Happy Number Eight

To My Favorite Little Baseball Player,

Today you turned 8. I have so cherished these last eight years, watching you learn and grow into the wonderful little man you are. You continue to teach me about motherhood, patience, and baseball, which is your life.

You are still very much, all about baseball. You would play it non-stop if you could, and frequently get in trouble for hitting and throwing balls in the house. You check out books from the library that have anything to do with baseball, play baseball tournaments with yourself, and draw pictures of Fenway Park. You continue to amaze me at how good you are at anything and everything baseball. So good that the two best teams in our division begged you to play for them. I get chills watching you play.

You love books and are getting into Harry Potter. You and Daddy have started reading the Series, and you love it. You are now almost done with the third book. We all look forward to watching each movie after you finish each book. You love to play on the computer, and can spend hours playing baseball (what else?) or Poptropica with your sister. You also love to play board games, and beat mommy most every time. You are almost as competitive as I am, and I admire this quality in you. You love Bay Blades too, and we all like to have competitions to see whose Bay Blade will win.

You are such a smart little man, and you do very well in school. You are in the 3rd grade now, and love math the most. You are in the gifted and talented class at school and enjoy it as well. You make friends easily, and have lots of them. Kids are drawn to you because of your gentle and funny and sweet personality. Your daddy is still your best friend.

Your sister continues to adore you, and wants to be with you always. When you are in trouble, she is your biggest advocate asking if you can get out of your room yet. She still calls you Nahnie, and endures baseball all day just so she can be with you. You told her that you will watch every one of her games when she plays ball next spring, and she tells everyone who asks her about baseball that you told her that.

I am thankful to God everyday for you, and look forward to watching you grow everyday. You, my Austin, are amazing. And I love you with all of my heart.

Austin at the Bowling Alley on his birthday. We had a bowling-baseball party. Daddy and Austin made the cupcakes, which were decorated like little baseballs. And then we went to a RedHawks baseball game. What a fun, perfect day.

Way Back Wednesday #38

I know I have posted a picture of Austin on his first day of Pre-K before, but here is another one. He was walking towards his classroom and looked back to make sure I was still there. He looks so small...

50 Days...

Of 100 degree or hotter temps.

This summer has been HOT to say the least. Today was a record breaking 50 days in a row that somewhere in Oklahoma it hit 100+ degrees. I think I am getting used to the heat, because I don't seem to be as miserable as when I first moved here. But, when the temp reaches 115, well that is just crazy. It doesn't seem to affect the kids too much, other than Aubrey asks every time we get in the car to "please turn on the air petitioner".

We have been trying to spend as much time as possible at our friend's house hanging out in their pool. Aubrey is getting braver in learning to swim and takes her floaties off to practice in the shallow end. She is doing really well. This weekend she jumped off the diving board (of course I didn't have the camera out for that).




Here is Austin practicing his flips into the water.




And Aubrey practicing her "dives".

First Day of School

Today my baby girl started "big girl school". She is now in all-day Pre-Kindergarten. I thought it was going to be a hard day for me, but I surprisingly did well, which is a big deal for me. Because it is all about me you know. Aubrey did really well too. Austin and I walked her in to her classroom, found her cubby for her backpack and lunchbox, and then found a table for her to sit down at and watched her start to play with a new friend. She was a little clingy at first and asked that I come and check on her after I dropped Austin off. So I did, and she was still playing. We waved and blew kisses and that was it. No tears. On either part. Thankfully, she has the same Pre-K teacher that Austin had, so I knew she was in good hands. And she was all smiles when I picked her up after school, saying she had a lot of fun today.

After we dropped Aubrey off, I walked Austin to his classroom. His class is upstairs this year, which means he is now officially a "big kid" at school (sniff sniff). I forced him to hug me, watched him find his desk, waved to him ignoring me and then left. I can't believe that 4 short years ago I was dropping him off for the first time. Seems like yesterday I was bawling and hugging him until his teacher had to kick me out of the room, and then waiting and sobbing in the parking lot with my newborn Aubrey until he got out of school. Of course I blame most of that on just having had Aubrey and all of the hormonal crap I was going through.

Yea, that was it...

Aubrey's New Ride

Aubrey got a bike for her birthday. She had been asking for one for months, "with training wheels", so when Grandma and Papa were here a few weeks ago we "re-decorated" Austin's old bike that he has outgrown and got it ready to surprise her with it. Because I am cheap like that. And practical really, I mean what else would we do with it? So Grandma and Papa painted his old red bike pink, and fixed it up with complete Princess Accessories including two, count them two bells, handlebar streamer thingies, and a basket. And Aunt Diane sent her the pink pads and gloves, and a really cool pink water bottle that Aubrey couldn't wait to use. Needless to say she was very excited about her "new" bike.

She was a little hesitant at first, only wanting to ride it in the house, then only in the driveway, but once we forced her out into the street there was no stopping her. And she used her bells every time a car was coming to let them know she was there. By the end of the ride she didn't want to get off, was turning complete circles in the street and was gaining enough speed to make us jog to keep up.

And Austin, who was unselfish enough to let his little sister have his old bike, was a big support in her first ride-walking beside her, encouraging her, and giving her gentle pushes when she needed it. My prayer is that he is always there doing the very same in every endeavor of her life.

I sure love my kids.

Way Back Wednesday #37

Austin and Aubrey, August 2007. Aubrey was just two weeks old, and Austin was about to be four. What a proud big brother. And a handsome one.