have something we’d like to share digitally with all of our family and friends. Each month at school the boys memorize a Bible verse, a poem, and sometimes a song. We’d like to share their verses for this month with you. When it comes to CaseyJ I think he gives Linus in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special a serious run for his money! Just click on the play button below each picture to start the audio…

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From our family to yours we wish you a very Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!!

This is our first year to play baseball and by “our” I mean Z Man’s. I remember playing rag ball (named so because the ball we used was really soft and made out of cloth) when I was a short little toot of a girl. I also remember popping my knee when running to first base and my dad plunking me on top of his truck hood and getting one cube of ice from his cup and putting it on my knee. That somehow made it all better. I have no idea why I remember that. It’s like random neurons connecting just for the fun of it.

I played softball until I left home for college, mostly fast-pitch in school and was highly competitive. I started playing co-ed softball again last summer and while still competitive have learned to take a bit of the edge off. My past playing makes it hard to “watch” Z play baseball and not be involved. I try to only offer words of encouragement and not too much detail, things simply like “just watch the ball and swing hard”. He tends to be a bit goofy and not too competitive yet which is the complete opposite of his younger brother. More frustrating to his father than myself.

A few weekends ago his coach signed them all up for a mini-camp with Texas States’ baseball team (the same college I graduated from) on a Sunday morning. Z and I had spent the day before in Austin all day for a speech competition and I was tired but we had said he would go so we got up early and headed into town. The first thing the boys get to do is sit in the “big boys” dugout. Then some of the younger players come out and do drills with the boys (hitting, fielding, pitching, running, etc). The camp was really a primer for the bigger (and paid for) summer camps the Bobcats put on but I saw that Z was really getting into it. He wasn’t however interested in going to the game after the camp, that is until some of the ball players started signing some of the boys gloves and hats. Z got three signatures from a couple of freshman ball players and suddenly he was in LOVE with baseball and we absolutely had to come back for the game.

After the camp was over I went to the ticket box and got us a few tickets (reserved seating was $5 more) and we got front row seats behind home plate. All the kids who attended the camp got to stand on the field during the National Anthem and then run the bases and get signatures after the game. Z saved a Blow Pop he got for the guy who hit a home run. He turned out to be a nice guy, asked Z his name and shook his hand then actually ate the Blow Pop. I should have told him Z had put the stick of the Blow Pop in his mouth but hey who am I to ruin a moment? Texas State has some pretty good baseball players and I wouldn’t mind seeing another game. Chalk up another long day away from home and my weekend vanished into thin air. This week and next we finish up baseball with two make-up games and then summer is upon us. Someone help me.

This post is slighty belated (like more than a month) but anyway… This has to be the best Valentines Day card I’ve ever gotten. The artwork is nice, spelling and handwriting are awesome, but what I love the most is the note he wrote me….

“I love your hamburgers. I love your humor and your macaroni and cheese. I love when you hug and kiss me. You make me laugh. You make me smile. Love, Zachary” At least I can cook two things well and who knew I’m funny too.

It’s spring. Baseball season is upon us. As is soccer. Being the independent and two completely different boys that were born only one year apart the boys chose different sports this season. Which means mom and dad are going crazy keeping up with practice and game schedules. Friday is the only day of the week (besides Sunday) we don’t have something going on after school. Cub Scouts, soccer practice and baseball practice same day, same time at two locations across town, speech practice for Zach, baseball games (on Thursdays and Saturdays). Sigh, I got tired just typing that.

Zach is seriously enjoying baseball and learning a little each time he goes. Like for example – you can’t actually throw the ball at a base runner a la kickball, or run a huge circle out of the baseline to avoid being tagged, or run the bases with your bat still in your hands. He had his first game Thursday and played left field (I kind of figured he’d be the right field kiddo). The boys get 6 pitches or 3 strikes and the coaches pitch to their own players. The first two innings there were a lot of three swings and three misses for both teams but on the Z’s second time around with bases loaded he got a decent little hit and made it to first base. I was so excited I forgot to take a picture. He made it all the way to third on his team mates hits but was finally forced out at home.

His team didn’t  win but they kept it close and had some good plays. I know that he’ll get even better as he learns more about the game.

This guy however wanted to stick with soccer. The first game I don’t think he crossed mid field. He’s very intent on playing defense and keeping the other team from scoring. He won’t really kick it unless it comes toward him with no one else around. He improved a lot at game number two though. He kicked the ball down the field a few times and actually scored a goal. We were so happy!

He doesn’t like it when the other team scores or if he gets grass on his socks but we’ll take the baby steps – one game at a time. This weekend will be the only one where they have games at separate times, the other three weekends they play at the same time, across town from each other. Oh joy….

Seven years old….

Six years old….

It’s almost hard to wrap my mind around how old they are and how much they are growing out of being my little boys into these independent little men like beings. We celebrated their birthday with their friends the weekend before at the inflatable party zone. We had sixteen crazy, loud, sweaty, hungry, and thirsty 5-7 year olds running around having a blast! Afterwards Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Morgan, and Mr. SweetCheeks joined us for BBQ in Lockhart before heading back home.

We had planned to take the boys out to a dinning of their choice but our AC had gone out the Friday before and our guy was coming out to fix it so we ordered pizza at home and sat out on the porch (where it was much cooler) and ate dinner. After pizza the boys were more than excited to open their gifts. Their current infatuation is robots, and not Transfomer type either, real old fashion toy robots. That was the theme for their party and I managed to find some cool wrapping paper for their gifts. It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone, usually for me their birthdays represent the beginning of a busy few months for us. They are still getting used to answering 6 and 7 to the “how old are you” question!

Both boys are doing so well at school! Zach has just adapted so well to his new school and has even gotten over having to wear a uniform. He loves his sweater (it’s been cool enough to actually wear it) and thinks it makes him look so handsome. CaseyJ’s reading and writing are so awesome and getting better each week. Zach has joined Cub Scouts (he’s actually a Tiger Scout) and both boys are playing flag football. I think we are finally settling into a routine even though someone completely forgot to pick up his youngest son today. He however caught no grief for it. However if mom is not the first person in line to pick up her youngest boy she totally gets reemed for it. Oh yeah, I’m shark bait around here sometimes.

first flag football game, little brother is catching up…

Seven years ago today not two hours after I had fallen asleep I woke up to my water breaking. I was so stinking nervous! The bag was packed and we made the drive to San Antonio without incident (apparently not many folks are out around 1am on the loop 1604). Z Man hung in there (literally) for 25 more hours before making his appearance.

Six years ago today after celebrating the Z’s first birthday I woke up around 7am to some fairly regular contractions. After a phone call to the OB we were packing up our one year old on his birthday and headed toward San Antonio again. Yep, exactly one year later I was in a very similar delivery room with much of the very same nurses and staff from the year before. CaseyJ only waited 6 hours before making his laid back and easy entrance into our world.

I browsed through pictures of them the days they were born, their first summers, the first time they saw each other, chubby cheeks and sausage roll arms. Sleepy nap time hair-dos, bright blue eyes, covered in pudding pictures. Sometimes I really miss the little boys they used to be.

Those little boys have grown into big boys now and while some of the cuteness is gone they always do something each and everyday that makes me smile and brings joy to my heart. I know that they will grow up to be good boys and close brothers and they will never be able to forget each others birthday, well that is unless they somehow forget their own birthday!

To the two most awesome boys whom I cannot imagine my life without Happy Birthday Guys!!