Play Ball!

I don't know whose stupid idea it was to sign up two kids for baseball, but it was probably me.  Yes, three more days per week out and about is a brilliant idea. Especially for such a cold, wet, dreary spring such as we are having.

The Lord is looking out for me however and last night's games were at the same place, same time.

T-ball is great for teaching the basics.  Swinging a bat to hit a ball, running around the bases.  No one gets out.  No points are tracked.  Everyone runs one base per hit.  The ball is always thrown to first, no matter what.  Daniel is one of the oldest on his team (they start at age four) and he is picking up skillz quickly.  He got to play first base last night.

Sitting and waiting and listening and staying off the field and staying out of other people's space are the skillz these guys are learning.  It's so painful.

One of my children, who will not be named, but is wearing a bright pink shirt, is the worst listener I've known since Shane.  She ran into the parking lot not once, but twice last night.  Lula and Daniel went tearing after her to hold her down and drag her back, which only ended with three of my children slugging it out in the parking lot while I madly bumped my stroller down the stairs to get to them.  Why on earth would she run into the parking lot when there were plenty of green fields to run in? She had to go potty and she knows where it is and she can never go potty all the way the first time because she is too scared of strange bathrooms to relax all the way.

This was the only picture I got of Fiona's game last night.  Lula kissing her through the fence.  Fiona is playing fast pitch softball.  The girls are doing all the pitching, right off.  No coach pitch like the boys do.  Fiona is quite conservative: she doesn't swing at a single pitch and is walked each time.  She is also getting an introduction to Mean Girl World.  Because public schooled girls are far more socialized than homeschooled girls. *grrrr*

Pinewood Derby

The same weekend Genna and I were in Lynden for Vault Into Spring, Mark held down the fort and took the rest of the kids to opening weekend for baseball and the Pinewood Derby!  Mark has tons of experience building Pinewood Derby cars, but there is always more to learn.  After sweeping the entire race, he is happy to host a STEM clinic for scouts about building a winning car.

Daniel: First Place

Lula: First Place and Fiona: Third Place

Mark is quite certain Heidi's car was the fastest of the bunch, but may have been disqualified simply because the judges didn't want the Downens to bring home all the trophies.  Did I mention Mark is now the Cubmaster?

Vault Into Spring 2017

I was surprised, really.  This was her first competition at Copper.  A year ago she was still at walk!  What is Copper? This means a vaulter can do both full 1 star compulsories and freestyle at canter.  The level below Copper, the vaulter does an easier version of compulsories at canter and freestyle at walk.  There were 21 girls competing at this level and many of them have been vaulting for years. 

This is her compulsories (final score 6.013, first place out of 21 girls):

And her Freestyle (final score 6.467, third place):

Genevieve's final score was 6.240 and she took home the Copper Woman Champion prize.

She and three other teammates participated in a Two Phase Team.  This is when all four are judged on compulsories going around the circle the opposite direction with a few different moves in a different order.  I didn't record the whole team because Jason was a slight problem:

And Two Phase Freestyle:

There was only one Two Phase Team so they brought home all the first place ribbons. 

I usually take a snapshot of Genna's scores after they have been posted so I can look them over later.  This is the first time I've seen her sit down with her scores and the scores of her closest competitors and compare their strengths and weaknesses.  Her only goal since the last competition (when she was disqualified) was to beat this one girl that is really good.  And she did. So, goal met.  I'm looking forward to seeing what her next goal will be!

Spring Season

We are slowly working our way into a Spring Season of Insane Activities.  Ian has track, Boy Scouts, and youth group.  Shane has orchestra, Boy Scouts, and Sea Scouts.  Genna has vaulting.  Fiona has softball. Daniel has T-ball and Cub Scouts.  And everyone except Ian has taekwondo.  Shane will be starting track next month.  Coordinating drop offs and pickups is something Mark and I have to work out every single morning.  And heaven help us if something goes wrong.

For example, take today.  We needed to drop Shane off to meet his carpool at 1:00.  Drop Genna off at vaulting at 4:00.  Pick Ian up from track at 4:30.  Take Fiona and Daniel to soft/T-ball practice at 5:00 (PTL it was the same time, same field), Daniel's practice ending at 6:00, Fiona's at 6:30. Pick Genna up at 7:00.  Meet Shane sometime between 7:00 and 8:00, depending on what time his leader got finished and carpooled him home.  We also needed a few things from Costco, some flock food, Mark wanted to spend some time at the YMCA and I needed to go to work on Fox Island.

We had the most beautiful, coordinated schedule that had us each taking only one trip into town.

Shoe stuck in the mud in the first five minutes of ball practice

I met Shane's carpool on time and found out that his leader forgot that she had something to do afterwards and that she would arrange to have someone else bring him back to this side of the bridge and she would call with more details later.  Okay, no problem.  I headed to work with Fiona and younger (while Mark planned to take care of Genna and picking Ian up and taking him to the YMCA with him).  I was productively working on Fox Island when I received the following text:

Note the time- 2:26.  This was not part of the plan.  Track isn't over until 4:30! I frantically called Mark and finally got a hold of him and sent him running out the door.  Mark waited and waited and called me to say Ian was no where to be found, which is when I sent the last text in that series.  I finished what I was doing and headed out to baseball, passing Mark going over the Purdy bridge.  He gave me a thumbs up, which I interpreted that he found Ian, but I didn't see him in the car.  I called Mark and found out that he had gone out on the field and saw that Ian was doing track and we had no idea why we would send a text like that!  I took Fiona and Daniel to soft/T-ball practice (with the youngest three slipping and sliding in the cold mud), where I got a phone call from Shane's ride saying they were going to be at the Park n Ride at 5:45!  I told them to just drop Shane off at the YMCA (praying that Mark had finally found Ian and they were actually there). Then my battery died before I could get the driver's phone number.  Luckily, I had my work phone, so I started texting Ian and Mark and also calling and leaving messages.  Texting with a flip phone is hard.

Mark and Ian had decided to meet back up with each other in the YMCA at 6:00 and check their phones for messages from me and they just ran into Shane.  Thank goodness.  All is well that ends well and the moral of the story is.... keep your battery charged and your phone on your body!

Dominant Male

Jason owns us. PWNS us.

We are having so much fun with him.  After two late talkers, his ability to pick up words and phrases is an endless source of entertainment for us.  We say, "Who wants a cookie?" or "Who's the cutest baby?" or whatever with the same voice pattern and he says, "MEEEEeeeee!"  Only when Daniel started being naughty with his questions, I taught Jason to say, "Not me!"

He listens to the conversations around him and inserts himself when he understands.  The other day he was nursing (yes, he is still nursing) and I asked, "Where's Heidi?"  He popped off, like I was talking to him, and answered, "I don't know," and went back to work.  And speaking of nursing, today he popped off to tell me, "Mine!"  I guess we can share for a little while longer.  He has about seven weeks before he beats the Longest Nurser record.

The other day he told me he wanted to go potty.  No, I'm not kidding.  I put the little potty seat on for him and he actually went potty.  This pretty much guarantees that he won't be actually potty trained until he is three years old.

He asks for cocoa.  He refuses to use sippy cups or let me feed him.  He likes to drink while holding the cup with ONE hand.  He spills a lot.  On purpose.  He loves cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, and Mark's saute.  And olives, nuts, and salad.  And raisins.

He added Old McDonald to his song list.  Hearing him belt out E-I-E-I-O while he is playing trains or cars is precious.

But the most precious thing is how he interacts with his brothers and sisters.  He has Genna and Fiona wrapped around his little finger and competes ferociously with Heidi.  But last night, he proved he was King of the Beasts.  Ian and Shane were playfully punching each other and competing over who was the more dominant one.  Jason grunted some baby talk and pointed to a chair that he and Ian had just been sitting in, eating popcorn rice cakes.  Ian asked what he wanted.  I told him Jason wanted him to sit back down.  Ian sat back in the car and Jason climbed back up.  I started to laugh because Jason was obviously the dominant of the three.  How so? When he told Ian to sit, Ian sat.

Sea Scouts

The most exciting opportunity has happened to Shane.  We have discovered Sea Scouts.  Sea Scouts is a part of the Boy Scouts of America.  The local group meets in Tacoma, is mostly homeschoolers and college students, and is co-led by his (and Genna's) science teacher.

Shane, signing in

Their group sails an 89 foot sail boat every meeting and goes out for a weekend trip once a month.  Shane will be the youngest crew member, but he is inspired to start working his way up the ranks.  They go for a ten day excursion in the San Juan islands every summer!

This group operates just like Mark's Boy Scout troop operated when he was younger.  He is impressed.  The first night Shane was there, they took the boat out in super windy conditions and "buried the rails" which means went so sideways that the edge of the boat was under water.  Exciting!