Baseballs and Bows

Catching Up

2009-11-16T15:34:00.004-05:00

It seems I get back into the blogging groove for a little while, and then I lag behind. Here's a quick update on what's been going on around here.

My Little Martha Stewart

When I was a child, I had a Holly Hobbie Easy Bake Oven. I can picture it vividly in my mind. With a gift card that she got for her birthday, my Best Girl purchased her own version of the Easy Bake. It looks a bit more modernized, but cooking with a light bulb is still as fun for a little girl now as it was thirty years ago!

Halloween

We had a wonderful Halloween. My Favorite Boy dressed like David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) from the Boston Red Sox. My Best Girl was Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She plans to wear this for a tea with Alice during our next Disney trip.

We attended a party and went trick-or-treating with friends from church. Here are my kids with two of their closest friends Dorothy and someone from Star Wars (I am not Star Wars literate).

After trick-or-treating, the kids enjoyed some games. My Best Girl even won a gift card to Sonic for guessing the correct number of pumpkin candies in a bowl (Dad helped a little with the estimation skills).

Piano Recital

On Saturday, my Favorite Boy performed in a piano recital. One year ago, he wouldn't even consider playing in front of an audience, so we are really proud of him for participating. He did a great job, and we truly appreciate his teacher for all that she does!

These are some of the highlights of what has been going on with my kiddos. It is a busy time of year, but I do enjoy the October-December time period so much (as long as I can survive it)!

Time to Party

2009-11-05T15:16:00.006-05:00

My Best Girl's birthday is a few days before Halloween. This year, she decided to have a costume party. She dressed as Alice in Wonderland and was so excited to greet her guests. The first to arrive were a pirate and a gingerbread girl.

We started the party with pizza and cake. Alice and Belle enjoyed the cheese pizza, and Alice was excited to blow out her candles.

After the food, we played Halloween Bingo, the kids wrapped each other in toilet paper to look like mummies, and we did the Limbo (Alice specifically requested the Limbo). You can see that Alice and her brother David Ortiz (aka Big Papi) really had a good time with this.

Alice's favorite gift was a real camera (this was from Mom and Dad). You can see that this was an exciting gift.

I can't believe my Best Girl is five, but I know she had a memorable birthday surrounded by friends and family. I look forward to watching her grow during the coming year!

Happy Belated Birthday to My Best Girl

2009-11-03T13:36:00.001-05:00

Last Monday, my Best Girl turned five. Between celebrations, baseball, and Halloween, I didn't have time to post about all the birthday festivities (the party post will come soon). On her actual birthday, my Best Girl and I had our bi-monthly Mother/Daughter Day. When I told her that we would be going to the mall, she was ecstatic.

Can we eat there? Can I get a cookie? Can I ride the merry-go-round? Can I play on the playground?

These questions were answered with yes, yes, and yes. Then, I added the surprise: You can also go to Build-A-Bear! This announcement was met with an enthusiastic "Oh, Thank you, Mommy!" So, we set off for some birthday fun and girl time.

Our first stop was the merry-go-round. My Best Girl asks to ride this every time we go to the mall, but I rarely have cash. I think you can tell how she feels about this treat by the look on her face.

Next, we headed to the playground. My Best Girl was the only one there, so she had me follow her around and take pictures of her while she posed (see HERE).

After the playground, we headed to the food court. No birthday meal at the mall would be complete without a cookie with icing.

Finally, we ended up at Build-a-Bear. My Best Girl chose a very cute rabbit. She selected a heart, warmed the heart, and then lovingly placed the heart inside her new friend.

After giving her new bunny a bath, she chose an outfit and a name.

Meet Rose, the bunny who likes to wear a Tinkerbell costume!

My Best Girl and I had a wonderful time. I hope she will always remember that her 5th birthday was a special day. Next year, she and Rose can celebrate their birthdays together!

The Swiss Courier

2009-10-30T18:58:00.003-04:00

I recently read The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey. I really enjoyed it. Head over to 5 Minutes for Books to read my review and enter to win a copy for yourself.

Wordless Wednesday: My Poser

2009-10-28T07:42:00.000-04:00

What's On My Nightstand

2009-10-26T21:49:00.003-04:00

Each month, 5 Minutes for Books has a carnival called What's On Your Nightstand. I haven't participated in a while, but I actually got my act together this month. I can say with great certainty that Grammy and Papa are questioning why I am posting this instead of pictures from their granddaughter's birthday, but those are coming soon!

This month, my stack includes Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I am about halfway through Azkaban, and I am enjoying the series. I get more into the story with each book.

The other fiction titles in my stack are The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. I always enjoy Nicholas Sparks books, so I am looking forward to his latest. I read The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve several years ago, and that compelled me to pick up A Change in Altitude. Whether or not I finish it will depend on the content.

My two nonfiction books are Mothering Heights and Praying the Names of God. Mothering Heights explores the role of a godly mother using famous works of literature. I am fascinated by this concept, and I can't wait to read it (I'll be reviewing it soon at 5M4B). Recently, I did a Bible study on the names of God, and it was wonderful. I found the book Praying the Names of God soon after that, and I am excited to dig into it as well.

That's my current list. I look forward to reading the lists of others. If you would like to join the fun, head over to 5 Minutes for Books today!

G Is for Grandparents

2009-10-23T15:14:00.003-04:00

This week was "G" week at my Best Girl's preschool. To celebrate, they had a Grandparent Tea. Grandma and Papa Don attended, and my Best Girl was thrilled.

They enjoyed some cookies and Sprite, and then my Best Girl was able to introduce them to her class. Grammy and Papa couldn't make it, so my Best Girl showed pictures of them.

After Grandparent Show-and-Tell, the kids presented the grandparents with some gifts. Thank you Grandma and Papa Don for attending this special day. Grammy and Papa, my Best Girl will save your gifts for you!

A Little Late to the Quidditch Field

2009-10-20T09:31:00.003-04:00

For over ten years, Harry Potter has been a household name. As much as I enjoy children's literature, I stayed away from the Harry craze. Why? I knew that at some point, my Favorite Boy would want to read the books, and I decided to enjoy the books with him (this really shows the depth of my planning sickness since Harry Potter has been around longer than my son—I guess I waited in case I had a son).

Last week, my Favorite Boy picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and now he's hooked. I am struggling to keep up with him! He started book 3 last night, and I started book 2. Fantasy has never been my favorite genre, but by the end of the first book, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I was enjoying the story. I know the books get darker as they go, so I am going to try to catch up with my Favorite Boy.

We are behind the times, but I am glad I waited. I know my Favorite Boy and I are going to enjoy this adventure.

This post is linked up to Kids' Picks at 5 Minutes for Books.

The Latest Buzz

2009-10-19T21:46:00.005-04:00

My Favorite Boy is going to need dentures soon. On Friday evening, which was already special because he had a friend spend the night for the first time, he lost another tooth. He has lost seven so far. The problem is that the replacements aren't coming very quickly. This is the current state of his mouth. He would make a good model for a Jack-O-Lantern!

Although he started the weekend off with a bang by having a friend sleepover and losing a tooth, he wasn't too thrilled with most of the agenda for today. School is out for fall break, and we started the morning with a visit to the allergist. My Favorite Boy will return next week for allergy testing. After the doctor's appointment, my Favorite Boy, Best Girl, and I got the swine flu shot. More thrills! Although the kids weren't happy about this, I am thankful we were able to get it. I have had lots of lung issues this year, and I didn't want to take chances with flu complications. Finally, we headed to the barber shop. My Favorite Boy has been asking to get a buzz cut, but I wouldn't let him until after school pictures. He is now very proud of his new do. He calls it a "long buzz."

No school again tomorrow, but I do have a more appealing itinerary. We plan to meet friends at the park for playtime and lunch, and then we are going to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I think these options will be much more appealing to my crew!

Goin' Buggy

2009-10-17T15:32:00.005-04:00

At my Favorite Boy's fabulous school, the second grade program is the first show of the year. On Friday, we were privileged to watch a performance of Goin' Buggy. The show is a musical production about the bugs of the world uniting to explain why they are important and traveling to Washington D.C. for a Bugs' Bill of Rights. With a bunch of 7 and 8 year olds dressed like bugs, you are bound to see a cute show!

My Favorite Boy played the part of a congressman, which suited him quite well. At one point during the show, the congressmen milled around in the audience, shaking hands with the public. I was given strict instructions about where to sit so that my Favorite Boy could shake his dad's hand. Dad got a handshake while I tried to quickly snap a picture. Unfortunately, my Favorite Boy was a fast one, and I missed the handshake shot. If he wants a future in Washington, he is going to have to learn to milk the publicity.

I was very proud of him for speaking his line clearly. In addition to milking the camera, however, he may need to invest in some teeth if he is seeking a permanent position in politics. It's all about image, you know.

The program was adorable, and I know the second grade teachers are glad to have it done for the year (now they can sit back and enjoy all the performances from the other grades). A few years ago, my Favorite Boy wanted to be homeschooled at the mere thought of performing in the kindergarten program. I am glad to say that he is enjoying the programs more each year. This speaks to the ability of his music teacher to help him feel comfortable as well as her skill for choosing fun productions. I am proud of my congressman, and I look forward to his future shows!

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News (and Other Items)

2009-10-15T15:57:00.006-04:00

2009 has been a year of doctor visits for our family. The almost weekly doctor visits (and bills) have involved me and my constant sicknesses for the most part, but my Favorite Boy has had his share of appointments for sinus infections. He has them a lot. Last Friday, his doctor sent him for a CT. Thankfully, the results ruled out surgery at this time. His next step is to see an allergist, and I am sure this will involve testing. As a child, I endured allergy testing multiple times, and I got allergy shots for years. I know this is not going to be a pleasant experience for my Favorite Boy. The bad news is that he will have to endure many pricks during the testing, and he will possibly have allergy shots for a while. The good news is that a single flu shot won't seem like such a big deal anymore. I am planning to do something special for him on test day. I'll have to report back how this all works out.

In more positive news, my Best Girl's 5th birthday is coming up. She is planning to have a Halloween party instead of a plain birthday party. Last week, I started decorating, and my Best Girl is thrilled with the spider webs in our house. Looking at my handiwork now, I can see that my spiderweb skills improved as I worked. The first webs were much thicker. I like the wispier ones the best.

I don't usually decorate much for Halloween, so the kids are excited. I guess I will have to make this a new tradition. More decorations will be added before party time, and hopefully I will get the house cleaned as well. On the other hand, I could just put spider webs over everything and hide the dirt!

Hodgepodge

2009-10-07T14:31:00.004-04:00

Hooray for sunshine! We woke up to a beautiful day. I really appreciate the sun after several dreary days. We missed another baseball game Monday night due to rain, but the weather looks great for the rest of the week.

Last night, we attended Open House at my Best Girl's preschool. She was so excited that her whole family got to go to her school and classroom. Her teachers are wonderful, and we are thankful to have such a great place for her to spend a few hours a week. She is having a wonderful time, and I have a small window of opportunity to volunteer at my Favorite Boy's school and run errands alone.

Although I have been slacking some in my blogging (I am trying to get back into a regular routine), I am still posting reviews at 5 Minutes for Books. Be sure to check out Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms before next Wednesday. There is one giveaway copy up for grabs. My other recent reviews include The Belly Button Fairy, The Believer, Seeing Things, The Frontiersman's Daughter, That Certain Spark, and Sweet Waters. You might find a title that interests you. If you have a suggestion for a good book, I am always happy to add titles to my list as well!

Rooftops of Tehran

2009-10-06T07:07:00.004-04:00

I haven't been as active with book postings on my blog as I would like to be, but I am very happy to join the 5 Minutes for Books group discussion of Rooftops of Tehran. I recently read this novel after Jennifer recommended it, and it is one of those books I am glad I read, even though parts of the story were sad and uncomfortable (and I'll include a warning here--there is some offensive language in this book). The story is set in Tehran in the 1970s. It is historical fiction, and the plot centers around the unstable government of Iran, but at its core, this book is a tale of true love and friendship, themes that are universal and timeless.

Jennifer posted a list of discussion questions. I am going to respond to a couple of them.

How do characters in the book perceive the United States? How did the way that they see the U.S. change the way you see it?

I am proud to be an American, and I admit that until 9/11/01, I had never thought about how other countries perceive Americans or how they feel about our government. Now, I realize that not everyone considers America to be a friendly nation with arms outstretched to the world, and I know that our country has not always acted uprightly in the affairs of the world. What interested me in this novel, however, was the love-hate relationship that the Iranians had with America during this time. They despised the American government's role in the overthrow of their democratically elected leader and the subsequent establishment of the Shah, but they were still fascinated with American culture and realized that sending their youth to America, even if only for a few years for an education, would benefit them greatly.

Did reading this book give you a greater understanding of Iranian culture or politics? Did you read (or have you read) any of the suggested works that are listed in the back of the book? How do they compare and contrast with this portrayal of Iran? What does the fact that the author included a list of suggested readings, and the other personal information that he includes after the novel ends say about his purpose in writing it?

Reading this book did give me a greater understanding of Iranian culture. One aspect of the book that struck me was how strong the family ties were. In one passage, the characters discussed how independence was viewed so positively in America. The characters disdainfully mentioned how young Americans leave their families to live on their own. In contrast, familial ties held a prominent role for the Iranians in this story, and dependence on family and friends was highly valued. One evidence of this openness and dependence was seen with the visible grief and mourning at funerals in the story. I would guess that this cultural difference is much the same today. Americans tend to bottle up grief and are more stoic in times of crisis and pain, but people in other countries seem much more demonstrative with their feelings.

Another point of interest for me was the difference in how Americans and Persians view governments. My book included a Reader's Guide, and in response to one of the questions posed to him, Mahbod Seraji replied, "Iranians and Americans are on the opposite ends of the spectrum on this issue. It might take an act of God to convince some Americans that parts of their government are corrupt, but at the same time, you cannot, under any circumstances, persuade an Iranian that his government is not corrupt. Fascinating, isn't it?"

By choosing to answer these two questions, I may give the impression that this book is strictly about culture and politics, and I want to stress that this could not be further from the truth. Yes, the historical and cultural aspects of the story fascinate me, but the core of this novel centers on relationships: true, abiding love and devotion, as well as the bonds of friendship that transcend difficulties and struggles. In all of history and in any culture or political setting, it is relationships that bind us all together, and that is what makes Rooftops of Tehran such a touching, memorable, and compelling story. I highly recommend it!

D is for ...

2009-10-02T15:02:00.006-04:00

Each week, my Best Girl's preschool class focuses on a different letter of the alphabet. The letter D is the star this week. On Thursday, the kids brought their dads to school for doughnuts. My Best Girl was so excited about this (and also excited about the cool penguin puzzle she got from the treasure box at the dentist's office--I would love to say I planned the dentist visit for "d" week, but I am not that together).

On Thursday night, we celebrated our favorite "D" word: Disney. We headed downtown for Disney on Ice and had so much fun. The show was fantastic, and the kids enjoyed some popcorn and the most expensive cotton candy ever. (In its defense, the cotton candy did come with a felt Mickey hat.)

It was so nice to see Mickey and the gang. We are going back to Disney World in a few months (I am sure those of you who have been reading my blog for a while are not surprised by this), so the show made us even more excited about our trip. Mickey, we'll see ya real soon!

My Not-So-Crazy Boy

2009-09-30T15:44:00.006-04:00

My Favorite Boy is a straight-laced, conservative kind of kid (the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree). It is spirit week at school right now, and each day has its own theme. Today is "Crazy Hair and Clothes Day." My Favorite Boy enjoys "Sports Day" and "Hat Day" and even "Pajama Day", but he despises the crazy hair and clothes. The most he will do is put some gel in his hair and wear one of his dad's old baseball shirts. He told me, "I wouldn't even do this, but we get a reward if we have 100% participation."

As we pulled into the drop-off line, there were kids with enormous wigs, spray-painted hair, mismatched knee socks, and other crazy clothing items. Here's my Favorite Boy at his craziest:

I guess he may never be the craziest boy at school; but to his mom, he will always be one of the cutest.

Mother-Son Day

2009-09-28T15:20:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful weekend. I would like to say that it was full of sun and baseball, but that was not the case. Unfortunately, my Favorite Boy has played very little baseball this fall because so many of his games have been rained out.

Despite the rain, my Favorite Boy and I spent Saturday afternoon together. For our Mom-Son outing this month, we attended a performance of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at the Nashville Children's Theatre. He was a little skeptical about watching this instead of college football, but we both enjoyed the show. I especially liked our discussion afterwards when he was telling me all the ways the show and the book differed. My former-teacher heart rejoiced during that conversation!

After the play, we went to Wal-Mart at my Favorite Boy's request. He loves to play the new games on the Xbox 360 in the electronics department. Yes, he has his own Xbox 360 at home, but he thinks playing the system at Wal-Mart is so cool. I am sure he will add "Madden 10" to his Christmas list after trying it out in the store. On Sunday evening, I asked him to name the best part of his weekend, and he said, "Playing the Xbox at Wal-Mart." I am glad we included this in our outing, since it ranked so high with him, but I would not have answered the question in the same way!

We have a busy week coming up, but the sun has returned with perfect temperatures in the 70s. With weather like this, I can't help but have a smile on my face!

Note to self: Documenting Mom-Son Day with pictures will be easier if you remember to take the camera's battery next time.

Catching Up

2009-09-16T14:57:00.003-04:00

I have fallen behind with my blogging yet again. The past few weeks have been busy, and I have not been feeling well. I am now on an effective asthma medication, so I hope to be over the sicknesses for a while. It's been a long 10 months since I first got sick last November!

My Best Girl started pre-K last week. She goes two days a week from 9-2. She has several friends in her class, and she is enjoying it. Here she is with her new teacher, Mrs. K. (Note the pink dress, pink scarf, pink shoes, and pink bow. She wanted to make sure her teacher knew she was a girl.)

The first day of pre-K was a shorter day, so my friend Paula and I took my Best Girl to the local cupcake store to celebrate. We all enjoyed a treat! Of course, my Best Girl eats the icing and leaves the cake, but this cupcake had plenty of icing to enjoy!

I can't believe my Best Girl starts kindergarten in one year. I hope this year goes by very slowly!

News

2009-09-01T21:50:00.004-04:00

We have exciting news at our house! As of Tuesday evening, I have a new nephew! He entered the world in New Mexico, so it will be a few months before we see him. Thankfully, my brother and his family are moving back to Tennessee in December, so we will get to see all of them more often. My kids are so excited that they will see their three cousins more than once a year!

In other news, we have a van. I didn't want to take the step into the van world, but vans these days are luxury vehicles! The thing practically has a computer in it. I can load all our CD's into the system and all our music choices are at our fingertips! It has two DVD players, so the kids don't even have to agree about what they want to watch (DVD viewing is for long trips only, much to the kids' dismay), and I can even talk on the phone through the speaker system to keep my hands free. Vans have certainly come a long way!

Here are a few pics. You'll notice that the interior is beige. It's really pretty, but we wanted the gray. Keeping the beige clean is going to be quite a challenge!

My Best Girl goes to meet her preschool teacher on Thursday. Pictures coming soon!

Check This Out

2009-08-25T08:25:00.002-04:00

The Back to School Giveaway is coming to an end. Be sure to click on the logo above to see all the prizes up for grabs at 5 Minutes for Books!

Happenings at Our House

2009-08-23T15:44:00.006-04:00

We had a busy week! Sadly, my Best Girl spent Sunday through Wednesday sick. She had a 102 fever and flu-like symptoms, so she was pitiful. Amazingly, her brother has shown no signs of it. I tried to keep them separated, and I sanitized as much as possible. Perhaps my efforts helped.

We spent Friday and Saturday evenings with friends. On Saturday, two of my best friends from college and their families came over for dinner. Even though we all live in the same area, we rarely see each other, so we make a point of getting together twice a year. We had a great time. I couldn't believe, however, that we were chilly as we ate outside on the deck. For those of you who have never been to Tennessee in August, it's usually about 98 degrees and HUMID. I really can't remember ever being cold in August!

The weather is absolutely perfect for fall baseball. My Favorite Boy started practice yesterday. Because I was madly cleaning my house to prepare for our dinner guests, I did not attend his practice, but I am looking forward to his next one on Monday.

In other news, I am joining the "Minivan Mom" club. On Thursday, I will be the new owner of a dark blue VW Routan. I have never really wanted a van, but I know it will be practical, and the features on new minivans are very nice. I am sure I will take advantage of the "mommy mirror", which will be much safer than using my rear view mirror to monitor my kids. (Really, I wanted the little red VW convertible Beetle, but that wouldn't be too useful at this stage in my life, would it?)

That's all from our house. Time for a new week!

Mommy-Daughter Night

2009-08-17T08:27:00.003-04:00

I recently mentioned that I am having special nights with each of my kids. August is my Best Girl's month, and she decided she wanted to go ice skating. I think she got this idea from Max and Ruby (the cartoon), but I was surprised when she mentioned it. I decided we might as well try it out, and so we headed to our local ice skating rink on Saturday night.

Thankfully, the rink has these nice bars for new skaters to push. My Best Girl did great! I was really surprised at how easily she pushed the bar around the rink. She quickly gained confidence and speed. Her confidence led her to try skating without the bar, which resulted in a few minor falls, but she jumped back up, ready to skate again.

No outing for my Best Girl is complete without some kind of special food or drink, so we took a break from skating for an Icee.

Our evening was wonderful, and I have a feeling that we will be skating again soon. Of course, the 92 degree heat slapped us in the face as we exited the rink with our winter clothes on, but my Best Girl's words were what warmed my heart: Mom, I just love Mommy-Daughter night. I love to be with you!

My Happy Bus Rider

2009-08-14T09:33:00.004-04:00

For the past two years, my Favorite Boy has been a car rider. I am not a fan of school buses--I figure that no good can come from 1 adult and 60 kids when the adult is supposed to be supervising AND driving. I know how festive my car can be with only 2 kids, so I have always preferred to pick up my Favorite Boy at dismissal. (When I was a teacher, I often said the two jobs I would never want would be cafeteria monitor or bus driver. I couldn't handle the hoopla.)

The car rider line, however, isn't a lot of fun. My Best Girl and I spend around 30-40 minutes of our afternoon waiting. Truthfully, we are the first neighborhood on the bus route, so I spend a long time waiting and the bus beats me home every day. Because of this, and because he has been begging me for two years, my Favorite Boy is now a bus rider in the afternoon. He is thrilled. And, although I am still not a fan of the bus, it is nice that I don't have to force my Best Girl to wait every day in the car.

I have established some bus rules, and my Favorite Boy can ride as long as he abides by them. For now, he is one happy bus rider!

First Day of School

2009-08-13T12:08:00.003-04:00

My Favorite Boy started second grade today. If we could have held on to summer a little longer, we would have, but he was excited to start the new year. We have wonderful next-door neighbors. Last year, we took a picture of all the kids together on the first day, so we continued the tradition this year. I have been having a difficult time getting my Favorite Boy to smile normally for pictures (I don't know if it is because he has lost enthusiasm for pictures or because he doesn't know how to smile without teeth), so I was excited to see this picture. It is the best one of him from the morning, even if he is hiding in the back. Kudos to my neighbor for taking a picture with five kids smiling and looking at the camera at the same time!

My Favorite Boy and I are thrilled that he is in Mrs. R's class this year. She is a very experienced teacher with a great reputation. I know he will have a wonderful year with her.

My Best Girl doesn't start preschool until September, but she joined in the first day fun by visiting with Ollie the Owl in the hallway. It's difficult to believe that she will be starting kindergarten next fall!

I guess it's back to business around here! I am looking forward to a great year.

Back to School Giveaway

2009-08-12T08:17:00.002-04:00

5 Minutes for Books is hosting a Back to School Giveaway for the next few weeks. Be sure to stop by there each day to see what you can win.

A New Tradition

2009-08-11T09:42:00.004-04:00

Not long ago, I realized that I rarely have alone time with my Favorite Boy. I decided to alternate months of having Mom/Son night and Mom/Daughter night (I get plenty of one-on-one time with my Best Girl, but I didn't think she would take too kindly to the idea of only having Mom/Son nights).

For our first Mom/Son night, my Favorite Boy chose to attend a Nashville Sounds game. We had a great time! My Favorite Boy, however, didn't want me taking pictures the whole time, so I have none. He got to see my goofy side when I sang along with all the fun "ballgame" songs, and I had to participate in "YMCA". Apparently, Dad doesn't join in those types of things (for those of you who know us in real life, I am sure you aren't surprised at that).

The highlight of the game for my Favorite Boy was getting an autographed baseball. He wanted to catch a foul ball, so we moved to an area down the third base line. I happened to see that some of the pitchers in the bullpen occasionally handed foul balls to kids, so I encouraged him to go sit by the bullpen. It didn't take long before one of the pitchers handed him a ball. I may not have a picture of his smile, but I will definitely remember it. That smile was the highlight of my evening.

We had a great time on our first Mom/Son night. In September, I plan to take him to see The Adventures of Tom Sawyer at the Nashville Children's Theater. We are very excited about that. But first, my Best Girl wants to go ice skating for her Mom/Daughter night in August. She has never skated, and it's been years since I have. Hopefully, our first Mom/Daughter night won't include any broken bones!