baseball+rain=fun!

Garry took Zach and Tyler to see the Sky Sox baseball team play on Monday night. Tickets were cheap through the boys' school, so we jumped on the opportunity to enjoy something unique to Colorado Springs. It was a fun father/son outing, too.

A few families from the boys' school (and our old ward) sat together during the game. Here are Zach and Ty with the Fitches, Drollingers, and Cushings. Tyler's best buddy, Carter, was a fun friend to have at the game.

The boys are getting old enough now that they will actually pay attention to a baseball game -- even from the nosebleed section. Zach and Ty wore the Sky Sox t-shirts Garry bought them at their first game two summers ago.

Although the weather was perfectly lovely most of the day (the little kids and I picked up Zach from school on foot in order to enjoy the afternoon sunshine), a thunderstorm rolled in that evening. Most of the crowd cleared when the rain began to fall, but Garry and the boys waited out the "rain delay" to see if they could watch the rest of the game.

A hail storm happened during the delay. Eventually officials suspended the ball game, and the Sky Sox played their final inning the following evening.

Zach and Tyler came home happy at 10:00 p.m. They enjoyed meeting the Sky Sox Fox and getting ice cream on the way home. What a fun outing!

Thanks, Dad!

Cell phone stories

I carry my cell phone in my pocket. This is mostly because I text a lot. (I love texting. Love.) Sometimes I get calls, too. But lately I've also been using my phone to take photos. As phone cameras go, it does a fairly respectable job if the lighting is good and the subjects hold still. Since the subjects are often my children....well, you'll see.

Tonight I downloaded photos from my phone. It's a fun collection, so I thought I'd share. This photo essay will say a lot about our life lately, which is good, because I haven't taken the time to blog much. The photos are in no particular order, but I'll add commentary. [Click photos to enlarge.]

Zach had a cub scout pack meeting this week. The theme was "In the Spotlight," and I was impressed that our crowd-shy boy actually got on stage! His line in this silly skit was, "Director, the camera is out of film!"


Lexi adores this Tonka truck. She pushes it all over the basement, usually on her feet instead of her knees. Usually a squeal accompanies the locomotion.


This is Bob. In this photo he was using pruning shears to remove a large piece of plastic that was stuck underneath my van. I should have taken a photo of him mowing my lawn today. I really like Bob.



This is Melanie. Melanie is Bob's wife (and my lovely friend). Sometimes on Tuesdays we meet Melanie and her kids at Baskin Robbins for cheap ice cream. Melanie graciously shared with Lexi last week. This week I met Melanie sans kids and planned a bridal shower and didn't get ice cream at all.

Colorado weather is schizophrenic, but we spend lots of time outside when the sky is behaving. On the left, Zach is preparing to jump (at Fairfax park during today's house showing). At right, Gavin is wearing my favorite of his shirts which may now be hopelessly stained with a raspberry smoothie from Keva. How tragic.

As often as possible, we find excuses to stop at Melanie's house after school. She is moving next week and we are all in denial. Anyway, Melanie always shares her delicious cookies, and she has started making a few without chocolate chips just for Lexi. Lexi has quickly become an ardent fan, but on this day she was just too tired to finish the cookie.

I snapped this photo as I was leaving one evening. Aren't the tulips lovely? Oh yeah, and the kids, too. If you enlarge the photo you can see that Gavin's nose is pressed against the screen.

Proof that the youngest one is full of mischief, too.

One day this week we made the mile-plus trek to Zach's school on foot/wheels to pick him up at the end of the day. Gavin, who dressed himself (pocket tee on backwards), resented the back seat of the stroller and held himself up on his hands the whole time. Tyler attempted acrobatics.

I love this picture! Blue sky, white puffy clouds, green grass, miles of pavement to walk...

Tyler lost a tooth on Saturday! His first tooth! This probably deserves its own blog post.

This is the reason Lexi got a birthday cookie from Albertsons instead of a homemade butterfly cake. I will always remember that this is the year I nearly lost my mind.

I attended the boys' field day last Friday. It was during naptime, so I felt pretty good about the "cool Mom" points I was earning by supporting their fun activity. And then I realized that the camera battery was dead. Cell phone to the rescue! Gavin and Lexi enjoyed watching from the sidelines, even though we were freezing in coats and gloves. I decided to take the kids home for naps. Ten minutes after they were in bed, our bishop and his friend showed up on my doorstep. They wanted to see the house!

Lexi loves her stuffed doggie, Betsy, and her crib blanket. She's definitely a cuddlebug. Now if we could just get her to sleep through the night....

Bedtime ritual

This morning I was a little out of sorts.

We got an early start to the day, and by 7:30 I was stripping beds and changing sheets. When I got Gavin's bed put back together, I collapsed on it in a slightly dramatic way. I really just wanted to pull the covers over my head.

I thought I was alone in the room, but Gavin surprised me. "Do you want me to cuddle with you, Mommy?"

I smiled, rolled over, and opened my arms. Gavin climbed up onto the bed and let me hug him, but he quickly hopped off again and disappeared. He came back with Russell and Charlie, his favorite stuffed animals. "Here," he said. "You can have Russell and I'll have Charlie." We used them as pillows, and he spooned with me for a minute.

Then Gavin popped up again. "We need a blanket!" He dashed to Tyler's bed, where I had folded his beloved hand-made quilt. I helped him arrange it over both of our bodies.

"Actually, Mom, I want Russell and you can have Charlie."

So we switched stuffed animals. He was content. He started singing to me.

"I am a child of God..."

I melted.

After singing me his favorite song, we sang Old McDonald together. I sang most of the words, and he chose the "aminals." I laughed when he picked an elephant.

Pretty soon, Tyler came downstairs and said it was time for family prayer before Garry and the boys left for school. Gavin jumped out of bed and ran up the stairs.

I stayed behind to fix up the bed -- and to savor the brief encounter I had just enjoyed. For a few precious moments, Gavin had taken care of his mama. He had acted on his instincts to love and comfort and nurture. I've never been so proud of my boy...or loved him so much.

Birthday post #1: Lexi's first year

We can hardly believe that little Alexis Paige is a year old today! While it has likely been one of the longest and most challenging years of our family life, it has also flown by. Wasn't she just a tiny pink bundle, barely bigger than her stuffed bunny?

Lexi at one week.

Somehow, she grew up!

One month.

Two months.
(Maybe my favorite picture ever.)

Three months.

Four months.

Five months.

Six months.

Seven months.

Eight months.

Nine months.
(Um, maybe this is my favorite picture ever.)

Ten months.
(Poor, sick little baby.)

Eleven months.


Twelve months.

It's fun to watch the monthly chronology and see Lexi grow and change so quickly.
The history of her hair is already fascinating.
I also realize how much I like her in green! Ha!

At age one, Lexi can be categorized thus:

• owner of 7 teeth
• weighing 18 pounds
• hater of hair accessories
• cuddle bug
• nicknamed (Sis)
  
• carnivore
• light sleeper
• night waker
• tentative walker
• speed crawler
• climber
  
• impatient with footwear
• verbal (hi, go, mama, dada, thank you, Betsy, hey sis, uh-oh)
• milk drinker (cow's and mom's)
• music lover
• messy
  
• dramatic
• adorable
  

Happy birthday, Sis. We love ya.

Birthday post #2: Celebrating Lexi

On this day last year, I held a newborn in my arms.

All week I have been remembering the days leading up to Lexi's birth. The weather and my tulips and the kids' end-of-year activities at school have all triggered memories of those final days of pregnancy. And then, on Saturday, I woke up to fog and light rain and was instantly transported to the day Lexi was born. Has it really been a year?

According to the calendar, Lexi's birthday has arrived! I can hardly believe it, but I suppose our little girl has grown up quite a bit! So we celebrated this momentous occasion. Opening her presents was a family affair on the living room floor.

The purple car seat was a big hit -- a throne for the princess.

So was the dolly.



I had grand plans for a butterfly birthday cake. They bombed.
Garry bought a big cookie instead.
Lexi tried to blow out the candle: "Fffff...." What a cutie.

Then Lexi decided to try the frosting. She liked it.

So she had some more.

We all looked on, completely entertained.
We sang "Happy Birthday" a dozen times. Lexi squealed. We laughed.
And then the party was over.

Happy birthday, little one!