That’s what Andrew calls his home brewing and now he’s teaching the kids. Not with hops and malt but with brown sugar and root beer flavor.
Andrew asked for a Mr. Root Beer kit for his birthday so he and the kids could brew together. They yummed at the smell of the packets and took turns helping pour, measure and stir their cola concoction. Once it was bottled, they had to wait a few days until it would be ready for sipping. Nia faithfully reminded Andrew to check on the bottles and was brimming with excitement when he announced it was time for floats.
Opening Day may be over but Nate continues to want to play ball. He and Andrew are outside right now batting and I’m surprised we finally were able to convince him to change out of his uniform. Nate is so proud and comfortable in that uniform. He woke us up at 5:50 this morning asking where it was and if he could put it on yet. (Big, bad mommy told him to try to get some more sleep and then fell back asleep before I heard a complaint from him.)
His game was great. His team of cuties didn’t win but you could tell they all had a blast despite the score. As far as stats go, I think Nate ran home twice and got one out at first. (I was so happy he caught the throw that tears crept out of my eyes.) He executed a beautiful (but unnecessary) slide at home that made the team’s other coach chuckle with surprise and give Andrew a pat on the shoulder. Another stat that I can’t ignore would have to be that he played with the zipper on his new uniform pants – a lot.
I’m thankful we got to play a bunch of nice boys with considerate coaches for our first game. I didn’t hear a negative word – only praise and thoughtfulness for the little guys on both benches. It was a wonderful feeling and has me looking forward to the next game. In the meantime though, I’ll enjoy Nate’s reaction after seeing the Baltimore Orioles were on tv tonight. “Oh! I gotta go get my Orioles hat!”
Nia is all about reading some kid’s diary and it’s so great. Actually, she would likely correct me and tell me that he really wants it to be called a journal. She has entered into the reader’s world of befriending book characters. This Wimpy Kid and his adventures have captured her heart and imagination and it’s wonderful to share in her excitement.
She finished the first book in two days. (She counted down to us as she turned the pages – asking us to subtract 152 from the total.) When she turned that final page, we knew we needed to continue her Wimpy Kid connection so we drove the 30 minutes to the nearest open bookstore and bought each book in the series, plus a special one about the movie.
She’s now nearing the end of the second book but she’s not happy with the interruptions of the school week. Like, the bus rides in the morning. She told us it was too dark for her to read and asked us if she could bring a small flashlight. She now has a book light to help expand her reading time. She’ll soon be finished with all the them and waiting for the author to write more. Good thing there are movies to tide her over…
The commercials are cute. The logo/brand character is cute. Even they are cute. Cuties certainly live up their name in those ways. They are little seedless mandarins that promise to be easy to peel so little fingers can grab one and go, all by themselves. All that is super great but what I think is even more great is that all that cuteness and kid-friendliness is working.
Nia actually requested them when we were at the store. Sure, she still requested cookies and chips but she really wanted Cuties. She told me how excited she was to take them in her school lunch. It seems other kids/families will be enjoying them too – the store had to restock the display while I was there because people wiped them out.
I took some pictures while the kids dug in to their Cuties for the first time because I wanted to see if they live up to their easy to peel and super sweet claims. The first picture just offers you a quick cash register/amount fact to give you an idea of cost. (I got mine at Publix so sizes and prices may vary from store to store. Also, they came with a coupon and I went to the website to sign up for more dealios, since it appears these are going to be a school lunch/snack staple in our house.)
Seriously, it could be the next big reality show in some circles. I would be allowed on Mommy Craft Challenge though strictly for comedic relief. The other moms would have the opportunity to snub me, giggle at my creations, feel sympathy for me, try to teach me and then just shrug their shoulders writing me off knowing it’s just not my cup of tea. And I’m ok with all of that. I’m ok with not knowing what the heck “seed beads” are.
I actually get a kick out of people thinking my art/crafts are something the kids did. I take it as a compliment. I do point out that the kids’ creations turn out way better than mine so it’s not right for me to let someone think they drew that zany, smiley face, mismeasured person or poorly glued those pom-poms on that foam frame.
What matters most is that we have fun doing these projects and the kids love them. When they ask, “Can we make art/crafts?”, they don’t think, mommy can’t do this. They actually encourage me. During craft time today, Nia would tell me, “It doesn’t have to be perfect, Mommy.” Or, “It’s our first one so it’s going to look messier than the others.” She’s so sweet, smart and crafty.
Nia has always loved books. She was entertainingly reading to us by memorization at age 3 and often carries books with her wherever she goes. But it wasn’t until the other day that she began talking about what she’d read in a book with such excitement and detail.
She didn’t just say it was really good or funny. She started to give us a “response to literature” – something she’s learning in school. She was so into it and full of animation when describing it to us. It was adorably awesome and gave us the idea to have her review them on video. (Partly as a learning experience but also because I wanted to capture this part of her life.)
She was so pumped about the idea of Bean Book Review and couldn’t wait to start. Who knows? Maybe it could even help someone who’s thinking about buying a book for a child. I mean, she relates things to iCarly so it’s a pretty expert opinion, if you ask me.
She had so much fun doing this and sitting next to me as I tried to edit it. She was such a little producer too. Telling me that I need to add music and that her eyes were closed on one starting clip. She and I had a great time! I find some parts of it so endearing. Like, the popcorn she tries to free from a tooth while talking and her reenactment of a snippet of one book. I hope some others enjoy it as much as we do. (It’s five minutes long so we’ll see!)
There once was a little boy who loved the Baltimore Orioles. He proudly owned shirts, hats and a pennant tacked to his bedroom wall. He had a book full of only Orioles baseball cards. He loved them despite their loses but admired them even more for Cal Ripken, Jr.
Now, that little boy just doesn’t know what to do with himself knowing that his little boy will soon be suiting up for tee-ball in an Orioles uniform.
We don’t have the official shirt and hat yet but that doesn’t mean Nate doesn’t have something to wear. He was awake and dressed before we were this morning. He can hit and run pretty well for a 5-year-old but we’re still working on that tie-the-shoes skill.
Dressed & Ready Before Anyone
Andrew really made this season’s first practice special for him. He cooked him a baseball-themed breakfast with baseball pancakes and an Orioles beer mug full of apple juice. (I think we should invest in some kid-friendly Orioles cups, right?! Maybe even a water bottle for games.)
Baseball Breakfast (That's APPLE JUICE!)
Batter Up for Breakfast!
After loading up on two pancakes and three small pieces of bacon, Nate had a blast at his practice. He felt that he did so well that he told me, “Looks like I’m ready for big boy baseball!” Your heart and confidence may be ready, buddy, but you still need to grow into those baseball pants. Sweet, little Oriole. Daddy is so proud.
Batting Practice
Loves to Play Ball!
Here’s a short clip of him getting a single. I say that he growls but it was more of a grunt. Because, you know, that’s better. Such an intense player!
And now, I only have my memories, repeats and DVDs to cherish.
We watched the last episode of Friday Night Lights tonight and I laughed – I wanted to be included in the conversation – I sat jaw-dropped – I felt the reality – I praised the beautifully shot scenes and I cried – just like I do while becoming absorbed in every episode.
Was it a perfect show during its five seasons? The best? (This critic says it’s one of the “finest drama series in television history.”) I’m not sure I can really label any tv show that way. I just know how it made me feel. It hooked me from the start and never let me down. It captured bits of life that I have never seen on another show. One scene I vividly remember showed Coach and Tami hugging in their room and then they started swaying/dancing and the camera quickly showed us their feet. She had been standing on his. I loved that. They captured something so real and the characters never drew attention to it. They just swayed and talked. It was precious to me.
I’m almost kind of proud that many people didn’t love the show like I did because it makes it more heartfelt for me. I loved something not because everyone else did – but because I did. I’m happy, though, for those who did give it a chance and kept it alive. (Thanks, DirecTV!) I called the characters by their last names like they did to each other and I’m not ashamed that I actually thought about the lines the writers had Coach Taylor say. (A recent one about building character will stay with me.) I don’t think you have to like football to appreciate this show. The characters, writing, shots and directing take it well beyond a show about football. (Although, there is a lot of football in it!)
Dillon, Texas. It was a pleasure to visit that small town and root for (or sometimes curse out) its people in every episode. I will miss it.
The months of cold, rainy and snowy weather may have kept Nate from playing baseball outside but he never really did put away all the baseball gear. He would still bring the hats, gloves and cushioned baseballs out of his room to convince Andrew to throw with him in the living room. That really wasn’t cutting it though. This weekend’s beautiful weather was just what he needed. Spring Ball can’t get here soon enough!
The 
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