November 19

Well, we had a big busy fun day planned for today. First, it was Aaron’s last t-ball game of his season.

The highlight was the trophy ceremony after the game. SO darn cute. The coach got a trophy for each player with their name on it and Aaron was just so proud. He carried that daggone thing around for days.

Here’s Aaron with his coaches. They were great guys.

This was so fun to watch, and we are really pleased with how the season turned out. There were some parts that were pretty challenging for him, but he learned a lot, and being part of a group like this is something we really want him to have experiences with.

Ashley and I left straight from the field to go to a baby lunch that Neecers hosted to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our sweet girl.

The flash made some of the details hard to see, but we got this sweet little cable knit sweater from our friend Angie.

and this beautiful blanket made by our friend Vanessa’s mom. It is so cushy and soft!

 

And this adorable Rams cheerleader outfit from Cari. This gift was obviously a hit with Chris too :)

and…who doesn’t love a pair of butterfly bottom pants? This set was from Neecers.

Now, looking at these pictures is so hard. I wish our baby girl was wearing these clothes now. The person you see opening these gifts and smiling seems like a completely different person than the one typing this post, in fact that day seems like a whole different lifetime. Even so, like I said in an earlier post, I don’t want to erase these happy memories just because of the pain I feel now. In fact, I want to get to the point where I can have the happy memories right alongside the pain. That could be years from now, but I’m trying.

When Ashley and I got home from the baby lunch, Chris and Courtney were hard at work building a new apparatus for our Christmas Village. Our furniture has changed a bit since last year, and there is a different couch in the place where the village goes, and we saw right away when we took out the supplies that it wouldn’t work the same way with the different couch. So Chris hatched an idea and got to work on it, and it is awesome!

November 12

Here are some t-ball pics. Looking back, most of them look the same and I could easily get away with taking a quarter of the pictures I took…but isn’t that just the way it goes?

Chris has started going out in the outfield with Aaron (along with the legion of other dads that do the same) to help stay engaged during what can be a really boring and frustrating portion of each game. There is very little action in the outfield, and every time a ball gets hit, every boy runs towards it and makes a massive dog pile. Aaron doesn’t want to get hurt, so he participated in the dog pile madness exactly one time and now prefers to just go for the ball if it is right near him, which is not often, which means he gets bored. Having Chris out there to direct and encourage him has made a great difference.

October 1

We had kind of a full day planned today, and got a lot accomplished.

First of all, I am so excited that today was Aaron’s first day of t-ball! It technically is just picture day, but coach called and said we would do a short practice after pictures. It was REALLY cold with a chilly wind and we did NOT dress as warmly as we should have.

Aaron had a GREAT time. He was so excited. He did a great job posing for the individual and team pictures, and watching those little guys practice was just too cute. They did some throwing practice, which Aaron picked up quickly, then they all got in a line to run the bases, which was the funniest part. They didn’t run on the baselines, even though their coach was leading them. They ran last first base, causing a huge arc to second, and then cut inside third, only to walk past home plate without touching it. Adorable. Then each boy (there are 10) got a chance to hit and run the bases. While Aaron waited for his turn, he played first base, which is just because that was the place he ran to once he had his glove on, and every time someone hit the ball, he raced to wherever it was to be the first to get it rather than staying on his base. It was hilarious. Finally the assistance coach, who was very lovable, came to coach Aaron on staying on his base, and despite his best intentions, Aaron just couldn’t resist the impulse to race after that ball no matter where on the field it went. We just laughed and laughed. He learned other fine points of playing first base pretty quickly and did a great job. It was so much fun to watch.

Aaron was so independent through the whole thing that I kept getting choked up. No clinging, no reluctance, he just grabbed his gear and ran where he was supposed to go and forgot all about it. I was so proud of him that I couldn’t stand it, and when we got in the car to head home, he sighed and said, “That was awesome,” and I burst into tears. That of course cracked Chris up and caused Aaron to ask, as he often has to,
“Mommy, why are you crying if you’re happy? People only cry when they’re sad.” What a great milestone, and what a big boy.

The only way the day could have gone better was if I had been able to get pictures. Tell me if this has happened to you…you are snapping away on your camera, getting lots of great shots, it’s an important day…and one time, after about 30 minutes of picture taking has passed, you glance down at the view window of your camera and it says “no card”. Where was my card? Here in my laptop, of course. Man that is a terrible feeling, and my heart sinks down to my toes. All the cute pictures I “took” of him holding his bat on his first day, and the pictures I “got” as he raced onto the field, don’t exist. So awful.

I got some cell phone pictures from that point on, but it’s not the same. I will be able to replicate the pictures the next time we go, but I need a system in place. I need an extra card duct taped onto my camera strap for emergencies or something. Here’s what I managed to get, which is better than nothing. (Aaron is in a red sweatshirt)

Grabbing a runaway ball during throwing practice…

running the bases…

Mr. first base, ready for action…

and batting practice…

first ever team huddle *sniff*

After that, we went home to change Aaron into clean clothes and then headed to Dick’s to get him some baseball pants, baseball socks, and a bag. We also went to Target to get him a new pair of school sneakers, since his prior pair was rendered “t-ball only” by the time this practice was over.

Then we headed home for a quick visit from the floor guy since we have some trouble spots, and then Neecers and Fisher came over for a little dinner and hair coloring.

phew! Chris and Ashley and I all fell asleep downstairs.