Baseball/Softball Version 2012

I can't believe I never posted this? I put the pictures in the blog and never got any further. Oh well, it's super fun to look back on these warm, summer Saturday mornings spent on the ball fields. And when I say that, I mean it literally. Every Saturday morning was spent at the fields. Plural. Some days, we had games going on at the same exact time. Those are not fun games.

 

First, Kendall LOVED being on the Rockies. She had some friends on that team but we were concerned she would hate it. It was her first all-girls SOFTball team. The first time she had been separated from her best friends and the coaches she was most comfortable with. She really struggled with confidence this season. She's a GOOD ball player. Honestly, in our yard, she would often hit harder and further than the boys. She's got a great swing, a great eye and she's quick. However, you put her on that softball field this past season, and she went straight back to being that timid, shy, little girl with no confidence. This year, Kendall had all kinds of good times in the dugout. And she sure looked cute. You may be happy to know that she has decided to stick to gymnastics this year and take a look at picking softball up perhaps next year. =)

 

Hello adorable little girl, standing in the outfield never paying attention! 

Dugout Divas.

 



She LOVES to get on base and run. Not a huge fan of getting out, however. 

This year, BFF Drew was on Cooper's team so Kendall got to hang out with him before and after her games. Bliss.

 

And Cooper... The 2012 Royals were quite a team. Made up mostly of families that all know each other well, we truly enjoyed every game and I felt like I was missing out if I didn't make it to practice. Cooper loved it, as always. He wasn't the biggest fan of the outfield where his focus tended to waiver, but he loved every single bit of baseball... practice, hitting, catching, running, the dugout, and most definitely the snacks after the game. =) Fast foward to the "championship game." It was a nailbiter (and I'm only mildly embarrassed to say I cared that much) but LONG, long story short, it came down to the final inning where one Royal hit an inside the park homerun and Cooper hit a super hard, long drive to the back of left field to drive in 2 runs. The final play of the game found one Royal catching a pop fly to win (6 and 7 year olds simply don't catch pop flies, so it was pretty remarkable!). It was the perfect cap to an awesome season. With try-outs this week, he's super excited again this year. I was nervous because he definitely enjoys the social aspect and he moves up to a league this year that requires trying out. =I His words to me were "I would be really excited if there were a few of my friends on the team, but it will be fun to make new friends." Love that kid. 

 

This threesome makes my heart smile. Friends since preschool, they make me happy when they are together. 

Cool cat. 

 

Just trying to get in the mood for spring! It doesn't take much!

The Winter Blues

I don't think I'm alone here when I say, I've felt a little, shall we say, dull lately. I love breaks from school, quite honestly. Especially with both kids in school and I don't have that "Do I send her to daycare since I'm paying for it? Or don't I, to remain a decent parent" argument with myself every morning. I like sleeping in and having all-day pajama-days. I really like doing puzzles and playing board games at 9AM. I especially love that having no schedule during the day means that we have no real bedtime. So if we're in the middle of a really good battle of Clue or Just Dance at 9PM, then the world won't stop turning if we stay up an extra hour. And since we have nothing to do the next day, staying up late doesn't have earth-shattering repercussions like it does during a regular school week. I have a love/hate relationship with going back to school. I love it because I'm a huge fan of structure, even if I don't prove it during a school holiday. I hate it because it means we're back to reality, which includes homework and bedtimes before 8 and alarm clocks and less Clue.

Worse, though, is that with the holidays and school breaks and the new year comes... cold weather, gray clouds, months until spring, salt on the road, indoor everything and worst of all... resolutions. They always make me feel so inadequate. Chip and I stuck to one resolution one year when we were dating. For once in our life we were a part of the 8% of Americans that actually made a resolution and stuck to it.

Anyhoo... I seriously don't think I'm the only one that gets the winter blues. I know I didn't pen that phrase, Winter Blues, so that fact makes me confident I'm not the only one who has ever had them. I'm not sure if whoever came up with it meant that literally or not, but perhaps winter blues could be from people yelling at you from the TV every January. Honestly, don't you feel like every time you put the TV on it's so much of YOU SHOULD BE THINNER! YOU SHOULD EXERCISE MORE! YOU SHOULD EAT HEALTHIER! YOU SHOULD READ MORE--BE A BETTER FRIEND--BE MORE ORGANIZED! So much "advice" on how to clean out your closets and "look" thinner and be happier! Perhaps, though, they meant for the Winter Blues to be literal? Unfortunately, I might get both, but the literal kind... I definitely get those. I like sunshine and green grass and t-shirts. I like the sound of lawn mowers and the smell of pool water and looking at the dirt under my kids' toenails when they wear flip-flops. Given a choice, I would always, always, always choose to be hot over cold. I hate snow-skiing and snow-boarding and snow-tubing and, well, quite frankly, I hate snow. It's cold, you know?! Snow cream? Gross! Snow men? So much work! Snow days? So much laundry from all that playing in the snow and having to be bundled up. Because. It's. Cold!!!

Anyway, back to the point here. The past several weeks have found me creeping ever so closer to those winter bluesy days that I dread every year. Those days when I get grumpy by 4 because it's dark. Those days when I look on the computer to find cheap airfare to Hawaii (fyi --> no such thing). I needed something uplifting. That's when I started to really pay REAL attention to this app I have on my iPhone called You Version. It's a Bible app and I love it. I could say that the accountability of keeping up with your devotionals you've signed up for is awesome, but that's the one part that actually gets on my nerves. I don't need an iPhone app to email me and tell me I'm a slacker. But this year, after making all of zero resolutions, I started a new daily devotional plan. There have been others, but this one is different. It's called Soul Detox. Who doesn't need a detox of SOME kind at the end of the year? I needed one. I needed to detox from all these horrible thoughts I have about... well, January. What really started to get me out of my funk was the Verse of the Day. Here are some examples of ones I thought were trying to hit me over the head with a hammer while I was feeling overwhelmed by the petty things such as coldness and the strict bedtimes and all this talk of being better than we already are that 2013 was bringing.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you.

Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Deuteronomy 6:5
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-5
Love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

I put that last one on there because of my husband. He hasn't been sick one day this past month and he has cared for me, my foot, my kidneys, my anxieties, our children when they're sick, everything when I was out of town. I love him and he truly couldn't live this verse any better if he wore it as a jacket.

I have no real point in writing this particular post, quite honestly. I just felt like sharing that as down and out as one might feel as we get back to the "real world" there is a way to feel better. And we already have so much to be thankful for (like seasons, even I can admit). And I say this as it is chilly outside, it's raining, I'm in my dark basement with my son who I picked up early from school sick. I have the largest To Do list I think I've seen in years at work and an overflowing laundry basket. I have cancelled plans to go to the basketball game tonight and am having trouble figuring out what I'll do tomorrow if my child is still sick. So, not much has changed around here. But I feel better anyway. I'm reminded of friends that brought us dinner when things weren't perfect. I'm reminded that if we didn't have family 5 minutes down the road in both directions, life would be way more difficult. I'm reminded of how much fun we had when we weren't sick. To be honest, I'm reminded that the worst part is that my life is pretty easy and perhaps I need to just find a different perspective. I've survived winter before, pretty sure I can do it again.

HAPPY New Year!

Someone is 6!

Man I love this girl. This girl who just turned six years old! Something is fishy with my blog and I cannot upload any new pictures. I can, however, go back through my blog and insert pictures that I've used before. I don't mind one bit. I hope you don't either.

 

But 6?! SIX? That's, like, a real kid. A GIRL. Like a really sassy, pouty, knows-exactly-what-she-wants kinda GIRL. She's not a baby anymore. What.So.Ever. I mean, do you understand me here? Around the time my baby turned 6, she started kindergarten, got her first BFF necklace, changes her earrings by herself several times a week, reads books, and understands how to play board games like Monopoly and Battleship and Sorry. She loves school. Those of you that recieved a Christmas card already know this. I asked the kids to write one thing that they like or love so I could take a picture for our card. Kendall thought for about 1/4 of a second and then wrote "I love school." She loves to read and she REALLY loves to stay on green and never get in trouble. The earth will move, no doubt, if this girl ever has to move a card and get in trouble at school. At home... well, this is all about how great she is, so we'll just move on...

 

She loves to draw, loves to color (specifically, with Sharpies. I can't even tell you how much I hate that habit), loves to count by 2's and 5's and 10's and she loves to do her homework. When Cooper practices his spelling words or has to take some time in the evenings to read... Kendall does exactly the same. She still loves baby dolls and loves to dress-up. If she's missing for a few minutes, chances are the next time you see her she'll be decked out in a princess dress and crowns with wands and shoes and feathers and belts to boot. She loves the girl version of Legos because she loves her brother and he loves Legos. But girly ones are way more fun. With amazing passion, she hates to have her hair brushed but nearly cries when we offer to get it cut to her chin again. She's really good at getting herself up and dressed and ready on school mornings. She loves our dogs but only if they aren't trying to lick her to death while she's walking down the stairs. She loves the monkey bars... even when they give her disgusting little calluses on her hands. She loves to ride her scooter. Barefoot. =(

 

We still have a "secret" kiss at bedtime and she loves to dance with her Daddy. She says her favorite person in the world is her brother which, since I know this may change later, I do my best to tell her I think that is the greatest thing a mother could ever hear. Lucky for me she still loves to blow kisses and tell me I'm her best friend and that she loves me "all the way to Heaven's sky and back."

 

In no particular order... I present "my favorite little girl in the whole entire world"...

 

A Love Story -- from a granddaughter's perspective

First, let me point out this disclaimer: this blog is about my Maciel grandparents, my father's parents. To blog about my other set is for another time. =)

Grandparents are interesting. Growing up, they were just that... grandparents. From where I stood, they weren't real people. They were just... my grandparents! They weren't parents or friends or neighbors. They certainly weren't a COUPLE. They weren't Husband and Wife for pete's sake... Gross! When I was little, they were a just people that spoiled me rotten and treated me like I hung the moon. They gave me advice and hugs and whatever kind of cake I wanted. They snuck money in my pocket and looked away when I stole a piece of candy from the bowl on the counter. I remember them both being good story-tellers but I never really paid much attention until I was an adult. I like pictures more than stories, I always have. However, losing my first grandparent and losing one that loved stories AND pictures makes me appreciate both very much myself.

A couple of weeks ago, as we prepared to say goodbye to my grandmother, we had the chance to look through pictures. And there were plenty! I think my grandmother had pictures stashed in every crack and crevice of her house. She got rid of a lot of things over the years but never photographs. Mixed in with all the photographs were receipts for portrait sessions in the 40's! Also mixed in were love letters. In the classic overseas envelopes with the red and blue stripes along the side. Old, old letters from when my grandfather was in the war and they wrote each other weekly. I started to read a few but felt like I was eavesdropping. What I did read, though, was the "darling" and "I love you dearly" and other such ways they began and ended each letter.

What I saw in most of those pictures and letters was a love story. A love story, sadly, that I never really realized was there because... again... they were just my grandparents. That week in Rhode Island was hard. Saying goodbye to my grandfather when it was time for me to go home was heartwrenching, to say the least. I literally felt like my legs wouldn't move. That my hands wouldn't start the car and that my feet couldn't possibly carry me away to the airport. I tell you this not out of pity, but to put things into perspective -- when I left, he said to me, "I hope to see you another time or two before I'm gone." That's where he is now. He just buried his wife of 68 years and it wasn't a shock to anyone. It wasn't a surprise to any of us, even to him, but we don't have to live with the sadness of missing someone that we spent 68+ years with, the other half of your own personal love story. The truth is, I'll be lucky if I see my grandfather a handful of times again before he's gone and that is very sad to him. But it has nothing on the emptyness I expect he feels from losing his wife. Not just his new wife or a wife of 20 years, but his wife of a lifetime. He told me he first kissed her when he was 20. That was nearly 75 years ago! Most of us hope that we merely LIVE to see 75 years.

He can't remember everything these days, but he recounts stories of how they met and where their first kiss was (a blueberry patch, not far from where he lives now) like they happened earlier that morning. Because they were the more important events of his life. What he had for breakfast? Not an important life event (for most people! I can hear some of you arguing infront of your computers!). A first kiss, a first date, walking hand-in-hand with the love of your life? Watching your children and grandchildren and, if you're lucky, your great-grandchildren grow? Those are life events.

 

It was very, very difficult to say goodbye to a woman that was so meaningful to me in so many ways. I hope I have her smile and her laugh when I'm 90. I hope I love and show my love the way she did. I already know that I love my husband like she loved hers. If you have grandparents, listen to their stories. Ask about pictures. Hug them now before you regret not doing it. If you are a grandparent, tell your stories. Take pictures. Your children and grandchildren may not get it now, but they will. Give them something to sift through when you're gone. What a legacy to leave by leaving behind the stories and pictures of your life events!

Odie

We lost my grandmother last night and there is nothing better to get me back to blogging than to talk about one of my grandparents. If I haven't told you yet (or you haven't heard me shouting it from the rooftops), I am beyond blessed to still have had all of my grandparents living. My children are 6 and 7 and knew well all of their great-grandparents. Goodness knows I've taken enough pictures of our trips to New England to help them remember my Papa John and Grandma Odie.

When we were there in May of this year, Odie's face lit up every time she saw my kids. Even in her fragile state (honestly, this tiny woman was always tiny, but she couldn't have been even 90lbs recently), she would watch my children play in her backyard, she played with their toys and tickled them and even colored with them at her kitchen table.

Odie was funny. Funny in every sense of the word. Funny in that she laughed a lot, whether it was because she truly thought something you said was humorous or because you offered to help her cook. In that case, that was really more of a "don't be ridiculous, I don't want you anywhere near my kitchen" laugh. I finally learned that particular laugh by the time I was about 25. She was funny because she was fun and kinda scary all at the same time. I never wanted to cross her, but I can't really remember why! As kids, we just did as we were told by her (and in our younger years, the cousins just did what we wanted, when we wanted... until she told us otherwise). She's the one that taught me to wait until everyone is seated to eat and to keep your elbows off the table. I'm sure my own parents would have taught me this eventually, but I have a feeling Odie started insisting on those rules before we were out of our high chairs. In recent years, she would laugh when we wouldn't eat without her. We were all scared to! But she would laugh at that, too.

I loved hearing her say my name, too. I was born in Providence but I have, in my opinion, a very southern name. When Odie said it, it was both southern and northern at the same time. I can hear it now, without the "r" at the end... Summa Lee. If you say it out loud in your best Charleston accent and then again in your best yankee version, they're very different, but very alike. And she's the only person I have ever known to use my full name, whether I was in trouble or not. It all just depended on the tone. ;)

She hated when I didn't speak up or when I mumbled, she nearly lost her mind when I bit my nails, and she was never afraid to tell me how she really felt. But good grief, did she love us. She really smiled when she talked about any of her grandchildren (or children or great-grandchildren). She loved to have us all together and she loved to talk about us all. She asked a lot of questions and praised us always.

 Hello Gorgeous!

 That's Kendall on Thanksgiving Day, 2006 (we have a birthday this week!)

 You maybe can't tell, but this is Odie this past May playing with my kids. My uncles had given my kids some Beanie Babies to play with and she was playing Keep Away. That's her sarcastic "you can't have them, they're mine" look.

 Lovely.

I always loved those hands. In my mind, they never changed a bit for as long as I can remember.

 

It's so cliche, but we truly were blessed by her. She was beautiful and giving and so, so kind. I miss her but one thing I know for certain, she's one happy lady getting to see my father again. I just hope he hasn't forgotten to keep his elbows off the table. =)

New England

Remember that month... the one that ended about 9 or 10 weeks ago, typically comes between April and June? I barely remember it, too, to be honest. Not only was it so long ago but it was all jam-packed with the end of school, preschool graduation, baseball practice and ballgames. Oh, and that little trip we took to New England.

A few people weren't so shy in telling me that I had lost my mind. I planned this trip somewhat on the fly and there was no way that we could have changed Chip's schedule around so that he could go. So I made plans to fly from Chattanooga (way cheaper, just so you know) into Providence with just the kids and myself. Let me summarize this trip for you.

We left Monday morning after packing up our suitcases once Chip had left for work. We leave at a decent time and zip down the interestate. Get half way to Chattanooga and realize I don't have my wallet. True story. Skip ahead-- we have an odd number of travellers. When we've flown before, it's been easy to split up parent-child. This time, not so much. I was appalled by the lack of southern hospitality in Chattanooga and in Charlotte. No one was moving. At one point, after holding the plane FOR US, we realize all three of us are split up in three different rows. It took the flight attendant's intervention and my crocodile tears before someone moved so at least my kids were able to sit next to each other.

We arrive in Providence after quite possibly my longest day ever, get our rental car and head on our way to our hotel at precisely 5:00PM. And it's raining. We check in, finally, and head next door to a TGI Friday's for a much-needed hot meal (and caffeine). We are seated and then wait. And continue to wait. I swear, all I wanted was a tea and absolutely ANYTHING for the kids. Long story very short, our meal was free. And I don't ask for free meals. Ever.

We go back to the hotel, swim in the indoor pool (which is basically what the kids think is going to be the highlight of our trip at this point) and head straight to bed. I'm awakened by Kendall coughing profusely. All night. When she finally settles down, Cooper is whining and complaining of stomach pains. Skip ahead past a wonderful but rainy day with family (more below) and the next night Cooper is awakened again after only an hour of sleep. Skip ahead to 3 AM and after phone calls to Daddy and our peds office, our pediatrician's oncall nurse is adament that he may have appendicitis and we are on our way to Hasbro Children's Hospital in downtown Providence. Again, at about 4AM.

In case you're worried, he didn't need surgery, we think it was a virus but man were we tired! Cooper thought it was WAY cool that he got to stay up all night (me, not so much). We eventually found a remedy for Kendall's airplane cough (I'm assuming) and the sun finally decided to shine the whole rest of our time there (well, mostly). It was a rocky start... scratch that, a rocky first half but it got way better. Flying by myself or navigating airports and rush hour traffic in a strange city was nothing compared to dealing with illnesses and ER visits in the middle of the night by myself.

We visited a working farm with Jay and Jeff near my grandparents' house in Bristol.

The kids love the New England beaches. Shells and rocks are a rare commodity in the south... not so much up north!

A picture at the water across from my grandparents' house. I hope we continue to get these pictures for years to come! The kids love it and it means the world to me that it is so fun for my kids.

Goodbye Photo.

Oh, THE stairs. So, so many pictures here over the past many, many decades!

My sweet grandmother doesn't get up off the couch, or even bed, very much. But by-golly she sure loved sitting on her screened porch watching my kids play with sticks and try to climb trees. Makes a heart happy.

Cousins in Newport (my favorite place on the planet, if anyone is keeping tabs)

Oh dear. Cousin Katy is sometimes not to be trusted, so I was a little scared.

It really was a very... interesting trip. This blog probably could have been 4-part with everything that happened while we were there (some may remember the naked 5 year old in the hotel pool) but luckily I waited several months to rehash it all.

Photo Shoot

I got a new camera recently. It's much like a golfer getting new golf clubs or a seamstress getting a new sewing machine... You aren't going to wait too long before using it for the first time. So, what do you do when your camera arrives around 5PM and the battery has to charge? You wait an hour, charge the battery then go to the backyard and take pictures of your dogs. Of course.
It's funny because just a few days ago we were saying we needed to take some pictures of the dogs. They are 12 and 13 (and the third is around there somewhere, if not much older) and we probably don't have any pictures of them from the past 5 years or more. Sad, but true.

 Logan is our Grumpy Old Man (on the left) and he became grumpy the minute we brought Macie home (on the right). We used to not be able to let small children get really close to him because he would growl (never bite, but scare us just enough). The kids can now cuddle him, nuzzle him, kiss his nose and even ride him and he couldn't be happier. At 13 years old, he literally gallops towards the kids when they go outside.

 My sweet, smiling puppies (Bluegrass on the top, Macie on the bottom)

This is what Kendall did while Cooper played with the dogs for the camera. She loves the dogs but wasn't too into the photo shoot part of it.

If I'm being completely honest here, we don't usually do this. I typically get our dogs groomed about 4 times a year. It requires loading all 3 in the back of my car and trying for 2 weeks afterwards to get rid of the smell. The kids asked if we could wash the dogs one day so that "they can be gray again." It didn't sound like fun to me, but I gave it a try... for the kids (and my wallet). It worked. It went surprisingly quick and the dogs didn't fight it too much. AND, everyone got cooled off.